Munitions

P-15 Termit

Also known as
  • SS-N-2 Styx
  • Styx
  • 4K40
  • P-15U
  • P-15M
  • P-20
  • P-21
  • P-22

The P-15 Termit, known to NATO as the SS-N-2 Styx, is a Soviet anti-ship cruise missile developed by MKB Raduga for missile boats, export corvettes, and coastal batteries. Its combat record spans Indian Styx strikes on Karachi in 1971, Egyptian and Syrian missile-boat launches during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and Iraqi Osa-boat use during the Iran-Iraq War.

P-15 Termit, Soviet anti-ship cruise missile, Munitions
Image source: INS Chamak (K95) fires a P-15 Termit missile

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
Soviet anti-ship cruise missile
Service note
Cold War
Designer
OKB-155 / MKB Raduga
Designed
1955-1959
Produced
1960s-1990s
Number built
Produced in large quantities

Specifications

Guidance
Autopilot/inertial midcourse control with terminal active radar homing; infrared-homing branches include P-15UT and later Rubezh-family seeker variants
Range
P-15: about 35-40 km maximum; P-15M/P-21/P-22-class missiles: about 8-80 km
Warhead
P-15: about 480-500 kg high-explosive / HEAT warhead; later Termit/Rubezh-family references list about 513 kg
Launch weight
P-15: about 2,125-2,300 kg; P-15M/Rubezh-family missiles: about 2,523-2,573 kg
Speed
About 320 m/s, roughly Mach 0.9
Cruise altitude
P-15 references list about 100-300 m; P-15M/Rubezh-family selectable levels include about 25, 50, or 250 m
Propulsion
Liquid-fuel sustainer rocket with solid-propellant launch booster
Designation Boundaries

Termit-family naming is not perfectly uniform across open references, especially around P-20, P-21, and P-22 export or seeker branches. This page treats those names as part of the P-15/SS-N-2 family when sources connect them to Termit or Rubezh-family missiles, while leaving Chinese Silkworm derivatives and later unrelated anti-ship missiles outside this record.

Core missile

P-15 / 4K40 / SS-N-2A covers the original fixed-wing ship-launched missile.

Sources: P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx); Missilery.info P-15 4K40.

Folding-wing branch

P-15U and P-15UT describe folding-wing and infrared-seeker branches used from smaller launch containers.

Sources: P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx); NavWeaps Naval Missiles of Russia/USSR.

Rubezh branch

P-15M, P-21, and P-22 appear in Rubezh coastal-defense context with extended-range and seeker distinctions.

Source: Missilery.info 4K51 Rubezh.

Variants

Open references use P-15 Termit / SS-N-2 Styx for both the original 4K40 missile and a wider family that includes folding-wing and later extended-range Termit/Rubezh missiles.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
P-15Original fixed-wing missile

Initial 4K40 / SS-N-2A production model with active radar homing, about 35-40 km maximum range, roughly 2,125 kg launch mass, and a 480 kg-class warhead.

Sources: P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx), Missilery.info P-15 4K40

P-15UFolding-wing missile

Second-generation folding-wing Termit branch associated with 4K40U / 4K41 and SS-N-2B designations; sources describe performance as close to the original P-15.

Sources: P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx), NavWeaps Naval Missiles of Russia/USSR

P-15UTInfrared-seeker branch

P-15U-derived missile that replaced the active radar seeker with a Kondor infrared seeker; WeaponSystems.net describes it as less common than P-15U.

Sources: P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx)

P-15M TermitExtended-range improved missile

Improved folding-wing Termit with lower selectable cruise heights, about 80 km maximum range, and a heavier launch mass and warhead in Missilery.info's comparison data.

Sources: Missilery.info P-15 4K40, Missilery.info 4K51 Rubezh

P-20 / P-20MExport or updated branch

Western and Russian reference lists use P-20/P-20M for export or updated Termit-family missiles; source terminology is not fully consistent across open references.

Sources: NavWeaps Naval Missiles of Russia/USSR, Missilery.info 4K51 Rubezh

P-21 / P-22Rubezh-associated seeker variants

Missilery.info groups P-21/P-22 with the P-15M missiles used by 4K51 Rubezh and describes radar-homing and infrared-homing seeker versions.

Sources: Missilery.info 4K51 Rubezh, NavWeaps Naval Missiles of Russia/USSR

Launch Platforms

The P-15 Termit / SS-N-2 Styx family was fielded from missile boats, export missile corvettes, and mobile coastal-defense launchers.

LauncherLauncher typeLaunch evidence
4K51 Rubezh coastal-defense missile, Mobile coastal-defense missile system, Naval Systems4K51 Rubezh coastal-defense missileMobile coastal-defense launcher

WeaponSystems.net identifies the 4K51 Rubezh as a coastal-defense system that fires P-15 Termit / SS-N-2 Styx-family missiles.

Sources: 4K51 Rubezh, P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx)

Project 1234 Ovod / Nanuchka-class missile corvette, Guided missile corvette family, Naval SystemsProject 1234 Ovod / Nanuchka-class missile corvetteExport missile corvette

RussianShips lists Project 1234E export ships with KT-15M Termit launchers and four P-20 anti-ship guided missiles, part of the P-15 Termit family represented by this record.

Sources: RussianShips Project 1234

Project 1241 Molniya / Tarantul-class missile corvette, Missile corvette class, Naval SystemsProject 1241 Molniya / Tarantul-class missile corvetteMissile corvette / fast attack craft

GlobalSecurity lists Tarantul I/II boats with four SS-N-2c Styx anti-ship missiles, and Naval Encyclopedia identifies Project 12411-T/Tarantul-II with four P-15 Termit / SS-N-2 missiles.

Sources: Project 1241 - Tarantul Class, Tarantul Class Corvette

Early Missile-Boat Families

Two early P-15 launch-boat families are source-backed but do not yet have separate catalog records.

PlatformSource-backed relationship
Project 183R / Komar classWeaponSystems.net identifies the Project 183R fast missile boat as the first P-15 launch platform.
Project 205 Moskit / Osa classWeaponSystems.net describes Project 205 boats as carrying four P-15 Termit missiles, with Project 205U and 205ER boats using folding-wing P-15U missiles.

Sources: P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx); Project 205 Moskit class.

Timeline

P-15 Termit Key Events

  1. P-15 development assigned

    Raduga-linked history says the OKB-155 branch was tasked in 1955 with developing a new sea-launched P-15 cruise missile.

  2. Early test launches

    WeaponSystems.net places P-15 test launches in 1956-1957.

  3. Soviet state trials

    WeaponSystems.net dates Soviet state trials to 1958-1959 after the 1955-1959 design project period.

  4. Entered service

    Open references list 1960 as the P-15 service-entry year.

  5. P-15U folding-wing branch

    WeaponSystems.net describes P-15U as the second-generation folding-wing Termit introduced in 1965.

  6. INS Eilat sinking

    Missile-defense and naval-history sources identify the sinking of Israeli destroyer Eilat by Egyptian Styx missiles as the first operational use of anti-ship cruise missiles of this type.

  7. Rubezh development begins

    Missilery.info says development of the 4K51 Rubezh coastal anti-ship complex began in 1970 and selected the P-15M Termit family missile.

  8. Karachi strike begins

    Indian Navy Vidyut-class boats fired SS-N-2B Styx missiles during Operation Trident against Pakistani naval and port targets near Karachi.

  9. Latakia missile battle

    Syrian missile boats launched Styx missiles during the Yom Kippur War's opening naval battle off Latakia, but Israeli countermeasures defeated the missiles.

  10. Operation Morvarid launches

    Iraqi Osa boats launched P-15 Termit missiles during the Iran-Iraq War naval fighting around Operation Morvarid.

Media

P-15 Termit Images

P-15 Termit, Soviet anti-ship cruise missile, Munitions - view 1
Source: P-15 Termit with parts
P-15 Termit, Soviet anti-ship cruise missile, Munitions - view 2
Source: SS-N-2 Styx
Related Weapon Systems
P-270 Moskit, Supersonic anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsP-270 MoskitSupersonic anti-ship cruise missileThe P-270 Moskit, also known as 3M80/3M82 and SS-N-22 Sunburn, is a Soviet and Russian supersonic anti-ship cruise missile developed by MKB Raduga and produced at Progress plant in Arsenyev. The family is centered on shipboard strike from Sovremenny destroyers, Tarantul missile corvettes, and Project 1239 surface-effect corvettes, pairing inertial midcourse navigation with active/passive radar terminal homing and a low-altitude ramjet flight profile.
4K51 Rubezh coastal-defense missile, Mobile coastal-defense missile system, Naval SystemsNaval Systems4K51 Rubezh coastal-defense missileMobile coastal-defense missile systemThe 4K51 Rubezh is a Soviet mobile coastal-defense system that puts radar, fire-control equipment, and twin P-15 Termit launch containers on a single MAZ-543-family 8x8 vehicle. Its compact TELAR layout made it exportable and self-contained compared with earlier Soviet coastal batteries; in the 2014 Yemen Civil War, Houthi forces acquired Rubezh/P-15 stocks from Yemeni military inventories and continued to display the type as part of their anti-shipping arsenal.
Project 1234 Ovod / Nanuchka-class missile corvette, Guided missile corvette family, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsProject 1234 Ovod / Nanuchka-class missile corvetteGuided missile corvette familyProject 1234 Ovod, known in NATO reporting as the Nanuchka class, is a Soviet guided-missile corvette family built around a compact high-speed hull with heavy anti-ship missile armament. Soviet Project 1234 and 12341 ships carried P-120 Malakhit missiles and an Osa-M point-defense launcher, while export Project 1234E boats carried P-15/P-20 Termit missiles; documented combat losses connect Libyan export hulls to the 1986 Gulf of Sidra fighting, NATO's 2011 Libya campaign, and the 2014 Benghazi fighting.
R-17 Scud-B ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, MunitionsMunitionsR-17 Scud-B ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missileThe R-17 Elbrus, known to NATO as the SS-1C Scud-B, is a Soviet road-mobile, liquid-fueled short-range ballistic missile built for deep strikes with conventional, chemical, or nuclear payloads. Its combat record spans Egyptian launches in 1973, Iranian and Iraqi city strikes in the 1980-1988 war, Libyan missile attempts in 1986 and 2011, South Yemeni strikes in 1994, Armenian strikes on Ganja in 2020, and Houthi-aligned use of inherited Yemeni stocks, illustrating the lasting political and civilian risk of older inaccurate ballistic missiles.

Sources

P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx)Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports the P-15 Termit's Soviet origin, anti-ship missile role, development timeline, service entry, producer context, guidance, range, warhead, variant background, and early missile-boat launch platforms. | Accessed: 2026-07-03MDAA P-15 Termit overviewPublisher: Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance | Note: Supports the P-15 Termit's designation, anti-ship role, manufacturer context, range, warhead, guidance, altitude, propellant, launch-platform families, and 1971 Indo-Pakistani War direct-use context. | Accessed: 2026-07-034K51 RubezhPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports the direct relationship that the 4K51 Rubezh coastal-defense system fires the P-15 Termit missile and provides launcher context for this page. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Project 205 Moskit classPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports the Project 205/Osa-class launch-platform relationship and identifies Project 183R/Komar as the predecessor carrying two P-15 Termit missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Missilery.info P-15 4K40Publisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports P-15/P-15M comparison data, range, speed, altitude, launch mass, warhead mass, variant context, and the 1967 Eilat historical note. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Missilery.info 4K51 RubezhPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports P-15M/P-21/P-22 Rubezh-family missile context, seeker branches, 8-80 km range, selectable flight altitudes, launch mass, warhead mass, propulsion, and Rubezh launcher relationship. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Raduga history via Missilery.infoPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports Raduga/OKB-155 development timeline, 1955 assignment, first launch context, 1960 service entry, and 1967 Eilat historical note. | Accessed: 2026-07-03NavWeaps Naval Missiles of Russia/USSRPublisher: NavWeaps | Note: Supports compact designation crosswalk for P-15, P-15T, P-15U, P-15M, P-20/P-20M, P-21, P-22, and P-27 Termit-family names. | Accessed: 2026-07-0340 Years Since Operation TridentPublisher: SP's Naval Forces | Note: Directly supports 1971 Indo-Pakistani War use by identifying SS-N-2B Styx launches by Indian Navy missile boats against Pakistani naval and port targets near Karachi. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Israel's Navy Beat the OddsPublisher: U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings | Note: Directly supports 1973 Yom Kippur War use by reporting Soviet-made Styx missiles launched by Egyptian and Syrian forces against Israeli naval forces. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Yom Kippur Naval Missile BattlesPublisher: Center for International Maritime Security | Note: Directly supports 1973 Yom Kippur War use by describing Syrian and Egyptian Styx missile launches at Latakia and Baltim and the Israeli countermeasure response. | Accessed: 2026-07-03How Iran Destroyed Iraq's Navy in a Single BattlePublisher: The National Interest | Note: Directly supports 1980 Iran-Iraq War use by describing Iraqi Osa II missile boats launching P-15 Termit missiles during Operation Morvarid and later firing Termit missiles that destroyed Paykan. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Iraqi NavyPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Iraq's Osa patrol boats, Styx/SS-N-2 missile armament, and the source limit that Gulf War-era Iraqi Osa boats had not fired Styx since the early 1980s. | Accessed: 2026-07-03RussianShips Project 1234Publisher: RussianShips.info | Note: Supports the relationship between Project 1234E export ships, KT-15M Termit launchers, and P-20 anti-ship guided missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Project 1241 - Tarantul ClassPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Project 1241/Tarantul I and II armament context, including four SS-N-2c Styx anti-ship missiles on early branches. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Tarantul Class CorvettePublisher: Naval Encyclopedia | Note: Supports Project 1241 branch context and the Project 12411-T/Tarantul-II relationship with P-15 Termit / SS-N-2 missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-03INS Chamak (K95) fires a P-15 Termit missilePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and Government of India licensing context for the launch image used on this page. | Accessed: 2026-07-03P-15 Termit with partsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing context for the museum-display gallery image used on this page. | Accessed: 2026-07-03SS-N-2 StyxPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing context for the SS-N-2 Styx gallery image used on this page. | Accessed: 2026-07-03