physics

Metel Anti-Ship Complex

Metel Anti-Ship Complex is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Metel Anti-Ship Complex rather than just read about it. In short: The Metel Anti-Ship Complex (Russian: противолодочный комплекс «Метель» 'Snowstorm'; NATO reporting name: SS-N-14 Silex) is a Soviet family of anti-submarine missiles. There are different anti-submarine variants ('Metel') for cruisers and frigates, and a later version with a shaped charge ('Rastrub') that can be used against shipping as well as submarines.

Key takeaways

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Connect Metel Anti-Ship Complex to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Metel Anti-Ship Complex from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Metel Anti-Ship Complex (Russian: противолодочный комплекс «Метель» 'Snowstorm'; NATO reporting name: SS-N-14 Silex) is a Soviet family of anti-submarine missiles. There are different anti-submarine variants ('Metel') for cruisers and frigates, and a later version with a shaped charge ('Rastrub') that can be used against shipping as well as submarines. The missile carries an underslung anti-submarine torpedo which it drops immediately above the suspected position of a submarine. The torpedo then proceeds to search and then home in on the submarine. In the case of the 85RU/URPK-5, the UGMT-1 torpedo is a multi-purpose torpedo and can be used against submarines as well as surface ships. The missile has been in operational service since 1968, but is no longer in production; it was superseded by the RPK-2 Viyuga (SS-N-15 'Starfish').

Development In the early 1960s the Soviet Union introduced the RBU-6000 and RBU-1000 anti-submarine rocket launchers, which worked on a similar principle to the Royal Navy's Hedgehog system of the Second World War, propelling small depth charges up to 5,800 metres (6,300 yd) from a ship. However this meant that a ship would still be in range of the submarine's torpedoes and missiles, and depth charges were less accurate than homing torpedoes. In 1963 the US Navy introduced ASROC, a missile that flew to the estimated position of the target submarine, and then dropped a torpedo into the water to destroy it. The SS-N-14 was the Soviet response. In 1993, an upgraded version, designated YP-85, with a range of 250 km (130 nmi), was proposed for export.

Design The missile is based on the P-120 Malakhit (NATO: SS-N-9 'Siren') anti-shipping missile. The missile itself is radio command guided and is powered by a solid fuel rocket motor. The later 'Rastrub' models of the weapon were "universal" carrying a UGMT-1 multi-purpose torpedo and in addition had 185 kg (408 lb) shaped charge warhead for use against ships guided by radio command and infrared seeker. In anti-submarine mode the missile flew at approximately 400 m (1,300 ft) altitude, and when it was over the estimated position of the target submarine the missile was commanded to release the torpedo or depth charge. In anti-shipping mode the missile flies much lower, at 15 m (49 ft).

Operational history The URPK-3 entered service in 1969 on the Kresta II and Kara classes of cruisers. The URPK-4 was introduced in 1973, and the anti-ship version URPK-5 Rastrub in 1976. The URPK-4 has been used With the first batch of the Udaloy-class destroyers; the Udaloy II carries the SS-N-15 'Starfish'. The system was installed on the missilecruiser Admiral Ushakov (ex-Kirov) but not on her sister ships. Of these the Krestas and Karas have been retired, along with most of the Krivaks and half the Udaloys; the Kirov appears to have been upgraded to the SS-N-16 'Stallion' at some point. 100 missiles are estimated to remain in service as of 2006. According to some unconfirmed reports, this missile has been used in combination with Tupolev Tu-143 Reys observation UAVs and Russian Tu-243 and Tu-300 derivatives, launched from BAZ-135MB truck launch platforms (originally planned for the Redoubt anti-ship missile complex to SS-N-3 Shaddock missile in coastal defense role, onboard infrastructure and general missile container inherited by the SS-N-9 Siren and the cited and Siren-derivate SS-N-14 Silex missiles) by pro-Russian separatist UAV units in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine since 2014, as a ground attack missile system. The adaptation includes replacement of originally used UGMT-1 multi-purpose torpedo and PLAB-100 naval depth-charge (variant of Soviet-Russian FAB-100 general-purpose aerial bomb) to FAB-50 or FAB-100, ZAB-50, ZAB-100, OFAB-50 or OFAB-100 and AO-50, AO-100 (twin 50 kg or single 100 kg unguided bombs). With only 100 missiles in stock left behind after by the successive withdrawal of the last Soviet-origin Kara-class cruisers and Krivak-class frigates in the near Russian Black Sea Fleet depots in Crimea, Metel is only used by the current upgrade of the Udaloy-class destroyers in Russian service.

Variants

60R - Original version armed with 5 kt nuclear depth charge 70R - Original version armed with AT-2U ASW torpedo 83R/URPK-3 Metel - Cruiser version of the missile using the guidance system from the SA-N-3 missile and the KT-106 launcher. Uses AT-1 torpedo (EA-45-70A) 84R/URPK-4 Metel-U, KT-106U launcher, used on Udaloy-class destroyers. Entered service 1973. Uses AT-2 (AT-2UM) torpedo (E53-72), which has either 100 kg HE warhead or possibly a 5 kt nuclear warhead. 85RU/URPK-5 Rastrub, KT-100U launcher. Entered service 1975. Carries UGMT-1 (AT-3 Orlan) anti- sub and anti-ship torpedo and is in addition anti-shipping missile with a warhead of 185 kg. 85RUS/URPK-5 Nuclear tipped version of the missile. YP-85 Proposed long-range version - see above.

Operators Russia Soviet Union

Gallery

Notes and references

Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems 1997 to 1998 Jane's Underwater Warfare Systems 2006-2007

External links Images of the missiles in the launch tubes at wonderland.org.nz Page about the SS-N-14 in Russian Manufacturer's page about the URK-5

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Metel Anti-Ship Complex

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Metel Anti-Ship Complex claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Metel Anti-Ship Complex before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Metel Anti-Ship Complex ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Metel Anti-Ship Complex

In research: Metel Anti-Ship Complex appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Metel Anti-Ship Complex in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Metel Anti-Ship Complex is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Anti-submarine missiles of the Soviet Union, Cold War submarine-launched cruise missiles of the Soviet Union, Guided missiles of the Soviet Union, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Metel Anti-Ship Complex outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Metel Anti-Ship Complex in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Metel Anti-Ship Complex means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Metel Anti-Ship Complex out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Metel Anti-Ship Complex in simple terms?

Why does Metel Anti-Ship Complex matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Metel Anti-Ship Complex?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Metel Anti-Ship Complex.