* Syria reportedly has 72, P-800 Yakhont missiles.
* They have a range of 120km if surface launched, 300km if air launched.
* If surface launched they have a speed of Mach 2.
* It supposedly has a low radar cross section to make interception more difficult.
* Sea skimming up to sea state 5.
* Has active countermeasures to defeat jamming, spoofing and chaff.
* Served as the basis for the Russian-Indian Brahmos missile.
Normalcy Bias Experts will say no big deal. Our Navy can easily handle these "vampires". I simply ask. When was the last time a Navy had to deal with inbound antiship missiles?
That's right. The Israelis against a C-802 launched against a SAAR-5 by Hezbollah. The results? The ship was badly damaged. The excuse given to the world was that the automated defense systems were switched off. I say poppycock. The Israeli Navy might be the smallest of their services but they're thoroughly professional. I'm not buying it. Additionally what kind of propaganda victory would the Hezbollah grab if it was admitted that their missiles easily defeated an Israeli warship?
Before that skirmish the only other example we have is the Falklands War. A bloody messy affair....and the Argies only had a handful of Exocet missiles. The Syrians have 72 P-800s.
