RK-55

RK-55 Relief
(NATO reporting name: SSC-X-4 'Slingshot')
S-10 Granat (SS-N-21 'Sampson')
Typesurface/sub-launched nuclear cruise missile
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In servicesince 1984
Used bySoviet Union / Russia
Production history
DesignerL. V. Lyulev, Novator NPP Temp, Raduga
Designed1975
ManufacturerNovator, NPP Temp, Raduga MKB, KhAZ (Kharkiv), others?
Produced1976
Specifications
Mass1,700 kg (3,750 lb)
Length809 cm (26 ft 7 in)
Diameter51 cm (20.1 in)
Wingspan310 cm (122.0 in)
WarheadConventional
Nuclear
Blast yieldNuclear 200kt [1]

EngineSolid-propellant rocket booster + R-95-300 or 36MT-37 turbofan
450 kgf
Operational
range
3,000 km (1,600 nmi)[2]
Maximum speed 720 km/h (447.4 mph)
Guidance
system
Sprut inertial guidance plus TERCOM
Launch
platform
Akula, Sierra II, Victor III, Yankee Notch, and Yasen-class submarines, TEL

The Novator RK-55 Relief (Russian: РК-55 Рельеф 'Relief'; NATO: SSC-X-4 'Slingshot'; GRAU: 3K12) is a Russian Navy cruise missile that is launched either from submarines (SLCM) or from surface ships. It can have a nuclear warhead developed in the Soviet Union. A version launched from submarine torpedo tubes, the S-10 Granat (SS-N-21 'Sampson'; GRAU: 3K10), has apparently been converted to carry conventional warheads and continues in service to this day.[3] The Russian Federation was reported to have deployed the derivative SS-CX-7/SS-CX-8 systems on 14 February 2017. The land launched version is called the Novator 9M729.

The RK-55 is very similar to the air-launched Kh-55 (AS-15 'Kent') but the Kh-55 has a drop-down turbofan engine and was designed by MKB Raduga.[4] Both have formed the basis of post-Cold-War missiles, in particular the 3M-54 Kalibr which has a supersonic approach phase.[5]

  1. ^ SIPRI (1989) p16
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference SIPRI89 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "SS-N-21 "Sampson" (RK-55)". Missile Threat. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Kh-55 (AS-15 'Kent'/Kh-555/RKV-500/Kh-65)", Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems, 2009-09-09, archived from the original on February 4, 2009, retrieved 2009-02-04
  5. ^ "RK-55 Granat (SS-N-21 'Sampson'/3M10)", Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems, 2008-09-10, retrieved 2009-02-04 [dead link]