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Moscow: Sale to Syria of advanced cruise missile will not change military balance in region MOSCOW — The Kremlin has approved the sale of an anti-ship missile to the Syrian Navy and defended its decision after concerns raised by Israel. Officials said the missile, identified as P-800, was deemed a defensive weapon that would not change the military balance in the Middle East. "I would like to stress that the Russian Federation is committed to all agreements previously signed between Russia and Syria," Russian presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said. Prikhodko said the P-800 sale was approved by the Kremlin based...

Keeping Yakhont Out Of Iran September 7, 2010: Israel is trying to persuade Russia not to sell their 3M55 anti-ship missile to Syria. Israel, and many Western nations, fear that sales to Syria will actually be sales to Iran, which is under an arms embargo and cannot buy the 3M55 itself. The missile is particularly dangerous to any warship, mainly because of its size and high speed. Syria has been on the Iranian payroll for decades. Also known as Yakhont, Oniks and P-800, the 3M55 missile was further developed by India to produce the BrahMos. But the Russians used the...

Russian Yakhont Missile to deploy on Syria's Coastline? Posted by Sean Meade at 8/5/2009 10:40 AM CDT David Eshel writes The recent delivery of an advanced Russian-made anti-ship missile to Iran has Israeli defense officials concerned it will be transferred to Syria and Hizbullah and used against the Israel Navy in a future conflict. According to media reports, the P-800 Yakhont, the supersonic cruise missile can be launched from the coast and hit sea-borne targets up to 300 kilometers away. The missile carries a 200-kilogram warhead and flies a meter-and-a-half above sea level, making it extremely difficult to intercept. The...

Aug 28, 2007 Israel worries Iran may give Russian anti-ship missile to Syria, Hizbullah By YAAKOV KATZ The recent delivery of an advanced Russian-made anti-ship missile to Iran has defense officials concerned it will be transferred to Syria and Hizbullah and used against the Israel Navy in a future conflict. Called the SSN-X-26 Yakhont, the supersonic cruise missile can be launched from the coast and hit sea-borne targets up to 300 kilometers away. The missile carries a 200-kilogram warhead and flies a meter-and-a-half above sea level, making it extremely difficult to intercept. Its closest Western counterpart is the US-made Tomahawk...