| SY/HY missiles | |
|---|---|
 SY-1 missile | |
| Type | Anti-ship cruise missile |
| Place of origin | China |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | |
TheSY (Chinese:上游;pinyin:Shàngyóu;lit. 'Upstream'), andHY (Chinese:海鹰;pinyin:Hǎiyīng;lit. 'Sea Eagle') series were earlyanti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) developed by thePeople's Republic of China from theSovietP-15 Termit missile. They entered service in the late 1960s[2] and remained the main ASCMs deployed by thePeople's Liberation Army Navy through the 1980s. The missiles were used by the PRC and export customers to developland-attack missiles.[3]
The nameSilkworm is popularly used for the entire SY and HY family. As aNATO reporting name, it applies only to the land-based variant of the HY-1.[4]
Chinese preparations were underway before receiving the first P-15s and related technical data from the Soviets in 1959. On 8 October 1956, theFifth Academy was founded - withQian Xuesen as director - to pursue missile development. In March 1958 a cruise missile test site was selected atLiaoxi inLiaoning.[2]
In November 1960, the first successful missile test was conducted after the withdrawal of Soviet advisors in September, due to theSino-Soviet split. The P-15 was copied to become the SY-1. In October 1963, production started at theNanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company. In 1965, the first successful test occurred. In August 1967, production was approved. The SY-1 entered service by the end of the decade.[2]
The SY-1 was developed into the improved HY-1. In December 1968, the HY-1 was successfully tested, and entered service in 1974.[5]
The Silkworm gained fame in the 1980s when it was used by both sides in theIran–Iraq War. Both countries were supplied by China. In 1987, Iran launched a number of Silkworm missiles from theFaw Peninsula, striking the American-owned,Liberian-flagged tankerSungari and the U.S.-flagged tankerSea Isle City in October 1987.[6] Five other missiles struck areas in Kuwait earlier in the year.[7]
In October 1987, Kuwait's Sea Island offshoreoil terminal was hit by an Iranian Silkworm, which was observed to have originated from the Faw peninsula. The attack prompted Kuwait to deploy aHawk missile battery onFailaka Island to protect the terminal.[8] In December 1987, another Iranian Silkworm was fired at the terminal, but it struck a decoy barge instead.[9]
Prior to these attacks the missile's range was thought to be less than 80 kilometres (50 mi), but these attacks proved that the range exceeded 100 kilometres (62 mi) withKuwaiti military observers seeing that the missiles originated from the area and tracking them on radar along with US satellite imagery of the launch sites.[10]
On February 25, 1991 duringOperation Desert Storm, a shore-based Iraqi launcher fired two Silkworm missiles at theUSSMissouri which was in company with theUSSJarrett andHMSGloucester. ASea Dart missile from HMSGloucester shot down one Silkworm and the other missed, crashing into the ocean.[11]Royal Air Force officers subsequently recovered an HY-2 missile atUmm Qasr in southern Iraq. It is currently displayed at theRAF Museum Cosford.[12]
During the2003 invasion of Iraq,Iraq used the Silkworm (HY-2 Seersucker) as asurface to surface missile, by firing at least two of them at the coalition positions inKuwait.[13]
On 12 October 2016, during theBlockade of Yemen, two Silkworm missiles were fired from the Houthi-controlled port ofAl Hudaydah at the destroyerUSS Mason operating in theBab el-Mandeb strait. Both impacted the sea, possibly due to the countermeasures.[14][15]
