SS-N-3 Shaddock/Sepal
A P-5 missile on static display, redair intake cover clearly visibile
Type	Cruise missile[1]
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1963−1991 (USSR)
Used by	Seeoperators
Wars	Russo-Ukrainian War[2]
Production history
Designer	Chelomey Design Bureau
Variants	Seevariants
Specifications
Mass	5,300 kg (11,700 lb)
Height	10.8 m (35 ft)
Diameter	0.98 m (3 ft 3 in)
Wingspan	2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Warhead	HESAP ornuclear
Warhead weight	650 or 870 kg (1,430 or 1,920 lb)
Blast yield	10 or 200kt
Engine	Turbojet with solid fuel boosters
Propellant	Liquid fuel[2][3]
Operational range	300 or 450 km (190 or 280 mi)
Maximum speed	1.3 Mach
Guidance system	Inertial withcommands andinfrared oractive radar
Launch platform	Echo II-class submarine Juliett-class submarine Kresta I-class cruiser Kynda-class cruiser BAZ-135TEL Object 100[4]
References	[5]

TheP-5Pityorka (Russian:П-5 «Пятёрка»,lit. 'five'), also known by theNATO reporting nameSS-N-3 Shaddock for submarine-launched versions andSS-N-3 Sepal for ship and coastal defence versions, is aCold War eraturbojet-poweredcruise missile of theSoviet Union, designed by theChelomey design bureau. Originally designed as astrategic nuclear weapon, it entered service in 1963 with theSoviet Navy. All ship and submarine launched versions remained in service until 1994, while coastal defence batteries remain in limited service with theRussian Navy.

The SS-N-3 Shaddock and Sepal missiles are 10.8 m (35 ft) long with a body diameter of 0.98 m (3 ft 3 in). Two swept-wings 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) long unfold forward after launch. Aturbojet engine and an air inlet are located at the rear of the missile, while two solid propellant motors boost the missile during launch. The missile can cruise at altitudes of 100 m (330 ft), 4,000 m (13,000 ft), or 7,500 m (24,600 ft) at a maximum speed of 1.3 Mach. After the boosters are jettisoned, the turbojet powers the missile for the rest of the flight.^[6]

Guidance was provided by a 'Scoop Pair' (for surface ships) or 'Front Door' (for submarines) radar for shorter ranges or viadata link by fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters including theTu-16 Badger,Tu-95 Bear-D,Ka-25 Hormone, andKa-27 Helix. In the latter case, the aircraft could send radar pictures to the ship or submarine launcher allowing the weapons control officer to program the missile with the target coordinates.^[1][7] A drawback of the Shaddock was that the launching submarine had to remain surfaced after launch up to 25 minutes when firing against targets at a range of 250 nautical miles (460 km; 290 mi).^[1]

Later upgrades used satellite surveillance data to allow the weapons control officer to plan the path of the missiles. The missile uses aninertial navigation system with command updates to steer the missile mid-flight while during the terminal flight phase, a radar altimeter and ainfrared oractive radar homing system are used to guide the missile towards the target.^[6]

The P-5, P-6, and P-35 missiles have a minimum firing range of 25 km (16 mi) and can carry conventionalhigh-explosive,semi-armour piercing (HE SAP) warhead, a 10kiloton nuclear warhead, or a 650 kg (1,430 lb) nuclear warhead with a yield of 200 kt.^[7]

TheNATO reporting names for the P-5 family of missiles were assigned out of order and do not reflect the Soviet development process, given the limited intelligence available at the time.^[2] Also while the ship-launched versions are designated by NATO as Sepal, they are generally referred to as Shaddock.^[1]

• P-5 Pityorka (NATO reporting name: SS-N-3C Shaddock)^[8] − Submarine-launched strategic strike missile with inertial guidance only.^[1] Withdrawn from service in 1965.^[3]
• P-5D (NATO reporting name: SS-N-3C Shaddock) − Improved version with increased range and better chance of penetrating enemy defenses to reach its targets. Accepted for service in 1962 and withdrawn in 1965.^[3]
• P-6 (NATO reporting name: SS-N-3A Shaddock) − Submarine-launchedanti-ship missile variant.^[9]
• P-7 − Extended range prototype based on the P-5 with a range of 1,000 km (620 mi) The missile was tested in 1962−1964, but development was halted after the Soviets decided to focus on the development of submarine-mounted anti-ship missiles.^[3]
• P-10 − Prototype designed by theBeriev Design Bureau, four missiles were test launched from a modifiedZulu-class submarine in the fall of 1957, but further work was halted following successful testings with the P-5 missile.^[10]
• P-20 − Long range prototype based on the P-5, development was halted in February 1960.^[3]
• P-35 Utes (NATO reporting name: SS-N-3B Sepal) − Ship-launched variant,^[9] it can also be fired from atransporter erector launcher (TEL).^[2]
• P-35B Redut (NATO reporting name: SS-N-3B Sepal)^[4] − Coastal defence missile mounted on aBAZ-135 8×8 wheeled TEL.^[9]
• P-35E (NATO reporting name: SS-N-3B Sepal) − Export variant of the P-35 with shorter range and lighter missiles.^[9]
• 3M44 Progress − Upgraded version of the P-35 mounted on a TEL or theObject 100 fixed anti-ship missile launcher.^[2] It has a reported range of 460 km (286 mi) and can carry a 350 kt nuclear warhead.^[4]
• Target missile and UAV −Russia andSyria also used target andunmanned aerial vehicle conversions of Shaddock/Sepal missiles.^[9]

Between 1961 and 1964, ThirteenWhiskey-class submarines (1 "Single Cylinder", 5 "Twin Cylinder", and 7 "Long Bin") were converted into guided missile submarines to carry SS-N-3 Shaddock missiles. They remained in service until 1985, when the last Whiskey-classguided missile submarine was decommissioned.^[11]

While theEcho-class submarine didn't have enough space for the Shaddock guidance radar, the improvedEcho II had enlarged hulls capable of carrying 8 Shaddock missiles. They were all decommissioned from service by the end of 1993.^[12]

TheJuliett-class submarines were the diesel-electric equivalent of the Echo II-class with half the missile capacity. They were all decommissioned by the end of 1994.^[12]

TheKynda-class cruiser carried 16 P-35 (SS-N-3B Sepal) missiles mounted in two quadruple-launchers one forward and the other aft. They were all removed from service by 1995.^[9][13]

TheKresta I-class cruiser was supposed to carry the more advancedP-500 Bazalt missiles, but due development delays it was forced to carry 4 Sepal missiles mounted on two twin-launchers.^[14]

In the coastal defence role, the SS-N-3B Sepal is carried by aBAZ-135 8×8 wheeled TEL carrying a single missile. The TEL has a length of 13.5 m (44 ft), a width of 2.86 m (9 ft 5 in), and combat weight of 21,000 kg (46,000 lb). The TEL carries a crew of five and has a road speed of 40 km/h (25 mph).^[15]

In 1954, the Soviets built an underground anti-ship missile complex known asObject 100 in the mountains nearBalaklava, to protectSevastopol and the Soviet Union's southern maritime approaches. While it initially employedSopka anti-ship missiles, the system was modernized to fire P-35 missiles in 1973, and 3M44 Progress missiles in 1982.^[4]

Originally designed to allow submarines to launch strategic strikes against ground targets,^[16] the P-5 was withdrawn from service in 1965. During the mid-1950s the Soviet premierNikita Khrushchev demanded priority on the development of submarine-launched anti-ship cruise missiles to counter Americanaircraft carriers. The P-6 missile was mounted on submarines, surface ships (as the P-35),^[3] and coastal defence batteries.^[4]

After thedissolution of the Soviet Union, all submarine and ship-launched missiles were withdrawn from Russian Navy service by 1994, while coastal defence missiles were kept for tests and target practice.^[4][5]

TheSyrian Navy employed a number of Soviet and Russian coastal defence batteries, including P-35 missiles. Following thefall of the Assad regime, theIsraeli Navy launched an attack aimed at Syrian naval bases to prevent their assets from falling into the hands ofHay'at Tahrir al-Sham and other rebel groups. As of February 2025, the status of Syrian naval defenses remain unknown.^[17][18]

On 28 December 1984 a SS-N-3 missile used as a target by the Soviet Navy strayed over the Finnish border and crashed intoLake Inari.^[19][20] A Finnish early warning radar atRovaniemi and a close-range radar atKaamanen picked it up, and twoSaab 35 Draken fighters were dispatched, but were unable to find anything. A few days later, a reindeer herder found a plastic cover of the electronics compartment, and unable to identify it, brought it to a Border Guard post. Finnish military analysts recognized it as aMiG component. Indeed, the missile was a modified version fitted with avionics taken from MiG for remote control. The missile had punched itself through the lake ice, thus the crash site was easily identifiable, and the Finnish military soon lifted the missile from the lake for analysis. The likely cause was loss of radio contact between the operator and the missile. Although the cause for the accident was mundane, it came at an unfortunate time, just before an international conference oncruise missiles, and there was much speculation whether it was a Soviet show of force.^[21]

In 18 January 2024, photos showing the wreckage of a P-35B or a 3M44 Progress missile (either shot down by Ukrainian air defenses or crashed after experiencing some sort of failure) were circulated through social media. Given the economic sanctions against Russia and theUkrainian Navy lack of large warships, the Russians have launched anti-ship missiles against ground targets in Ukraine.^[2]

According toThe War Zone, the missile could have been launched either from theObject 100 fixed launcher or a TEL based inCrimea.^[2]

•  Angolan Navy − One Sepal battery based inLuanda^[22]
•  Russian Navy − Submarine and ship-launched missiles withdrawn from service by 1994.^[15] Some Sepal coastal batteries remain active as of 2025^[23]
•  Syrian Navy − P-35 used on coastal batteries. Status unknown following thefall of the Assad regime andOperation Bashan Arrow^[17][18]
•  Vietnam People's Navy − Used on coastal batteries^[24]

•  Bulgarian Navy − Used on coastal batteries^[25]
•  Soviet Navy − SS-N-3A Shaddock and SS-N-3B Sepal missiles remained in service in 1991,^[26] passed on to the Russian Navy^[9]
•  Ukrainian Navy −Object 100 transferred to Ukraine in 1996, it was non-operational prior to theannexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation^[4]

• 
  A sketch of the P-5 missile.
• 
  A P-5 missile.
• 
  Juliett-class submarine with P-5 missile launchers raised.
• 
  A Redut coastal missile battery.

Notes

Bibliography

• MARITIME STRIKE The Soviet Perspective
• SSC-1a Shaddock and SS-N-3 Sepal at Federation of American Scientists

• Anti-ship cruise missiles of the Soviet Union
• Nuclear cruise missiles of the Soviet Union
• Cruise missiles of the Cold War
• Cold War nuclear missiles of the Soviet Union
• Surface-to-surface missiles of the Soviet Union
• Submarine-launched cruise missiles
• Military equipment introduced in the 1950s

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles containing Russian-language text