Sea Skua vs Silkworm (missile): Specs Compared

ACruise & anti-ship missiles

Sea Skua

Air-to-surface missile , anti-ship missile

BCruise & anti-ship missiles

Silkworm (missile)

Anti-ship cruise missile

First system

Second system

Measured figures

Head to head

3 of 27 rows sourced on both sides

2.5m

—

Length

All recorded figures & sources

2.5 m

Length

Single source

2.5 m^[source]

720mm

—

Wingspan

All recorded figures & sources

Configuration

Details

Sea Skua and Silkworm (missile) configuration
Specification	Sea Skua	Silkworm (missile)
Speed	Mach 1+^[source]	—
Type	Air-to-surface missile , anti-ship missile^[source]	Anti-ship cruise missile^[source]
Place of origin	United Kingdom^[source]	China^[source]
In service	1982^[source]	—
Used by	See operators^[source]

FORCETALLY

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Wars	Falklands War Gulf War^[source]	—

Designer	British Aircraft Corporation^[source]	—

Designed	1972^[source]	—

Manufacturer	British Aircraft Corporation (1972–1977) BAe Dynamics (1977–1999) MBDA (UK) Ltd (since 1999)^[source]	Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company (Now Hongdu ) China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Third Academy^[source]

Produced	1975^[source]	—

Warhead	30 kg semi armour piercing, 9 kg RDX^[source]	—

Detonation mechanism	Impact fuze, delayed detonation^[source]	—

Engine	Solid fuel booster / solid fuel sustainer^[source]	—

Guidance system	Semi-active radar homing^[source]	—

Steering system	Control surfaces^[source]	—

Launch platform	Westland Lynx, Combattante BR-42 FAC^[source]	—

Source measurement	—	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) with Kuwaiti military observers seeing that the missiles originated from the area and tracking them on radar along with US satellite imagery of the launch sites.^[source]Silkworm (missile) · Operational history / Iran–Iraq War; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage NATO reporting names CSS-N-5 Sabot . The SY-2 is a significant redesign of the SY-1 missile and is no longer a copy of the P-15. The missile has a longer, somewhat slimmer airframe and is powered by a solid propellant rocket motor instead of the liquid propellant design from the Styx, granting a range of 50km. Despite being a different, much more modern missile, however, the SY-2 still shares launchers and support equipment with the SY-1 (P-15) and not only armed the 053H1G frigates built in the 1990s but also eventually replaced the old missiles on unmodernized Jianghu class frigates.^[source]Silkworm (missile) · Variants / SY series; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage An extended-range (70km) development of the SY-1 for coastal defense role; lost out to the more-ambitious HY-2 but was adopted for shipboard use due to its size growth from the SY-1 being sufficiently limited. NATO reporting names CSS-N-2 Safflower (ship-based) and CSSC-2 Silkworm (land-based.)^[source]Silkworm (missile) · Variants / HY series; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage A complete re-engineering of the SY-1 design optimized for a maximum range of 100km, resulting in a still larger/longer missile more suitable for coastal defense than the more-conservative HY-1. NATO reporting names CSS-N-3 Seersucker (ship-based) and CSSC-3 Seersucker (land-based.)^[source]Silkworm (missile) · Variants / HY series; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage Air-launched LACM sharing visual characteristics of the HY-2, HY-4, and YJ-6. 200 km range.^[source]Silkworm (missile) · Variants / Further development; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

Source measurement

—

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) with Kuwaiti military observers seeing that the missiles originated from the area and tracking them on radar along with US satellite imagery of the launch sites.^[source]Silkworm (missile) · Operational history / Iran–Iraq War; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

NATO reporting names CSS-N-5 Sabot . The SY-2 is a significant redesign of the SY-1 missile and is no longer a copy of the P-15. The missile has a longer, somewhat slimmer airframe and is powered by a solid propellant rocket motor instead of the liquid propellant design from the Styx, granting a range of 50km. Despite being a different, much more modern missile, however, the SY-2 still shares launchers and support equipment with the SY-1 (P-15) and not only armed the 053H1G frigates built in the 1990s but also eventually replaced the old missiles on unmodernized Jianghu class frigates.^[source]Silkworm (missile) · Variants / SY series; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

An extended-range (70km) development of the SY-1 for coastal defense role; lost out to the more-ambitious HY-2 but was adopted for shipboard use due to its size growth from the SY-1 being sufficiently limited. NATO reporting names CSS-N-2 Safflower (ship-based) and CSSC-2 Silkworm (land-based.)^[source]Silkworm (missile) · Variants / HY series; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

A complete re-engineering of the SY-1 design optimized for a maximum range of 100km, resulting in a still larger/longer missile more suitable for coastal defense than the more-conservative HY-1. NATO reporting names CSS-N-3 Seersucker (ship-based) and CSSC-3 Seersucker (land-based.)^[source]Silkworm (missile) · Variants / HY series; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

Air-launched LACM sharing visual characteristics of the HY-2, HY-4, and YJ-6. 200 km range.^[source]Silkworm (missile) · Variants / Further development; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage