The ships of the Russian Navy make long trips, but their main task is to protect their native shores. For decades, the Soviet and then the Russian fleet did not possess offensive capabilities. The consequence of this situation was the relatively small efforts undertaken by Western countries to create anti-ship systems.
The Russian defense department, on the contrary, was concerned about the problem of effectively countering a possible attack from the sea. The response to the hypertrophic development of the Navy of countries traditionally considered probable opponents turned out to be asymmetric. Instead of achieving a parity of expensive ships, Russian engineering NGOs have developed a number of systems that can deal with surface targets, among which the Yakhont cruise missile is most famous.
It cannot be argued that American or European designers have been idle for all previous decades. They created many samples of anti-ship missiles, the best of which is Harpoon. It can get to the target at low altitude and at a very decent speed of 865 km / h, it is difficult to spot it with a radar.
The Yakhont missile has some of the best features. It is capable of flying at a height of five meters (unless, of course, the excitement allows), and its speed exceeds 3,000 km / h. On the approach to the target, a missile makes a "slide" and falls on it, accelerating to 750 m / s. The weight of the combat charging compartment is at least 300 kg. Thus, with the minimum time spent on detection, it is already impossible to manage to do anything. For comparison: an artillery shell after a shot flies at a speed of up to 350 m / s, and so far no one has managed to deflect it from the target.
Yakhont anti-ship missiles can be launched from various carriers, such as aircraft, diesel submarines , missile boats, mobile ground installations. According to military experts, Western designers will not be able to create analogues in the next decade, not to mention the mass production of such systems. Moreover, none of the existing missile defense systems is able to withstand the Russian monster.
One Yakhont missile can launch a medium-tonnage ship (frigate or corvette) to the bottom and seriously damage a large vessel, and, if necessary, will do so with a 100% guarantee.
However, not only high speed distinguishes the new Russian weapons from Western models. Designers paid special attention to the stealth of a low-flying target. The thermal footprint is extremely reduced, which makes it difficult to detect the satellite launch site and calculate the trajectory, and a reliable ultra-fast computing unit provides a high degree of stabilization of the ultra-low altitude.
The Yakhont rocket was designed for the Russian armed forces, but it turned out that it has a high export potential. With certain design changes, small arms were shipped to Vietnam, Indonesia, and Iran.
In addition to the high authority of President Putin, there is another possible explanation for the success of the recent peaceful settlement of the situation in the Middle East. Probably, the special services of NATO countries became aware that there are "Yakhont" missiles in Syria.