P-270 Moskit

P-270 Moskit, NATO reporting name SS-N-22 Sunburn, was developed by Raduga as a high-speed anti-ship cruise missile for Soviet naval forces. It reflected a Cold War design priority: defeat carrier groups and major surface combatants by combining sea-skimming flight with supersonic speed. The missile entered service on platforms such as Sovremenny-class destroyers, Tarantul-class missile craft, and specialized launch platforms. Its development also affected export customers, including China, which acquired Moskit-armed ships and missiles as part of naval modernization.

Technically, Moskit is a large supersonic anti-ship missile. Open profiles describe a ramjet-powered weapon with booster assistance, designed to fly at high speed and low altitude during terminal attack. This profile reduces defender reaction time and stresses shipboard radar, missile, and close-in weapon systems. The missile can carry a large conventional warhead and has been associated in some sources with nuclear-capable variants. Its size and speed make it more demanding to integrate than subsonic missiles, but also more threatening to ships if launched in salvos.

Operationally, Moskit supports sea-denial missions. A missile craft or destroyer carrying Moskit can threaten larger naval vessels without needing to match them gun-for-gun or aircraft-for-aircraft. Russian fleet exercises continue to use the missile, and CSIS has reported recent test firings. The weapon's main limitation is platform age and the arrival of newer Russian anti-ship missiles, but Moskit remains a useful reference point for understanding Soviet and Russian emphasis on fast, heavy anti-ship salvos.