Description
4K51 Rubież was a Soviet medium-range surface-to-water missile system from the Cold War period. The system used missiles from the P-15 family (NATO designation: SS-N-2 Styx), which were missiles with a range of up to 40 kilometers, capable of carrying a warhead weighing up to 480 kilograms.
The first work on the 4K51 Rubież system was started in 1970. Assume that the production of these systems started a few years later – in 1978. 4K51 Rubież is based on the wheeled chassis of the MAZ-543 tractor, thanks to which it is characterized by very good off-road mobility and high – for a weapon of this class – maximum speed of the carrier. Interestingly, it was possible to fit many system components – including the radar – on one vehicle, which significantly increased the mobility, but also the survivability of the entire system on the battlefield. Nevertheless, the system often works in conjunction with coastal radar systems to operate effectively. The P-15 missiles are guided by radar, and in the modernized versions (P-21) also by infrared. The main user of this system was the Soviet Army, and later – the armed forces of the Russian Federation