Anti-ship missile P-120 Malachite ( 4K85 )

The first stage of flight and design tests of P-120 began in September 1968 at the "Sand Beam" range and was carried out from the shore launcher in an autonomous version, that is, the rocket had only an autopilot and a radio altimeter. The launcher was mounted on the battlefield of the range in the village of Chernomorsk. The first launch was held on September 20. The planned range of fire was 100-120 km. However, due to the autopilot's failure the rocket immediately after the launch started to rotate around its axis and fell into the sea on the 15th second of the flight. The second launch took place on December 13, 1968. The rocket flew about 85km for 415s. The launch program as a whole was completed, but the speed was low - only 770 km / h instead of the estimated 1200 km / h. The third launch was made on February 26, 1969. This time the rocket flew 106 km for 411s, that is the speed reached about 1000 km/h. The launch program was fulfilled, but on the 70th second of the flight the onboard telemetry station was out of order.

The second stage of the flight and design tests was conducted both at the Sand Beam range and from the diving stand in Balaklava. From June 23 to October 10, 1969 four fully equipped missiles were launched from the ground launcher. The rockets were launched at the target. The first launch took place on June 23. The missile did not have a heat homing head (HHV). The specified range of fire was 40 km. Due to failure of the missile did not reach the target about 200m and fell into the sea. Flight time - 131 s. The next launch was made on August 8. Due to failure of the magnetron RSG target was not detected and the rocket was exploded after flying 65.8 km for 217 seconds. The rocket launched on September 10 already had on board the TGS, but it was not activated. The target range was 40 km. The missile hit the target network at an altitude of 6m from the waterline and 25m to the right of the target center. The flight time was 137.6 seconds. On October 8, 1969 the missile was launched from the working TGS on the target with the installed thermal simulator "Balancer". The target range was 40 km. The missile hit the target at an altitude of 11m from the waterline and 13m to the right of the target center.

For underwater launches, the Central Design Bureau-16 developed a project to convert the PSA submersible stand, which was previously used to launch the Amethyst rocket, into the PSP-120 stand. The same Central Design Bureau-16 was tasked to convert the 613AD submarine into the 613P-120 project for submarine launches of Malachite missiles. However, the Central Design Bureau's work showed that due to low displacement, the Project 613P-120 submarine will be out of control at the moment of launch, so the developers proposed to use the Project 611 submarine with high displacement for pilot launches. The Navy agreed with the conclusion of the Design Bureau and agreed to allocate the submarine of project AB611 for re-equipment. However, the refurbishment was not carried out. GCS and the Navy decided to conduct flight and development tests from the Project 670M combat submarine. The re-equipment of the PSA stand under project PSP-120 at Plant 444 was slow due to the delay of the main designers and manufacturers of the complex parts supply. Only in August 1968 the main assembly works were completed and the stand was moved to the technical position 99375 at Balaklava, where it continued to be re-equipped. After mooring tests and trial dives on December 28, 1968 the act of readiness of the submersible stand PSP-120 was signed. From July 17 to October 20, 1969 3 Malachite rockets were launched from PSP-120 in the Balaklava area. Three launches confirmed steady and stable passage of the missile through all sections of the trajectory: container of the stand, underwater trajectory, transition from water to air trajectory and air trajectory.

The head ship of the project 1234 MRK-3 (plant № 51, 24 April 1970 was named "The Storm") was laid on January 13, 1967 at the slipway of the Leningrad Primorsky Plant. On October 18, 1968 it was launched. With the beginning of navigation in 1969 the ship was transferred to the Black Sea by inland waterways. The first launch with the MRK-3 was made on March 27, 1970 at a distance of 40 km on a target equipped with a thermal imitator "Balancer". The speed of the MRK at the time of launch was 24 knots. Due to the failure of the RGS equipment the target was not captured, the rocket flew past and at the 198th second self-liquidated, flying 58.6 km The next launch was held on May 28. Shooting was carried out without a heat homing head, as by that time there was a need for its special tests. The target range was 40 km. The speed of the MRK - 24 knots. Direct hit was achieved at the height of 6.5 m from the waterline and 8.8 m to the right of the target center. The missile was driven behind the target at 105 m. Flight time was 135.4 s. The flight time was 135.4 s. This launch completed the flight and design testing stage.

Then the joint tests began. The launches were conducted with the MRK "Storm". The first launch under the joint testing program took place on June 10, 1970. The TGS on the rocket was disabled. The specified range was 40 km and the speed of the missile was 24 knots. The missile hit the target network at an altitude of 6.2m from the waterline and the right center of the target at 31.5m. The flight time was 136 seconds. The next launch was held on June 26 at a range of 80 km. The speed of the MRK was still 24 knots. Due to "non-permissible" fuel in the marching engine there was a sharp increase in pressure in the combustion chamber: the rocket exploded at 41.4 seconds of flight, flying only 9.2 km. On July 31, the rocket was launched under the same conditions and with the same mission. Due to the malfunction of the TGS in flight, the rocket did not hit the target and was brought to 300 m behind the target at 252.3 seconds of flight. On August 19, the "Storm" first fired at a group target. There were two targets at a distance of 80 km from the MRK. The MRK was moving at a speed of 24 knots. We achieved a direct hit on the target - right into the counter of the thermal imitator "Balancer". The missile hit the rack and was driven 80 m away from the target. The flight time was 252.8 seconds. It's worth making a little comment here. RGS "Malakhita" could not detect targets at a distance of 80 km, and TGS detected thermal radiation, God forbid, at a distance of 10-12 km. So how did the missiles hit the targets? The fact is that the commanders of the carrier ship in the tests knew the location of targets and very accurately withstand the bearing of fire, so that the missiles could not fail to reach the target area. And in the real world, the target designation should have been made with Tu-95RC reconnaissance aircraft, as well as with other aircraft, helicopters and ships. September 10, 1970 the first salvo fire took place. The "Storm" fired at once two missiles (№ 0411 and № 504) on two targets at a range of 80 km. The speed of the MRK was 24 knots, the interval between launches was 5 s. "The Storm" fired two missiles at two targets at a range of 80 km. Rocket number 0411 due to a malfunction in the control system was driven 160m in front of the target and hit the target with numerous fragments. The flight time was 255.6s. The same thing happened to the second rocket (No. 504) and it was brought to the 253.6 seconds of flight without reaching the same target at 130m. On October 10 the "Storm" MRK was launched from the target at a range of only 15 km. The speed of the MRK was the same. Due to TGS failure the missile fell 10km from the launch site to the 40.9 second of the flight. On December 14, 1970 it was launched with the same mission and under the same conditions. Due to the failure of the RSG occurred shortly before the target at 4.8 km The rocket was driven by the 42.5 second of flight.

In spring 1970, the second ship of the 1234 MRK-7 project was transferred from Leningrad to Feodosia for inland water systems. On 24 April 1970 it was named "Breeze". From December 1970 onwards the second ship of the project 1234 MRK-7 was transferred from Leningrad to Feodosia on 24 April 1970 under the name "Breeze". "Malachite" was already tested on the "Breeze" (Commander Captain 3 rank A.I. Bondarenko). The first launch of P-120 from "Breeze" took place on December 29, 1970. Shooting was carried out at a distance of 100 km at a speed of MRK 22 knots. A direct hit was achieved at an altitude of 9 m from the waterline and 1.5 m to the right of the target centre. Flight time - 321.4 sec. The ship was launched on January 23, 1971 at a speed of 24 knots at a range of 30 km. Direct hit on board the target at 3m above the waterline at 105.8 seconds of flight was achieved.

The next launch was held on March 5, 1971 from the "Storm" on the target at a range of 100 km. The MRK was going at a speed of 12 knots. The missile hit the target network at an altitude of 5 m from the waterline and 25.5 m to the right of the target centre. At the same time RGS was working, as the TGS was out of action. The flight time was 336 seconds. March 10, "Storm" again fired at the target under the same conditions. The missile hit the net at an altitude of 13.5 m from the waterline and 2.5 m to the right of the target center. The flight time was 331.8 seconds. - On April 10, the "Storm" fired on a moving target at the Ave. 183-C with the Cyclone heat simulator at a distance of 20 km. The speed of the ship was 17.5 knots, and the target was 25 knots. The missile, unlike previous launches, was not an inert one, but a combat unit. For an unexplained reason, the missile exploded 80-100m from the target and hit it with a large number of fragments. On April 16, 1971 the "Storm" fired on the target at a distance of 15 km. The speed of the MRK was 17 knots. Because of the non-standard separation of the starting engine the rocket was driven 1.8 km from the MRK at 13.1 second of the flight. June 2 "Storm" fired at the target at a distance of 15 km. The speed of the ship was 22 knots. Due to the malfunction of TGS, the missile fell into the water, not reaching the target of 35m, the target was hit by shrapnel. On June 39, the "Storm" gave three missile volleys (rockets ¹ 0301, ¹ 507, and ¹ 1101) on two targets with a thermal imitator "Balansir", etc. The ship was hit by shrapnel. 183-C without the Cyclone thermal imitator - at a distance of 100 km. The targets were 600m from each other. The interval between missile launches was 5s. The MRK went at a speed of 23 knots. Rocket number 0301 hit the target at the base of the left column of the thermal imitator above the deck by 1.5 m. The flight time was 315 seconds. The second rocket (No.507) hit the "rose" of corner reflectors of the target pr. 183-C at the 311th second of the flight, that is, rocket number 507 did not "disassemble" and preferred the aircraft carrier ship security. But the third rocket (¹ 1101) got where it was necessary, that is in the target at 4m above the waterline and at 15m to the right from the center of the target. The flight time was 315.9c. This was the end of the tests of the Malachite complex for arming the MRK 1234 project.