C-704

The C-704 is a Chinese anti-ship missile. The missile was developed by the Third Research Institute of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC). It's part of the C-701 series missiles.

== History and development == During the Falkland War, the Royal Air Force (RAF) used Westland Lynx to launch Sea Skua anti-ship missiles against Argentinian patrol boats. Helicopter-based anti-surface operation was seen as a viable option in any potential Taiwan Strait operation by the Chinese military industry. In the 1990s, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) Third Academy and Hongdu Aviation Industry Group (Hongdu) both initiated small anti-ship missile projects, resulting in CASIC's C-701 missile and Hongdu's TL-10 missile. Both missiles shared very similar specifications, but with a slight deviation in launch profile. The initial model of the C-701 focused on surface launch from boats, while TL-10 focused on helicopter air-launch integration. In the 1990s, Hongdu developed TL-6, an enlarged TL-10. CASIC also developed the C-704, an enlarged C-701. The C-704 became a general-purpose air-to-surface missile that can engage both naval and land targets, making it a Chinese equivalent of the American AGM-65 Maverick. Jane's Defence Weekly suspected that the reason behind the similar roles, dimensions, and performance of the C-701 and TL-10 was that they were part of a competition bid intended for Iran's Kowsar missile program. Sources conflict regarding which missile variant ultimately entered service with the Iranian military; one account states that the TL-10/FL-8 and TL-6/FL-9 became the Kowsar and Nasar missiles, while another suggests that the C-701 and C-704 were the ones developed into these two systems.

Design

The C-704KD is an air-to-surface version of the C-704. The C-705 is part of the C-701 series and a direct development of the C-704, resembling a miniaturized C-602. Compared to the C-704, the C-705 has a larger rocket motor with an additional turbojet engine. The C-705 with rocket booster and the engine can have a range of 170 km (92 nmi). The C-705KD is an air-to-surface version of the C-705. It supports a radar seeker, a TV seeker, or an imaging infrared (IIR). It supports fire-and-forget mode, a data-link mid-course correction and target switching.

== Operational history == On 16 March 2011, Israeli Defense Forces allegedly intercepted a shipment of six C-704 missiles with launchers and Kelvin Hughes radar units, along with other munitions aboard the Liberian-flagged cargo vessel Victoria, managed by a French shipping company, en route from Turkey to Alexandria, in international waters. Israeli authorities stated that the weapons were of Iranian origin, and that they were being shipped to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In 2013, Bangladesh Navy corvette BNS Dhaleshwari fired four C-704 anti-ship missiles in a domestic naval exercise with all four of them hitting their target successfully. On 14 September 2016, the Indonesian president witnessed two failed firings of C-705 missiles during a demonstration by the Indonesian Navy. The first missile failed to launch on command and fired unexpectedly five minutes later, missing the target. The second missile fired as expected but failed during flight. Indonesia planned to manufacture the missile locally; however, the project is halted due to the incident. On 29 June 2016, the Indonesian Navy announced its purchase of the Chinese-made C-705. Indonesia used C-705 against land targets in 2026, the first public display of this capability.

Variants

C-704 Original variant C-704KD Air-to-surface variant of the C-704. C-705 Anti-ship missile with a turbojet engine. C-705KD Air-to-surface variant of the C-705.

Specifications

Operators

=== Current operators === Bangladesh Bangladesh Navy: C-704 China People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force Egypt Egyptian Navy Indonesia Indonesian Navy: C-705 Iran Iranian navy: C-704 as Nasr-1. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy: C-701, C-704, and C-705 carried by IRGC warships. Pakistan Pakistan Air Force, C-705KD

== See also == C-701 - a smaller anti-ship missile in the C-701 series TL-6 - the competitor to the C-704 missile AGM-65 Maverick AGM-84E AGM-119 Kh-25

References

C-704