Via IMINT & Analysis:

SSC-3 STYX anti-ship cruise missile facility located northeast of Havana. (Image: Google Earth)

The image above depicts an SSC-3 STYX anti-ship cruise missile facility located northeast of Havana, Cuba. There are two SSC-3 TELs visible. The SSC-3 is a coastal defense anti-ship missile system with an effective range of approximately 80 kilometers. Identifying anti-ship missile batteries employing vehicle-borne systems such as the STYX can be difficult using overhead imagery. Note that the vehicle bears a resemblance to the TEL used with SAM systems such as the S-300P. Measuring approximately 42 feet in length, the SSC-3’s TEL can be confused with the S-300PS’s 5P85S/D TEL having similar dimensions. Both systems employ variations of the MAZ-543 chassis, accounting for their similar dimensions. In this case, the importance of having a good knowledge of the weapon systems employed by a given nation is illustrated very easily. Without the knowledge that no S-300PS (SA-10B GRUMBLE) systems have ever been sold to or deployed in Cuba, a less experienced analyst might misidentify the system as a SAM rather than an anti-ship missile system. Such a misidentification would paint a very different picture of Cuban air defense capabilities than is actually the case.

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