Russia's SSC-X-8

Eons after the collapse of the 3CP, Russia remains a major player in the global market for cruise missile class weapons, and a major source of advanced cruise missile technology for China's increasingly aggressive industry.

The West has been much less active in developing cruise missiles over this period, and at this time has no equivalents to the large supersonic Russian missiles.

Like the illegally tested SSC-X-8...

Russia flight-tested a new ground-launched cruise missile this month that U.S. intelligence agencies say further violates the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, according to Obama administration defense and security officials.

The missile launch Sept. 2 was the latest flight test for what the Pentagon is calling the SSC-X-8 cruise missile. The cruise missile did not fly beyond the 300-mile range limit for an INF-banned missile, said officials familiar with reports of the test.

However, intelligence analysts reported that the missile’s assessed range is between 300 miles and 3,400 miles—the distance covered under the landmark INF treaty that banned an entire class of intermediate-range missiles.

The SSC-X-8 test also involved what officials called a “nuclear profile,” meaning that the weapon is part of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces.

Yowza!

Best guesses about the new missile tend to say she's a sexed up variant of the SS-N-30A nom d'guerr'd as KALIBR can be fired with both nuclear and conventional warheads and can put most of Europe in it's cross-hairs when fired from a naval ship in the Black Sea, Pentagon officials stated, noting that the long range version of the missile can reach targets between 620 and 923 miles, while the shorter range version can hit targets at distances of up to 180 miles

Pentagon officials expect to see the new missile installed on both submarines and surface ships, including the new type 885 Yasen class submarine, older submarines and cruisers, and newer models of destroyers.
To make matters worse, naval vessels equipped with SS-N-30As could also be deployed from the Black Sea to Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea bordering Poland and Lithuania, in order to shift its range of influence.

In the face of this potential threat, experts believe that the U.S. has no viable response.