January 9, 2019

Russia May Develop a 4,500km, 1 tonne warhead "Kalibr-M" missile

COMMENT
In a TASS article of January 8, 2019 (republished below) citing an unnamed source (Russian Government?) TASS announced a sea launched land-attack missile, dubbed “Kalibr-M” would be developed in the 2020s. 

"Kalibr-M" may, by the late 2020s, become a double the current (approximate 2,000km) range ie. 4,500km, heavier 1 tonne warhead, enlargement of the current 3M-54 Russian Kalibr missile. This new Kalibr is touted as being nuclear capable - but almost any weapon (from Russian 40kg, 152mm artillery shells upwards) are nuclear warhead capable.

To illustrate that reports of a double the 2,000 km range Kalibr have been kicking around for a while see on Wiki see Domestic variants, last dot point. specifically a 2015 reference to “range of 4,000 km” Kalibr.

The current Kalibr (and export Klubs) can be launched on land, by aircraft, ship VLS or by submarine VLS or 533mm torpedo tube.

If "Kalibr-M" is to have a diameter greater than a horizontal 533mm, or more rare 650mm, torpedo tube or becomes too long its usefulness for conventional submarines and many nuclear submarines will decline sharply.

Russian submarines have a long history of vertically and diagonally launched missiles that are larger than 533mm, So an enlarged “Kalibr” might be launched vertically and/or diagonally by the late 2020s.

Russia has many discontinued or current:
- larger than 533mm cruise missile types to serve as a technology base for an outsized missile body
   and
- deployed many different rocket and/or jet engine combinations for cruise missiles. 

One current cruise missile is the P-800 Oniks a 0.7m diameter and 8.9m long cruise missile. 32 Oniks in VLS might be carried by Russia’s new Yasen class multi-purpose SSGNs. While the The Oniks’ overall supersonic speed and only 400kg warhead are very different from a double range, 1 tonne warhead Kalibr the Oniks may provide a useful technology base.

So it is possible the “Kalibr-M” may be partly be an evolution of a more-cruise-turbojet reliant, and less-rocket engine-sprint reliant Oniks cruise missile.


See previous Submarine Matters articles on Russia using Kalibrs of December 9, 2015

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TASS Article http://tass.com/defense/1039123 January 8, 2019

"New Kalibr-M cruise missile with range of over 4,500 km in development in Russia - source

According to the source, large surface ships will be equipped with it, starting with frigates, as well as nuclear submarines.

MOSCOW, January 8. /TASS/. New Kalibr-M cruise missile with a range of over 4,500 km is currently under development in Russia for the Russian Navy, a source in the military-industrial complex told TASS on Tuesday.

"The newest high-precision ship-based Kalibr-M cruise missile with a maximum firing range of more than 4,500 km is being developed for the Russian Navy. The creation of the rocket is at the stage of scientific research and financed by the Ministry of Defense," the source told TASS. The source clarified that the development of the missile was included in the state armament program until 2027, and "the rocket must be transferred to the fleet before the end of the program."

The source added that the new missile will differ from the existing Kalibr missiles in service both in terms of its longer range and dimensions. "It will be much larger, the weight of its warhead will approach 1 tonne," he noted. According to the source, large surface ships will be equipped with it, starting with frigates, as well as nuclear submarines. "Kalibr-M is designed to destroy land facilities [known as “land-attack”] and will be able to carry both conventional and nuclear warhead," he said.

TASS does not have official confirmation of the information provided by the source.

At present, Kalibr missile system is in service with the Russian Navy. According to data from open sources, the maximum firing range of a 3M-14 cruise missile from this complex, flying at subsonic speed, reaches around 2,000 km.”

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See from 40 seconds in about Russia's Kalibr cruise missile generally. Submarines are particularly mentioned 3min 50secs in.
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Pete   

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Russia's air launched stealthy Kh-101 is already speculated to have a range of 4500km. It flies at 6km altitude for the majority of its flight path. Its diameter is supposedly compliant to 533mm. So kalibr variant of similar range is clearly feasible even on a much earlier timeframe if sufficient funds are available.

FYI
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00963402.2019.1555998
I only partially agree with the conclusions in this article. RAP and SOSUS like technologies are already being used by China and are already being deployed in SCS (it can get very deep in parts of SCS). China has made great strides with deep sea surveillance in the past decade.
KQN