RUSSIAN 3M14 KALIBR CRUISE MISSILE: TOP 5 FACTS
RUSSIAN 3M14 KALIBR CRUISE MISSILE: TOP 5 FACTS
INTRODUCTION:
WHEN WE THINK OF CRUISE MISSILE ATTACKS LAUNCHED FROM A WARSHIP, THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO OUR MIND IS TOMAHAWK MISSILES.
US NAVY HAS MAINTAINED THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE ONLY NAVY TO LAUNCH LONG-RANGE CRUISE MISSILES FROM SURFACE SHIPS, AT LAND TARGETS IN COMBAT.
BUT THAT HAS CHANGED ON OCTOBER 7TH 2015. THE NEW ENTRY INTO THE VERY SHORT LIST IS THE RUSSIAN NAVY WHICH IS USING THE 3M14 KALIBR IN SYRIA.
SPECIFICATIONS:
THE 3M14 KALIBR IS EQUIVALENT TO THE AMERICAN TOMAHAWK CRUISE MISSILE IN MANY PARAMETERS SUCH AS RANGE, WARHEAD AND PROPULSION.
IT HAS A 2500 KM RANGE, A 450 KG (1000 POUND) HIGH-EXPLOSIVE WARHEAD AND A TURBOFAN ENGINE.
SIMILAR TO TOMAHAWK , IT HAS A SPEED OF 0.8 MACH.
WORKING:
IT IS POWERED INITIALLY BY A ROCKET BOOSTER, WHICH LAUNCHES IT FROM THE SHIP AND ALLOWS THE MISSILE TO ATTAIN CRUISE SPEED. THEN THE BOOSTERS FALL OFF AND THE TURBOFAN ENGINE KICKS IN, THE WINGS UNFOLD AND THE MISSILE CRUISES LIKE AN AIRCRAFT FOR THE REST OF ITS JOURNEY.
IT FLIES JUST 50 M ABOVE THE GROUND, FOLLOWING PREDESIGNATED WAY POINTS AND NAVIGATING VIA SATELLITE.
PATH & SHIPS:
THE MAP DEPICTS THE APPROX. FLIGHT PATH OF THE MISSILE. THESE ARE LAUNCHED FROM DAGESTAN, A GEPARD CLASS LIGHT-FRIGATE AND BUYAN-M CLASS MISSILE CORVETTES.
THESE ARE SOME OF THE SMALLEST SHIP OF RUSSIAN NAVY, DAGESTAN HAVING 2000 TONNES DISPLACEMENT AND BUYAN-M HAVING 1000 TONNES ONLY.
CONCLUSION:
THE RUSSIAN NAVY HAS DEMONSTRATED THE ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE GROUND TARGETS USING CRUISE MISSILE FROM THOUSANDS OF KILOMETERS .
THE IMPORTANT FACT IS THAT THESE MISSILE WERE LAUNCHED FROM SMALL SIZED COMBAT SHIPS ,MAKING IT EVIDENT THAT EVEN THEIR SMALLEST SHIPS OF RUSSIAN NAVY PACK A VERY POWERFUL PUNCH.