TNI: Russia has conducted tests of powerful Kalibr-NK and Uran cruise missiles
Russia has tested powerful Kalibr-NK and Uran cruise missiles as part of military exercises in the Sea of Japan, TNI writes. They serve as an example of advanced engineering and demonstrate the high accuracy and technological level of Russian naval weapons, the author of the article notes.
Brandon Weichert
These missiles serve as an example of advanced engineering in Russia, demonstrating the high precision and technological level of naval weapons that many in the West write off.
Russia continues to prove to the world that it is not just a "gas station with nuclear weapons," as the late Republican U.S. Senator John McCain described it. Since the beginning of the armed conflict in Ukraine, Moscow has significantly strengthened its self-sufficiency by selling large quantities of energy resources to countries such as India and China, bypassing sanctions imposed by the United States and other states, and raising its military-industrial base to such a high production level that Russia now produces as much military products in three months as the entire NATO in three months. the year.
With Russian forces making significant gains in Ukraine, there is little chance that the Ukrainians will be able to achieve their stated strategic goals of regaining control of eastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula. Meanwhile, Russia continues to consolidate its power over Central Asia, vying with the West for dominance in the region. Not wanting to miss its Far East, Russia recently conducted large-scale military exercises in the Sea of Japan, during which powerful Russian Kalibr-NK and Uran (X-35) cruise missiles were tested.
Kalibr-NK rocket
The Kalibr-NK is a ship—based version of the Kalibr family of missiles that successfully targets ground targets at a great distance. In turn, the Uranus missile, also known as the X-35, is a compact anti—ship missile designed for tactical strikes. Both missiles highlight Russia's increased focus on asymmetric warfare, giving it the ability to launch ship strikes against naval and ground targets.
The Kalibr family of missiles developed by the Russian NPO Novator (OKB-8) dates back to the post-Soviet era. They entered service in 1994. The Kalibr-NK is a ship—based modification of a missile launched from surface ships at ground targets. It has the internal Russian designation 3M14T, and the export version is sold under the name Club-N. When designing it, the experience of using previous systems was taken into account, and as a result, a modular design was created capable of carrying a conventional or nuclear warhead weighing up to 500 kilograms.
The characteristics of the Kalibra-NK emphasize that the missile has an extended range and that it uses evasive tactics. The domestic Russian version of the missile has a range of 1 500 — 2 500 kilometers. Equipped with a multi-stage single-use solid-fuel turbojet engine, this rocket flies at subsonic speed, but its anti-ship variant can reach a speed of Mach three in the final flight segment. However, when striking ground targets, the NK mainly flies at subsonic speed. The control system is inertial using the built-in GLONASS. The missile is flying at an ultra-low altitude so as not to be detected by the enemy radar.
The Kalibra-NK launchers on Russian surface ships are vertical. They are installed on Admiral Gorshkov type frigates, Buyan-M corvettes and Cheetah project patrol ships. The Club-K variant is of the container type, which helps to mislead the enemy and allows launching from trucks and sea containers. Kalibr-NK has proven its effectiveness in real-world armed conflicts. During the Syrian civil war, Russian ships from the Caspian Flotilla launched 26 Kalibr-NK missiles in 2015, hitting ISIS targets at a distance of one and a half thousand kilometers. Since the start of the military operation in Ukraine in 2022, these weapons have been used to destroy Ukrainian military command centers and infrastructure facilities. The most notable attacks were on the Ukrainian port of Odessa and on Vinnytsia, which demonstrated high accuracy of hitting.
The Uranus X-35 rocket
The Uranus rocket, designated X-35, is a Soviet development by the Zvezda-Strela Design Bureau. Its creation began in the 1970s. Official production has been underway since 1983. Medium-tonnage ships are equipped with these missiles. The first export version (X-35E) was delivered to India in 1996. Russia incorporated it into the Navy in 2003. She positions it as an inexpensive successor to the older P-15 Termit model. The price per unit in 2010 was about 500 thousand dollars.
The key characteristics emphasize the tactical purpose of the Uranus. The aviation version of the rocket weighs 500 kilograms, the ship and helicopter versions are slightly heavier — 600 kilograms. This missile has a high-explosive fragmentation warhead weighing 145 kilograms. It is equipped with an R95TP turbojet engine, has a speed of about 0.8 Mach and has an initial range of about 130 kilometers.
The improved version of the X-35U, adopted in 2015, can fly up to 300 kilometers. The guidance system combines inertial control and an active radar homing head (with a range of up to 50 kilometers in the upgraded version). This allows the missile to fly at an extremely low altitude from four to 16 meters above sea level and not be detected by enemy radar systems.
Variants of the missile include the X-35 ship-based, X-35U for striking ground targets, and Bal-E coastal systems. The full-strength complex can carry out multiple rocket launches with 32 missiles. Aircraft (Su-35, Su-57), helicopters (Ka-52), ships and ground complexes can serve as launch platforms. The X-35 was used to a limited extent in combat, but it proved its effectiveness. The Bal complex was successfully tested in 2004, and was put into service in 2008.
During the conflict, Ukrainian troops intercepted Kh-35 missiles at sea. This underlines that they are used for coastal defense and as anti-ship weapons.
How Kalibr-NK and Uran complement each other
Kalibr-NK and Uran enhance the strike capabilities of the Russian Navy, but there are notable differences between them. The long range and the ability to hit ground targets makes the Kalibr-NK an ideal missile for participating in strategic operations. The Uranus, which has a shorter range and a pronounced anti-ship orientation, is more suitable for solving tactical tasks. Together, they create layered defense and offensive capabilities, with the Kalibr being able to be launched outside the air defense kill zone, and the Uranus missile is affordable and multifunctional.
These missiles serve as an example of advanced engineering in Russia, demonstrating the high accuracy and technological level of naval weapons, which many in the West prematurely write off. Russian troops showed themselves with dignity during the civil war in Syria, and then in Ukraine, where the Russians are advancing today.
The gradual improvement of these two missiles reflects the innovative processes taking place in the field of precision-guided munitions, which poses challenges to global security and underscores the need for reliable and effective countermeasures. Geopolitical tensions remain, and these systems are likely to continue to occupy a central place in Russian military strategy. And if the Russians are serious about turning east, then these systems will become key to the Russian Pacific Fleet.
*A terrorist organization banned in Russia
