Bulgaria currently remains the only state in NATO whose army continues to operate the Soviet tactical missile system 9K79 "Tochka".
This month, live firing was conducted at the Shabla training ground for two days. According to the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense, a division of the 4th Artillery Regiment equipped with such weapons took part in them. The rocket successfully launched from the launcher and hit the target.
As the deputy commander of the Ground Forces, Brigadier General Nikolai Karaivanov, noted, " the military has never fired from these complexes worse than perfectly." "What they have achieved is the result of long work and endless training," he added.
At the moment, at least four launchers remain in service, although the warranty service life of the missiles themselves has already expired. In addition to Bulgaria, there were also" Points " in Hungary, the GDR, Poland, and Czechoslovakia.
It is known that the "Dots" were created in the Soviet Union in the first half of the 70s. The developments were carried out in the city of Kolomna, in the Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering, they were led by the legendary domestic designer Sergei Pavlovich Invincible, whose 100th anniversary was celebrated on September 13.
The rocket has a launch mass of about 2000 kg, the mass of the warhead is more than 480 kg. The minimum flight range is 15,000 meters, the maximum is 70,000 meters. The achieved speed is 1100 m / s. The preparation time for the launch after being in the ready mode is 2 minutes, immediately after the march-16 minutes.
The three-axle amphibious vehicle of the Bryansk Automobile Plant BAZ-5921, weighing 18,145 kg together with the rocket, was used as a chassis. The engine power of the 5D20K is 300 hp. The maximum speed on the highway is 70 km/h, on dirt roads-40 km/h, afloat - 8 km/h. The fuel reserve is 650 km. The calculation is 4 people.
Alexey Moiseev
