www.businessinsider.com/the-7-scariest-weapons-russia-is-developing-right-now-2015-8

on November 25, 2015
INTRODUCTION
Russia is one of the largest manufacturers
and exporters of military equipment in the
world and their products are widely used.
They are the only nation other than the US, to
have every possible kind of military equipment
from long range bombers to next generation
submarines. Their weapons feature in
basically every local and international conflict
and are typically used against their western
counterparts. Some of the Russian weapons
are superior to their western equivalents,
some inferior and the others, on-par. There
are a few Russian weapons which actually
have no Western equivalent till date. This
article covers the top 10 weapons used by the
Russian military. The list is made to ensure
an even distribution of Russian army, navy
and air force weapon systems of the present
and future.
10. PANTSYR S1
Developed as a platform to counter the
American A-10 and Ah-64 attack aircraft, the
Pantsyr S1 is a successor to the deadly
Tungushka . The Pantsyr S1 is classified as a
SPAAG-M ( Self Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun –
Missile) since it is mounted on a self
propelled platform, the Kamaz 8×8 truck and
has both guns and missiles to engage its
targets. It provides the high altitude, long
range engagement capability of SAMs
combined with low-altitude short range
engagement capability of AA guns. It has 6
SAMs and dual 30 mm autocannon on each
side of the turret for a total of 12 missiles
and 4 guns. It has Passive Electronically
Scanning Array (PESA) radars, electro-optical
and Infrared sensors to detect and engage
targets.
S400 missile launcher unit being escorted by a
Pantsyr S1
The 2 dual 30 mm guns can fire at a rate of
2500 rpm each and a total of 1500 rounds of
ammunition are carried on board. The
maximum engagement range of these guns is
4 km and they can shoot down targets flying
as low as a few meters. The 57E6 SAM has a
range of 20 km and can engage targets up to
an altitude of 15 km . The Pantsyr S1 is
commonly deployed to protect strategic
missile batteries like S400 and ICBMs from
attacks by hostile aircraft and cruise missiles.
It can be effectively used as a part of a
networked battery or a standalone system. A
naval variant is under development and will be
used on future warships of the Russian Navy.
Read more Pantsyr S1 : Russia’s deadly
short range air defense system
9. KRASUKHA-2/4 AND RICHAG-AV
ELECTRONIC WARFARE SYSTEM
Krasukha-2
The Krasukha is a highly mobile and powerful
electronic warfare system mounted on an 8×8
Baz truck, designed for offensive and
defensive electronic warfare. The
Krasukha-2/4 are designed to jam enemy
drones, AWACS, reconnaissance aircraft and
satellites in order to disrupt the enemy’s
C4I (command, control, communications ,
computer & information) infrastructure.
They can also jam the fire-control radars on
board fighter jets and missiles, thus
preventing them from launching attacks. By
doing so, it is possible to create a great deal
of confusion and neutralize the technological
superiority of western drones and electronic
warfare aircraft.
The Krasukha-2 is often deployed to
defend high value assets like
Iskander ballistic missile batteries by
jamming enemy AWACS and drones
from as far as 250 km away, thus
preventing the enemy from getting a
lock on the target’s position.
The Krasukha-4 is designed to
neutralize enemy Lo-orbital satellites
and ground based radars as far as
300 km away. This allows them to
render an enemy’s satellite useless,
without the need to physically shoot
them down using conversational anti-
satellite weapons.
Together, they can prevent the enemy from
obtaining a clear picture of the battlefield and
getting target co-ordinates to launch missiles.
In a modern conflict, information is king. By
denying the enemy, information of your
precise location by blinding them, you
immediately gain an upper hand. That is the
intention of these systems.
Richag-AV on Mi-8
A close up of one of the antenna
The Richag AV is a powerful jamming system
intended for use against hostile radars and
sonars. It is designed to primarily defend
friendly assets from enemy missiles which
are guided by radar, by jamming them from
hundreds of kilometers away. A variety of
platforms like helicopters, ships, aircraft and
ground vehicles can be used to mount this
system. It can also act as an Electronic
Support Measures (ESM ) asset and collect
data about enemy radars passively.
The Russian military has currently ordered 18
such systems mounted on the Mi-8 helicopter
and 3 have been delivered as of now. The
helicopter platform makes it versatile and
allows it to be deployed from any location due
to the flexibility of the platform. Operating as
a part of offensive forces, they can jam
enemy air defense systems to clear a path for
invading forces.
8. ‘ADMIRAL GORSHKOV’ CLASS
FRIGATE
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in
1991, Russia hasn’t designed and built a
single major warship which had capabilities
on par with western destroyers like the Arleigh
Burke or Daring class. They focused on
smaller frigates and corvettes to rebuild their
navy and rightly so, as their economy didn’t
support the construction of expensive
warships. However, things are different now
and Russia is finally able to build a class of
frigate with cutting edge sensors and an
extremely powerful weapon load which puts it
on par with the latest western frigates. The
Admiral Gorshkov class of guided missile
frigates, which incorporate the best weapons
and sensors that the Russian industry can
produce, is set to be the mainstray of the
future Russian fleet. It is interesting to note
that its superstructure is made form carbon
fibre in order to make the ship stealthy and
reduce its radar cross-section.
It has a 4 face multi-function AESA radar
which can search and track aerial and surface
targets as well as provide guidance to the
SAMs. This is complemented by a volume
search radar which is uniquely mounted on
top of the main radar itself. This prevents
interference and allows both radars to have
unobstructed search capability. Submarine
detection capability is provided by the bow
mounted and towed array sonars along with
the embarked Ka-27 ASW helicopter. The
following armaments are carried by these
ships to engage surface, underwater, aerial
and land targets.
1 × 130mm A-192M gun
2 × 8 UKSK VLS cells for P-800 Oniks
(300-500 km range)
4 × 8 Redut VLS cells for 9M96E
series (40-120 km range)
2 × Palash CIWS
2 x 4 330mm torpedo tubes for
Paket-NK anti-torpedo/anti-submarine
torpedoes
2 × 14.5mm machine guns
A total of up to 15 units have been planned
and 4 are presently under construction. Each
of the major Russian fleets will receive 3-4
frigates of this class to complement the
existing ships and enhance the blue water
capability of the Russian Navy.
7. ARMATA COMBAT VEHICLE FAMILY
T-14 tank
The Armata is a very ambitious combat
vehicle project meant to produce a family of
armoured vehicles to replace thousands of
low-tech soviet-era tanks, infantry fighting
vehicles, artillery guns and much more, with a
smaller number of high-tech equivalents. The
most significant feature will be the use of a
common platform for all these vehicles, in
order to simplify logistics and production. Only
4 vehicles in the family have been unveiled as
of now and the others will be unveiled in the
coming months.
T-14 Main Battle Tank (MBT)
Equipped with a 125 mm main gun and a 7.62
mm secondary gun, this tank is a
revolutionary Russian design, placing
emphasis on crew safety and comfort for the
first time. The 3-man crew sits in an isolated
and protected compartment inside the tank
hull and the gun is in an unmanned turret. It
features a high degree of automation and has
a new active protection system, the Afganit,
which is controlled by the 4 radar panels on
the turret.
T-15 Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle
(IFV)
The T-15 IFV has a 30 mm cannon, 7.72 mm
co-axial machine gun and 4 Kornet anti-tank
missiles mounted along the sides of the
turret. It provides an unusually high level of
protection for the 9 embarked troops and
shares many features with the T-14 tank. It is
meant to complement the T-14 in battle.
2S35 Koalitsiya 152 mm Self
Propelled Howitzer (SPH)
The new 2S35 SPH features an unmanned
turret for its 152 mm gun, similar to the T-14
tank. The powerful gun has an auto-loader
system for a high rate of fire and the 152 mm
shells have a range of around 30 km. The
small crew of 3 men is enough to operate this
system due to its high degree of automation
and around 60 shells are carried on board.
T-15 Heavy IFV
Kurganets-25
2S35
These vehicles will form the backbone of the
Russian army armoured divisions in a decade
or so, when a majority of the ageing Soviet-
era hardware is retired.
6. KIROV CLASS BATTLECRUISER
Developed as platform capable of sinking US
Navy carriers using its long range cruise
missiles, the Kirov class cruisers are the
largest surface combatants in service at
present. It is also the only surface combatant
to be nuclear-powered , thereby giving it
unlimited range. The Kirov class would have
topped the list if it had been upgraded with
the latest electronics and missiles. It is
currently fitted with cold war era radars and
missiles and long overdue for an upgrade.
One ship, Admiral Nakhimov is currently
undergoing a major refit and the remaining 2
are expected to follow suit in the next few
years. Only the Pyotr Veliky is in active service
as of now.
Firing the Granit anti-ship missle
The main strength of this ship lies in its
offensive punch of 20 Granit anti-ship
missiles, which have a 700+ km range and a
750 kg warhead. They are going to be
replaced by 80 UKSK vertical launchers for
Onyx anti-ship missiles and Kalibr-NK land
attack cruise missiles after the refit. The Onyx
has a 300-500 km range and are fitted with a
300 kg warhead whereas the KalibrNK has a
2500 km range and a 450 kg warhead. They
are more modern than the Granits and will be
more effective due to the larger numbers
available. The ships fitted with a battery of 96
SA-N-6 Surface to Air missiles, which have a
100 km range and provide area air defense. It
is expected to be replaced by 128 long range
9M96E1 SAMs of the S400 family. The
sensors of the ship are expected to undergo a
major upgrade, but the details are not
available as of now.
Although old, these 252 m long and 28,000
ton displacing ships are here to stay. They will
be the main power projection asset of the
Russian Navy and will be deployed to counter
US Navy carriers in Russian areas of interest.
5. ONYX ANTI-SHIP CRUISE MISSILE
Popularly known as Yakhont (export version)
or BrahMos (Indian version), the Onyx is the
most important anti-ship missile in the
Russian arsenal. It is capable of being
launched from ships, submarines, aircraft and
even trucks, thus allowing it to be widely
deployed. The ramjet powered Onyx is meant
to primarily engage large warships and sink
them with its 300 kg semi-armour piercing
warhead. The main strength of this missile is
its high speed of mach 2.5-3 , which allows it
to penetrate most existing air defense
systems with ease. It is said to have a range
of 300-500 km , depending on the flight path.
Bastion-P
Russia primarily fields the Onyx for coastal
defense in the form of the Bastion-P , which
carries 2 such missiles per truck. A battery of
these missiles can defend the coastline from
attack by sea. These missiles have been
displayed alongside Su-33 and Su-34 fighters
during airshows, and they are said to be
capable of being fired from these aircraft.
Russia’s new Admiral Gorshkov class frigates
are expected to be armed with 16 Onyx. The
Yasen class submarines recently test fired the
Onyx missile, and they are expected to be
equipped with 16-32 of these missiles. The
Indian version, BrahMos, has an additional
land attack capability and is also being
integrated with the Su-30Mki.
4. SU-30 FAMILY (SU-30/34/35)
The word ‘Sukhoi’ is now synonymous with
the Su-27/30 series due to its extreme
popularity all over. Developed to counter the
F-15, the Su-27 design has evolved over the
decades into one of the most powerful fighter
aircraft in the world. The current variants, the
Su-30/34/35 will form the backbone of the
Russian Air Force in the next few decades.
The main strengths of these fighters are their
exceptionally long range and large payload.
Su-30SM
Su-34
Su-35S
The Su-30SM is a twin-seat multi-role fighter
which is in service with the Russian Air Force
and the Navy. It has a tandem twin-seat
arrangement and a long range of 3500 km. In
an air-to-air mode, it is capable of carrying 12
missiles, usually a combination of R-77, R-27
and R-73. It is currently deployed in Syria to
protect Russian assets in the region. The
Su-30 family is very popular around the world
and countries like India and China operate
them in hundreds.
The Su-35 can do whatever the Su-30SM can
do, but it is a single-seater and carries more
fuel as well. It has the Iribis-E hybrid PESA
radar as it’s primary sensor and is very
unique in having wing-mounted L-band radars
for detecting low-observable aircraft. The
RuAF plans to acquire around 100 of these
fighters. China is the first export customer of
this potent jet and Indonesia is expected to
order them too.
The Su-34 is a long-range heavy tactical
fighter-bomber, which can carry out precision
strikes against heavily defended targets and
defend itself with its significant air-to-air
capabilities. It has a unique side-by-side
seating arrangement, massive payload of 12
tons and a 4000 km range. It has excellent
electronic warfare capabilities which are
enhanced by externally mounted jammers. It
has proven its worth in Syria, where it is
currently engaged in a long bombing
campaign.
3. TU-160 ‘BLACKJACK ‘ AND TU-22M3
‘ BACKFIRE’
Russia is the only country other than the US
to possess long-range strategic bombers.
Both the swing-wing, supersonic bombers,
were developed during the height of the Cold
War and the Tu-22 and Tu-160 remain
frontline aircraft even today.
Tu-22M2 carrying 2 Kh-22 anti-ship missiles under
it’s wings
The Tu-22 was designed for long range
bombing and maritime strike mission.
Projected as a carrier-killer, the Tu-22M used
long-range Kh-22 supersonic anti-ship cruise
missiles to counter the US Navy’s large
aircraft carriers during the cold war and still
retains the capability. It has a variable sweep
wing design, is capable of supersonic flights
and can carry 24 tons of bombs/cruise
missiles in its internal bays and under the
wings. These aircraft have seen action over
Chechnya, Georgia and most recently over
Syria, where they launched dozens of long-
range cruise missiles. Of the 497 aircraft
originally built, 150 remain in service as of
today with the Russian Air Force and Naval
Aviation. There are plans to upgrade some of
the existing aircraft to M3M standard and fit
them with a wide array of precision guided
munitions.
The Tu-160 was built as a long-range
strategic bomber, designed to fly at
supersonic speeds. It’s used as a Strategic
Missile Carrier and it’s primary duty is to
carry and fire long range cruise missiles like
the Kh-101, from a standoff distance. It’s
Mach 2 speed, 12,300 km range and a
40,000 kg payload make it a very formidable
platform. It has the distinction of being the
largest and heaviest combat aircraft in the
world. The Russian Air force has 16 aircraft in
service, and its production is expected to
resume as the RuAF plans to procure a further
50 aircraft. It recently saw it’s first combat
mission, when it fired cruise missiles at
targets in Syria. It’s primary weapon from
now on would be the Kh-101, which can fly at
an altitude of 50 m for 3000+ km and hit its
targets with great accuracy.
2. YASEN CLASS SSN/SSGN
The Yasen class was designed to replace the
Victor class SSN with an SSGN that could
counter the newest American submarines.
This 13,800 ton SSGN holds the distinction of
being the most heavily armed attack
submarine in the world, with its 32 vertically
launched cruise missiles and 38 torpedoes.
The cruise missiles can be a combination of
the long-range Kalibr-NK land attack missiles
or Onyx anti-ship missiles. This allows the
Yasen to engage a large number of surface,
land and sub-surface targets.
K-329 Sevrodvinsk
These submarines feature a high level of
automation, which allows them to have a crew
of just 90 men! It’s primary sensor is the
large spherical array sonar in the bow. It is
complemented by 4 wide aperture arrays and
a towed array sonar. If you notice the tail, the
‘teardrop’ shaped towed-array sonar housing
which was so distinctive of the Akula class,
has now been eliminated. This submarine will
be followed by a smaller and improved class
called the Yasen-M, incorporating the latest
weapons and sensors.
Read more about it here
1. S-400 AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM
Developed as a successor to the successful
and widely deployed S300 air defense system,
the S400 offers significant increase in
capabilities. commonly mistaken to be a
missile, the S400 refers to a whole family of
radars and surface to air missiles, which work
in unison to form a lethal air defense system.
It is said that the system is capable of
detecting, tracking and engaging stealth
fighters and bombers.
The system deploys 4 types of SAMs in order
to intercept a variety of targets ranging from
fighter jets, cruise missles and UAVs to
tactical and intermediate range ballistic
missiles. Each launch truck employs 4 launch
tubes. The missiles in use are
9M96E – Range of 40 km. 4 missiles
per tube.
9M96E2 – Range of 120 km. 4
missiles per tube.
48N6DM – Range of 250+ km. 1
missile per tube.
40N6- Range of 400 km. 1 missiles
per tube.
large enough numbers.
Despite these hindrances, Russia is catching
up in areas where it previously lagged in such
as micro-electronics and working towards
reducing it’s imports. They will remain the #1
weapons exporter in the world along with the
US for the foreseeable fu