With 700 missile system characteristics. Aircraft carrier fighter - Granit missile system

If during the Cold War era the USSR and the countries participating in the Warsaw bloc paid more attention to the development ground forces and improvement missile weapons, then the symbol military power The USA and NATO bloc have become aircraft carriers. Carrier strike groups (ACGs) were and remain the main striking force of the US Navy, which allowed this country to conduct military operations anywhere in the world.

For the USSR, American AUGs became a real headache. For many reasons (primarily due to lack of funds) Soviet Union could not oppose America with anything similar, but he needed the means to effective fight with American aircraft carriers. Throughout the years of the Cold War, the Soviet military-industrial complex was looking for an asymmetric response to this American threat. Anti-ship cruise missiles, the development of which began in the mid-50s, were particularly well suited to the role of “aircraft carrier killer.”

It is thanks to the decades spent on design developments in this area that today Russia has the best anti-ship missiles in the world, one of which is the P-700 Granit. No other country in the world has anything like it: these anti-ship cruise missiles are significantly superior to their foreign competitors in terms of flight range, warhead weight, speed, and other characteristics.

History of creation

The first cruise missile that was put into service, mass-produced and participated in combat operations was the German V-1. The Germans used it at the end of the war against Great Britain, but this weapon could no longer change the course of hostilities.

After the end of World War II, German rocket technology fell into the hands of the Allies and became the basis for their own further developments. In the USSR, the talented rocket designer Vladimir Chelomei and his colleagues worked in this direction.

Cruise missiles looked especially promising as a means of combating enemy aircraft carriers. In 1959, the USSR adopted the P-5 anti-ship cruise missile (ASC), created under the leadership of Chelomey, and designed to destroy enemy surface ships, including aircraft carriers. The missile could carry a nuclear charge.

The P-5 had a speed close to the speed of sound, a warhead weighing one ton, and a flight range of 500 kilometers. Very good characteristics, even today, but there was one problem: this missile could only be fired from a surface position. This deprived the attacking submarine of its main advantage - stealth. It was necessary to look for an alternative solution.

The development of a new missile system began in 1969. Chelomey proposed creating a single complex to arm both submarines, and surface combat ships. The new missile was supposed to be able to launch underwater and have a high flight speed and range. The missile system was named “Granit”; its development took almost fifteen years.

Flight design tests of the new rocket began in 1975, and state tests began in 1979. In 1983, the P-700 anti-ship complex was put into service.

When developing the P-700 missile, all experience in the production and use of such weapons was taken into account. The designers worked everything out possible options the design of the future rocket, its control system, placement and launch from a submarine.

The P-700 was adopted by the Project 949 Granit and 949A Antey submarines, as well as the 1144 Orlan, 1144.2 Orlan and 1143.5 Krechet surface ships.

Granit anti-ship missiles are still in service with the Russian Navy today, although they are already considered obsolete. Similar weapons are installed on Project 949A Antey nuclear submarine cruisers (24 anti-ship missiles on each). The flagship of the Northern Fleet, the heavy nuclear-powered cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, is armed with twenty Granit cruise missiles, and another 12 are installed on the aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov.

The P-700 "Granit" has never been used in real combat; experts have different views on the effectiveness of this weapon.

Device

The Granit rocket is made according to a normal aerodynamic design; it has a cigar shape, the annular air intake is located in the front part of the rocket.

The P-700 is equipped with folding, highly swept wings located in the central part of the fuselage, as well as a cross-shaped tail unit (it also folds out).

The missile is equipped with a KR-21-300 sustainer turbojet engine located in its rear part. For most of its trajectory, the missile travels at 1.5 times the speed of sound (Mach 1.5), making it much more difficult to detect and destroy. At high altitudes, the P-700 can accelerate to 2.5 M. A direct-flow jet was developed especially for Granit. jet engine, which could accelerate the rocket to a speed of Mach 4.

It is especially worth highlighting the autonomous control system of this anti-ship missile system. The computer, which is the basis of the control system, has several information channels; it is capable of successfully resisting electronic warfare.

The P-700 Granit missile is located in a special launch container, which is filled with sea water before launch to equalize the pressure (this also happens on surface ships). Then, with the help of special solid propellant boosters, the P-700 reaches the surface of the water. In the air, the main engine begins to operate, the wings and tail stabilizers open.

"Granit" can be equipped with various types of warheads. This could be a high-explosive penetrating warhead weighing up to 750 kilograms. The missile can also be equipped with a nuclear warhead with a yield of up to 500 kilotons.

The guidance head is active, radar type.

P-700 “Granit” is a very “intelligent” missile. Immediately after launch, it rises to a high altitude and detects its target. After this, the missile descends to the lowest possible altitude and follows it until it hits the target. This flight mode greatly complicates the work of enemy missile defense.

Granit missiles can hunt their prey in a “flock”. The first P-700 locks onto a target (or targets) and points all other missiles at them. Each of them receives its own target, but if the guidance missile is destroyed, then another member of the “flock” takes over its functions. Missiles classify targets according to importance, choose the most optimal attack tactics and plan. The electronic control system of the missile contains data from all modern ships and methods for countering attacks. Missiles approaching a target constantly exchange information with each other.

All this allows the P-700 to decide what is in front of it: an AUG, a regular convoy or an airborne group, and act accordingly. If a ship is destroyed by one missile, then the rest choose other targets.

Each missile is equipped with a radar jamming device and can emit decoys.

The rocket launches from a special container, which is installed at an angle of 47º.

Specifications

Description

DesignationComplexP-700 "Granite"
Rocket3M45
Control systeminertial with active radar guidance
Dimensions and weight
Length, m10
Wingspan, m2,6
Diameter, m0,85
Starting weight, kg7000
Warhead typehigh-explosive-cumulativenuclear (500 kt)
Warhead mass, kg750
Power point
Main engineTRD KR-93
Flight data
Speed, km/hon top2800 (2,5)
near the ground(1,5)
Launch range, km550 (625)
Minimum flight altitude, m25
Ceiling, m14000-17000

Comparison with other anti-ship missiles

If we compare missile system"Granite" with its foreign analogues, then we must admit that this rocket is the best to date.

The launch weight of the 3M45 missile is ten times (!!!) greater than the similar parameters of the American Harpoon anti-ship missile. Also, “Granit” is more than twice as large as the American in terms of warhead mass, and twice as fast. The P-700 has a five times greater range.

More big difference in characteristics with the French anti-ship missile Exocet, the Chinese S-802 and the Israeli Gabriel.

The destructive power of the 3M45 missile allows one hit to destroy a modern destroyer or cruiser. To guarantee the destruction of an aircraft carrier, 8-10 such missiles are needed.

These Soviet missiles are really good and have no analogues in the world, but there is one problem associated with detecting a target and aiming the P-700 anti-ship missiles at it. It is she who is the “Achilles heel” of this complex. This makes us doubt that Granit missiles can sink a modern aircraft carrier.

Can Granit destroy a modern AUG?

Disputes regarding the P-700's ability to hit an aircraft carrier have been going on for quite some time. Theoretically, Granit anti-ship missiles pose a great danger to any warship, including an aircraft carrier. But there is one problem that reduces all the advantages of this missile to almost zero. This is targeting.

When firing at long distances, the P-700 homing head cannot independently lock onto a target; it needs target designation, which theoretically can be carried out from airborne vehicles or from space.

To destroy an enemy AUG using Granit, a Russian submarine or surface ship must detect and classify the target, approach it within salvo range, and fire missiles that can hit enemy ships. It should not be forgotten that carrier strike groups are very difficult targets. They are extremely protected by a wide variety of air defense, missile defense and electronic warfare systems, constantly maneuver, have a powerful aviation group, and are covered by submarines. Hitting this target (and even getting close to it within the range of a missile salvo) is very difficult.

The current Russian fleet is extremely limited in terms of target detection. Their detection radius is usually limited by the radio horizon. The helicopters that some Russian warships have are of little use for solving this problem, primarily due to their short range. It is ineffective to carry it out using a Tu-95RTs aircraft, since in order for a reconnaissance aircraft to arrive in a certain area of ​​the World Ocean sometimes it is necessary large number hours.

During Soviet times, the use of nuclear submarine cruisers equipped with Granit anti-ship missiles was based on a powerful naval reconnaissance system, which had information about a potential enemy in all zones of the ocean theater of operations.

Its basis was ground-based radio intelligence centers located both on the territory of the USSR and beyond its borders. You can recall similar centers located in Cuba, Vietnam (Cam Ranh), and South Yemen. Today there is none of this.

In addition to ground bases, the Soviet Union had an effective space reconnaissance and target designation system that could detect an enemy ship almost anywhere in the World Ocean. And not only detect: this system constantly monitored the AUG probable enemy and in case of war could provide target designations for missile weapons.

Anti-ship missile system "Granit" can be called only one of the components Soviet system destruction of aircraft carriers, its second element was the Legend space target designation system. It began to be developed in the mid-70s under the leadership of Academician Keldysh.

The Legend project consisted of creating a satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit capable of transmitting information about the movement of surface targets and producing target designations for missile weapons. This group included both active (radar) and passive (bearing of objects) reconnaissance devices. The Legend system was capable of targeting Soviet missiles at any point on the earth's surface.

However, at the moment, “Legend” has long been history. In 1998, the last satellite constellation completed its work. Currently, a similar system “Liana” is in the formation stage.

Therefore, any Russian ship equipped with Granit anti-ship missiles will be detected much earlier than it can approach the launch distance of these missiles. If we talk about launching missiles from a submarine, then this has its own difficulties.

To fire a successful salvo of P-700 missiles, the submarine must enter the near zone of the anti-submarine defense order, where the probability of detecting a submarine will be very high. Even with a successful missile launch, not all of them will be able to achieve their goals, since the AUG has very strong air defense and missile defense.

Today, the likelihood of the destruction of an American aircraft carrier by any means of attack at the disposal of the Russian Navy seems very unlikely. Without resuscitating the global intelligence system, this will be very problematic. Unless nuclear warheads will be installed on the missiles.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them

Status is in service Developer NPO Mashinostroyenia (OKB-52) Chief designer V. N. Chelomey Years of development - 1983 Start of testing November - August 1983 Adoption March 12, 1983 Main operators USSR Navy
Russian Navy ↓All technical specifications

P-700 anti-ship missile system for the Granit missile system(URAV Navy Index: 3M45, according to NATO codification: SS-N-19 "Shipwreck", shipwreck) is a long-range anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) designed to combat powerful ship groups, including aircraft carriers.

When creating the complex, an approach was used for the first time, the basis of which is the mutual coordination of 3 elements: target designation means (in the form of spacecraft), a carrier and anti-ship missiles. The created complex has acquired the ability to solve complex problems sea ​​battle along with fire weapons of one carrier.

Compound

The on-board autonomous selective control system for anti-ship missiles is built on the basis of a three-processor on-board computer (OBC) using several information channels, which allows one to successfully understand a complex interference environment and identify true targets against the background of interference.

The on-board computer contains electronic data on modern classes of ships; tactical information, for example, about the type of orders of ships, which allows the missile to determine who is in front of it - a convoy, an aircraft carrier or a landing group, and attack the main targets in its composition; data on countering enemy electronic warfare systems that can, by jamming, divert missiles from the target; tactical techniques for evading fire from weapons air defense.

The 3M-45 (P-700) missile has several flexible adaptive trajectories depending on the operational and tactical situation in the sea and airspace of the operation area. The missile has a KR-93 sustainer turbojet engine and a ring solid fuel accelerator in the tail section, which begins operation under water (when launched from surface ships, the silos are filled with sea water). A variant of the rocket with an experimental supersonic ramjet engine 4D 04 allowed the rocket to reach speeds of up to 4M.

TTX

Parameter Meaning
Length, m 10
Diameter, m 0,85
Wingspan, m 2,6
Starting weight, kg 7000
Speed ​​at altitude 2,5
Ground/water speed, 1,5
Range, km 550(625) km along a combined trajectory, 200-250 km along an exclusively low-altitude trajectory
Ceiling, m 14000-17000 meters on the marching section, depending on the trajectory pattern
Minimum flight altitude, m Up to 25 meters in the attack area
Control system INS + ARLGSN
Warhead Penetrating 750 kg or
nuclear, up to 500 kt

Attack

The complex provides salvo firing of the entire ammunition load with a rational spatial arrangement of missiles and allows you to act against a single ship according to the principle of “one missile, one ship” or jointly against an order of ships.

After firing a salvo from the carrier, the missiles interact with each other, detecting, classifying and distributing targets among themselves according to the degree of importance and taking into account order of battle enemy fleet (aircraft carrier group, convoy, landing force). An attack on a formation is organized in such a way that the destruction of secondary targets occurs only after the destruction of priority ones, and in such a way that one target is not attacked by two missiles.

When firing at a long range, missiles rise to an altitude of about 14,000-17,000 meters and perform most of the flight at it in order to reduce air resistance and increase the target detection radius of the seeker. Having detected a target, the missiles carry out identification, distribute targets among themselves and then descend to a height of 25 meters, hiding behind the radio horizon.

The experience of the Navy's combat and operational training shows that the large mass and high speed of the complex's missiles make it difficult for them to be hit by enemy anti-aircraft missiles. However, since the missile has never been used in combat, opinions differ about its actual effectiveness.

Carriers

  • 5 Project 949A nuclear submarines of the Antey type - 24 anti-ship missiles each. Two more boats K-148 “Krasnodar” and K-173 “Krasnoyarsk” are in storage, the submarine K-141 “Kursk” was lost, construction of the K-139 “Belgorod” was suspended (being completed according to a special project).
  • Peter the Great - 20 anti-ship missiles. Another 3 heavy cruisers of Project 1144 are not combat-ready.
  • Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" of project 1143.5 - 12 anti-ship missiles.

The size of the rocket limits the types of launch vehicles it can be carried on.

Developers

The on-board autonomous selective control system of the anti-ship missile system was built by a team of scientists and designers from the Central Research Institute "Granit" under the leadership of his general director Hero of Socialist Labor, Lenin Prize laureate V.V. Pavlov.

The KR-93 sustainer turbojet engine was developed at the design bureau of the Ufa Engine-Building Production Association under the leadership of chief designer Sergei Gavrilov. The engine control system was developed by the departments of Technical Cybernetics and Industrial Electronics together with NPO Molniya.

A version of the rocket with an experimental supersonic ramjet engine 4D 04 was developed at OKB-670 under the leadership of Mikhail Bondaryuk.

Theoretical foundations of construction space system target designation, the relative position of satellites in orbits, the parameters of their orbits were developed directly with the participation of Academician M.V. Keldysh.

History of creation

  • from November - flight testing stage
  • - August - state tests
  • March 12 - the complex was put into service.

Notes

Cruise missiles development
Aircraft-shells 10XН 16Х

Sketch of the P-700 “Granit” anti-ship missile Type Anti-ship missile Status is in service Developer NPO Mashinostroyenia (OKB-52) Chief designer V. N. Chelomey Years of development -1983 Start of testing November 1975 Adoption July 19, 1983 Manufacturer NPO Mashinostroyeniye Main operators USSR Navy
Russian Navy Images on Wikimedia Commons

When creating the complex, an approach was used for the first time, the basis of which is the mutual linkage of three elements: target designation means (in the form of spacecraft), a carrier and anti-ship missiles. The created complex acquired the ability to solve the most complex tasks of naval combat using a complement of fire weapons from one carrier.

It can also be used to destroy coastal targets.

History of creation

Work on the creation of a long-range supersonic underwater-launched cruise missile in the USSR was started by decree of the CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of Ministers No. 539-186 dated July 10, 1969 at the IOM Central Design Bureau. By this time, the submarines were already armed with supersonic cruise missile P-6; however, launching it was possible only from the surface, which greatly increased the vulnerability of the submarine, and, taking into account the unmasking effect of a missile salvo, exposed the boat to significant risk. In addition, the P-6, designed back in the late 1950s, a decade later no longer met the requirements for speed, range and flight altitude.

The development of a new underwater launch cruise missile was initiated in parallel with the creation of the development of the P-6 - the P-500 "Basalt" cruise missile, with which they were going to re-equip existing carriers. However, the P-500 Basalt was also unsuitable for launching from under water. It was necessary to create a completely new rocket. The project received the designation P-700 "Granit". Subsequently, it was decided to develop a new missile for use not only from submarines, but also from surface ships, duplicating the development of the P-500.

The flight testing phase of the rocket began in November 1975. The Granit complex passed state tests from 1979 to July 1983. By Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 686-214 of July 19, 1983, the complex was adopted for service on the following ships:

  • nuclear submarines of projects 949 "Granit" and 949A "Antey";
  • heavy nuclear missile cruisers of projects 1144 "Orlan" and 1144.2 "Orlan";
  • heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers of Project 1143.5 “Krechet”.

There were projects and other media, which, however, were not implemented.

Design

The P-700 Granit missile has a cigar-shaped shape with an annular air intake at the front end and a folding cross-shaped tail unit. A short, highly swept wing, foldable after launch, is installed in the central part of the fuselage.

The rocket is propelled by a KR-21-300 turbojet engine located along the central axis. The rocket is launched from under water using a block of four solid fuel boosters located behind the rocket. The missile is stored in a sealed transport and launch container with folded wings and tail surfaces, the air intake is covered with a dome-shaped fairing. Before launch, the installation is filled with sea water (this procedure is also used on surface ships to avoid damage to the installation by exhaust), after which the activated accelerator pushes the rocket out of the shaft and delivers it to the surface of the water. In the air, the air intake fairing is discarded, the wings and tail are straightened, the burnt-out accelerator is discarded and the rocket continues to fly with the help of the main engine.

The missile is equipped with warheads various types. It can be either semi-armor-piercing (high-explosive-penetrating) combat unit weighing 584-750 kg, or tactical nuclear TNT equivalent up to 500 kilotons. Currently, due to international agreements on the ban on sea-launched nuclear cruise missiles, all P-700s are equipped only with conventional warheads.

The missile is guided using an active radar guidance head. The on-board autonomous selective control system for anti-ship missiles is built on the basis of a three-processor on-board computer (OBC) using several information channels, which allows one to successfully understand a complex interference environment and identify true targets against the background of interference. During a group launch of missiles (salvo), the missiles, having detected the enemy with their homing heads, exchange information, identify and distribute targets by their size, relative position and other parameters. The on-board computer contains electronic data on modern classes of ships; tactical information, for example, about the type of orders of ships, which allows the missile to determine that in front of it is a convoy, aircraft carrier or landing group, and attack the main targets in its composition; data on countering enemy electronic warfare systems that can, by jamming, divert missiles from the target; tactical techniques for evading air defense fire.

To increase combat stability, the P-700 is equipped with a 3B47 “Kvarts” radio jamming station and devices for resetting dipole reflectors and decoys.

Characteristics

Parameter Meaning
Length, m 10
Diameter, m 0,85
Wingspan, m 2,6
Starting weight, kg 7000
Speed ​​at altitude 2,5
Ground/water speed, 1,5
Range, km 550 (625) along a combined trajectory,
145 (200) on an exclusively low-altitude trajectory
Ceiling, m 14,000 -17,000 on the marching section,
depending on the trajectory pattern
Minimum flight altitude, m up to 25 (in the attack area)
Control system INS + ARLGSN
Warhead Penetrating 518-750 kg (data vary) or
nuclear, up to 500 kt

Application

The missiles are launched from containerized inclined launchers SM-225 (for submarines) or SM-233 (for surface ships), located under the deck of the carrier ship at an angle of 60 degrees. Before launch, to reduce thermal loads on the launcher, the container is filled with sea water.

Since the long-range flight time of a missile is significant, and the target can go beyond the detection radius of the missile seeker, the complex needs precise target designation carried out by the Success aviation complex from Tu-95 RC aircraft or Ka-25 Ts helicopters, or by a space reconnaissance complex and target designation ICRC "Legend" The missile can also be used to destroy ground targets.

Project evaluation

The experience of the Navy's combat and operational training shows that the large mass and high speed of the complex's missiles make it difficult for them to be hit by enemy anti-aircraft missiles.

The missile has never been used in combat conditions; opinions about its actual effectiveness vary.

Carriers

Developers

  • The parent organization is NPO Mashinostroyenia. Chief designer -

A person who is not experienced in matters of aerodynamics is quite surprised by the appearance of modern cruise missiles. The “cruise missile” turns out to be a narrow cigar-shaped projectile with a pair of different sides tiny "petals". It’s hard to believe that these miniature “wings” are capable of holding a multi-ton rocket in the air and helping it cover distances of many hundreds and thousands of kilometers.


The secret of cruise missiles (CR) is explained simply: the lift of the wing is a quadratic function of the speed of the aircraft. The speed has doubled - the lift has increased 4 times, i.e. Now the aircraft requires a wing area four times smaller!
Unlike manned aircraft, CDs are single-mode aircraft, always flying with the same, very high speed(from 250 m/s for the Tomahawk to 700 m/s for the Granit anti-ship missile system)! The creators of the missile launcher do not need to worry about takeoff and landing flight conditions - during takeoff, the missile launcher, accelerated by a powerful accelerator, behaves like a ballistic projectile, and the “landing speed” of a cruise missile is equal to its maximum permissible speed – and the more the missile launcher “smacks” into the target, the more better.

For a long time, the phrase “cruise missile” was synonymous with naval anti-ship missiles - until the creation of the tactical Tomahawk, the main use of the cruise missile was the destruction of enemy ships. The trend in this matter was set by Soviet scientists, who by the mid-50s launched a series of unique projects that changed the laws of naval combat - the monstrous anti-ship missiles "Kometa" and KSShch. Soon another “superhero” appeared - the P-15 “Termite”, which sank the Eilat and caused a pogrom in the Pakistani port of Karachi (Indian missile boats destroyed literally everything there, including the coastal oil storage facility). In total, in the second half of the twentieth century, the Soviet military-industrial complex “delighted” the world with twenty models of unique anti-ship missiles - varying in size, guidance principles and deployment options. From the relatively primitive P-5 to the fantastic P-700 “Granit” complexes.

“Granit” ... the legendary kamikaze robot, capable of hitting targets at a distance of 600 km, flying at high and extremely low altitudes, independently selecting targets and destroying aircraft carrier groups of the “potential enemy” with its half-megaton warhead. A fantastic strike complex, a fusion of the most modern technologies of the times Cold War, which combines the best developments in rocket and space technology, electronics and shipbuilding.


"X-ray image" of the P-700 anti-ship missile


The Internet is full of discussions in the format of “Granit missile vs aircraft carrier strike group,” but we will not get into once again get involved in an obviously fruitless dispute. Today we will try to find the answer to an equally interesting question: Did there even exist foreign analogues naval strike complex P-700 "Granit"?

It would seem that the answer is obvious - not a single anti-ship missile system has been created abroad, equal in size and combat capabilities to the 7-ton Granit! The only American anti-ship missile "Harpoon" has a 10 times smaller launch weight - only about 700 kg, and as a result - a warhead 3 times smaller in mass, 2 times less speed and 5 times less range. The French Exocet had even more modest characteristics. Perhaps someone will remember the Israeli anti-ship missile "Gabriel" or the Chinese S-802 missile - all of them are subsonic missiles with warheads that are rather weak in power and a launch weight in the range of 600-700 kg. Even the well-known “Tomahawk”, one of the variants of which was intended for use as a long-range anti-ship missile (BGM-109B TASM), could not compare in performance with the “Granit” - the “Axe” was too slow and “dumb”, moreover it had a shorter flight range and a significantly lighter warhead.

Indeed, there were no direct analogues to Granit abroad. But once you look at the situation from a different angle, a number of interesting coincidences appear that can literally be identified as analogues of the P-700 Granit anti-ship complex.

The first case is the strategic sea-based supersonic cruise missile SSM-N-9 Regulus II. Like any aviation technology, created at the turn of the 50s..60s, Regulus II had exorbitant speed and altitude characteristics. Two speeds of sound in the stratosphere, a flight range of 1900 km - this was quite enough to break through the air defense of any country.


SSM-N-9 "Regulus II"


In addition, Regulus II suffered from pronounced gigantism - weight and size characteristics American rocket even surpassed the performance of the huge “Granit”. The length of "Regulus II" reached 17.5 meters, and the launch weight was about 10 tons!
In total, it was planned to equip 4 missile cruisers and 25 submarines of the US Navy with the Regulus II strategic missile system.

Of course, directly comparing Regulus II with Granit is not entirely correct - it was a specific nuclear carrier with a rather primitive inertial guidance system: gyroscopes and a stopwatch... tick-tick-tick, time was up - Regulus II dived down and turned into a blinding flash of light. Finally, by the time of its appearance, “Regulus II” was already obsolete and completely lost according to the test results ballistic missile"Polaris".
And, nevertheless, “Regulus II” had a number of obvious similarities with “Granit” - a large and heavy ship- and underwater-based supersonic missile, designed to destroy over-the-horizon targets on long range.

Our second guest is the steel guardian of the skies, incredible anti-aircraft missile system RIM-8 Talos. It would seem... However, I ask the reader to be patient and allow me to explain how exactly “Talos” can be considered a close relative of “Granite”.

The Americans took 15 years to create Talos - from 1944 (when a realistic dream of an ultra-long-range air defense system appeared) until 1959 (installation on warship the first serial air defense system). The idea was simple - to learn how to shoot down planes at a range of 100 kilometers or more. The problem with long-range guidance accuracy was solved quite simply in the first modifications of the air defense system - Talos fired anti-aircraft missiles with a nuclear warhead. An explosion with a power of 2 kilotons of TNT could instantly incinerate any aircraft at a distance of 500 m from the point of detonation - these “shells” were supposed to be used to repel attacks by Soviet naval missile carriers (Tu-16 or promising T-4s) that had broken through to aircraft carrier groups through fighter jets. screens.

Along with the “special” ones, there were “regular” high-explosive fragmentation warheads weighing 136 kg, as well as several specific missiles, which will be discussed below.
As a result, a huge anti-aircraft missile was born, 12 meters long and weighing 3.5 tons (of which 2 tons were the starting accelerator, which burns out in 3-5 seconds).


One of the main differences from Granit is that the RIM-8 anti-aircraft missile was equipped with a ramjet engine


In addition to its cyclopean dimensions and similar layout with an axisymmetric air intake, the Talos has one more, no less important circumstance in common with the Granit: all modifications of the Talos air defense system had the ability to engage surface targets (i.e., they could perform the tasks of anti-ship missile systems ), and could also be used for attacks on ground targets (including a special modification of the missile to destroy enemy radars). A true demon of the three elements!

Of course, a 130...160 kg warhead could not be considered serious anti-ship weapon However, this was enough to destroy any enemy corvette or missile boat. The “special” warhead W30 looked much more solid, whose explosion at close range could disable any large ship. Plans to use nuclear Talos to “bomb” enemy positions in the amphibious landing zone were seriously discussed. In addition, the anti-aircraft missile system had a shorter reaction time, a high rate of fire and significant ammunition, which is still to a greater extent expanded his striking capabilities.


The result of a direct hit from a RIM-8 missile. Target destroyer almost cut in two

By the way, Soviet sailors also drew attention to this positive feature of anti-aircraft missile systems - I can confidently assume that in the event of an armed conflict, it would not be the P-35 and P-500 that would be the first to fly at the enemy, but the anti-aircraft missiles of the Volna and Shtor complexes. . A similar situation was observed in 2008 off the coast of Abkhazia - the first salvo of the Russian rocket ship The “Mirage” for Georgian boats was made from the Osa-M air defense system.

Returning to the Talos, in 1965 a new modification of the RIM-8G anti-aircraft missile with a firing range of 100 miles (185 kilometers) was adopted, making Talos the longest-range naval air defense system of the twentieth century.

In addition, Bendix engineers have done significant work, creating a whole line of missiles for their long-range air defense systems that target enemy radar sources. A special modification of the missile, designated RIM-8H Talos-ARM, could be used for ultra-long-range shooting at enemy ships with radars turned on - in other words, the Talos air defense system turned into the first American long-range anti-ship missile system.

In total, during its existence, the RIM-8 Talos long-range air defense system was installed on 7 missile cruisers of the US Navy, of which only the nuclear-powered cruiser Long Beach could fully realize the capabilities of the unique complex (unlike other missile cruisers, rebuilt from artillery ships of World War II, Long Beach was specially created for the new air defense systems and was equipped with a powerful SCANFAR radar with a phased array antenna).


"The fight for designs instead of styles
Calculation of severe nuts and steel"

The nuclear-powered missile cruiser Long Beach had an awkward “box-shaped” appearance, which, however, was determined unique complex cruiser weapons.

WITH technical side The air defense system was a rotating double-beam launcher, an armored cellar for storing missiles and preparing them for firing, as well as a fire control post and a dozen SPW-2 and SPG-49 radars for guiding missiles on the march and for illuminating targets.

The moment of glory for Talos was the war in Vietnam - cruisers with Talos on board were regularly used as radar patrol ships and air defense patrols plying in the coastal areas of the South China Sea. The naval long-range air defense system has become a chilling legend among North Vietnamese pilots. The MiGs tried to stay as far away as possible from coastline, otherwise, there was a great risk of being hit by a sudden attack - cruisers sailing close to the shore “transparent” the sky a good hundred kilometers deep into the territory of Vietnam.


The dimensions of the RIM-8 two-stage missile defense system are comparable to the dimensions of the Granit anti-ship missile system. The speed of the anti-aircraft missile is 2.5M. Range - up to 185 km, destruction height - 24 km

In total, the Talos claim four confirmed aerial victories, all at record ranges. air combat- two MiGs were shot down by the Long Beach (for example, one of the cases took place on May 23, 1968, the interception range was 112 km), another one each was shot down by the cruisers Chicago and Oklahoma City. In addition, Oklahoma City has another victory to its credit: in 1971, while off the coast of Vietnam, the cruiser detected radiation from a mobile coastal radar and destroyed an object with a RIM-8H anti-radar missile.

Talos had good opportunities to combat high-flying targets, but by the beginning of the 1970s, due to a change in the general paradigm of military aviation and the transition to low-altitude flight modes, the unique naval air defense system began to rapidly become obsolete - in 1976, the fleet officially expressed its intentions to remove Talos from service, The last launch of the RIM-8 missile took place in 1979, and a year later the last cruiser with an air defense system of this type was expelled from the Navy. However, history


Special warhead of the RIM-8 anti-aircraft missile


Rocket launch from the cruiser "Little Rock"

In 1969, OKB-52 began developing the P-700 Granit long-range anti-ship missile. In 1970, the preliminary design was completed. The complex is designed to strike formations of warships (primarily AUG), convoys and enemy landing forces with enhanced air defense and missile defense.

The Granit missile system, created by OKB-52 (now NPO Mashinostroeniya), had to meet extremely high requirements: maximum range - at least 500 km, maximum speed- at least 2500 km/h. Granit was distinguished from previous complexes of similar purposes by flexible adaptive trajectories, versatility in launch (underwater and surface), as well as carriers (submarines and surface ships), salvo firing with a rational spatial arrangement of missiles, and a noise-proof selective control system. It was allowed to fire at targets whose coordinates were known with large errors, as well as when the data became outdated for a long time. All operations for daily and launch maintenance of rockets have been automated. As a result, “Granit” acquired a real opportunity to solve any naval combat task with one carrier. However, the effectiveness of a long-range anti-ship missile system was largely determined by the capabilities of reconnaissance and target designation equipment. The “Success” system, which was based on the Tu-95 aircraft, no longer had the necessary combat stability. Was created new system maritime space reconnaissance and target designation (MCRTS) - “Legend”.

Testing of "Granit" began in November 1975 from a ground stand, and ended in August 1983, while since December 1980, launches were made from Project 949 submarines. By resolution of the Council of Ministers of March 12, 1983, the Granit complex was adopted for service.

The ZM-45 missile, equipped with both nuclear (500 kt) and high-explosive warheads weighing 750 kg, is equipped with a KR-93 sustainer turbojet engine with a ring solid-fuel rocket booster that begins operation under water. The maximum firing range is up to 600 km, the maximum speed corresponds to M=2.5 at high altitudes and M=1.5 at low altitudes. The launch mass of the rocket is 7000 kg, length is 9.15 m, body diameter is 0.85 m, wingspan is 2.6 m.

The rocket embodied the rich experience of Soviet designers in creating electronic systems artificial intelligence, allowing you to act against a single ship on the principle of “one missile - one ship” or “in a flock” against an order of ships. The missiles can be fired either singly or in one salvo (up to 24 anti-ship missiles launched at high tempo). The P-700 anti-ship missiles are completely autonomous after launch, have a complex flight path and a multi-variant program for attacking enemy formations. Thanks to the change in flight speed, anti-ship missiles of one salvo are able to form a dense group, which makes it easier to overcome enemy missile defense systems, and thanks to on-board control systems and mutual exchange of information, they can optimally distribute targets among themselves. Organizing the flight of all missiles in a salvo, additionally searching for a warrant and “covering” it with an activated radar sight allows the anti-ship missile to fly on the cruising sector in radio silence mode. During the flight of missiles, the optimal distribution of targets within the order is carried out between them (the algorithm for solving this problem was worked out by the Institute of Naval Armaments and NPO Granit). When approaching a detachment of enemy ships, the missiles themselves will distribute and classify according to the importance of the target, choose the attack tactics and plan for its implementation. To eliminate errors when choosing a maneuver and hitting a specific target, the on-board computer of the anti-ship missile system contains electronic data on modern classes of ships. In addition, the machine also contains purely tactical information, for example, about the type of orders of ships, which allows the missile to determine who is in front of it - a convoy, an aircraft carrier or a landing group, and attack the main targets in its composition. Also in the on-board computer there is data on countering enemy electronic warfare systems that can divert missiles from the target by jamming, and tactical techniques for evading air defense fire. As the designers say, after the launch of the missile, they themselves decide which of them will attack which target and what maneuvers need to be carried out for this in accordance with the mathematical algorithms embedded in the behavior program. The missile also has means to counter anti-missile missiles attacking it. By destroying main goal in a ship group, the remaining missiles attack other ships of the order, eliminating the possibility of two missiles hitting the same target.

On TARKR pr.1144, 20 Granit missiles are placed in individual under-deck launchers SM-233. The TAVKR pr.1143.5 “Admiral Kuznetsov” is equipped with twelve missiles. In addition, 3 Project 949 nuclear submarines and 9 Project 949A submarines are armed with Granit missiles. Both types of boats have 24 launchers. The ship's control system can ensure the simultaneous preparation and launch of all 24 anti-ship missiles. Target designation can be obtained from the Legend MCRTs system, Tu-95RTs aircraft or Ka-25RTs helicopters.

Supersonic speed and a complex flight path, high noise immunity of radio-electronic equipment and the presence of a special system for removing enemy anti-aircraft and aircraft missiles provide the Granit, when firing in full salvo, with a high probability of overcoming the air defense and missile defense systems of an aircraft carrier formation. Currently, Project 949(A) submarines armed with the Granit complex, together with naval missile-carrying aircraft, are the basis of the anti-aircraft carrier forces of the Russian fleet. Thanks to the unique technical solutions laid down by the designers back in the 80s. last century, the Granite complex is still for a long time will retain its excellent fighting qualities.



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