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​What Stands Behind russians’ Wish to Build Unified Launchers for Kalibr and Oniks Missiles

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Rendering of the russian Club-M mobile coastal missile system for ground launch of Kalibr-type missile / Open source illustrative image
Rendering of the russian Club-M mobile coastal missile system for ground launch of Kalibr-type missile / Open source illustrative image

russians announce plans to create Club-M ground launcher for Kalibr missiles

As Defense Express reported, the spokesman of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Dmytro Pletenchuk, said on the air of a telethon, that the russians are building unified launchers to launch the 3M14 Kalibr and P-800 Onyx missiles. "Kalibr missiles remain a dangerous weapon with a warhead weighing 450 kg, but the downing rate of these missiles is high. According to the servicemen, russians have taken this experience into account and are building unified launch facilities for both Kalibr and Oniks missiles," he said.

At first glance, such a statement looks somewhat specific, while the 3C14 universal vertical launchers used on missile ships of the russian Navy are already standardized for the use of the P-800 Onyx as well as 3M14 Kalibr missiles, which differ in their characteristics. However, it is quite likely that the statement of the speaker of the Ukrainian Navy refers to the development of land-based launchers for the launch of Kalibr-type cruise missiles.

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What Stands Behind russians’ Wish to Build Unified Launchers for Kalibr and Oniks Missiles, Demonstration of the 3C14 launcher for launching the Kalibr and Bastion missiles, Defense Express
Demonstration of the 3C14 launcher for launching the Kalibr and Bastion missiles / Open source illustrative photo

It is worth mentioning that a few years ago, the russians already announced the presence of the Club-M ground launcher for the Kalibr-type missiles, but these were rather contradictory statements.

At that time, russian resources represented as Club-M generally what later turned out to be the 9P701 launcher for the Iskander-K missile modified to launch 9M729 cruise missile. In this way, the russians quite successfully "confused the tracks" regarding the nature of this development.

What Stands Behind russians’ Wish to Build Unified Launchers for Kalibr and Oniks Missiles, The 9P701 launcher for the 9М729 medium-range cruise missiles, which the russians gave as Club-M, Defense Express
The 9P701 launcher for the 9М729 medium-range cruise missiles, which the russians gave as Club-M / Open source illustrative photo

That time it was possible to find a rendering of a mobile coastal system under the same Club-M designation, the configuration of which was more reminiscent of the Bal coastal missile system for the Kh-35 missile. It should be noted, that system was never embodied "in metal".

In view of this, it can be assumed that the russians are trying to adapt the mobile launchers of the Bastion coastal missile system to launch the Kalibr missiles from the ground. It should be noted that, as previously reported, the russians have already adapted the launchers of the Bastion coastal missile system for the ground launch of Zircon-tipe hypersonic missiles from the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea.

What Stands Behind russians’ Wish to Build Unified Launchers for Kalibr and Oniks Missiles, Launch of the P-800 anti-ship missile of the Bastion coastal missile system, Defense Express
Launch of the P-800 anti-ship missile of the Bastion coastal missile system / Illustrative photo of pre-war times

However, another option of a possible unified launcher for the Onyx and Kalibr-type missiles should not be dismissed. In particular, some russian sources claim that the Bastion coastal missile system for launching the P-800 Onyx missile seems to also have a stationary version, where the missiles are launched from a mine-type launcher. Currently, in the public space, one cannot find an image of what a stationary launcher for launching Onyx-type missiles might look like.

The above allows us to make an assumption that the russian occupiers in Crimea can build stationary launchers for launching the Kalibr-type missile, using the same 3S14 shipboard vertical launchers that are currently used on missile corvettes and frigates of the russian fleet.

What Stands Behind russians’ Wish to Build Unified Launchers for Kalibr and Oniks Missiles, 3S14 vertical launcher, Defense Express
3S14 vertical launcher / Open source illustrative image
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