A cruise missile is a guided bomb with wings and an engine that allows it to fly 1, 5-2 thousand kilometers to the target. But in the end, a charge will collapse on the enemy's head, on the whole identical to the warhead of an ordinary, not the largest, aerial bomb weighing 300-400 kg.
And if in local conflicts many thousands of tons of air attack weapons are “poured” onto enemy positions, it would be naive to believe that the use of a couple of dozen “flying bombs” can somehow affect the course of hostilities even in the most insignificant conflict. Which, in fact, is confirmed by the current chronicle of events: despite the missile strikes of the Russian Navy and dozens of destroyed terrorist headquarters, the war in Syria does not end in sight.
Fact:
The above statistics show that the combat value of single cruise missiles, like any conventional weapons, is, to put it mildly, small. Only their massive use can have a definite effect, and then only with the direct complicity of the air force and ground forces.
SLCMs are suitable for hitting stationary targets with previously known coordinates, which makes it impossible to use them in a rapidly changing situation on the battlefield. The situation is complicated by the hours of waiting when the slow missile (0, 6-0, 8M) will reach the target … Finally, the inadequately high cost of SLCMs compared to conventional aviation ammunition: up to $ 2 million for a serial Tomahawk. The cost of Russian "Calibers" is classified, but taking into account their piece production, it exceeds the cost of a similar "Tomahawk" several times.
Sea-based cruise missiles are an auxiliary element for enhancing the firepower of the Air Force. And they are not at all like the “miracle weapon” replicated in the press, capable of wiping out all the bases and armies of the “potential enemy” from the ground in an instant.
Fact: as of 2016, the Russian Navy has 17 SLCMs of the Caliber family. Among them:
Multipurpose nuclear submarine K-560 "Severodvinsk" (project 885 "Ash"). In the middle part of the nuclear-powered ship there are eight SM-343 silos with four rocket cells in each (the total ammunition load is 32 "Caliber").
Frigate pr. 22350 - "Admiral Gorshkov". The shipborne firing complex (UKSK) installed on it can accommodate 16 “Calibers” on board.
Three frigates of project 11356: “Admiral Grigorovich”, “Admiral Essen” and “Admiral Makarov”. The ships are equipped with a UKSK module for eight cells for "Calibers".
Patrol ship "Dagestan" (project 11661K). Has a similar module UKSK for eight cells.
Small missile ships pr. 21631 "Buyan-M", five units. They have all the same UKSK module for eight cells.
Diesel-electric submarines pr. 636.3 (modernized "Varshavyanka"), six units of the project. They have four SLCMs in ammunition (launched through standard 533 mm torpedo tubes).
Total: 17 carrier ships with 144 Kalibr missiles placed on them.
The second major operator of sea-launched cruise missiles is the US Navy. They have a much more impressive arsenal of SLCMs and their carriers. "Tomahawks" can be placed on board 85 surface warships and 57 nuclear submarines.
All American cruisers and destroyers are equipped with universal launch cells - from 90 to 122 for each ship (only the Zamvolts had their number reduced to 80). As practice shows, when carrying out shock and "punitive" operations, up to half of the launch silos of the ship can be given for the placement of "Tomahawks". However, in normal combat duty, the number of cruise missiles on board is small or absent altogether. Most of the ATC is usually empty due to the lack of adequate tasks and the desire of the command to reduce the number of incidents by reducing the number of "dangerous toys" on board. The remaining mines are occupied by anti-aircraft missiles, space interceptors, and Asrok anti-submarine rocket torpedoes.
The main method of placing Axes on American submarines is 12 vertical shafts in the bow of the Los Angeles and Virginias. Some of the outdated Elks are capable of launching SLCMs horizontally through torpedo tubes.
In a similar way, the ammunition load of the Sivulf submarines (8 TA, up to 50 naval ammunition, including the Tomahawk SLCM) is stored and used.
Finally, the Ohio-class submarine missile carriers. Four of the 18 SSBNs built under the START Treaty were converted into cruise missile carriers. There are seven Tomahawks in each of the 22 mines that previously housed the Trident strategic missiles. The remaining two shafts have been converted into airlock chambers for combat swimmers. Total: each special operations submarine can have 154 Axes on board. However, in practice, everything is different: launch nozzles are installed in only 14 mines, the remaining eight are given for the placement of diving equipment. The record salvo belongs to the Florida submarine, which launched 93 Tomahawks in one night (operation against Libya, 2011).
Due to the high unification of missiles and the possibility of their placement in any configuration, in accordance with the current situation and the tasks of the fleet, it is impossible to establish the exact number of SLCMs on the US Navy ships. From the presented facts it is clear that it can reach several thousand units.
Brief description of missiles
ZM-14 "Caliber" (the anti-ship version of the ZM-54 was not considered, since structurally it has little in common with the tactical cruise missile of the DB).
Length - from 7 to 8, 2 meters.
The starting mass is, according to various sources, from 1.77 to 2.3 tons.
The flight range is from 1.5 thousand in conventional to 2.5 thousand km in nuclear equipment (with a relatively light special warhead).
The mass of the high-explosive warhead is 450-500 kg.
In-flight control and targeting methods: on the cruising section, the rocket is controlled by an inertial system, and also uses GPS / GLONASS satellite navigation data. Guidance is carried out at a radio-contrast ground target using an ARGS-14 radar homing head.
The first test launches from domestic ships - 2012. At the same time, export modifications of "Caliber" (Club) have been successfully delivered abroad since 2004.
BGM-109 TOMAHAWK
The original "Battle ax" with a nuclear warhead was adopted in 1983. In 1986, its conventional analogue BGM-109C with a high-explosive warhead appeared, from that moment the popularity of cruise missiles began to grow.
Below are the data on the RGM / UGM-109E "Tactical Tomahawk" modification, which is the main modification of the SLCM in service with the US Navy. The main changes are aimed at reducing the cost of ammunition (missiles are not a value, but a consumable for war). Reduced weight, a housing made of cheap plastic, a turbofan engine with a minimum resource, three keels instead of four, because of its “fragility” the rocket is no longer suitable for launching through a TA. In terms of accuracy and flexibility of use, the new missile, on the contrary, surpasses all previous versions. Two-way satellite communication channel allows you to retarget the missile in flight. Now it is possible to shoot only at GPS coordinates (without the need to have photographic images and radio-contrast images of the target). The classic TERCOM (navigation system that measures the elevation of the relief along the flight path) and DSMAC (optical and thermal sensors that determine the target by comparing the data with the "picture" loaded into the rocket's memory) are supplemented by a TV camera for visual monitoring of the target state.
Length - 6.25 m.
The starting weight is 1.5 tons.
Flight range - 1, 6 thousand km
Warhead weight - 340 kg.
Some conclusions from the above.
1. Cruise missiles are not glorified “wonder weapons”. The destructive power of the KRBD is comparable to a 500 kg bombs. Is it possible to win a war by dropping just one or a few bombs on the enemy? The answer is of course not.
2. The possibility of firing at targets in the depths of the enemy's territory is also not the prerogative of the KRBD. The Russian Aerospace Forces is armed with tactical air-launched cruise missiles with a flight range of 5 thousand km, which is significantly higher than the performance of any "Caliber".
3. The INF Treaty, referred to by the "Caliber" fans, is not worth a penny. Before rejoicing at how the ban on the deployment of cruise missiles with a range of more than 500 km on land was bypassed, you need to think: is such a weapon needed at all? This niche has long been firmly occupied by aviation: aircraft will “cover” any target, much faster and at a greater distance than the “Caliber” is capable of.
4. Stories about how five missile boats are hiding in the backwaters of the Volga and "holding at gunpoint" all of Europe, let's leave on the conscience of journalists. The fuss with the MRK, which has only 8 cruise missiles out of serious weapons, means one thing: the USC is not able to build a warship of the ocean zone, engaging in profanation and mastering the means of GPV-2020. Such boats with "Caliber" do not mean anything against the background of the power of the aerospace forces of Russia.
5. Destruction of US missile defense facilities in Europe. Trust me, there are far more effective and efficient ways to do this than a handful of subsonic missiles that will take hours to crawl to Romania.
6. Given the difference in the number of cruise missiles and their carriers, the ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons on ships (with the exception of 14 strategic submarines) was an unconditional victory of Russian diplomacy over the American side.
7. Surface warships are built as platforms for the deployment of anti-aircraft weapons. It is a fact. Look at the birth of "Aegis", "Ticonderogues" and domestic cruisers of the "Orlan" class. On the number of anti-aircraft missiles, radars and air defense systems on board.
The launches of hundreds of Tomahawks are a tribute to the unified vertical launch facility. Allowing to take on board the SLCM instead of part of the anti-aircraft ammunition. But by no means the primary task for a large warship.
