Soon after the adoption of the Kortik anti-aircraft missile and artillery complex (ZRAK), developed in the Tula KBP and intended for self-defense of ships, work on the topic of combined anti-aircraft installations continued. The Instrument Design Bureau took the path of modernizing the already created complex ("Kortik-M" and "Kortik-MO"), and in the Moscow Design Bureau of Precision Engineering. A. E. Nudelman began to work on their own ZRAK project, called "Broadsword".
The first reports about the development of the "Broadsword" appeared in 1994, then for some time the information appeared in extremely scarce quantities. However, already in 97, the approximate appearance of the future anti-aircraft complex became known, or rather its gun part - eight guided missiles and two 30-mm six-barreled assault rifles. In the mid-2000s, the prototype "Broadsword" went to the field tests, which were carried out at the "object 30" in the Crimea. In the fall of 2005, upon completion of the range firing, the combat module of the anti-aircraft complex (index 3P89) was sent to Sevastopol, where it was installed on the R-60 missile boat at Shipyard No. 13. Ship trials of the ZRAK "Broadsword" lasted until 2007. It should be noted that only machine guns were fired in field and ship tests - the Sosna-R missiles were not yet ready by that time. In December of the same year, the complex was put into service, namely in trial operation. In addition, it was planned to install the "Broadsword" on the second boat - R-239 - but for a number of reasons, mainly of a financial nature, the R-60 remained alone.
With its layout ZRAK "Broadsword" in some way resembles its predecessor "Kortik". The same massive base and the AO-18 submachine guns and transport and launch containers of missiles located on the sides. However, "Broadsword" has a different guidance system, which also affected the appearance in a certain way. In the upper part of the 3P89 combat module there is an optical-location control station "Shar", covered with a spherical casing. Because of this detail, the entire combat module has some resemblance to military robots from some feature films, which was immediately noted by many fans of military equipment. The "Shar" station includes a television-optical station with a television and thermal imaging channel, a laser rangefinder and an anti-aircraft missile control system. Also, at the very beginning of work on the "Broadsword", it was planned to supplement the complex with a radar station, located in a separate building. But so far the radar has not been completed, it has not participated in the tests, and there can be no question of adopting it into service. Thus, only the Shar station is used for detection and guidance, but some sources claim that the Broadsword's automatic equipment can receive data from the carrier's own radar. Without the use of radar data, OLSU "Shar" is capable of detecting and launching a missile to a target located within ± 178 ° in azimuth and from -20 ° to +82 in elevation. In this case, keeping the target on tracking is ensured at its angular velocity up to 50 deg / s. The maximum range determined by the laser rangefinder is 20 km, while target acquisition for auto-tracking can take place at shorter distances: from 16 km for an aircraft, 10 for a helicopter and about 8-10 for a cruise missile. However, in most cases, reliable target detection and tracking is possible only at a distance of 6 km.
Artillery ZRAK "Broadsword" consists of two automatic cannons of 30 mm caliber AO-18KD. They differ from previous modifications by a longer barrel (80 calibers) and, as a result, better ballistics of the projectile. The aiming range of the guns is from 200 to 4000 meters, and the rate of fire is up to 5000 rounds per minute per machine gun (in total - up to 10 thousand). Artillery "Broadsword" can effectively hit targets flying at speeds up to 300 m / s at altitudes up to 3 km. The reaction time of the artillery installation, according to Tochmash Design Bureau, is 5-7 seconds. Ammunition of machine guns - up to 1500 shells. The ammunition feed mechanism is a linkless screw. AO-18KD can use the following types of shells:
- BPTS. An armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile with a carbide core (VNZh alloy). There is a tracer. Designed primarily to detonate the warhead of a cruise missile being fired;
- OFZS. High-explosive incendiary projectile;
- OTS. A fragmentation projectile equipped with a tracer.
As already mentioned, by the time the complex was tested, the Sosna-R missile (GRAU index 9M337), developed by Tochmash Design Bureau, had not yet been brought to the appropriate condition. Therefore, in the available photographs of the "Broadsword" with TPK missiles, the latter are either mock-ups or the result of photomontage. For this reason, the characteristics of the rocket declared by the design bureau will be given below. With the length and mass of the TPK of 2390 mm and 36-39 kg (data differ in different sources), the missile can hit aerodynamic targets at ranges from 1300 meters, respectively. The maximum range of destruction of the Sosnoy-R target is 8 km in the case of aircraft or 4 km in the case of anti-ship missiles. Guidance of the missile at the target is carried out by a laser using the corresponding unit of the "Shar" station. The stated aiming accuracy is up to 15 arc seconds. During the flight to the target "Sosna-R" can maneuver with transverse overload up to 52 and longitudinal overload up to 40 units. The maximum speed and altitude of the target, at which the missile can effectively hit it, is 700 m / s and 2-3500 m, respectively. The warhead of the high-explosive fragmentation missile with a 12-channel laser proximity fuse. Its total weight is 5 kilograms.
Module OESU "Shar" ZRAK "Broadsword"
In addition to the "Broadsword" variant, an export version of the anti-aircraft complex called "Palma" has been developed. It differs from the original modification in the composition of the equipment and execution options. At the request of the customer, "Palma" can be manufactured in several versions:
- complete set: combat module (up to four on one ship), radar and station "Shar";
- only a combat module (can be equipped with OLSU "Shar") with missile and artillery weapons;
- only a combat module (can be equipped with OLSU "Shar") with missile weapons;
- only a combat module (can be equipped with OLSU "Shar") with artillery weapons;
- container modification. Designed for use on unprepared ships, such as civilian ships converted for military use.
The Russian Navy currently has the "Broadsword" ZRAK in only one copy - on the R-60 missile boat. Nothing is known about equipping other ships with the Broadsword, but in light of the protracted development of a missile for the complex, it is hardly worth making optimistic plans about the fate of the entire complex.
