US Army specialists are not confident that American ships will be able to repel an attack by Russian Klub missiles.
The US Navy ordered an additional 7 GQM-163A Coyote SSST supersonic targets. Each target is worth $ 3.9 million.
The Americans ordered these targets to test whether the US naval air defense systems have the ability to protect warships from Russian supersonic Klub missiles. In total, the US Navy ordered eighty-nine targets, the development of which took about 10 years. The GQM-163A Coyote targets are the 10th 800 kg missile that combines a ramjet and solid-propellant rocket engines. The Coyote's launch range is about 110 kilometers, and thanks to the ramjet engine, it has a top speed of over 2,600 km / h.
Coyote was developed in conjunction with the proliferation of supersonic anti-ship missiles, such as the Russian 3M54 (also known as Klub, SS-N-27 or Sizzler), entering service with the Algerian, Indian and Vietnamese navies.
The GQM-163A target can realistically reproduce the Klub attack on US Navy warships. Initially, the military planned to purchase only 39 Coyote, but the 1st American ramjet rocket was so successful that it was decided to increase production and, probably, apply Coyote technology in other American missiles.
The mass of the 3M54 Klub rocket is about 2000 kg, while the weight of the warhead is 200 kg. The anti-ship variant hits targets at a distance of 300 kilometers. The rocket's flight speed reaches 3000 km / h during the last minute of the flight. There are also variants of the rocket that are launched from a ground platform and a ship. The missile, designed to be launched from a ground platform, does not have a supersonic "jerk", but the weight of its warhead is doubled.
The US military is afraid of 3M54 missiles due to a unique flight mode that turns on 15 kilometers before the target. Until this time, Klub flies at an ultra-low (up to 30 meters) altitude. In this regard, the missile is difficult to identify, and when it is detected by short-range air defense, Klub begins a powerful acceleration and the missile covers 15 kilometers in less than twenty seconds. This makes interception very difficult.
Using Coyote, the US military hopes to test the capabilities of detection equipment, fire control system tuning and anti-missile weapons. Based on the test results, they will conclude that the American naval air defense is capable of resisting Klub missiles.
Of particular concern to the US military is the hidden version of the Club-K missiles. These missiles can be mounted in conventional railroad containers, automobile containers, or mounted on transport ships. The use of such weapons will definitely be sudden, and warships will only have to rely on their air defense.
