Novator 3M-54 Anti Ship Cruise Missile

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Novator 3M-54 Anti Ship Cruise Missile

The 3M-54E1 and 3M-54TE1 are anti ship variants of the 3M-14 land attack cruise missile. The smaller 3M-54E1 cruises at subsonic speeds while the larger 3M-54ET1 cruises at supersonic speeds.

The 3M-54 variants can target an assortment of naval ships - cruisers, destroyers, landing ships, transport vessels or missile corvettes. The missile is launched vertically from a ship or a submerged submarine. Following the vertical launch it settles down to a sea surface hugging cruise and flies an autonomous pre programmed trajectory. In proximity of the target the missile pops up to acquire it on its active homing head. Once the target is acquired the missile once again dips down to strike the target ship at an optimum point on the hull. The high explosive warhead is designed to detonate after penetrating to an optimum depth.

The 3M-54 missile system is capable of simultaneously attacking one or two group targets. Its active homing head is resilient against radar noise.

3M-54E1 3M-54TE1
Length, m 6.2 8.9
Diameter, m 0.534 0.645
Mass,kg 1754 3210
Warhead Mass,k 400 400
Firing Range, Km 300 Max 300 Max
Flight altitude over sea, m Cruise - 20
Terminal Phase - 5-10 Cruise - 20
Terminal Phase - 5-10
Cruise speed, m/ 180 240
Copyright © Vijainder K Thakur. May not be reproduced without explicit written permission.

 

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Russian Cruise Missile Heads for India and Potentially China

POPULAR CRUISE

Deliveries of an advanced Russian land-attack cruise missile to India are underway, with China likely to follow suit rapidly.

Both countries will gain a significant boost in capability with their acquisition of the 3M-14 cruise missile. It was designed by Novator and utilizes a conventional subsonic configuration.

A Novator official says the company recently began delivering series production standard missiles following the completion of trials. Company officials previously indicated that India and China were candidate customers for the weapon. The 3M-14 is part of the "Club" family of naval weapons.

THE MISSILE CAN be either ship- or submarine-launched, while a ground-based version is also in development. The ship-based model is vertically launched and is fitted with a solid booster motor, which separates following firing. The ground-launched variant, part of the Club-M group, will be available in 18 months. The launch vehicle carries a four-missile canister pack.

Any Chinese acquisition of the 3M-14 will likely be part of its purchase of eight advanced versions of the "Kilo" class submarine from Russia. Whether China will eventually receive both submarine- and ship-launched versions of the missile is uncertain; likewise with the Indian purchase--although New Delhi probably would initially field the vertically launched 3M-14 on surface ships.

The same airframe is used for both the 3M-14 land-attack missile and the 3M-54-1 antiship cruise missile. Other members of the Club system include the 3M-54 (SS-N-27 Sizzler). This antiship missile is notable for being subsonic during the cruise phase of the engagement, while utilizing a supersonic dart for the final 20 km. (12.4 mi.) of an attack. Also offered are rocket-boosted anti-submarine torpedoes with a fly-out range of 40-50 km. All of the weapons can be launched by surface ships or submarines.

Both the 3M-14 and 3M-54-1 use the same seeker--the Radar MMS ARGS-14--for terminal guidance. There are minor hardware and software differences between the land-attack and antiship versions, according to a Radar company official.

For the land-attack role, precise target identification data are uploaded to the missile prior to launch. The seeker utilizes the high-frequency end of the centimetric waveband for target image resolution, the official says. The seeker is limited, however, to the attack of comparatively high-radar-contrast land targets.

AS A RESULT, Radar and Novator have begun to explore alternative seeker options for the missile. Electro-optical or imaging-infrared sensors, perhaps along with a radar seeker, could be used. Radar is also looking at a dual-mode infrared/radar seeker configuration, with a small IR seeker mounted in front of the radar. The official says this is suitable for smaller tactical systems.

Aware of the sensitivity of cruise missile exports, the Novator official stresses that the 3M-14 sales are compliant with the Missile Technology Control Regime, to which Russia is a signatory. The MTCR is a multinational, nonbinding accord intended to hinder the proliferation of missile systems capable of delivering everything from conventional to nuclear, biological and chemical payloads. The regime has an upper range threshold of 300 km., coupled with an allowable payload of no greater than 500 kg. (1,100 lb.).

He admits the 3M-14 is potentially capable of ranges in excess of the MTCR, but says the company has taken steps to ensure that the export version of the weapon is range-limited and doesn't breach the threshold. The Radar official also claims that the ARGS-14 seeker is being produced for the Russian navy. He declines to identify which missile is associated with this work. The navy undoubtedly has aspirations to acquire a conventional land-attack capability; a 3M-14 variant would be one option.

Along with India and China, Novator is seeking additional export customers for the missile. There are unconfirmed reports that Iran is interested in acquiring elements of the Club family for its Russian-built submarines.

 

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