Winged and tactical: what missile weapons does Russia use to fire on Ukrainian cities

Kostiantyn Golubtsov

Updated: May 01 2022 at 01:45 pm
Source: DMITRY SNEGIRYOV

We have all witnessed the Russian Federation shelling Ukrainian towns and villages with Caliber cruise missiles and Iskander operational-tactical missiles for a month. Today I want to talk about the classification of these missiles, so that everyone understands what weapons are used to destroy Ukrainians and what threats it poses.

Let's start with the "Caliber".

What is the main danger of this weapon? The first is its speed. Namely: 180 - 240 m / s. The second is that it goes at low altitudes and can actually maneuver taking into account the terrain. This makes it impossible for not only Ukrainian air defense systems to work effectively, but also NATO air defense systems.

Depending on the classification, "Caliber" has a range of several hundred to 2.5 thousand kilometers. Thus, the range of Caliber missiles at sea targets reaches 375 km, and on land - 2,600 km. In the export modification, the flight range is limited to 300 km.

Russia first used Caliber cruise missiles in 2015, when several missile strikes were launched from boats in the Caspian Sea at armed opposition bases in Syria.

Since then, the Russian Federation has used Caliber missiles not only as military weapons, but also primarily for military-diplomatic pressure on other countries. Including Ukraine. If we look closely, the rhetoric of Russia, from 2015 until the intensification of the war in 2022, constantly pedaled the topic of possible bombing or missile strikes "Caliber" on Ukrainian cities and critical and military infrastructure.

Caliber missiles can have several modifications. The first is actually a ship. The second - from submarines. Third - ground launchers. And the fourth - from the aircraft ("Caliber-A").

The Russian Federation is armed with:

• Caliber missile systems for submarine armament (Caliber-PLE, export designation Club-S);

• missile systems for the armament of surface warships (Caliber-NKE, export designation Club-N);

• Caliber-M mobile missile systems (Club-M export designation);

• Caliber-A air-based missile systems (Club-A export designation).

What is happening now? The first missile strikes were made on February 24 with the use of "Caliber", then there were 16 launches of these cruise missiles. At the moment, all the talk that cruise missiles are running out in Russia, and we can breathe a sigh of relief, at least is not true. That is, do not relax.

The second type of weapon I would like to focus on is the so-called Iskanders.

These are operational and tactical missile systems. The Russians call it the main missile shield or the main answer to NATO countries.

The first practical application of them from the territory of Russia were launches on the bases of the armed opposition in Syria. And on February 24, 2022, 65 launches took place on the territory of Ukraine.

In fact, Iskander launchers can use both cruise missiles and quasi-ballistic missiles with a range of up to 500 km. This makes it possible to use them in local conflicts, as is currently the case.

Iskander-M ballistic missiles launched by Russia on the territory of Ukraine have lures capable of deceiving air defense radars and thermal search missiles.

There were mentions of the use of Iskanders during the Karabakh conflict. It will be recalled that fragments of Iskander missiles were found near the town of Shusha. Then the Azerbaijani side demonstrated the remnants of these missiles, accusing the Armenian side of using them during the active phase of the military confrontation.

Accordingly, the President of Armenia Pashinyan stated the ineffectiveness of these missiles and even partially accused Russia of supplying substandard weapons. This caused a nervous reaction from the Russian leadership. They stated that the Iskander missiles were allegedly not in the service of the Armenian Armed Forces at all, and all allegations were therefore unfounded.

The third thing that racists can and do use in the war against Ukraine is the point-U tactical complexes. Range of defeat - up to 150 km. In fact, it is a morally obsolete weapon. But, less so, it is effective. Point-U is a guided missile that provides a circular probable deviation of about 150 m.

It is used by both the Russian occupation forces and the Armed Forces.

The complex uses missiles with warheads weighing 482 kg, which can be equipped with various types of warheads, including nuclear.

How effective is the use of "Point-U", we can see on the example of its application of the Armed Forces on the bases of accumulation of the enemy in the temporarily occupied Luhansk region. In particular, it is a question of destruction of oil depot in the city of Rovenky.

And one more thing is air-to-ground missiles. In recent days, they have been used by Russia to strike at the locations of the Armed Forces and at civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv. Moreover, these missiles were launched from Tu-22 M3 aircraft, which were in the sky over the territory of the Russian Federation at that time. In particular, in the Kursk and Voronezh regions.

This is the missile armament complex used by the occupying army against the civilian population and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. You need to know this and be familiar with the types of weapons.

To be continued. Glory to Ukraine!

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