Russia unveiled a long-range guided missile for helicopters

By TOC

MOSCOW, ($1= 74.04 Russian Rubles) – The Russian company NVK Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering at the Military Technical Forum Army-2021 for the first time unveiled Product 305 – a new guided missile, learned BulgarianMilitary.com citing Defense Express.

Light multi-role guided missile positions as a weapon specifically for helicopters. Russian sources claim that the Product 305 was originally designed to equip special versions of Mi-8 helicopters [Mi-8MNP-2 and others] of the Russian Air Force. The light multi-role guided missiles consider as one of the main types of guided weapons of modernized Mi-28NM and Ka-52M helicopters of the Russian Air Force.

The missile is launching from helicopters from APU-305 launchers, designed for one or two missiles. The missile guidance system is combined and has inertial-satellite guidance. A homing thermal imaging head uses to aim at the captured target. The missile is accompanied by a radio channel and at the end of the aiming area, it is possible to be re-aimed by the helicopter crew. The standard mode of the application is the launch on a visually visible target.

It is alleged that the new missile was used from Mi-28H and Ka-52 helicopters in hostilities in Syria. There is an export version of a light multi-role guided missile is under index 305E. The missile weighs 105 kg, length 945 mm, body diameter 200 mm. The mass of high-explosive warheads is 25 kg. The solid propellant engine provides flight speed up to 250 m / sec, the declared controlled firing range up to 14500 m, flight altitude from 100 to 600 m.

Ukraine is also developing such a type of missiles, but lagging behind

Equipping helicopters with new missile weapons is a trend that every country is trying to follow given its capabilities. Thus, Ukraine currently has two projects that are implemented using guided missiles from the State Committee for Combating Organized Crime – Ray [SCCOC Ray].

Thus, the complex of guided weapons for the Mi-8 helicopter from PJSC Ramzai, developed in partnership with the enterprises of SC Ukroboronprom, allows the use of RK-2B missiles with a range up to 8 km.

In turn, in October 2019, during the exhibition Weapons and Security-2019, SCCOG Ray presented a new missile RK-10 caliber 170 mm with a range of up to 10 km.

According to representatives of the Kyiv Design Bureau, this missile was created in a joint project consisting of an upgraded Motor Sich Mi-8MSB-B helicopter, the latest guided missile from the Luch Design Bureau, and an optical sighting station developed at the Izyum instrument-making Plant. Also, according to representatives of the Kyiv design bureau, this rocket was created in the joint project consisting of the modernized Motor Sich.

However, at the end of April 2021, Oleg Korostelov, General Designer of SCCOG Ray, said that tests of the domestic system with guided Barrier-B missiles, which are currently being conducted with Mi-8MSB helicopters [this is the first project], are not funded by the Defense Ministry.

“I must say that, unfortunately, this work is not in the position of the state order. It is still being promoted at the expense of the working capital of SCCOG Ray, Motor Sich, Fotoprilad, and the company Ramzai,” Oleg Korostelov said.

He suggested that this situation was due to certain expectations of the Ukrainian military regarding the possible supply of similar and already tested samples used in NATO countries.

At the same time, it is significant that all “shock” projects in Ukraine are being worked out under the Mi-8 helicopter, and the Mi-24 is still standing aside from these efforts.

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