Russia develops new air-launched weapons.

Russia’s JSC Tactical Missiles Corporation (Korporatsiya Takticheskoe Raketnoe Vooruzhenie, KTRV) is developing two new air-launched weapons (ALWs), Grom-E1 and Grom-E2, according to the company’s Director General Boris Obnosov.

A Grom-E1 air-to-surface missile showcased at MAKS 2017 (Picture source: Air Recognition)

Both ALWs are being trialed now, he said. The munitions are based on the normal aerodynamic design and unified configuration, including cylindrical frame with nose ogival section and positioned folding swept-back wing. Owing to their structures, both munitions can be carried in a combat aircraft’s internal weapon bay.

The Grom-1E ALW is equipped with a jet engine mounted in the tail-piece, while Grom-E2 features additional high-explosive warhead instead of the engine. All basic specifications of both weapons are classified. The developers pointed out the ALWs’ approximate weight, which is more than 600 kg. The Grom-E1`s warhead weight is approximately 300 kg, while that of the Grom-E2 weighs more than 450 kg. Both munitions are equipped with combined guidance unit, which includes inertial navigation system integrated with GPS-based system of the ALW`s flight trajectory correction.

Initially, KTRV unveiled at the International Aerospace Show 2015 (MAKS-2015) exhibition a common mockup designated Grom-E1/Grom-E2, which demonstrated the aerodynamic design of the both weapons and their functioning. Having been released by the carrier aircraft, the bomb unfolds its wing. In the case of Grom-E1 the jet engine launches after the wing`s unfolding. The both munitions` flight range is supposed to be sufficient to attack land targets beyond the anti-air defense sites.

According to Obnosov, KTRV will develop 12 guided ALWs to be installed in the internal weapon bay of the Sukhoi Su-57 (also known as T-50 or PAK FA) fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft. The development of all those weapons will have been finished by 2020. Most information about the Su-57’s weapons is classified, let alone their full list. However, the fighter is known to carry the Grom-E1 and Grom-E2 ALWs and the Kh-58UShK new-generation anti-radiation missile.

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