According
to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu "Russian Navy Caspian
Flotilla vessels fired 18 cruise missiles on November 20, 2015 from
the Caspian Sea. The Kalibr-NK cruise missiles were launched against
7 terrorist position targets in the Syrian provinces of Raqqa, Idlib
and Aleppo. All target were destroyed." |
The
Caspian Flotilla includes several Project 21631 Buyan-class guided missile
craft and the Project 11661K Gepard-class Dagestan guided missile ship.
The ships in these classes carry Kalibr-NK (SS-N-27 Sizzler) VLS missile
systems. The Kalibr-NK is equipped with various types of missiles, including
the 3M54 antiship and 3M14 land-attack missile families and 91RTE2 antisubmarine
missiles as well.
The ammunition load of the Kalibr-NK (NATO reporting name: SS-N-27 Sizzler)
missile system comprises a family of the 3M-14 cruise missile, including
the baseline missile with a high-explosive warhead, various training
missiles and full-scale prototypes.
The 3M14 missile is a derivative of the 3M10 equipping the Granat system
- a Russian opposite number of the US-made Tomahawk. According to the
Russian Defense Ministry, the 3M14 naval version has a range of at least
2,600 km.
The Dagestan carries a 3S-14 VLS launcher with eight Kalibr launch tubes.
The Project 21631 ships operated by the Caspian Flotilla have similar
eight-tube launchers. The flotilla uses three ships of the class - the
Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich and Veliky Ustyug. Thus, in all probability,
the IS targets in Syria have been hit with 3M14 land-attack cruise missiles
of the Kalibr family.
|
Project
11661K Gepard-class Dagestan frigate launching Kalibr-NK in early October
2015