Russian Navy to get three battalions of Bastion coastal defense missile systems.

The Research and Production Association of Machine-Building will deliver three battalion sets of Bastion coastal defense missile systems this year, Company Chief Designer and CEO said on Monday, August 26, 2019, at MAKS international aerospace exhibition.

Bastion mobile coastal defense missile system (Picture source: TASS)

"At a meeting at the Defense Ministry of Russia in April this year, which discussed the fulfilment of the defense procurement plan in 2019, I reported to Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu that work was underway to manufacture and deliver three sets of Bastion coastal defense missile systems," the chief executive said.

The Russian defense industry earlier told TASS that new Bastion coastal defense systems would join coastal defense and land troops of the Pacific, Northern and Black Sea Fleets.

The Bastion coastal defense system with standardized Yakhont (Oniks) supersonic homing anti-ship cruise missiles went into service in the Russian troops in 2010. The Bastion is designated to strike various types of surface ships operating as part of amphibious assault formations, convoys, surface action and carrier strike groups, and also single ships and radar-contrast land targets under enemy intensive fire and electronic counter-measures.

According to the data of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Russian Navy currently operates over 40 Bastion coastal defense systems. Specifically, they are deployed in Crimea, on the Kotelny Island (the Novosibirsk Archipelago), in the Kaliningrad Region, in Syria and on Kamchatka.

The main role of the Bastion-P is to engage surface ships including carrier battle groups, convoys, and landing craft. A typical battery is composed of 1-2 command and control vehicles based on the Kamaz 43101 6×6 truck, one support vehicle, four launcher vehicles based on the MZKT-7930 8×8 chassis each operated by a 3-man crew and holding two missiles, and four loader vehicles; launcher vehicles can be located up to 25 km (16 mi) away from the C2 vehicles. Upon halting, missiles can be readied for firing within five minutes, and both fired in 2-5 second intervals. The mobile launcher can remain on active standby over a period of 3–5 days, or up to 30 days when accompanied by a combat duty support vehicle. The Bastion-P is capable of defending a coastline stretching over 600km. The Bastion can fire Oniks missiles to a range of 500km. The firing positions can be moved away from the coastline by 200km.