According to information published by Tass on January 11, 2021, the latest Otvet (Response) anti-submarine missile system has been accepted for service in the Russian Navy, a source in the domestic defense industry told.
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Russian battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov (Picture source: Oleg Kuleshov)
A source earlier told that the state-of-the-art anti-submarine missile system had successfully passed state trials, which had been held from the board of the Project 22350 first serial-built frigate Admiral Kasatonov since 2019.
On December 15 that the Pacific Fleet’s frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov test-launched an Otvet anti-submarine missile in the Sea of Japan that successfully struck an underwater target.
The Otvet anti-submarine missile system was developed by the Sea Underwater Weapon - Gidropribor Group (part of the Tactical Missiles Corporation). According to open sources, the Otvet system consists of an anti-submarine missile launched from 3S-14 multi-purpose launchers (also used for Kalibr, Oniks, and Tsirkon cruise missiles).
The missile’s warhead section comprises a small-size homing anti-submarine torpedo. Upon reaching the target area, the missile parachutes a torpedo into the water, then it submerges and automatically hunts down an enemy submarine, using its sonar system.
The system mounted on surface ships has a maximum firing range of 40 km.
The work is underway to boost the operating range of the system’s cruise missile that could be actually doubled. The Russian Navy plans to outfit most of its surface combatants with the Otvet anti-submarine missile system, including the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov.
Admiral Nakhimov is the third battlecruiser of the Russian Navy's Kirov class. The ship was originally commissioned into service with the Soviet Navy in the 1980s, known back then as Kalinin, a name the ship kept until 1992.
Since 1997 Admiral Nakhimov is undergoing a repair and a refit to receive new and improved weaponry and had been scheduled to re-enter service with the Russian Navy in around 2023.
