According to information published by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on April 4, 2023, the Russian Navy Fleet in the Black Sea could launch 40 Kalibr-missile rain on Ukraine.
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Russian submarine Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky of the Pacific Fleet launching Kalibr cruise missile. (Picture source: Russian MoD)
As of the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kalibr cruise missiles have been widely used by Russian forces. The missiles have been employed in strikes against strategic and non-combat targets across Ukraine, including command and control points, air bases, air-defense batteries, and energy facilities.
The missiles have been fired from a variety of platforms, including Buyan-class corvettes, Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates, and Kilo-class submarines of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Kalibr missile
The 3M-54 Kalibr is a family of Russian cruise missiles with ship-launched, submarine-launched, and air-launched versions, and variants for anti-ship, anti-submarine, and land attack use.
The Kalibr missile has varying mass and length depending on the variant, ranging from 1,300 kg to 2,300 kg and from 6.2 m to 8.9 m, respectively. It has a diameter of 0.533 m and can carry a warhead weighing 400-500 kg of high explosive or thermonuclear. The missile uses a multi-stage solid-fuel rocket engine, with some variants also using a turbojet engine or a solid-fuel rocket.
The operational range of the missile varies depending on the variant, with the shortest range being 50 km for the 91RE1 version, and the longest range being 4,500 km for the Kalibr-M variant, which is currently under development.
The missile has a flight ceiling of 1,000 m and a flight altitude of 50-150 m AGL, or 20 m over water. Its maximum speed ranges from 0.8 to 3.0 Mach, depending on the variant.
The Kalibr missile uses an inertial guidance system with terminal active radar homing, and can also be guided by satellites or DSMAC. It has an accuracy of 50 m CEP (circular error probable), as claimed for the Club-T variant. The missile can be launched from naval ships, submarines, containers, airplanes, or TEL (transporter erector launcher).
