Friday, 12 March 2010
Written by Blood Wizard
 The RBU-1000 Smerch-3 is a 300 mm caliber Russian anti-submarine and anti-torpedo rocket launcher. It entered service around 1962-1963. It is similar in operation to the Hedgehog system used during the Second World War. The RBU-1000 is remotely aimed by the Burya fire control system (which is also used by the RBU-6000 system). It is crewed by three men, two in the magazine room, one in the control center.
The launcher consists of six barrels which are automatically loaded one at a time from a below deck magazine that holds either 60 or 48 rounds per launcher. The systems reaction time is around two minutes between initial target detection and the first salvo reaching the target, though this can be reduced to under one minute if some target data is pre-entered (for example depth and speed). Salvos consist of 1,2,4 or 6 RGB-10 rockets with a gap of around a second between each rocket. Reloading takes less than three minutes.
The rockets travel in a ballistic arc and strike the water, sinking rapidly and are either detonated when reaching a depth set at launch or on impact with a target.
RBU-1000 were used, among others, on Rajput (Soviet Kashin) class destroyers (Project 61).
History
Antisubmarine weapon systems using depth charges occupy an important place among various antisubmarine weapons now operational with navies.
In the Russian Navy, the most widely used shipborne weaponry of this type is represented by Smerch family antisubmarine rocket systems.
One such example is the Smerch system, comprising the RBU-1000 antisubmarine rocket launcher developed for arming primarily small and medium-sized surface combatant ships.
The system is designed for combat against submarines and self-protection of ships against hostile torpedoes at close quarters. The minimum range of fire at submarines and torpedoes amounts to about 100 m, in other words is virtually equal to the ship's safe clearance with respect to bursts of its own rockets.
As in usual practice, the ship can carry one or two RBU-1000 antisubmarine rocket launchers and the PUS-B fire control system. Provision is also made for magazines to store antisubmarine rockets and feed them to launchers.
The RBU-1000 antisubmarine rocket launcher has been developed from the RBU-6000 antisubmarine rocket launcher which differs structurally from the latter in the new tube cluster and rocket hoist. These differences are attributable to the greater weight and overall dimensions of the RGB-10 antisubmarine rocket, compared with those of the RGB-60 antisubmarine rocket.
The tube cluster of the RBU-1000 rocket launcher comprises six radial tubes (barrels) designed to store the antisubmarine rockets in a state of constant readiness for use and launch them.
Located directly underneath the launcher is an underdeck space accommodating the mechanisms for loading the launcher and its remote and manual laying. Rockets from the magazine are fed to the rocket hoist by means of an elevator.
Participation of the crewmen in loading, laying and firing of the launcher boils down to mere control, as all these procedures are automated. However, provision is made for standby methods of loading and laying of the launcher via manual mechanisms, in the event of a power supply failure or damage to the equipment.
Provision is made in the design of launcher mechanisms (guidance drives, rocket hoist, rocket arresters, etc.) for locking devices to avoid emergencies.
The launcher crew comprises three people (two in the rocket magazine and one at the control station in the underdeck space).
The launcher may be employed at an outside air temperature ranging from -40 to +40 oC and in sea strengths of up to 8.
The RGB-10 antisubmarine rocket is actually an unguided solid-propellant projectile weighing 195 kg, 1,800 mm long and 300 mm in caliber.
The rocket's warhead is filled with a 100-kg explosive charge and completed with an impact-time fuze, which can be set to either impact or impact-time action. In the first case, the rocket explodes upon hitting a submarine or any other obstacle. In the second case, the burst occurs when the rocket hits an obstacle or reaches a preset depth.
The RGB-10 antisubmarine rocket is capable of destroying a submarine at a diving depth ranging from a periscopic depth to 500 m.
The type and depth of the detonation are set by the fire control officer depending on the type of a target, its diving depth, sea depth and other factors.
For recommendations on this matter, one should refer to respective instructions on antisubmarine rocket launcher combat use. The type and depth of the RGB rocket detonation are remotely set by the fire control officer with the aid of a fire control panel and launcher-mounted fire control devices.
The PUS-B fire control system provides for combat employment of the RBU-1000 and RBU-6000 antisubmarine rocket launchers. The system comprises a fire control director and fire control panel located at the ship's control center and peripheral devices installed on the launchers and in the rocket magazines, and also electrical lines for the transmission of data, signals and commands.
Using data obtained from the ship's underwater target detection facilities, the PUS-B system generates total laying angles both in azimuth and elevation and transmits them to the launchers to perform automatic remote or manual laying of the latter. Antisubmarine rockets are fired on command: there may be one, two, four or six rockets in a salvo. Each successive rocket is fired at a rate of one second. Once all the rockets have been spent, the tube cluster automatically turns to the position of loading the first tube. A rocket is fed into the tube with its stabilizer facing forward, becomes locked and then the next tube is turned home to take the position over the rocket hoist hatch, etc. Once all the tubes have been loaded, the launcher is automatically laid at the target, unless other commands are transmitted.
The rockets are stored in rocket magazines in a state of readiness for combat employment, i.e. with fuzes fitted on them. In combat conditions, the rockets are loaded into tubes as soon as the ship takes to sea and remain there throughout the cruise.
Specifications
Launcher
- Weight: 2900 kg
- Length: 2165 mm
- Width: 2000 mm
- Height: 2030 mm
- Traverse rate: 30 °/sec
RGB-10 (РГБ-10) rocket
- Range: 100 m to 1000 m
- Weight: 97 kg
- Caliber: 300 mm
- Length: 1800 mm
- Sink rate: 11.8 m/s
- Maximum depth: 450 m
Ships
Indian
Others
- 1134.2 Kara class
- 956 Sovremennyy class
- 61M Kashin Mod class
- 1144 (.2) Kirov class
Sources
- Warfare.ru
- Naval Technology
- russiansentry.com
Sunday, 20 February 2011
Written by Editor
NEW DELHI: The Army suffers from acute gender bias to deny permanent commission to women officers who work shoulder to shoulder with male officers to assist and support troops in combat zones, Major Seema Singh has told the Supreme Court.
"The policies for women in Army not only discriminate her against male officers but also lower her status to that of a jawan/junior commissioned officer, whom she has been leading for 14 years," Major Singh said.
"They work for the Army for 14 years, which is neither pensionable nor gives her any retirement benefits. She is simply thrown out of the organization after 14 years and that too not on the basis of poor performance but due to her gender and left to fend for herself. The Army is using the policy of use and throw while dealing with its trained women officers," she said.
Women officers were not treated equal to gentlemen officers rendered unfit to serve the fighting arm of the Army -- infantry, armed corps, aviation, artillery and mechanised infantry.
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Written by Editor
 Image via Wikipedia
New Delhi –The Indian Army has come under the scanner once again following the recent mysterious leaking of a classified report related to the field trial of the M777 ultra-light Howitzer that was concluded recently. The pages of the classified report that have leaked contain evidence that the M-777 howitzer had failed the field trials concluded in December 2010.
The company that now own Bofors, the BAE Systems of US, makes the ultra light Howitzer M777 which is to be procured through a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route by India from the US. The acquisition is to be made through the government-to- government FMS route and is worth over $647 million for 10 regiments (160) guns. However, according to the leaked pages of the report, the Howitzer gun appears to have failed the recent trials on several parameters.
Wednesday, 08 June 2011
Written by Editor
KOCHI: India's latest warship 'INS Kabra' was commissioned at Naval Base here by Vice Admiral K N Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, the Vice Admiral stressed the importance of relatively smaller ships like Fast Attack Crafts for a blue water navy, pointing that these were essential inventory for low intensity conflicts and anti-piracy operations.
The ship is named after an island in Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.
Rear Admiral K C Shekhar, Chairman and Managing Director, Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, said INS Kabra was a cost effective and fuel efficient platform.
INS Kabra is the eighth of a series built at GRSE. With a top speed of over 35 knots and manoeuvrability offered by her water-jet propulsion, the ship was ideally suited for high-speed interdiction of fast-moving targets and useful in search and rescue operations, he said.
INS Kabra complies with the latest regulations of International Maritime Organisation on sea pollution control.
Thursday, 07 July 2011
Written by Editor
NEW DELHI: In an unprecedented move, the Army is on the verge of ordering stringent action, in all probability general court martial, against 27 officers for illegally selling off weapons procured for their personal use. It is for the first time in the Army's history that so many serving officers, in this case lieutenant colonels and colonels, are facing such serious action.
Army sources said the Court of Inquiry against the 27 serving officers was completed a few weeks ago, followed by the summary of evidence which too is now over. Based on the summary of evidence, military's legal experts are studying the next course of action. The legal opinion is veering around to convening court-martial against the accused officers, sources said.
A senior Army officer said the fact that 27 serving officers were facing possible court-martial doesn't mean "there was any official connivance or systemic failure". He added, "They were individual acts, and we wouldn't compromise with that.
Friday, 12 March 2010
Written by Blood Wizard
The RPK-8 Antisubmarine Rocket System is designed to engage submarines, torpedoes and frogmen. It comprises the RBU-6000 Rocket Launcher, antisubmarine rockets, fire control system, and storage, transportation and loading facilities. The rocket with underwater projectile is fitted with a HE directional warhead. The projectile is separated from the rocket as soon as the latter enters the water. Firing data are generated on the basis of target coordinates supplied by the ship sonars. The engagement mode (antisubmarine or anti-torpedo) to be performed by the rocket is pre-set at the fire control system and furnished to the rocket at the launch moment. The fire control system provides all the necessary data on the state of the launchers, mutual position of the host ship & target submarine and generates the firing data. The system transmits the data on the necessary laying angles to the launchers, ensures remote input of burst type & depth to the rockets and the command as to the number of rockets to be fired in a ripple of one, four, eight or twelve firings.
The RBU-6000 rocket launcher is fitted with 12 radially arranged tubes which contains the RGB-60 depth charge rocket. It is an unguided solid propellant projectile with an impact time fuse, which can be switched to impact or impact-time ignition. The maximum firing range is 6000 meters and maximum target submarine engagement depth is 500 meters. The rocket weighs 110 kg which includes a 25 kg explosive weight.
RBU-6000
The RBU-6000 Smerch-2 is a 213 mm caliber Soviet anti- submarine rocket launcher. It is similar in principle to the Royal Navy Hedgehog system used during the Second World War. The system entered service in 1960-61 and is fitted to a wide range of Russian surface vessels. It consists of a horseshoe shaped arrangement of twelve launch barrels, that are remotely directed by the Burya fire control system (that can also control the shorter ranged RBU-1000). It fires RGB-60 unguided depth charges. The rockets are normally fired in salvos of 1, 2, 4, 8 or 12 rounds. Reloading is automatic, with indivigdual rounds being fed into the launcher by the 60UP loading system from a below deck magazine. Typical magazine capacity is either 72 or 96 rounds per launcher. It can also be used as a shore bombardment system.
90R Antisubmarine rocket (RPK-8 projectile)
The RPK-8 system is an upgrade of the RBU-6000 system, firing the 90R rocket, which is actively guided in the water. This allows it to home in on targets at depths of up to 1,000 meters. The warhead is a 19.5 kg shaped charge, which enables it to punch through the hulls of submarines. It can also be used against divers and torpedoes. System response time is reported to be 15 seconds and a single-salvo has a kill probability of 0.8. 90R rocket is intended for the homing underwater gravitational projectile delivery to the submarine location point. It can also be used as an anti-torpedo and anti-sabotage weapon. The antisubmarine rocket consists of a propulsion section, a warhead with a separation system and a gravitational underwater projectile.
RBU-6000 were the most widespread anti-submarine rocket launchers in the Soviet Navy, used on many ship classes.
Launcher
-
RBU-6000 RPK-8 installed on a indian navy vessel
- Length: 2 m
- Height: 2.25 m
- Width: 1.75 m
- Elevation: -15°to +60°
- Traverse: 180°
- Laying Speed, deg/s
- in elevation : 27
- in training : 27
- Performance: Hit Probability 80 %(source:deagel.com)
RGB-60 Projectile
- Weight: 112.5 kg
- Warhead: 19.5-25 kg
- Diameter: 0.212 m
- Length: 1.83 m
- Range of Fire by Rocket RGB-60
- maximum : 5230
- minimum : 210
- Depth: 10 to 500 m
- Sink rate: 11.5 m/s
- Depth range:
- Submarines: upto1,000 m
- Torpedoes and divers: 4-10 m
90R Antisubmarine rocket (RPK-8 projectile)
- Weight 112.5 kg
- Warhead: 19.5 kg
- Diameter: 0.212 m
- Length: 1.83 m
- Range of Fire by Rocket 90-R
- maximum : 4300m
- minimum : 600m
- Effective radius: 130 m
- Depth range:
- Submarines: upto1,000 m
- Torpedoes and divers: 4-10 m
Ships
Ship classes fitted with RBU-6000
Indian
- Project 28 Anti-Submarine Warfare corvette
- Talwar Class Frigate (Upgraded Soviet Krivak Class)
- Shivalik Class frigate (Project 17 Class)
- {ln:rajput-class-guided-missile-destroyer 'Rajput Class Destroyer (Soviet Kashin Class)}
- {ln:type-15project-15-delhi-class-guided-missile-destroyer 'Delhi class Destroyer (Project 15 Class)}
- {ln:type-15a--project-15a-kolkata-class-guided-missile-destroyer 'Kolkata Class Destroyer (Project 15A Class)}
Other
- Grisha class corvette (Project 1124)
- Kara class cruiser (Project 1134B)
- {ln:rajput-class-guided-missile-destroyer 'Kashin class destroyer (Project 61)}
- ORP Kaszub corvette (Project 620)
- Koni class frigate (Project 1159)
- Kresta I class cruiser (Project 1134)
- Kresta II class cruiser (Project 1134A)
- Krivak class frigate (Project 1135)
- Kotlin-SAM class destroyer (Project 56K / A/ AE)
- Neustrashimy class frigate (Project 1154)
- Parchim class corvette (Project 133.1)
- Poti class corvette (Project 204)
- Udaloy class destroyer (Project 1155)
Source
- The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Systems 1997-1998
- warfare.ru
Friday, 24 September 2010
Written by Editor
NEW DELHI: In a shocking disclosure, the Army on Friday admitted that 72 of its officers, including a serving Colonel and three Lt Colonels, posted in sensitive border districts of Rajasthan and in the Indian Army Training Team (IMTRAT) at Bhutan were part of an illegal arms selling racket.
The admission came in a status report submitted to the SC through additional solicitor general Vivek Tankha after a PIL petitioner advocate Arvind Kumar Sharma cried himself hoarse for three years and after the Supreme Court pressed for a probe into the hair-raising racket.
Weapons procured and sold off in violation of the Army Act and Customs Act to arms dealers and private persons included both prohibited and non-prohibited bore and "a total of 72 officers and one JCO were blameworthy" in these cases, the Army said quoting a report submitted by the Court of Inquiry two years ago.
Significantly, in the affidavit submitted before a Bench comprising Justices B Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar, the Army authorities put the gross violation to the ignorance of its personnel.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Written by Editor
Indian Defence Online, New Delhi — After a spate of scrapped tenders and trials for the Indian Army’s artillery gun, defence public sector undertaking Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) has announced that it is ready with the indigenous 155mm, 52-calibre wheeled gun.
BEML has been made the nodal processing agency and the Indian government has permitted BEML to invite global tenders for the 155mm guns and the proposed contract for over 1,000 guns, besides other ranges of artillery guns including Howitzers. The estimated worth of these contracts is 20,000 crore.
The Indian Army has been desperately short of artillery firepower and a long-range state-of-the-art gun has been due for two decades since the Bofors gun controversy in the 1980s. The Indian Army’s 180-odd artillery gun regiments, each having 18 guns, have not received any new weaponry since the Bofors gun was bought in the late 1980s.
The selection of a suitable 155 mm, 52-calibre towed howitzer to fill this gap began only in 2002, when the Defence Ministry began evaluating three guns from BAE Systems, Israeli firm Soltam and Denel of South Africa.
Wednesday, 06 October 2010
Written by Editor
[PIB] Following is the text of the address delivered by the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony as the Chief Guest during the presentation of the Field Marshal Cariappa Annual Memorial Lecture, organised every year to mark the Infantry Day celebrations, by the former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam here today:
“It is truly a pleasure to address you all at the 15th Field Marshal KM Cariappa Memorial Lecture. The Indian Army is utilizing the occasion to honour the memory of a great soldier of India. Field Marshal Cariappa was a brave soldier and an inspiring leader of men.
The central theme of the lecture - “National Security and Military Modernization” is of crucial relevance to our nation and society. We have just heard Dr. Kalam’s highly informed and captivating talk on the subject.
Ladies and Gentlemen, our economy’s success story, democratic political system and pluralistic society are an object of admiration and envy for several nations. At times, the strength we derive from our political system and social fabric throws up challenges, but the nation has by and large responded to these challenges in a mature and a peaceful manner.
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Written by Editor
New Delhi– India’s new Defence Production Policy (DPP) which will take the domestic defence industry into the new era of self-reliance and indigenisation has been released this week. The draft of the new DPP was approved in December last year by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister AK Anthony.
The draft DPP indicates that the Indian government has decided that preference will be given to indigenous design, development and manufacture of defence equipment. The new policy will apply to long-term needs such as equipment required over 10 years into the future and a robust defence industrial base will be developed for self-reliance. The industrial base will harness the potential of private sector for design, development and manufacture of defence equipment. In the case of strategic and critical technologies, the draft DPP stresses the need to be self-reliant.
The DPP 2011 also has a new offset policy that accepts a key request of foreign as well as Indian vendors in the aviation and homeland security sectors by expanding the existing list of products in the offset category to include internal security and civil aircraft.
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