Mining missiles for the Smerch MLRS
Universal remedies
The launcher of the 9K58 combat vehicle is compatible with all existing 9X55 family of rockets, and conducting mining with the help of appropriate ammunition does not require any special preparation. The calculation of the MLRS is enough to go to the position and shoot at a given piece of terrain.
Missiles mining the area as much as possible unified with other 300-mm products for the "Tornado". The same housing with stabilizers, correction systems and a solid fuel engine are used. The differences are in the equipment and filling the head part. All this allows us to simplify the release of ammunition, but at the same time to provide the necessary expansion of the nomenclature.
Anti-personnel Mine Projectile
A missile 9М55К3 has been developed for the remote production of covering anti-personnel minefields. In terms of size and weight, such a product does not differ from other serial missiles. The length is 7,6 m, weight - 800 kg. In the design used unified elements.
The head of the projectile 9М55К3 has a length of 2,05 m and a mass of 243 kg. It houses the 64 anti-personnel mines POM-2 Edema. These munitions are stacked in eight rows of eight each and are oriented along the axis of the projectile. At the end of the flight, the head of the rocket is dropped. With the help of the squib, a miner is ejected from its hull.
The 9М55K3 missile can be used for firing from 20 to 70 km. Depending on the characteristics of the trajectory, mines are scattered in an area of about 2x2 km. 12 volley with shells provides a release of 768 mines with a territory covering tens of hectares.
Mine POM-2 is a product of height 180 mm and weight 1600 g with a cylindrical body and side legs for orientation in space. The target sensor is four strands of length 10 m. Their tension leads to the undermining of the 140-g warhead. The fuse becomes on a platoon during 50 since after falling to the ground. Self-destructive effect occurs in the interval from 4 to 100 h after mining.
With a massive remote mining with the use of "Tornado" and 9М55К3 projectile in the path of enemy troops, a high density barrier is created. A large number of mines in a salvo and a considerable length of target sensors increase the probability of successful destruction of manpower or unprotected equipment.
Anti-tank mining shell
For the organization of obstacles in the way of armored vehicles was developed missile 9М55К4. In terms of its architecture, it is similar to 9M55K3 and other ammunition for Smerch. The differences relate only to the layout and equipment of the head part. The anti-tank mines PTM-3 are transported in a unified body of such a rocket.
The PTM-3 product differs in significant dimensions, which is why only 300 of such mines were able to fit into the 25-mm missile. They are placed in five tiers of five pieces each with orientation along the longitudinal axis of the projectile. For discharge of mines from the detachable head part, a squib is used. From the point of view of the main features of combat use, the 9М55К4 projectile with PTM-3 mines hardly differs from the 9М55К3 missile with POM-2 ammunition.
A full volley of 9М55КХNUMX missiles provides for the installation of 4 mines at ranges from 300 to 20 km. Such a launch provides mining of a site of the order of size 70х2 km. The average mining density reaches 2 min per hectare, which is enough to destroy the advancing armored vehicles. Several volleys at one site, respectively, increase the density of the installation of mines and the fighting qualities of the barrier.
Mina PTM-3 has a rectangular body, most of which is given under the warhead. Product length - 330 mm, weight - 4,9 kg with 1800-g charge. The mine is completed with a BT-06 non-contact magnetic fuse, which reacts to changing fields or moving ammunition. Transfer to the combat position after falling to the ground takes about a minute. Combat work continues from 16 to 24 h, after which the self-killer is triggered. The defeat of the goal is a cumulative stream in the chassis or bottom. To form the jet, the side planes of mines are designed in the form of cumulative funnels.
Positive traits
MLRS "Smerch" has a number of well-known advantages. The presence of two mining missiles gives it its characteristic capabilities and provides new advantages, including over existing engineering means of setting barriers.
First of all, the advantage is the fact of the presence of mines for 9М55 missiles. Such a rocket projectile is able to send a load over a distance of 70 km, which is useful both when striking and preparing obstacles. One 9K58 launcher with one volley can send anti-tank mines or 300 anti-personnel mines to a given 768 point and sow a large area with them. The fighting qualities of a battery with such ammunition are obvious.
In projects 9М55К3 and 9М55К4 all the advantages of remote installation of mines in the survey are realized. Mine explosive barrier can be created at any time in the path of a moving enemy. The long range of available missiles, in turn, simplifies the conduct of such activities.
The presence of mining projectiles for the MLRS to some extent simplifies and accelerates the creation of barriers. Thanks to them, the army is able to solve such tasks not only by the forces of engineering troops, but also with the involvement of rocket artillery. Thus, in the ranks there are two structures at once capable of using mines - besides, one of them can strike direct blows at the enemy.
It is noteworthy that the 9М55К3 and 9М55К4 rockets are one of a kind. Foreign countries have repeatedly attempted to combine the MLRS and mines for various purposes, but the characteristics of "Tornado" as a mining system could not be repeated. Moreover, in the armies of some developed countries, such as the United States, there are no mining missiles at all.
On the sidelines
However, with all its advantages, mining missiles for multiple launch rocket systems are not the main means of remote installation of barriers. For installation of mines in the float on the surface, other types of equipment are widely used, which are in service with engineering units.
In our country, there are mining complexes with the shooting of ammunition from cassettes with the help of special launchers. The latter can be placed on wheeled and tracked chassis or helicopters. Passing through the terrain, such a layer protects the desired type of ammunition and leaves behind a strip of mining.
MLRS with mining shells and barriers have different characteristics and features of work. However, those and others can be used to solve their problems in different conditions and thus complement each other. Thus, the main work on the installation of mines can be carried out by sappers with land-layer barriers who shoot mines. For mining at a distance, you can use helicopter systems or rockets.
In practice, a more convenient means of mining, suitable for use in most cases, are just “traditional” minelayers. However, MLRS with special ammunition are of great importance. Remaining on the sidelines, such specialized weapons give the troops certain advantages over the enemy. Proper use of it allows you to decide the outcome of the battle.
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