The first MRC Typhon missile system was handed over to the US Army
Handover ceremony for the first MRC battery. In the background - a launcher in a combat position without a TPK
The development of promising missile weapons for the ground forces continues in the United States, and the Pentagon once again boasts of its success in this direction. A few days ago, the army received the first experienced multi-purpose missile system MRC Typhon. The battery pack will be handed over to one of the units, which will have to master new tools and prepare for experimental firing. The first launches are scheduled for next year.
First set
The official announcement of the delivery and acceptance of the first experimental complex MRC (Mid-Range Capability) was received on December 3. The transfer of equipment took place in a solemn atmosphere at one of the bases of the ground forces. During the event, command representatives spoke about the great importance of this delivery, and also noted the speed of project development. Work on the creation of the MRC began in July 2020, and in less than two and a half years, the army receives finished products.
The first MRC battery includes a command post and four launchers on semi-trailers, a set of tractors, as well as transport and support vehicles for various purposes. The army has not yet received ammunition for the experimental complex - their delivery is expected only in the foreseeable future.
The US Army has revealed a plan for further work. New equipment is transferred to one of the units of the missile forces; without specifying which one. In the coming weeks, after the end of the Christmas holidays, the training of personnel and the development of the facilities of the complex will begin. Then, on the basis of the combat unit, preliminary tests will be held.
Composition and features of the MRC complex
Next year, the army will receive the necessary missiles and perform the first test launches. Based on the results of test firing, the MRC complex should receive a recommendation for adoption and put on combat duty. Initial operational readiness of the first battery should be achieved before the end of FY2023. no later than October of the calendar year.
Plans for the distant future have not yet been specified. Nevertheless, it is clear that now MRC products will go into mass production, and the process of re-equipping some units and formations will begin. In parallel, the army will receive other land-based missile systems with other capabilities.
It is reported that the MRC complex will help the ground forces restore some of the combat capabilities that have been absent for several decades. Thus, land-based medium-range missiles will again be put into service. The army already had such systems, but in the late eighties they were abandoned under the terms of the Soviet-American treaty. Not so long ago, the treaty was terminated, and the Pentagon began to create new weapons that were previously banned.
Complex means
The study of the possibility of creating a promising land-based missile system, compatible with various ammunition and having broad combat capabilities, began at the end of the last decade. Then Lockheed Martin received an order to develop a full-fledged project of this kind. The work started in 2020 and was carried out under the code MRC. The project was also given the name Typhon.
Testing of an experimental launcher for the Tomahawk missile, August 2019
The command notes that the development of the MRC took a little time. It was possible to speed up all stages of the project due to the wide use of ready-made components and products, including the most important ones. At the same time, ship-based missile systems, which are widely used in the US Navy, became the main source of the units.
Thus, the land launcher was built on the basis of the components of the Mk 41 shipborne firing system. The fire control system uses the hardware and software of the Aegis shipborne information and control system. In addition, several existing serial missiles are used, and the range of ammunition can be expanded.
The MRC launcher is a semi-trailer with a lifting mechanism, on which four standard cells from the Mk 41 are located. Transport and launch containers with various types of missiles are loaded into them. The unit is protected from external impact by a housing with a movable top cover. A transport-loading module has also been developed. In this case, eight TPKs with missiles and reloading equipment on the launcher are placed on one semi-trailer.
The basic one weapons The Typhon complex will become the Tomahawk cruise missile in existing modifications. Depending on the modification, flight program, etc., such missiles are capable of hitting stationary targets at ranges of at least 1500-1600 km. Accordingly, "Typhon" with "Tomahawk" goes into the category of medium-range complexes.
The army does not yet have clear plans to equip the MRC complex with hypersonic ground-to-ground missiles, but does not exclude such a possibility. If an appropriate decision is made, then the ground complex will most likely receive hypersonic weapons created for ships.
PrSM rocket launch
It is curious that the complex will have not only strike capabilities. So, in FY2024 or later, the Pentagon plans to arm the MRC with the next Block 6B SM-1 anti-aircraft missile. This version of the missile defense system will be distinguished by hypersonic speed and a range of at least 700-740 km. It cannot be ruled out that the complex will be equipped with other anti-aircraft missiles of the "standard" series of the Navy.
"Mid-Range Capabilities"
The US Army has received the first MRC battery pack and deliveries will continue for the foreseeable future. How soon the second battery will be built and handed over depends on the current development process and future tests. The total number of vehicles to build, in turn, will determine the command.
Last year, the Pentagon reported that the ground forces needed at least 4-5 divisions of MRC complexes. Each such connection will include three missile batteries - four launchers each. Mobile execution will allow you to quickly transfer complexes to critical areas and carry out strikes or organize defense. One battery can simultaneously keep up to 12 different types of missiles on combat duty.
The MRC Typhon complex will be used in the advanced weapons system of the missile forces, along with other promising equipment and weapons. It will take an intermediate position between the other two new missile systems and will take on part of the combat missions.
So, at ranges up to 500 km, the army will have to use the new PrSM ballistic missile launched by the M270 or M142 installations. In the future, the PrSM range is planned to be increased to 750-1000 km. The emergence of such weapons, as in the case of the Typhon, is facilitated by the absence of the INF Treaty.
Hypersonic complex LRHW
At ranges from 500-1000 to 1500 km or more, fire missions will be solved by the promising MRC complex with the Tomahawk missile. In the future, its area of responsibility may increase due to the integration of new ammunition, incl. hypersonic missiles. At the same time, he will be able not only to attack ground targets, but also to participate in air defense, complementing other land systems.
The development of a ground-based complex with a LRHW Dark Eagle hypersonic missile is also ongoing. He will be able to attack targets at a distance of at least 2775 km. At the same time, a new ammunition with increased flight characteristics will have to provide a solution to more complex fire missions, and will also provide some new opportunities.
It is curious that the “medium” MRC missile system is considered a higher priority development than the hypersonic LRHW. By using existing missiles, the Typhon system will be easier and cheaper to manufacture and operate. In addition, greater application flexibility will be achieved. However, MRC in terms of quantity and distribution will be inferior to the even simpler and cheaper PrSM rocket.
New stages
Thus, the development of the promising MRC Typhon missile system has been completed, and the project is entering a new stage. The personnel will have to master new equipment and conduct experimental missile launches. If all tests pass without problems and delays, then by the end of the new financial year, the missile system will have to officially enter service and reach initial operational readiness.
In parallel, the industry will prepare mass production of new equipment, and after FY2023. The following batteries will be handed over to the Pentagon. The construction of complexes for five divisions will take several more years, and after that the US Army will receive the desired "medium-range capabilities." Whether it will be possible to fulfill all the current plans on schedule and obtain all the desired types of weapons, time will tell.
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