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Ukrainian specialists have for the first time identified a cluster warhead among the wreckage of a Russian Kalibr cruise missile that was fired at Ukraine this spring, the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced on June 9.
The Kalibr family of Russian cruise missiles includes ship-launched, submarine-launched and air-launched versions of the missile, and variants for anti-ship, and land attack use.
Some versions have a second propulsion stage that initiates a supersonic sprint in the terminal approach to the target, reducing the time that air defense systems have to react, while subsonic versions have greater range than the supersonic variants.
The most commonly used variant by the Russian Navy is the 3M14T land-attack cruise missile, launched from ships. This variant has a range of 2,500 kilometers.
The missile utilizes a GLONASS-aided Inertial navigation system with an altimeter to facilitate flying on very low altitudes and an active radar seeker for terminal guidance.
The Ukrainian MoD said that these missiles were previously equipped with high-explosive warheads, weighing 450 kg with 3,600 metal fragments.
The new cluster warhead, however, allows for striking a larger area. It is more effective against dispersed targets like airfields, and open positions.
While the Ukrainian MoD claimed that this was the first time a Kalibr with a cluster warhead has been documented, there have been reports of such a variant before, even in Ukrainian media. The latest report by the ministry is likely meant to exaggerate as Kyiv seeks to secure more support from its backers, especially when it comes to air defenses.
It’s worth noting that Russia is currently developing the next generation of the Kalibr family, the Kalibr-M. The main improvement will reportedly be the range, which could reach over 4,500 kilometers.
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