THE CLUB MISSILE SYSTEM

Military Parade 2000. 1: Exclusives

Issue Contents
Table 1


THE CLUB MISSILE SYSTEM
· Pavel Kamnev · Director General of the Novator Experimental Design Bureau

The Club-S missiles are fired from standard submarine torpedo tubes, while the Club-N missiles — from standardized launchers installed on board surface ships.


Fig. 1. Antiship winged missile 3M-54E designed to be fired either from standardized vertical launch tubes of surface ships or through torpedo tubes of submarines
The Yekaterinburg-based Novator Experimental Design Bureau has been adept in designing various-purpose missiles for surface ships and submarines. Building on this experience, Novator has developed new missile systems: Club-S for submarines, and Club-N for surface ships intended for export.

While the two systems fire identical missiles, the difference between them is that Club-N uses the standardized missile-launch mount and container-launcher tubes from which the missiles are fired.

The Club-S and Club-N missile systems are designed to attack various classes of surface ships and submarines, as well as fixed and low-mobile ground targets, whose coordinates are known. The systems fire the following three major types of missiles: 3M-54E, (3M-54E1), 3M-14E, 3M-54E, 91RE1 (91RE2).


Fig. 2. Antiship winged missile 3M-54E1 designed to be fired either from standardized vertical launch tubes of surface ships or through torpedo tubes of submarines
The 3M-54E antiship missile is made up of a launch stage, a winged low-flying subsonic cruise stage, and a low-flying supersonic payload stage. Another version of the system, 3M-54E1, is intended for installation on board small-displacement ships or submarines. This version is made up of a launch stage and a winged subsonic cruise stage. Compared to the 3M-54E model, the 3M-54E1 missile has a larger warhead.

The 3M-14E winged missile is designed to engage ground targets. It is made up of a launch stage and a low-flying subsonic winged cruise stage. The missile’s onboard flight control system has a barometric altimeter, which provides for a covert flight as the missile maintains flight altitude precisely and follows terrain features, as well as a satellite navigation system which ensures high missile cueing accuracy.

The 91RE1 Club-S and 91RE2 Club-N ballistic missiles feature a separable underwater rocket equipped with a homing sonar head. These missiles are intended for use against submarines. They differ in the launch motor design only.


Fig. 3. Antisubmarine ballistic missile 91RE1 designed to be fired from submarine torpedo tubes
The Club-S missiles are fired from standard submarine torpedo tubes, while the Club-N missiles — from standardized launchers installed on board surface ships. To prepare the missiles for mission at a prelaunch stage, as well as inject the target and flight data into them, a versatile fire control system is used.


Fig. 4. Antisubmarine ballistic missile 91RE2 designed to be fired from standardized vertical-launch tubes of surface ships
For maintenance and prelaunch preparations of missiles, a multipurpose ground-based equipment complex is used. This complex is part of the system’s delivery set.

The availability of various missile types and the unified fire control system make it possible to alter the missile types to be carried on board a platform with a view to the assigned mission and tactical environment.

Presently, the Club system is unparalleled. A comparative analysis of this system with similar foreign weapons indicates that its performance characteristics are far superior.


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