Supersonic cruise missile of the Granit P-700 complex

During the Cold War, the designers of the USSR and the United States initiated the construction of submarines containing superfast missile torpedoes and cruise missiles. The aggravated relations between the USSR and the United States caused the appearance of missile cruisers in the Soviet armed forces equipped with anti-ship missiles and supersonic bombers. In 1983 the supersonic cruise missile P-700 of the Granit complex was adopted in service with the USSR Navy. Since 1969, the beginning of its creation, and to this day the complex has been improved and passed more than one state test.

How was the weapon created?

The P-700 Granite missile was developed at the NPO of mechanical engineering under the leadership of the chief designer VN Chelomey. In 1984, he was replaced by Herbert Efremov. For the first time, a cruise missile P-700 of the Granit complex was presented for state testing in 1979.

The onboard autonomous selective system, which manages the cruise supersonic missile, was assembled by scientists and designers of the Central Scientific Research Institute "Granit". Responsible for the work of this site was appointed general director V. V. Pavlov.

Testing was carried out with the help of shore stands, a submarine and a cruiser "Kirov". Since 1983, all design work has been completed, and the Navy of the USSR received the P-700 Granit complex at its disposal. The photo below represents the features of the design of the anti-ship missile.

What did the Soviet designers achieve?

During the work on the creation of the supersonic cruise missile P-700, the principle of interlocking the three elements was used:

• Means that carry out the indication of the goal.
• The carrier on which the rocket was installed.
• RCC.

As a result, the creation of a single complex of these elements ensured the ability of the Navy of the Soviet Union to cope with the most complex tasks of sea battles: destroy powerful ship and carrier groups.

What ships were armed with the new complex?

According to the decision of the Central Committee of the CPSU, after a successful flight test design, which was held in November 1975, the Granit complex was armed with:

• "Antey" is an atomic submarine.
• Orlan is a heavy nuclear missile cruiser.
• "Krechet" is a heavy aircraft carrying cruiser.
• "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov."
• Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser.
• "Peter the Great" is a heavy cruiser.

The type of carrier is influenced by the dimensions of the rocket. Over time, the P-700 missiles need to be replaced with more versatile and compact anti-ship missiles with a smaller range. The need for replacement is also due to their technical obsolescence.

Efficiency of installation

To counter the real aircraft carrier threat from the US Air Force, Russian designers found an asymmetric and economical solution. The conducted calculations showed that the completion of each Russian submarine cruiser with the Granit complex is much cheaper for the country than the US for their aircraft carriers. After the works on the modernization of missile systems and their carriers, the Granit missile system, subject to their improvement and keeping in combat readiness, can give high performance until 2020.

What is a weapon?

The P-700 rocket of the Granit complex is a cigar-shaped product, the front part of which contains an annular air intake and a folding cruciform tail unit. The central part of the fuselage is equipped with a short wing, which has a high sweep. After launching the rocket, the wing unfolds. The missile is adapted for sea and air space. Depending on the operational and tactical situation, the RCC can use various flight trajectories. Complex "Granite" can carry out a volley from the existing ammunition, and also use the PCR one by one. In such cases, the principle applies: one issued P-700 - one struck enemy ship.

What is the purpose of supersonic cruise missiles?

The typical task of the Granite complex is the destruction of sea targets. According to military experts, it is problematic to shoot at coastal targets. This is explained by the fact that when guided to the earth targets of the GOS (homing heads), the RCC does not function. In such cases, an autonomous mode is designed for missiles, in which the homing heads are disconnected. Instead, the inertial system performs the function of the guidance of the RCC. The winged P-700s have very high range of fire for ground and coastal targets (higher than for sea ones). To destroy objects on land for the PRC does not require a reduction in low altitudes. Despite this, such use of cruise missiles without activated GOS is an expensive exercise: the ammunition of the Granit complex is vulnerable to enemy air defense.

How does the start?

In motion the cruise missile P-700 "Granite" comes with the help of the turbojet engine KR-21-300 located along the central axis. At the rear of the rocket is a block that contains four accelerators operating on solid fuel. A special sealed transport and launch container is provided for the storage of the missile. Prior to the launch of the PKR Granit P-700, the wings and feathers are in a collapsed position. With the help of a dome fairing, the air intake is covered. To ensure that the installation of the Granite P-700 during the launch of the rocket was not damaged by exhausts, before the launch it is filled with water taken overboard. This procedure is necessary in order to include an accelerator that pushes the rocket out of the mine. The domed fairing is reclining in the air. In this case, the wings and feathers, which were in the folded state before the start, are opened. After combustion, the accelerator reclines, and the rocket uses its propulsion engine for its flight.

What is completed with the gun?

The rockets "Granite" P-700 contain:

• Fugasno-penetrating warhead. It weighs from 585 to 750 kg.

• Tactical nuclear.
• The trotyl equivalent, whose weight is 500 kilotons.

Today - under the accepted international agreement - nuclear cruise missiles "Granite" P-700 are forbidden. To equip them, only conventional warheads are provided.

Tactical and technical characteristics

• The rocket size of the Granite P-700 is ten meters.
• The diameter is 85 cm.
• The wing span is 260 cm.
• Before the start, the weight of the gun is 7 tons.
• The product is capable of achieving a minimum altitude of 25 meters.
• The combined flight trajectory makes it possible for the missile to reach a range of up to 625 km.
• A low-altitude trajectory allows you to fly to a distance not exceeding 200 km.
• Use of INS control system, ARRLSN.
• The gun is equipped with a penetrating warhead, the weight of which is 750 kg.

Due to the large mass and high speed of the P-700, it is difficult to hit enemy antiaircraft missiles in them. According to some military experts, the P-700's combat unit, which weighs 750 kg, is effective only for defeating an area target. This is due to the fact that cruise missiles are characterized by deviations of up to 200 meters, which makes it difficult to hit a specific target.

What is a digital computer?

To aim the missile at the target, an active radar head is used. Information channels, which are used by a three-processor on-board computer (PC), make it possible to isolate from a large number of obstacles the real goal. During the group launch of missiles (salvo), enemy detection becomes possible through the exchange of information, identification and distribution of the target by various parameters between the missile's self-guided missile heads.

The ability of missiles from a number of escorts, aircraft carriers or amphibious ships to identify the desired goal and strike on it is possible at the expense of the necessary data on the on-board computer for all classes of modern ships. The work of the computer is aimed at the enemy's electronic warfare, which, by creating interference and other anti-aircraft tactics, can lead the launched cruise missiles away from the target. In modern P-700 there is a station 3B47 "Quartz", which by means of special devices dumps additional reflectors and false targets provided by the enemy. The presence of the BCRM makes the P-700 highly intelligent: the RCP protects itself from the radar interference of the enemy, in return puts its own and creates false targets for the attacked air defense. In case of group start, information exchange is possible at the expense of the computer.

How is the attack carried out?

For firing at a target, the distance to which exceeds 120 km, the P-700 rises to a height of 17 km. Most of the flight takes place at this level. At this altitude, the impact on the rocket of air resistance is reduced, which enables it to save fuel. At 17 km, the target detection radius is improved. After the goal is found, its identification is performed. Then the missiles released are reduced to 25 meters. The GOS is turned off. This makes the RCC invisible to enemy radars. The GOS is turned on just before the attack itself, when it is necessary to make an accurate guide. The attack by missiles is organized in such a way that first priority goals are destroyed and then secondary ones. The distribution of information is carried out between the heads of missiles before the attack itself. Due to this, for the destruction of each target a certain number of missiles are intended. Presence of the tactical methods programmed in each cruise missile gives them the opportunity to defend themselves against the enemy's defensive air defense facilities.

How does the RCC work?

Attack of the released one cruise missile can be directed to a separate ship. If a group launch is carried out, the RCC strikes a whole complex of ships. The experience of using the P-700 in the naval forces showed the high efficiency of the missiles on the enemy's coastal targets in the event that they operate in the group. In this case, the first missiles, containing a special charge, put out of action all the means of antiaircraft defense of the enemy. The carrier group, which has an attacked city or port, is no longer able to resist. The next stage of the attack is carried out by other missiles that do not have special charges to blind the enemy. In the complex of missiles, one of them can serve as a gunner. Mostly, such RCC are used in the conduct of fugitive fire. It uses a considerable height for it. When the enemy radar intercepts or destroys it, another supersonic cruise missile automatically takes over the pickup function.

Teachings of 2016

October 16, 2016, performing combat training tasks, the crew of the nuclear submarine missile cruiser Antey launched a P-700 rocket of the Granit complex. The shooting site was the landfill on the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago.

According to some military experts, the launch of the P-700 was carried out with the aim of shooting obsolete or defective missiles with their further replacement. At the same time, the shooting regime for ground targets was worked out. There is also another version of the exercise: in connection with the aggravated political situation in the world, this event served as a signal to NATO that Russia possesses not obsolete Soviet missile carriers, but modernized, capable of firing at any moment on a ground target.