Russia's NPO Mashinostroenia scientific and production association and its Russian and Belarus partners have begun deliveries of the K300P Bastion-P mobile coastal defence missile system, the company has confirmed to Jane's.
According the reports in Russian press, the first customer is the Vietnam, which ordered one or two Bastion-P systems in 2005.
The PBRK (Podvizhniy beregovoy raketniy complex) K300P Bastion-P mobile coastal defence missile system is armed with the K310 Yakhot ramjet-powered supersonic sea-skimming cruise missiles. It is intended for use against sea-surface and land targets and has a maximum range of 300 km.
A basic system consists of four K340P SPU (Samokhodnaya puskovaya ustanovka) self-propelled launch vehicles armed with two TPS (Transportno-puskovoy stakan) transport/launch containers, one or two K380P MBU (Mashina boyevovo upravleniya) combat-control vehicles, an MOBD (Mashina obespecseniya boyevovo dezhurstva) combat-readiness assignment vehicle, and four K342P TZM (Transportno-zaryazhayuschaya mashina) missile-transport/loading vehicles.
Support hardware includes KSTO (Kompleks sredstv technicseskovo obsluzhivaniya) servicing equipment and the UTS (Ucsebno-trenirovocsniye sredstva) training system. The number of launchers, reload vehicles and combat-control vehicles depends on the customer.
Optional equipment includes a Monolit-B self-propelled coastal radar targeting system or a helicopter-based radar targeting system. For the latter role, the team has proposed the 1K130E: a Ka-31 helicopter fitted with an Oko decimetre-wavelength radar.
NPO Mashinostroenia developed the missile and the system software. It also serves as the system integrator. The missiles are being built by the PO Strela production association in Orenburg, Russia, while Belarus-based Tekhnosoyuzproekt is jointly responsible along with NPO Mashinostroenia for the development and production of the SPU self-propelled launcher and TZM transport/loading vehicles.
The TPS container is 8.90m long, 71 cm in diamater, and weighs 3,900 kg when loaded. A solid-propellant SRS (Startovo-razgonnaya stupen) starting and boosting stage is fitted inside the ramjet chamber and air-flow duct. This incorporates a gas-powered stabilisation system and at the rearward rearward end terminates in a series of rocket nozzles. A cylindrical nose cover contains a series of small thrusters that are selectively fired after launch to turn the missile in the required direction of flight.
Total length of the missile, nose cone and control bloc is roughly 8.6 m. The fuselage is 67 cm in diameter, its wings and aerodynamic control surfaces being folded to allow storage in the TPS. Its launch weight is 3,000 kg.
As the missile leaves the TPS, its aerodynamic surfaces unfold. After the turnover manoeuvre has been completed, the nose cover is jettisoned, opening the nose-mounted air intake.
At this point the missile is still being powered and stabilised by the SRS. Once the missile has reached ramjet-operating speed, the SRS and its associated gas-powered stabilisation system is ejected, allowing the T-6 kerosine-powered ramjet to light up.
In its free-flight configuration, the missile is approximately 8.10 m long. Its wing span is around 1.25 m and control surfaces span about 96 cm. The warhead weight is 200 kg.
Two basic flight modes are available: a low-level trajectory that gives a maximum range of 120 km or combined (hi-lo) trajectory with maximum range up to 300 km. In the latter mode, the missiles flies at an altitude of up to 46,000 ft, then descends to 30-50 ft for the final attack phase. In low-level mode, the entire flight is made at this low altitude.
Maximum speed of the missile at high altitude is 750 m/s, falling to 680 m/s at low level.
During the midcourse phase of flight, the missile is guided by the BINS (Bortovaya inertsialno-navigatsionnaya sistema) onboard inertial navigational system. For the attack phase, it relies on a monopulse active/passive radar seeker with a minimum range in active mode of 50 km, which has a search angle of ±45 degrees.
The K340P SPU self-propelled launcher is based on the MZKT-7930 Astrolog four-axle truck chassis. It carries two TPS containers fitted on the frame with a folding and lowering mechanism. Total weight with two loaded TPS containers, fuel, other operating liquids and a crew of three is 41 tonnes. The commander, launch operator and driver are seated in one row in an air-conditioned cab.
To prepare missile for firing, the covers on the rear of the SPU are opened and a small moveable portion of the frame that carries the TPS containers is folded down to allow the rear of the containers to reach the ground as they are raised to the vertical. Once the containers have been raised, two support jacks located between the third and fourth axle of the vehicle are lowered.
Missiles are vertically launched, and the minimum time interval between launches is 2.5 sec.
The K342 TZM transporting and loading vehicle is based on the same chassis and carries a crew of two and two TPS containers. It incorporates a 5.9 tonne capacity crane used for loading or reloading the SPU.
For the K380 MBU combat-control vehicle, the team opted to install the equipment within an ISO-1C container mounted on an MZKT-65273 three-axle truck. Total weight, complete with fuel and a crew of four, is up to 25 tonnes. It can be deployed for action in three to four minutes.
A Bastion battery will be commanded by a main command post module located at the user's naval headquarters. This has two automated workstations and is linked by cable to a radio communication system that can be located up to 5 km away.
That radio system will in turn allow communicate with one of more MBU combat control vehicle up to 350 km away. Each MBU will directly control four SPU self-propelled launchers. Individual launchers can be up to 15 km apart and up to 25 km from the MBU. However, NPO Mashinostroenia has confirmed that individual launchers can operate autonomously of the MBU, receiving information directly from the naval headquarters: either via a 40 km range UHF radio link or via satellite communications.
Deployment time from being on the road to taking up combat positions is up to five minutes, and a single battery will have eight missiles ready for immediate use. This combat position can be up to 200 km from the coastline. Once deployed, the battery can remain ready for action for between three and five days, depending to the size of its fuel reserves.
The TPS missile containers on the SPU launch vehicle are swung to vertical to allow missiles to be fired at 2.5 sec intervals.
