Congratulating the staff and veterans of the military-industrial corporation NPO Mashinostroyeniya on their 75th birthday, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that her experts made a significant contribution to strengthening the country's defense potential. The head of state also thanked the staff of the enterprise, at the origins of which stood the outstanding scientist and designer Vladimir Chelomey, for work to build up cooperation with foreign countries in the military-technical sphere.

“Carrying out responsible tasks, creating equipment of the 21st century, you rely on the experience and wonderful labor traditions of your predecessors, honestly and conscientiously serve Russia,” the president said.

The Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation (KTRV), an arms company, specializes in developing anti-ship systems. And the company's visiting card is a 3M55 Onyx medium-range supersonic cruise missile (export version is Yakhont). This ammunition is in service with the armies of Russia, India, Vietnam, Syria and Indonesia.

On the pages of the September issue of KTRV's corporate magazine “Just for the Goal,” Alexander Leonov, general director of NPO Mashinostroyeniya, announced plans to upgrade Onyx. According to the head of the enterprise, the updated version of the rocket will have improved flight characteristics, but he did not disclose more detailed information.

"In the conditions of fire reaction"

The development of Onyx began in 1981 with the adoption of the relevant resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Soviet engineers were tasked with surpassing the Harpoon family of American anti-ship missiles (ASMs).

In 1987, throw tests of the prototype of domestic ammunition were carried out, and in 1991 - ground. In 1996, the Onyx test operation began in the Russian Navy, and in 2002 the missile was adopted by the Navy.

In the difficult financial situation in the post-Soviet years, NPO Mashinostroeniya focused on the needs of foreign customers. Then India became the key partner of the Moscow Region enterprise. In 1998, a joint Russian-Indian company BrahMos Aerospace Pvt was created. Ltd.

  • BrahMos anti-ship missile
  • Reuters
  • © Kamal Kishore JSG

She launched the launch of the Onyx anti-ship missile variant - the PJ-10 BrahMos - and their aircraft versions of BrahMos-A. The name of the ammunition was formed by combining the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra and the Moscow River, and BrahMos turned into one of the most recognizable symbols of military-technical cooperation between Russia and India.

According to the information of NPO Mashinostroyeniya, export munitions are capable of hitting enemy surface ships at a distance of up to 300 km "in conditions of strong fire and electronic countermeasures."

“It (the rocket. - RT ) is distinguished by the complete autonomy of combat use, high supersonic speed in all phases of flight, the ability to select various trajectories (low-altitude and combined), as well as complete unification for a wide range of sea, aviation and land carriers," developer materials.

In Russia, the Onyxes are armed with almost all modern small missile ships, corvettes and frigates equipped with the UKSK 3S14 vertical launcher. Also, these missiles are part of the arsenal of the atomic submarine of project 885 Severodvinsk. In the future, Onyx will be in service with Russian cruisers and submarines of the upgraded project 885M.

Onyx also forms the basis of the ammunition of the Bastion coastal missile system, which since 2010 has replaced the Soviet Boundary system in the troops. This weapon is capable of hitting large surface and ground targets. In November 2016, the Bastion received a baptism of fire in Syria.

  • Starts and defeat by cruise missiles of the Caliber and Bastion complexes of terrorist facilities in Syria

In an interview with RT, the columnist for Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine Dmitry Drozdenko called the brainchild of NPO Mashinostroyeniya an almost “invulnerable rocket”. According to him, intercepting Onyx is an extremely difficult task for modern and promising missile defense systems. In this aspect, the anti-ship missile surpasses the famous Caliber complex, the expert notes.

“The main advantages of Onyx are that it is a small-sized missile with a powerful warhead. It flies to the target at supersonic speed (presumably up to 2.5 Mach. - RT ), which greatly complicates its interception. For example, "Caliber" is a subsonic missile. She has an outstanding range, but theoretically it can be intercepted due to the lower speed, ”Drozdenko explained.

In the West, Onyx is considered a very formidable weapon. The other day, speaking at the international exhibition of defense systems DSEI-2019 (London), Assistant Chief of Staff of the British Air Force Julian Ball included the Bastion complex among the most dangerous types of Russian weapons.

In a number of tactical and technical characteristics, Onyx is superior to its main competitor, the American RCC Harpoon. In particular, the maximum range of overseas ammunition is 280 km. Officially, the maximum distance of defeat “Onyx” is not disclosed, but, according to experts, it is greater than the export version.

“Surpass the current version”

In a RT commentary, the founder of the Military Russia portal Dmitry Kornev said that the upgraded Onyx will have an increased range. Thus, the launch vehicle will be able to launch a rocket without entering the affected area of ​​missile systems and enemy aircraft.

“The flip side of supersonic speed is an extremely gluttonous engine. Hence, the Onyx has a relatively small lesion distance compared to the Caliber (presumably 320-350 km. - RT ). However, this problem can be solved through comprehensive modernization, which, apparently, is going to be carried out by NPO Mashinostroyeniya, Kornev notes.

Indirectly, the expert’s words are confirmed by the statement of the head of BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd Sudhira Kumara Mishra. At the end of August at the MAKS-2019 air show in Zhukovsky, he announced that the specialists of the two countries were tasked with increasing the range of anti-ship missiles to 800 km.

“We have already tested our rocket at a range of 400 km. There was a successful launch ... Now we are considering the possibility of obtaining permits from India and Russia to further increase the flight range of BrahMos. Technically, it is possible to bring the range to 800 km, and we are faced with such a task, ”TASS quoted Mishru.

Dmitry Drozdenko believes that to increase the range of the anti-ship missile, specialists will need to upgrade the power plant, on-board electronics and equipment while maintaining the same dimensions of the ammunition. According to the expert, updating Onyx is an inevitable process.

“The missile has been in service for almost a generation. Over the years, technology has stepped forward, and not only in Russia, but also in states that are usually classified as our potential adversaries. I think that the modernized Onyx will actually become a new rocket and will significantly surpass the current version, ”Drozdenko emphasized.

  • Scheme of application of the Bastion complex, armed with Onyx missiles
  • © NGO Engineering

A similar opinion is shared by Dmitry Kornev. The analyst is convinced that the appearance of the modernized Onyx will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the Navy. According to him, several of these missiles can almost guaranteed to sink an enemy ship of the first rank (frigate of the far sea zone, destroyer, cruiser or landing ship), as well as cause serious damage to the enemy carrier group.

“The Onyx warhead is likely to remain the same, since its power is quite enough to solve all combat missions. Nevertheless, the modernization of Onyx opens up broad prospects for the development of the Navy and the coastal defense forces of Russia. Also, I do not exclude the possibility that in the conditions of the collapse of the INF Treaty, our experts will create a land version of the updated missile in the not so distant future, ”Kornev summarized.