The arsenal of an improved version of the promising Hermes strike complex will be replenished with a faster and more powerful missile.

Bekkhan Ozdoev, industrial director of the Rostec armament complex, spoke about this.

“Experimental design work is planned, which provides for an increase in the combat power of the missile by 2-2.5 times and an increase in its flight speed.

This will be a version of the Hermes 2.0 complex, - said Ozdoev in an interview with RIA Novosti.

According to the top manager, the facilities of the complex meet the most modern requirements. "

In particular, "Hermes" is equipped with an autonomous guidance system, which works on the principle of "fire and forget."

This function, experts say, allows the combat crew of the system to instantly change position after launch, avoiding enemy return fire.

The development of "Hermes" is carried out by the JSC "Design Bureau of Instrument Making named after academician A.G.

Shipunova "(KBP).

This enterprise is a part of the High-Precision Complexes holding (part of Rostec).

“He (“ Hermes ”-

RT

) is a new generation complex that occupies a niche between guided artillery shells and operational-tactical systems.

It has no analogues in the world, ”the KBP website says.

"Salvo fire mode"

The basic version of "Hermes" was first presented to the general public in August last year at the international military-technical forum "Army-2020".

The complex is currently undergoing demonstration tests at the Kapustin Yar test site (Astrakhan region).

The Hermes includes a combat vehicle with six launchers, a control vehicle, and a transport-loading vehicle mounted on the KamAZ chassis.

The arsenal of the system, in addition to guided missiles, includes reconnaissance assets from UAVs.

  • Machines that are part of the Hermes complex, at the test site

  • © JSC "Instrument-Making Design Bureau"

The maximum firing range of the Hermes is 100 km.

The complex is capable of hitting enemy tanks and armored vehicles, engineering and fortifications, surface and low-speed air targets at any time of the day.

A promising strike system can conduct salvo and single fire from unprepared and closed positions.

The basic version of the Hermes uses a multipurpose supersonic guided missile.

It is equipped with a guidance system in the area of ​​output to the target area and homing before contact with the target.

Also, the ammunition can be directed to the target, focusing on the laser illumination of the UAV or ground point.

“The complex implements a salvo fire mode at several (up to six) spaced targets, as well as automatic synchronization of laser target designation for hitting targets with high-precision ammunition with a miss of no more than 0.5 m,” says Rostec.

The entire rocket arsenal of "Hermes" is in sealed containers, which ensures its safety without maintenance during the entire period of operation.

The developer estimates the maximum speed of the ammunition of the non-modernized version of the strike complex at 1300 m / s (4680 km / h), the mass of the high-explosive fragmentation warhead at 28 kg.

As a representative of the KBP at the Army-2020 forum said in a comment to TASS, the strike potential of the Hermes makes it possible to destroy any western tank with a 98-99% guarantee.

“Based on the results of the full cycle of tests of the Hermes at the range with the destruction of various types of targets, it was concluded that a single missile of the complex is enough to guarantee the destruction of any existing Western tank,” the agency's source said.

Another important advantage of "Hermes" is the so-called multiplatform, that is, the possibility of using the launcher from various air, ground and surface carriers.

The unique technical solutions implemented in Hermes served as the basis for starting work on the creation of a new hypersonic light-class missile.

The Izvestia newspaper reported this in early November 2020 with reference to the technical documentation of the product and its own sources in the military-industrial complex.

The project is carried out under the working designation "Klevok-D2".

  • Tests of the rocket complex "Hermes"

  • © JSC "Instrument-Making Design Bureau"

The brainchild of domestic designers will receive a ramjet engine that will be able to accelerate the rocket to hypersonic speed.

It is expected that this will increase the effective range and make the ammunition invulnerable to modern air defense systems.

Targeting for a hypersonic missile should be carried out by drones and military personnel equipped with a reconnaissance, control and communications complex (KRUS) 83T215I "Strelets". 

Within 40 seconds, the rocket will be capable of accelerating to several thousand kilometers per hour.

Launchers with this ammunition will be so compact that they can be mounted on armored vehicles "Tiger" and "Typhoon".

In turn, experts do not exclude that this ammunition may enter the Hermes arsenal.

"Facilitates the process of hitting the target"

Military analysts interviewed by RT believe that the Hermes will be operated by the RF Ground Forces and will occupy a niche between cannon artillery pieces, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and Iskander operational-tactical complexes with a range of up to 500 km.

"Hermes", given its range of tens of kilometers, is a tactical strike complex.

He will be able to hit well-protected objects, tanks, artillery, command posts with high accuracy - in fact, any objects that threaten our troops in the theater of operations, "military expert Yuri Knutov said in an interview with RT.

According to the analyst, the Hermes will become a unique weapon for the Russian army.

“There is a chance that after last year's debut and revisions, Hermes will take its rightful place in the arsenal of Russian precision weapons.

Such new developments allow us to secure the territory of our country, including from a sudden attack, ”says Knutov.

In a commentary on RT, Dmitry Litovkin, editor of the Nezavisimoye Voennoye Obozreniye newspaper, suggested that the work on improving Hermes was dictated by the requirements of the main customer, the Russian Ministry of Defense.

According to him, a more powerful and high-speed missile, which the complex should receive, will allow it to hit the most difficult targets with one shot.  

According to the expert, in the process of improving the "Hermes", domestic specialists can make a breakthrough in the development of solid-propellant ammunition of increased power and guidance systems. 

“The principle of 'fire and forget', implemented in the guidance system, greatly relieves the operator, facilitates the process of hitting the target, and allows working on several objects.

This increases the capabilities of the Hermes combat crew to quickly respond to the situation, which is constantly changing in the modern theater of operations, "Litovkin emphasized.