The Main Intelligence Directorate has published the design, component base and cooperating enterprises involved in the production of RM-48U strike missiles.
According to the GUR, the War&Sanctions portal features an interactive 3D model and information on the components and electronic component base of the RM-48U missile of the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system, the cooperating enterprises involved in its production, key staff, as well as foreign equipment used by those enterprises.
To expand the range of missile weapons used to strike Ukrainian territory, the enemy is refurbishing decommissioned surface-to-air guided missiles and target missiles for the S-400 system and upgrading them to the level of strike missiles.
The new Russian ballistic “Frankenstein” has a solid-fuel engine from the 48N6DM surface-to-air guided missile (S-400), a tail section from the export 48N6E2 surface-to-air missile (S-300 PMU1/2, S-400), while the RM-48U instrument section consists of individual elements from the 9M96 and 48N6E2 missiles.
The RM-48U is a single-stage solid-fuel missile that flies on a ballistic trajectory and has an operational range of up to 400 km. The missile uses a 199 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead with pre-formed lethal elements (cubes).
Navigation and guidance are provided by an autonomous strapdown inertial navigation system and a satellite navigation system based on “Kometa-R12” receivers, which the Russians this time called space-based — PKNS).
To strike ground targets with surface-to-air missiles at tactical and operational depth, the Russians have created separate units (groups), namely: a special tactical missile group (STRG) with RM-48U missiles (radio-command guidance) and a special operational missile group (SORG) with RM-48U missiles (satellite guidance).
The employment range of the former within the STRG is limited by the radio horizon and the capabilities of the S-400’s illumination and guidance radar, so in most cases the enemy uses autonomous RM-48U missiles with satellite navigation as part of the SORG.
The component base of the missile’s electronic units has the standard country-of-brand mix typical of Russian weapons. The largest share — 95 of 117 — is from the United States, 4 from Taiwan, 3 from Switzerland, and 2 each from Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea. New to the list is a laser diode made by the French company 3SP TECHNOLOGIES.
Intelligence also added information on 63 Russian enterprises involved in cooperation on the production of these missiles, the officials and employees of the main ones, as well as the foreign equipment used by those enterprises.
- Recently, the Defence Ministry’s GUR published data on “Roselektronika” enterprises that produce components for Russian ballistic missiles, aviation, drones and electronic warfare.