Russia deploys 'Bastion' coastal missile complex to the Kaliningrad region
The Kaliningrad special district division troops have been strengthened with the “Bastion” coastal missile complex, as reported by Russia's Interfax news agency citing a source familiar with the situation. The source stated that the Bastion complex was received by the Baltic Fleet’s missile unit.
On November 19, the press-service of the Baltic Fleet reported that the missile units of the fleet "are conducting the preparation of the infrastructure and scheduled rearmament of the new onshore and operational-tactical missile systems." The press service did not indicate specifically which complexes are being rearmed.
The General Director of the Kaluga Instrument Making Plant Typhoon, Andrey Petrakov previously reported that in September, the Baltic Fleet acquired a coastal missile system.
The Bastion mobile coastal missile system is armed with “Onyx” unified, supersonic, homing, anti-ship missiles. They were designed and manufactured by the rocket design bureau NPO Mashinostroyeniya, which is located in the Reutov, Moscow region, and part of the Tactical Missile Armament Corporation.
The Bastion complex is designed to protect a 600 km long coastline and to destroy ships of different classes and types, operating as part of airborne units, convoys and ship and aircraft carrier battle groups, as well as single ships and land-based radar contrast targets under the conditions of intense fire and electronic resistance.
One Bastion complex may include a set of up to 36 missiles. Onyx missiles have over-the-horizon range of fire using a “fire-and-forget” guidance system.
On November 15, Russian Defense Minister General Sergey Shoygu spoke about the use of Onyx missiles on targets in Syria. He said, "Bastion coastal complexes were deployed there, which virtually cover the entire coast, and today with these complexes we are able to hit both marine- and land-based targets at a distance of 350 km in the sea and almost 450 km on the ground."
According to military experts, such a range of fire from the Kaliningrad region and the ability to hit the ground targets allows Bastion, if necessary, to close the exit from the Danish straits into the Baltic Sea to potential enemy ships, as well as to cover all possible targets in Poland.
Recently, Shoygu said that in 2016 "the Navy will receive five more coastal defense systems."
"In the future, the fleets will receive four complexes a year," the minister said. According to him, the Russian Federation will be able to re-equip coastal missile units fully with modern weapons before 2021.