Probable delivery of KEPD-350 TAURUS stealth cruise missiles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a new range of threats to the rear strategically important facilities of the Russian Armed Forces.
Operating radius in the European part of Russia and counteraction methods.
It is logical to assume that the possibility of supplying the Ukrainian Armed Forces tactical aviation brigades with a batch of KEPD-350 TAURUS stealth cruise missiles, voiced once again by the future head of the German government Friedrich Merz, can already be considered as a kind of announcement that requires only “standard” consultations with London and Paris, the result of which is quite clear.
This means that a batch of 100 - 150 missiles may well be at the disposal of the Ukrainian Air Force and will be adapted for use from the Mirage-2000-5F and F-16AM suspension units, the number of which by that time missiles arrive may reach 2 squadrons (24 aircraft).
What does this mean?
First of all, about the possibility of a simultaneous launch of a strike force of 48 TAURUS missiles. The enemy will move the launch lines (to avoid interception by our R-37M air-to-air missiles) away from the contact line to an operational depth of 130-150 km. This means that the depth of the strikes will reach 350-370 km. The reach can be seen on the tactical map above.
The radar signature of this cruise missile varies within 0.02 - 0.03 square meters, while the low-altitude flight profile also corresponds to that of the Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
To effectively intercept these missiles, it will be necessary, firstly, to use universal towers to accommodate 36D6 ("36Д6") detection radars (picture No. 3), 9S36M ("9С36М") and 92N6E ("92Н6Е") illumination radars of the Buk-M3 and S-400 complexes in missile-hazardous directions; secondly, to use infrared sights that identify the KEPD-350 by the IR radiation of turbojet engine flares.
Unlike the infrared correlation sensors of the Storm Shadow missiles, which are hidden under the nose fairings up to the terminal section of the trajectory, the optical-electronic correction modules of the KEPD 350 TAURUS missiles are integrated into the surface formation of the lower sectors of the fairings and provide correlation according to relief patterns (in combination with a radar altimeter) even in the initial and cruising sections.
In combination with the inertial navigation system, this correlation module eliminates the dependence of the TAURUS guidance system on additional GPS corrections in conditions of intense radio countermeasures from the many different electronic warfare systems Russia has.
As a result, the use of electronic warfare systems to disable the TAURUS guidance system will be ineffective, while higher efficiency can be demonstrated by the Л-370 "Витебск" optical-electronic countermeasure systems deployed on ground platforms (on the flight routes of the Taurus and directly on the protected objects), or the 101КС-О in the ground modification, capable of suppressing the TAURUS IR guidance and correlation sensor path with high-energy narrow IR/UV beams.
One of the key differences of the KEPD-350 cruise missile is the presence of a heavy penetrating MEPHISTO warhead.
The MEPHISTO tandem concrete-piercing warhead (weight 481 kg) was developed by the Franco-German company TDA/TDW. The leading charge of the warhead is a cumulative one with a diameter of 0.36 m and a length of 0.53 m. The optimal distance to the target when the cumulative charge of the warhead is detonated is determined using laser rangefinders installed in the nose of the missile.
This first charge opens a pathway for the detonation of the second charge.
The main charge is a high-explosive one, enclosed in a high-strength 2.3 m long case, the shape of which is optimized for penetrating concrete and heavy soil. The weight of the high-explosive charge together with the case is 400 kg, the total weight of the warhead is 485 kg.
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