As Vietnamese media and bloggers report, the Viet Nam International Defence Expo 2024 will feature the full-scale Russian Rubezh-ME coastal tactical missile system. The world premiere of this Russian system equipped with tactical anti-ship cruise missiles will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam.
As follows from the official presentation of the system, it provides substantial firepower, is compact and mobile, has substantial maneuverability, and possesses great survivability, covertness, and resistance to countermeasures. It is possible to have various configurations and compositions. The range of the missile is 260 km, and the target detection range by active radar – up to 100 km, by passive radar – up to 450 km. The crew of this system comprises just 2 persons.
Target designation and combat systems are installed on one platform (missile boat on wheels) so that Rubezh-ME can be used either as a single combat unit or as a group of up to 8 vehicles. Rubezh – ME coastal defence system can effectively combat against surface ships in littoral areas using the minimized composition of armament and technical means, says the presentation.
“New Rubezh-ME coastal missile systems implement the “boat on wheels” concept: a single KamAZ truck houses the control center, radar, and launchers. As the manufacturer representative told Izvestia, the new system can hit targets hundreds of kilometers away. At the same time, unlike the previous generation systems, it is compact, maneuverable, and can travel on public roads. Experts note that the Rubezh will be useful in modern conflicts, and they can be used not only in sea or coastal theaters but also in land theaters of military operations”, summarized the Russian Izvestia newspaper in its June 2024 article on the Rubezh-M.
The system’s developer told Izvestia that the coastal missile system Rubezh-ME is a modification of the Bal system.
“Bal is heavy, on large vehicles. And here everything is built on the ‘boat on wheels’ system. Everything in one — four missiles, its own locator, its control systems, power supply, communications. These vehicles are produced based on KAMAZ. They can operate both autonomously and as part of a formation — a division of eight vehicles. The striking power of eight such units is 32 missiles in a single salvo, the same as that of a division of Bals. In terms of striking characteristics, everything is like the Bal. But the Rubezh has everything divided into smaller components- combat vehicles, each of which is cheaper, more mobile — it can move on public roads”.
The launch is carried out from one workstation – this is possible due to the high robotization of the system, wrote the Izvestia.
The Kh-35UE tactical anti-ship missile is an advanced version of the Kh-35E air-launched anti-ship missile. Obviously the Rubezh-ME could be a good choice for the countries, which are already operators of the missile. “Missile’s radar homing head allows it to fire not only at ships, — defense expert Dmitry Kornev specified to the Izvestia. — It can ensure the destruction of any radio-contrast targets — buildings, bridges, structures and other objects on complex terrain. The missile itself is transonic, relatively small-sized, which allows for an effective breakthrough of enemy air defenses at low altitudes”, Russian defense expert Dmitry Kornev told to Izvestia.
In 2023, the TASS state news agency reported that the Bastion coastal missile system demonstrated high efficiency in hitting ground targets during the special military operation in Ukraine with Onyx missiles.
