Russia is upgrading its Tomahawk-like ship and submarine-launched cruise missile to enhance performance for future warfare environments, a not-so-surprising development given the country’s long-existing arsenal of cruise and ballistic missiles.
Kalibr Cruise Missile
The weapon being upgraded, called the kalibr cruise missile, fires from the air, surface ships and from submarines out to ranges as far as 870 miles. The Kalibr’s manufacturer, Almaz-Antey, is reported to be working on an “improved” version of the missile with “better performance,” according to a report from Russia’s TASS news agency.
However, the TASS report offers little to no specifics regarding what kinds of enhancements might be being added to the Kalibr and instead makes a vague reference to improved “combat efficiency.”
“Naturally, the work on improving the Kalibr missiles is ongoing and the Defense Ministry displays high interest in this type of weapon. We are planning to boost its performance characteristics and raise the efficiency of its combat employment. We are set to get a weapon that will considerably surpass the current generation,” the chief executive (Almaz-Antey) said in an interview with the National Defense magazine on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the company’s creation, according to TASS.
First used by the Russian military in Syria, the Kalibur cruise missile has been fired in combat 13 times, TASS reports.