Russia shows off new missile for Club-K containerised launcher

Russia's Morinformsistema-Agat has showcased its Club-K containerised launcher for anti-ship and land-attack missiles with the Kh-35UE (SS-N-25 Switchblade) cruise missile for the first time, Russian state media reported on 27 June.

First revealed in 2010, the Club-K launcher comprises four missile tubes concealed inside a standard ISO commercial shipping container.

The system was shown at the 2011 MAKS Airshow in Zhukovsky with four 3M54TE (SS-N-27B Sizzler) missiles in the container, Russian International News Agency RIA Novosti said. Although both the 3M54TE and Kh-35UE are high-speed anti-ship missiles, the latter is a more capable system as it features a more advanced targeting system and has an extended range capability.

The Kh-35UE is equipped with a Global Positioning System-aided inertial navigation system and a combined active/passive radar seeker, while the 3M54TE uses inertial guidance with active radar homing. With a range of 260 km compared with 220 km for the 3M54TE, the Kh-35UE represents a more serious threat to shipping as well as static land targets. Also, being half the length of the 3M54TE (4.4 m compared with 8.9 m), the Kh-35UE is easier to operate at sea than the 3M54TE, and the mother vessel is able to carry more missiles.