The RBU-1000 Smerch-3 is a 300 mm caliber Russian anti-submarine and anti-torpedo rocket launcher. It entered service around 1962–1963. It is similar in operation to the

Hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introducti ...

system used during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The RBU-1000 is remotely aimed by the Burya fire control system (which is also used by the

RBU-6000 The RBU-6000 Smerch-2 (Реактивно-Бомбовая Установка, ''Reaktivno-Bombovaja Ustanovka''; reaction engine-bomb installation & Смерч; waterspout) is a 213 mm caliber Soviet Union, Soviet anti-submarine weapon, a ...

system). It is crewed by three men, two in the magazine room, one in the control center. The launcher consists of six barrels which are automatically loaded one at a time from a below deck magazine that holds either 60 or 48 rounds per launcher. The system's reaction time is around two minutes between initial target detection and the first salvo reaching the target, though this can be reduced to under one minute if some target data is pre-entered (for example depth and speed). A salvo consists of 1, 2, 4 or 6 RGB-10 rockets, with a gap of around a second between successive rockets. Reloading takes less than three minutes. The rockets travel in a

ballistic Ballistics may refer to: Science * Ballistics, the science that deals with the motion, behavior, and effects of projectiles ** Forensic ballistics, the science of analyzing firearm usage in crimes ** Internal ballistics, the study of the proce ...

arc and strike the water, sinking rapidly and are either detonated when reaching a depth set at launch or on impact with a target. RBU-1000 were used extensively and often it would operate side by side with a

RBU-1000 are Currently used, on

Kashin class destroyer The Kashin class, Soviet designation Project 61, were series of anti-aircraft guided-missile destroyers built for the Soviet Navy since the 1960s. , no ships remain in service with the Russian Navy, but three modified ships continue in service ...

s (Project 61).

Specifications

Launcher

* Weight: 2900 kg * Length: 2165 mm * Width: 2000 mm * Height: 2030 mm * Traverse rate: 30 °/sec *Crew: 4

RGB-10 (РГБ-10) rocket

* Range: 100 m to 1000 m * Weight: 195 kg * Warhead:100 kg * Caliber: 300 mm * Length: 1800 mm * Sink rate: 11.8 m/s * Maximum depth: 450 m

References

* ''The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Systems 1997-1998''
Warfare.ru Smerch system
Naval weapons of the Cold War Anti-submarine missiles Cold War weapons of the Soviet Union Military equipment introduced in the 1960s {{weapon-stub