The Utes silo coastal missile system has been restored in Crimea. The Utes silo coastal missile system has been restored in Crimea. The Black Sea Fleet's coastal missile system Utes.

27.08.2019


The Crimean underground-based Utes coastal missile system will in the future be re-equipped with a new missile. Alexander Leonov, General Director, General Designer of NPO Mashinostroyenia (part of the Tactical Missiles Corporation) announced this to TASS on Monday on the eve of the International Aerospace Salon (MAKS-2019).
Leonov recalled that repair and restoration work on the Utes coastal missile complex was completed quite recently, and was needed because the complex, which was part of the Ukrainian Navy from 1996 to 2014, had lost its technical readiness.
“Successful launches after the work carried out showed the readiness of the complex to protect the Crimean coast. Therefore, for some time he will work with Progress rockets. In the future, the complex will be re-equipped with new types of missiles,” Leonov said.
TASS

Not far from Balaklava, the Utes coastal missile division, created back in 1957 and during Soviet times, reliably covered the peninsula from an altitude of about 600 meters above sea level, has been revived. The RG correspondent was the first journalist to visit a military facility hidden from the eyes of outsiders.

The road meandered through forests and went higher and higher into the mountains - to where there was no one else except military missilemen. Here is the checkpoint with all the necessary attributes of anti-terrorism. Further, behind the rows of barbed wire, begins the division of the once legendary stationary separate coastal missile regiment, which during the USSR was monitored by the highest leadership of the country and which was regularly visited by the heads of the Ministry of Defense.

It was here, on Sotka, in 1957 that the traditions of coastal missilemen of the Black Sea Fleet were born. From here the first, still subsonic, S-2 cruise missiles drew their winning autographs. Today one of them is on the pedestal of the monument, which the missile warriors are decorating for the celebrations on the occasion of the Day of Missile Forces and Artillery (it is celebrated on November 19 - Editor's note) and the unit’s 60th anniversary is already close. The monument reads: “This model of the S-2 missile has been preserved as a token of gratitude to the creators of the first RO complex for coastal missile units of the Navy.”

The missile complex is hidden high in the mountains, where eagles soar above the rocks. From here, the Utes is capable of reaching an enemy target anywhere in the Black Sea.

After the collapse of the USSR, the legendary "weaving" was transferred several times to the subordination of one or another unit of the Ukrainian Navy. But no one took care of the facility, and this military unit fell into disrepair. Looted blocks at the command post, cut out cable routes with non-ferrous metal - this was the legacy received by the Russian missilemen who appeared at the battery shortly after the events of the Crimean Spring. Therefore, restoring the Utes' combat capability was a real technical feat. This task was entrusted to an officer who once commanded the division and now works in the recovery team - reserve lieutenant colonel Evgeniy Lipko.

It was very difficult to achieve this,” says reserve lieutenant colonel Evgeniy Lipko. “But we, like people possessed, together with today’s rocket scientists, completed the task. I really wanted to hear the rocket thunder over the steep Crimean coast again and remember my officer youth, when we fired rockets regularly. We are now continuing repair work together with specialists from NPO Mashinostroyeniye. These are professionals of the highest level. One of them is Doctor of Science, captain 1st rank Konstantin Pogorelov. We hope that now, as in previous times, Utes’ rocket signatures will appear in the Crimean sky, protecting the peaceful life of the inhabitants of the peninsula.

Lipko showed metal hanging bunks fixed to the walls of the underground corridors. It turns out that at one time they were removed from the decommissioned cruiser "Slava", and thanks to them, during combat duty, the division turned into a ship on the shore, only with a higher combat readiness. The rocket men were here around the clock - they slept underground in corridors carved out of the rocky ground by the creators of Sotka. They carried out real combat duty here when NATO ships entered the Black Sea. And each of the uninvited guests was, as they say, at gunpoint. The rockets and rocket men were ready for immediate action. This was the case during the demarche of the newest ships of the US Navy - the cruiser Yorktown and the destroyer Caron, which were forced out by two of our patrol ships, which were significantly inferior in displacement and armament to the American ones.

Together with the commander of the Utes division, Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Slesarev, we walked along the adit to the launcher past the cruise missiles hidden in the storage facility. We caught the moment when powerful lifting devices slowly but surely pushed the launcher upward for a test run of the cruise missile engine. The main engine hums and releases a powerful stream of air.

The first firing in modern history was carried out by the Utes missilemen just a few months after Sevastopol and Crimea became part of the Russian Federation. Since the times of the USSR, each missile firing was marked by the appearance of a five-pointed star on the lid of the container, and now a tricolor Russian one has appeared on the launcher next to the red stars.

3M44 Progress missiles, due to their long firing range with external target designation, can cover a coast of several hundred kilometers in length,” says Captain 1st Rank Reserve Sergei Gross, deputy head of the Black Sea Fleet coastal forces, in the recent past. - Progress missiles, although not new, like, say, modern coastal missile systems "Bal" or "Bastion", are very reliable. A powerful high-explosive or special warhead of the Progress missile will disable a ship of any class with one missile.

Near the starting position, in a high-mountain forest, a small military town is lost, where everything is thought out for a comfortable life for rocket scientists. The barracks here are quite spacious, the beds are in one tier. There is a personnel rest room with a large plasma TV, a huge chess table, and a utility room equipped with everything necessary. In its place is the latest issue of the wall newspaper, published by senior contract service sailor Yulia Vasilyeva.

Despite the remoteness of our division, it is staffed by 80 percent contract soldiers,” says Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Slesarev. - This is a high percentage. And everyone is true professionals.

Help "RG"

In 1955, a large number of tunnels and special rooms were cut into the rock in the area of ​​Cape Aya, in which various means of the silo missile system were located. In 1957, "Object 100" conducted the first firing using S-2 guided missiles and was included in the forces of the combat core of the Black Sea Fleet. Before reconstruction and rearmament, which began in 1964, the regiment carried out 25 launches, the success rate of which was 71.5 percent.

At the end of April 1972, after six test launches, the Object 100 was introduced into the permanent readiness forces. On April 19, 1973, the first test firing was successfully completed according to the combat training plan at a range of 219 kilometers. 1986 was a record year for the number of missile launches - 14, of which 10 were in target mode, two under the serial control test program.

The last time Object 100 launched a rocket was in September 1993, after which it stood idle for several years. As part of the agreement on the division of the Black Sea Fleet in 1996, the complex went to Ukraine. In 1997, the new owners were even able to carry out one training launch of a rocket, after which the complex was virtually destroyed.

Utes is currently armed with Progress missiles. Their flight range is up to 460 kilometers.

The division of the Utes silo coastal missile system has been restored in Crimea.

“It is expected that the revived complex will conduct several missile launches in order to prove its viability. In the future, it is planned to deploy a silo-based Bastion missile system on its base,” the agency’s interlocutor said.

Let's remember the history of this missile system.

To protect the southern sea borders and Sevastopol from the sea at the height of the Cold War, in 1954, high in the mountains near Balaklava, the world's first underground coastal-based missile system, Sopka, began to be created with a range of up to 100 km in the Black Sea.
The construction of “Object 100” (this is the code the secret construction project received) was carried out by the 95th Specialized Directorate for Underground Works of the Black Sea Fleet. The facility consisted of two identical underground complexes and launch pads, 6 km apart from each other. The military builders were led by the chief engineer of the Black Sea Fleet construction department, Colonel A. Gelovani, the future Deputy Minister of Defense, Marshal of the Engineering Troops.

The head of the construction of site No. 1 was captain A. Kuznetsov, site No. 2 - engineer A. Klyuev. Installation operations from the Era enterprise were led by engineer F. Karaka. Each construction site employed up to 1,000 people.

At construction sites, launch positions and underground structures protected from atomic weapons were erected from heat-resistant concrete, which housed command posts, missile storage facilities and workshops for preparation and refueling. The missiles in the structures were on special technological carts with folded wings and were moved to the launch positions by special mechanisms. The underground complex had full engineering support, diesel power plants, filter-ventilation units, reserves of fuel, water and food, ensuring the life of the facility when it was completely sealed after an atomic strike. Protected reinforced concrete bunkers were placed at the heads next to the launch positions to shelter missiles removed from the launch.

The guidance and fire control system of the Sopka complex included the Mys detection radar, a central post combined with the S-1M guidance radar and the Burun tracking radar. The Mys and Burun radar stations passed state tests in 1955. The "Cape" radar station is designed to detect sea targets and provide target data to the central post and was located at an altitude of more than 550 meters on Cape Aya.

At the end of 1956, the construction of “Object 100” was practically completed, and the personnel underwent special training. A separate coastal missile regiment was formed, which on February 23, 1957 was included in the forces of the combat core of the fleet. The first commander of the regiment was Lieutenant Colonel G. Sidorenko (later Major General, Chief of the Coastal Troops and Marine Corps of the Black Sea Fleet). According to the test plan, the regiment carried out several missile firings. The very first of them was held on June 5, 1957 in the presence of the Black Sea Fleet commander, Admiral V. A. Kasatonov. The launch was carried out from the second battery (commander Lieutenant V. Karsakov). The successful result heralded the emergence of a new type of force in the USSR Navy - coastal missile units.

On July 25, 1957, the state commission accepted "Object 100". And at the beginning of 1959, the regiment was awarded the first challenge prize of the Navy Civil Code for missile firing. On July 30, 1960, the regiment received its permanent name - the 362nd Separate Coastal Missile Regiment (OBRP). During the operation of the Skala missile defense system from 1957 to 1965, the regiment carried out more than 25 practical missile launches.

On July 16, 1961, a resolution of the Council of Ministers was issued on the re-equipment of the Utes coastal stationary complexes from Sopka missiles to P-35B missiles. The re-equipment of stationary “objects 100” and “101” from the Strela complexes to the newly created Utes complex was determined by this decree. The stationary coastal operational-tactical anti-ship missile system "Utes" was developed on the basis of the P-35 anti-ship missile and the mobile coastal complex "Redut" at OKB-52 (TsKBM) under the leadership of V.M. Chelomeya. The Utes complex was adopted for service by Resolution of the Council of Ministers of April 28, 1973. The Utes complex was used to re-equip units previously equipped with the Sopka complex.

The complex included: MRTS-1 (“Success-U”), “Mys” radar with the “Password” identification system, a control system, launchers, P-35 missiles, and a complex of ground equipment. The Utes control system was created at NII-303, the missile's main turbojet engine was developed at OKB-300. At Cape Aya, the second division of the 362nd OBRP was the first to undergo re-equipment in 1964. The main technical solutions for the Utes complex differed significantly from those previously implemented for the Strela complex, the launchers of which were extended horizontally from rock adits. For Utes, rotating two-container installations weighing more than 30 tons were adopted, which were placed in shafts 20 m deep, and before launch they were raised to a height of 6 m above the surface. Immediately before the launch, containers with missiles were launched at an angle of 15°. All the main objects of the complexes were located in reinforced concrete structures buried in rocky soil. During the pre-launch preparation process, rockets were checked and refueled there. During the engine race, immediately before the launch, the rocket was refueled directly at the launcher (as in the ship's SM-70), which increased the firing range.

On September 16, 1964, the first batch of military builders from a special detachment of the Black Sea Fleet arrived at the regiment's location. The underground structures that the regiment had were subject to reconstruction to fit the dimensions of the new coastal missile complex. The builders, under the leadership of Captain A. Klimov, together with the personnel of the second division, began work. Before this, the previous complex was completely dismantled.

Ten-meter rockets in a horizontal position with folded wings were stored on technological carts with launch units and, after pre-launch preparation and refueling with liquid fuel, were ready for launch. Twin launch containers extending from underground made it possible to quickly reload new missiles.

Autonomous testing of ground equipment began in mid-1968 and continued for more than two years. On May 28, 1971, the first P-35 launch was carried out at a range of about 200 km. Work in the first division was completed on February 25, 1972, and on April 17 of the following year, shooting was successfully carried out at the target of Project 1784 at a range of 217 km. On April 28, 1973, both divisions of the regiment entered service. In 1978-1983 33 launches were carried out, of which 30 were successful. The re-equipment of the divisions of the 616th separate coastal missile regiment of the Northern Fleet on Kildin Island was completed in 1976 and 1983. The launchers of the complex were located in rock shelters. The launchers are generally similar to the “half” of the launchers of Project 56 missile cruisers (Grozny, Admiral Golovko) - the installation contains not 4 containers with anti-ship missiles, but two. Cruise missiles were delivered to the launch pads through tunnels along guide rails on special platforms with electric motors.

The launchers were protected by massive steel covers, which moved to the side during launch. In a matter of minutes, a colossal launcher structure appeared on the surface and could launch an attack with two missiles. “Object 100” consisted of two divisions, separated by a distance of 6 kilometers, each of which was armed with two launchers. In 1974, the modernization of coastal missile systems for the Progress missile began. In 1976, the regiment at Cape Aya carried out six test launches. In 1982, the complex was modernized - a new 3M44 Progress missile was introduced into the complex. The production of missiles for coastal complexes was carried out from 1982 to 1987. Thanks to the long firing range, the battery of the Utes complex, with external target designation, can cover a coastline several hundred kilometers long. A powerful high-explosive or nuclear warhead (350 kt) makes it possible to disable a ship of any class with one missile.

At the end of April 1972, after six test launches, the Object 100 was introduced into the permanent readiness forces. On April 19, 1973, the first test firing was successfully completed according to the combat training plan at a range of 219 kilometers. 1986 was a record year for the number of missile launches - 14, of which 10 were in target mode, two under the serial control test program.

The regiment repeatedly bore the title of excellent and was awarded the challenge Red Banners of the Military Councils of the Black Sea Fleet and Navy for firing missiles at a naval target. In 1982, the name of the regiment was included on the marble Board of Honor in the Central Naval Museum.

The last time Object 100 launched a rocket was in September 1993, after which it stood idle for several years. As part of the agreement on the division of the Black Sea Fleet in 1996, the complex went to Ukraine. In 1997, the new owners were even able to carry out one training launch of a rocket, after which the complex was virtually destroyed.

After which, in the early 2000s, the division near the village of Oboronnoye was plundered and all the metal was removed from it. In 2002 the division was disbanded, in 2003-2004 the equipment was cut into metal. The other division was mothballed and, strangely enough, survived. In 2009, the Ukrainian Naval Forces even made an attempt to restore it. Now this division has been returned to the Coastal Missile and Artillery Forces of the Russian Navy!
In the fall of 2014, engineers and workers at the Black Fleet Missile and Artillery Weapons Repair Plant restored the coastal missile division of the famous Sotka missile complex, which is located near the village of Rezervnoye.

An earlier informed source said that the first silo-based Bastion coastal missile system could be deployed in Crimea by 2020.

“It will use both the currently existing anti-ship Yakhonts and promising missile variants currently being developed that will be capable of destroying any target located in the Black Sea,” the agency’s interlocutor said.
According to him, the silo method of placing Bastion will significantly increase the combat stability of the complex.

“Stationary basing will make irreversible a retaliatory strike against any ship that invades the territorial waters of the Russian Black Sea region,” the agency’s interlocutor emphasized.

He noted that the stationary Bastion will be able to use unmanned aerial vehicles and underwater sonar systems. The mine will be able to withstand excess pressure in the front of the shock wave with a force of up to 20 kgf/cm2.
The mobile coastal missile system "Bastion" with a unified supersonic homing anti-ship missile 3M55 "Yakhont" was developed and produced at NPO Mashinostroeniya (part of the Tactical Missile Arms Corporation).

The Bastion complex is designed to protect the sea coast with a length of over 600 km and destroy surface ships of various classes and types operating as part of landing formations, convoys, ship and aircraft carrier strike groups, as well as single ships and ground radio-contrast targets in conditions of intense fire and electronic warfare. counteraction.

The ammunition load of one complex can include up to 36 Yakhont missiles. The missile has an over-the-horizon firing range. It implements the “fire and forget” principle.

Yakhont is capable of hitting targets at a distance of 300 km and carrying a warhead weighing more than 200 kg. The missile is distinguished by complete autonomy for combat use, high supersonic speed in all phases of flight, the ability to select different trajectories (low-altitude and combined), as well as complete unification for a wide range of maritime, aviation and ground carriers.

Here is a photo of Vladimir Pasyakin

After the collapse of the USSR, the legendary "weaving" was transferred several times to the subordination of one or another unit of the Ukrainian Navy. But no one took care of the facility, and this military unit fell into disrepair. Looted blocks at the command post, cut out cable routes with non-ferrous metal - this was the legacy received by the Russian missilemen who appeared at the battery shortly after the events of the Crimean Spring. Therefore, restoring the Utes' combat capability was a real technical feat. This task was entrusted to an officer who once commanded the division and now works in the recovery team - reserve lieutenant colonel Evgeniy Lipko.

It was very difficult to achieve this,” says reserve lieutenant colonel Evgeniy Lipko. “But we, like people possessed, together with today’s rocket scientists, completed the task. I really wanted to hear the rocket thunder over the steep Crimean coast again and remember my officer youth, when we fired rockets regularly. We are now continuing repair work together with specialists from NPO Mashinostroyeniye. These are professionals of the highest level. One of them is Doctor of Science, Captain 1st Rank Konstantin Pogorelov. We hope that now, as in previous times, Utes’ rocket signatures will appear in the Crimean sky, protecting the peaceful life of the inhabitants of the peninsula.

Lipko showed metal hanging bunks fixed to the walls of the underground corridors. It turns out that at one time they were removed from the decommissioned cruiser "Slava", and thanks to them, during combat duty, the division turned into a ship on the shore, only with a higher combat readiness. The rocket men were here around the clock - they slept underground in corridors carved out of the rocky ground by the creators of Sotka. They carried out real combat duty here when NATO ships entered the Black Sea. And each of the uninvited guests was, as they say, at gunpoint. The rockets and rocket men were ready for immediate action. This was the case during the demarche of the newest ships of the US Navy - the cruiser Yorktown and the destroyer Caron, which were forced out by two of our patrol ships, which were significantly inferior in displacement and armament to the American ones.

Together with the commander of the Utes division, Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Slesarev, we walked along the adit to the launcher past the cruise missiles hidden in the storage facility. We caught the moment when powerful lifting devices slowly but surely pushed the launcher upward for a test run of the cruise missile engine. The main engine hums and releases a powerful stream of air.

The first firing in modern history was carried out by the Utes missilemen just a few months after Sevastopol and Crimea became part of the Russian Federation. Since the times of the USSR, each missile firing was marked by the appearance of a five-pointed star on the lid of the container, and now a tricolor Russian one has appeared on the launcher next to the red stars.

3M44 Progress missiles, due to their long firing range with external target designation, can cover a coast of several hundred kilometers in length,” says Captain 1st Rank Reserve Sergei Gross, deputy head of the Black Sea Fleet coastal forces, in the recent past. - Progress missiles, although not new, like, say, modern coastal missile systems "Bal" or "Bastion", are very reliable. A powerful high-explosive or special warhead of the Progress missile will disable a ship of any class with one missile.

Near the starting position, in a high-mountain forest, a small military town is lost, where everything is thought out for a comfortable life for rocket scientists. The barracks here are quite spacious, the beds are in one tier. There is a personnel rest room with a large plasma TV, a huge chess table, and a utility room equipped with everything necessary. In its place is the latest issue of the wall newspaper, published by senior contract service sailor Yulia Vasilyeva.

Despite the remoteness of our division, it is staffed by 80 percent contract soldiers,” says Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Slesarev. - This is a high percentage. And everyone is true professionals.

The division of the Utes silo coastal missile system has been restored in Crimea, and it is planned to deploy the Bastion missile system at its base, a source familiar with the situation said.

“It is expected that the revived complex will conduct several missile launches in order to prove its viability. In the future, it is planned to deploy the silo-based Bastion missile system at its base,” Interfax reports his words.

An earlier informed source said that by 2020, the first silo-based Bastion coastal missile system could be deployed in Crimea, which would use anti-ship Yakhonts and advanced missile variants currently being developed.

A source in the power structures of Crimea said that the combat readiness of two Utes coastal missile systems was confirmed by the successful launches of P-35 cruise missiles, RIA Novosti reports.

“A decision was made to place on combat duty the silo-based Utes coastal missile systems, located in Crimea back in Soviet times. To confirm the operational readiness of the complexes, P-35 cruise missiles were launched as part of a surprise inspection, which were successful,” he said.

According to him, the Black Sea Fleet now has two Utes silo missile systems at its disposal, each of them with two launch containers.

According to open sources, Utes missile systems armed with the P-35 cruise missile are capable of hitting targets at a range of up to 300 kilometers. The flight speed of the P-35 missile exceeds 2 thousand kilometers per hour, and it is equipped with a 560-kilogram high-explosive warhead.

The Bastion coastal missile system with the Onyx anti-ship missile is designed to destroy surface ships of various classes and types in conditions of intense fire and electronic countermeasures. The maximum ammunition load of the complex is 24 cruise missiles. The complex can provide protection against enemy landing operations along a 600-kilometer-long coastline.

On November 1, Reuters stated that Russia was reviving abandoned military bases in Crimea. The publication's correspondent stated that he had discovered 18 military installations on the peninsula.

The division of the Utes silo coastal missile system has been restored in Crimea.

“It is expected that the revived complex will conduct several missile launches in order to prove its viability. In the future, it is planned to deploy a silo-based Bastion missile system on its base,” the agency’s interlocutor said.

Let's remember the history of this missile system.

To protect the southern sea borders and Sevastopol from the sea at the height of the Cold War, in 1954, high in the mountains near Balaklava, the world's first underground coastal-based missile system, Sopka, began to be created with a range of up to 100 km in the Black Sea.

The construction of “Object 100” (this is the code the secret construction project received) was carried out by the 95th Specialized Directorate for Underground Works of the Black Sea Fleet. The facility consisted of two identical underground complexes and launch pads, 6 km apart from each other. The military builders were led by the chief engineer of the Black Sea Fleet construction department, Colonel A. Gelovani, the future Deputy Minister of Defense, Marshal of the Engineering Troops. The head of the construction of site No. 1 was captain A. Kuznetsov, site No. 2 - engineer A. Klyuev. Installation operations from the Era enterprise were led by engineer F. Karaka. Each construction site employed up to 1,000 people.

At construction sites, launch positions and underground structures protected from atomic weapons were erected from heat-resistant concrete, which housed command posts, missile storage facilities and workshops for preparation and refueling. The missiles in the structures were on special technological carts with folded wings and were moved to the launch positions by special mechanisms. The underground complex had full engineering support, diesel power plants, filter-ventilation units, reserves of fuel, water and food, ensuring the life of the facility when it was completely sealed after an atomic strike. Protected reinforced concrete bunkers were placed at the heads next to the launch positions to shelter missiles removed from the launch.

The guidance and fire control system of the Sopka complex included the Mys detection radar, a central post combined with the S-1M guidance radar and the Burun tracking radar. The Mys and Burun radar stations passed state tests in 1955. The "Cape" radar station is designed to detect sea targets and provide target data to the central post and was located at an altitude of more than 550 meters on Cape Aya.

At the end of 1956, the construction of “Object 100” was practically completed, and the personnel underwent special training. A separate coastal missile regiment was formed, which on February 23, 1957 was included in the forces of the combat core of the fleet. The first commander of the regiment was Lieutenant Colonel G. Sidorenko (later Major General, Chief of the Coastal Troops and Marine Corps of the Black Sea Fleet). According to the test plan, the regiment carried out several missile firings. The very first of them was held on June 5, 1957 in the presence of the Black Sea Fleet commander, Admiral V. A. Kasatonov. The launch was carried out from the second battery (commander Lieutenant V. Karsakov). The successful result heralded the emergence of a new type of force in the USSR Navy - coastal missile units.

On July 25, 1957, the state commission accepted "Object 100". And at the beginning of 1959, the regiment was awarded the first challenge prize of the Navy Civil Code for missile firing. On July 30, 1960, the regiment received its permanent name - the 362nd Separate Coastal Missile Regiment (OBRP). During the operation of the Skala missile defense system from 1957 to 1965, the regiment carried out more than 25 practical missile launches.

On July 16, 1961, a resolution of the Council of Ministers was issued on the re-equipment of the Utes coastal stationary complexes from Sopka missiles to P-35B missiles. The re-equipment of stationary “objects 100” and “101” from the Strela complexes to the newly created Utes complex was determined by this decree. The stationary coastal operational-tactical anti-ship missile system "Utes" was developed on the basis of the P-35 anti-ship missile and the mobile coastal complex "Redut" at OKB-52 (TsKBM) under the leadership of V.M. Chelomeya. The Utes complex was adopted for service by Resolution of the Council of Ministers of April 28, 1973. The Utes complex was used to re-equip units previously equipped with the Sopka complex.

The complex included: MRTS-1 (“Success-U”), “Mys” radar with the “Password” identification system, a control system, launchers, P-35 missiles, and a complex of ground equipment. The Utes control system was created at NII-303, the missile's main turbojet engine was developed at OKB-300. At Cape Aya, the second division of the 362nd OBRP was the first to undergo re-equipment in 1964. The main technical solutions for the Utes complex differed significantly from those previously implemented for the Strela complex, the launchers of which were extended horizontally from rock adits. For Utes, rotating two-container installations weighing more than 30 tons were adopted, which were placed in shafts 20 m deep, and before launch they were raised to a height of 6 m above the surface. Immediately before the launch, containers with missiles were launched at an angle of 15°. All the main objects of the complexes were located in reinforced concrete structures buried in rocky soil. During the pre-launch preparation process, rockets were checked and refueled there. During the engine race, immediately before the launch, the rocket was refueled directly at the launcher (as in the ship's SM-70), which increased the firing range.

On September 16, 1964, the first batch of military builders from a special detachment of the Black Sea Fleet arrived at the regiment's location. The underground structures that the regiment had were subject to reconstruction to fit the dimensions of the new coastal missile complex. The builders, under the leadership of Captain A. Klimov, together with the personnel of the second division, began work. Before this, the previous complex was completely dismantled.

Ten-meter rockets in a horizontal position with folded wings were stored on technological carts with launch units and, after pre-launch preparation and refueling with liquid fuel, were ready for launch. Twin launch containers extending from underground made it possible to quickly reload new missiles.

Autonomous testing of ground equipment began in mid-1968 and continued for more than two years. On May 28, 1971, the first P-35 launch was carried out at a range of about 200 km. Work in the first division was completed on February 25, 1972, and on April 17 of the following year, shooting was successfully carried out at the target of Project 1784 at a range of 217 km. On April 28, 1973, both divisions of the regiment entered service. In 1978-1983 33 launches were carried out, of which 30 were successful. The re-equipment of the divisions of the 616th separate coastal missile regiment of the Northern Fleet on Kildin Island was completed in 1976 and 1983. The launchers of the complex were located in rock shelters. The launchers are generally similar to the “half” of the launchers of Project 56 missile cruisers (Grozny, Admiral Golovko) - the installation contains not 4 containers with anti-ship missiles, but two. Cruise missiles were delivered to the launch pads through tunnels along guide rails on special platforms with electric motors.

The launchers were protected by massive steel covers, which moved to the side during launch. In a matter of minutes, a colossal launcher structure appeared on the surface and could launch an attack with two missiles. “Object 100” consisted of two divisions, separated by a distance of 6 kilometers, each of which was armed with two launchers. In 1974, the modernization of coastal missile systems for the Progress missile began. In 1976, the regiment at Cape Aya carried out six test launches. In 1982, the complex was modernized - a new 3M44 Progress missile was introduced into the complex. The production of missiles for coastal complexes was carried out from 1982 to 1987. Thanks to the long firing range, the battery of the Utes complex, with external target designation, can cover a coastline several hundred kilometers long. A powerful high-explosive or nuclear warhead (350 kt) makes it possible to disable a ship of any class with one missile.

At the end of April 1972, after six test launches, the Object 100 was introduced into the permanent readiness forces. On April 19, 1973, the first test firing was successfully completed according to the combat training plan at a range of 219 kilometers. 1986 was a record year for the number of missile launches - 14, of which 10 were in target mode, two under the serial control test program.

The regiment repeatedly bore the title of excellent and was awarded the challenge Red Banners of the Military Councils of the Black Sea Fleet and Navy for firing missiles at a naval target. In 1982, the name of the regiment was included on the marble Board of Honor in the Central Naval Museum.

The last time Object 100 launched a rocket was in September 1993, after which it stood idle for several years. As part of the agreement on the division of the Black Sea Fleet in 1996, the complex went to Ukraine. In 1997, the new owners were even able to carry out one training launch of a rocket, after which the complex was virtually destroyed.

After which, in the early 2000s, the division near the village of Oboronnoye was plundered and all the metal was removed from it. In 2002 the division was disbanded, in 2003-2004 the equipment was cut into metal. The other division was mothballed and, strangely enough, survived. In 2009, the Ukrainian Naval Forces even made an attempt to restore it. Now this division has been returned to the Coastal Missile and Artillery Forces of the Russian Navy!

In the fall of 2014, engineers and workers at the Black Fleet Missile and Artillery Weapons Repair Plant restored the coastal missile division of the famous Sotka missile complex, which is located near the village of Rezervnoye.

An earlier informed source said that the first silo-based Bastion coastal missile system could be deployed in Crimea by 2020.

“It will use both the currently existing anti-ship Yakhonts and promising missile variants currently being developed that will be capable of destroying any target located in the Black Sea,” the agency’s interlocutor said.

According to him, the silo method of placing Bastion will significantly increase the combat stability of the complex.

“Stationary basing will make irreversible a retaliatory strike against any ship that invades the territorial waters of the Russian Black Sea region,” the agency’s interlocutor emphasized.

He noted that the stationary Bastion will be able to use unmanned aerial vehicles and underwater sonar systems. The mine will be able to withstand excess pressure in the front of the shock wave with a force of up to 20 kgf/cm2.

The mobile coastal missile system "Bastion" with a unified supersonic homing anti-ship missile 3M55 "Yakhont" was developed and produced at NPO Mashinostroeniya (part of the Tactical Missile Arms Corporation).

The Bastion complex is designed to protect the sea coast with a length of over 600 km and destroy surface ships of various classes and types operating as part of landing formations, convoys, ship and aircraft carrier strike groups, as well as single ships and ground radio-contrast targets in conditions of intense fire and electronic warfare. counteraction.

The ammunition load of one complex can include up to 36 Yakhont missiles. The missile has an over-the-horizon firing range. It implements the “fire and forget” principle.

Yakhont is capable of hitting targets at a distance of 300 km and carrying a warhead weighing more than 200 kg. The missile is distinguished by complete autonomy for combat use, high supersonic speed in all phases of flight, the ability to select different trajectories (low-altitude and combined), as well as complete unification for a wide range of maritime, aviation and ground carriers.

Photo 1.

After the collapse of the USSR, the legendary "weaving" was transferred several times to the subordination of one or another unit of the Ukrainian Navy. But no one took care of the facility, and this military unit fell into disrepair. Looted blocks at the command post, cut out cable routes with non-ferrous metal - this was the legacy received by the Russian missilemen who appeared at the battery shortly after the events of the Crimean Spring. Therefore, restoring the Utes' combat capability was a real technical feat. This task was entrusted to an officer who once commanded the division and now works in the recovery team - reserve lieutenant colonel Evgeniy Lipko.

Photo 2.

It was very difficult to achieve this,” says reserve lieutenant colonel Evgeniy Lipko. “But we, like people possessed, together with today’s rocket scientists, completed the task. I really wanted to hear the rocket thunder over the steep Crimean coast again and remember my officer youth, when we fired rockets regularly. We are now continuing repair work together with specialists from NPO Mashinostroyeniye. These are professionals of the highest level. One of them is Doctor of Science, captain 1st rank Konstantin Pogorelov. We hope that now, as in previous times, Utes’ rocket signatures will appear in the Crimean sky, protecting the peaceful life of the inhabitants of the peninsula.

Photo 3.

Lipko showed metal hanging bunks fixed to the walls of the underground corridors. It turns out that at one time they were removed from the decommissioned cruiser "Slava", and thanks to them, during combat duty, the division turned into a ship on the shore, only with a higher combat readiness. The rocket men were here around the clock - they slept underground in corridors carved out of the rocky ground by the creators of Sotka. They carried out real combat duty here when NATO ships entered the Black Sea. And each of the uninvited guests was, as they say, at gunpoint. The rockets and rocket men were ready for immediate action. This was the case during the demarche of the newest ships of the US Navy - the cruiser Yorktown and the destroyer Caron, which were forced out by two of our patrol ships, which were significantly inferior in displacement and armament to the American ones.

Photo 4.

Together with the commander of the Utes division, Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Slesarev, we walked along the adit to the launcher past the cruise missiles hidden in the storage facility. We caught the moment when powerful lifting devices slowly but surely pushed the launcher upward for a test run of the cruise missile engine. The main engine hums and releases a powerful stream of air.

The first firing in modern history was carried out by the Utes missilemen just a few months after Sevastopol and Crimea became part of the Russian Federation. Since the times of the USSR, each missile firing was marked by the appearance of a five-pointed star on the lid of the container, and now a tricolor Russian one has appeared on the launcher next to the red stars.

Photo 5.

3M44 Progress missiles, due to their long firing range with external target designation, can cover a coast of several hundred kilometers in length,” says Captain 1st Rank Reserve Sergei Gross, deputy head of the Black Sea Fleet coastal forces, in the recent past. - Progress missiles, although not new, like, say, modern coastal missile systems "Bal" or "Bastion", are very reliable. A powerful high-explosive or special warhead of the Progress missile will disable a ship of any class with one missile.

Photo 6.

Near the starting position, in a high-mountain forest, a small military town is lost, where everything is thought out for a comfortable life for rocket scientists. The barracks here are quite spacious, the beds are in one tier. There is a personnel rest room with a large plasma TV, a huge chess table, and a utility room equipped with everything necessary. In its place is the latest issue of the wall newspaper, published by senior contract service sailor Yulia Vasilyeva.

Despite the remoteness of our division, it is staffed by 80 percent contract soldiers,” says Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Slesarev. - This is a high percentage. And everyone is true professionals.

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sources