Russian Navy strengthens their fleets with the new Bastion missile systems
The Russian Black Sea Fleet in the annexed Sevastopol may be reinforced with the new Bastion coastal defence missile systems, as was reported by Interfax on January 27th, referring to a statement by the general director of the Russian company NPO Mashinostroyeniya, Alexander Leonov.
The news agency writes that according to him, the delivery of the Bastion system is provided for in a 2017 state defense order. The Baltic, Black Sea, Northern, and Pacific Russian fleets will be reinforced by the same defense systems.
"If you would like to know the exact number of the Bastion coastal defence missile systems planned to be supplied to the military upon the state defense order in 2017, you should address those questions to the Ministry of Defense," Leonov said.
The Bastion mobile coastal defense missile system is equipped with Onyx unified supersonic homing anti-ship missiles and was designed and produced by NPO Mashinostroyeniya (in Reutov, Moscow region, part of the OJSC Tactical Missiles Corporation). The system is designed to protect coastal areas and has a range of over 600 km for destroying ships of different classes and types. It can operate as part of airborne formations, convoys, ship and aircraft carrier battle groups, ground targets under intense fire, and radio-electronic countermeasures. The ammunition load of one system can consist of up to 36 missiles.