Kashtan
Encyclopedia : K : KA : KAS : Kashtan
-->Kashtan (Chestnut) CIWS is the newest addition to the Russian naval air-defense inventory. Mounted on the Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier, the more recent Kirov-class heavy cruisers, as well as the Udaloy and Sovremenny-class destroyers and Neustrashimy-class frigates to name a few. Most typically employed as a combined gun and missile system, it is intended to provide surface ships with a defense against sea skimming anti-ship missiles, as well as other high precision weapons, such as anti-radar missiles and guided bombs. The system can also be employed against fixed and rotary aircraft, other vessels such as fast attack boats, as well as shore based targets.
The weapon is a modular system comprising a command module and typically 2 combat modules, although the number can be as many as 6. The command module detects and tracks threats, distributes targeting data to the combat modules, and interrogates IFF of approaching threats. The command module has a 3-D target detection radar, and an all weather multi-band integrated control system. Depending on the number of installed combat modules, the system can engage multiple targets simultaneously.
The combat modules automatically track using either radar or optronic control system, and then engages targets with missiles and guns. The combat modules are typically made up of two GSh-30k (AO-18K) six barreled 30mm gatling guns, fed by a link-less feeding mechanism, and two SA-N-11 launchers equipped with 4 ready-to-fire missiles each and fed by a reloading system storing 24 missiles in ready-to-launch containers.
The combination of the missiles and guns, provides more comprehensive protection when compared to other CIWS made up of guns alone. The effective range of the missiles is 1500 – 10000 meters, up to an altitude of 6000 meters. The engagement range of the guns is 500 – 4000 meters, up to an altitude of 3000 meters. The guns have a combined rate of fire around 10,000 rpm, and the reloading time for a group of 4 missiles is 1.5 minutes.
References
[KBP Instrument Design Bureau]
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