Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
February 11, 2012
IWG Report 2009
Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
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RBS-15
| Country: | Sweden |
|---|---|
| Class: | SLCM |
| Target: | Ship |
| Length: | 4.35 m |
| Diameter: | 0.50 m |
| Wingspan: | 1.40 m |
| Launch Weight: | 790-805 kg |
| Payload: | 200 kg HE, fragmentation |
| Propulsion: | Turbojet w/ solid boosters |
| Range: | 100-200 km |
| Guidance: | INS, radio altimeter, active radar |
| Status: | Operational |
| In Service: | 1985-Present |
| Associated Country: | Germany |
| Exported: | Finland, Germany, Poland, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia |
Details
The RBS-15 is a short-range, turbojet-powered, single-warhead, surface-to-surface and air-to-surface, anti-ship cruise missile developed and manufactured by Sweden. It was designed for deep water and littoral warfare, and can be launched from ships, aircraft, and ground vehicles.
Saab Missiles (now Saab Bofors Dynamics) began to develop the RBS-15 in 1979. Several versions exist including the ship-launched RBS-15M, the coastal defense RBS-15K, the air-launched RBS-15F, and the export version RBS-15CD. The ship-launched RBS-15M Mk 1 entered service with the Royal Swedish Navy in 1985, and is deployed on “Stockholm” and “Goteborg” class missile corvettes, and on “Visby” class corvettes in the future. The ground-launched coastal defense RBS-15K Mk 1 entered service with the Royal Swedish Coastal Artillery forces in 1987, and is deployed on wheeled truck Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) vehicles, each of which carry four missiles.
The ship-launched RBS-15M Mk 1 and coastal defense RBS-15K Mk 1 versions are identical. The missile has four wings and four canard stabilizing fins at the nose. It is 4.35 m in length, has a body diameter of 0.50 m, a maximum unfolded wingspan of 1.4 m, and has a launch weight of 790 kg. Midcourse guidance is provided by a preprogrammed autopilot with a radio altimeter for height control. The missile is powered by two jettisonable solid propellant booster motors and a turbojet sustainer motor. It has a minimum range of 10 km, a maximum range of 100 km, and a cruising speed of Mach 0.8. The missile carries a 200 kg high explosive blast/fragmentation warhead.
The air-launched RBS-15F Mk 1 missile entered service with the Royal Swedish Air Force in 1989. It is similar to the Mk 1 ship- and ground-launched versions, but does not include the two solid propellant boost motors, thus giving it a launch weight of 598 kg.
In 1995, an upgrade program for the ship-launched RBS-15M Mk 1 and coastal defense RBS-15K Mk 1 versions began. The new RBS-15M Mk 2 and RBS-15K Mk 2 missiles include an increased range of 150 km, improvements to the midcourse guidance system, and the ability to turn 90 degrees before the terminal phase. The missiles have a new turbojet sustainer motor, a new high explosive semi-armor piercing warhead, and a launch weight of 800 kg. The RBS-15M Mk 2 and RBS-15K Mk 2 missiles entered service in 1998. An air-launched RBS-15F Mk 2 upgrade entered service in 2001, and is deployed on AJ 37 Viggen and JAS 39 Gripen aircraft, each capable of carrying two missiles. Production and delivery of RBS-15 Mk 2 missiles of all variants were completed by the end of 2003.
Sources indicate that testing of an Mk 3 upgrade began in 1997. The Mk 3 is believed to be more stealthy and maneuverable at high subsonic speed, and features new technology to hide its launch location and thus increase the survivability of the launch vehicle. It has a range in excess of 200 km, and may have land attack capability. Development continues, and ship-, ground-, and air-launched versions are planned. The Mk 3 missile outweighs the Mk 2 by a mere 5 kg for a total mass of 805 kg. Flight trials of the Mk 3 system began in 2000 and the ship-launched versions of the missile probably entered service in 2007.
In 2000, upgrades to the Mk 3 were proposed that, as of 2003, have been designated Mk 4. Possible Mk 4 upgrades include an improved warhead, booster rockets with reduced smoke, a range of 400 km, a GPS and datalink guidance system, and a dual-mode seeker. Research on the Mk 4 continues as a German/Swedish partnership.
The RBS-15 has been exported to several countries under the designation RBS-15CD. The missile has been exported to Finland, where it has been fitted to “Helsinki” and “Rauma” class fast attack craft. It has also been exported to Germany, Poland, Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia. Germany uses the Mk 3 variant aboard their K-130 Braunschweig-class corvettes and has built the missiles through a joint partnership with Sweden. Finland upgraded their Mk 1 missiles to the Mk 2 standard in 2001. The Polish Navy uses missiles of both the Mk 2 and Mk 3 variants. A 2007 report suggests that Thailand may order air-launched versions of the Mk 3 when they become available.(1)
Footnotes
- Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems, Issue 50, ed. Duncan Lennox, (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, January 2009) 174-175. ; see the manufacturer's page at http://products.saab.se/PDBWebNew/Generic.aspx?Entrance=Product&ProductCategoryId=270&ProductGroupId=337&ProductId=657, accessed 4 February 2011.
