Russia's Bal-E coastal defense system to be equipped with upgraded Kh-35 missile

The Bal coastal defense system will be equipped with an upgraded version of the Kh-35E missile, Morinformsystem-Agat Group CEO and General Designer Georgy Antsev told TASS on Tuesday. Morinformsystem-Agat naval weapons developer is upgrading the Bal coastal defense missile system. The system will receive a modernized missile, which has a range of up to 300 kilometers (186 miles) and can be guided via unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), he added.

"Everything is clear with the Bal system. The Tactical Missiles Corporation has upgraded the Kh-35E missile. Its air-launched version has been built. There will be the ground and sea-launched versions as well. The missile has a good range, which is about 300 kilometers," Antsev said.

According to data from public sources, the Bal system equipped with the Kh-35E missile has a range of 120 kilometers (74.6 miles) now.

The Bal system needs new target designation technology due to the missile’s longer range, Antsev said.

"The upgraded Bal system is most likely to be furnished with an unmanned aerial vehicle, which will function as a target designation system. We are cooperating with the Kamov Design Bureau, which has a UAV weighing about a ton. We have a partner, Radar-mms Company, which is developing a UAV with a weight of about 500 kilograms," Antsev said.

The Bal system should be equipped with underwater target designation technology as well, the CEO said.

"We have underwater robotic systems fitted out with good sonars, which can operate underwater and transmit data to the coast," Antsev said.

The Bal-E mobile coastal missile system with the Kh-35 type anti-ship missile was developed on the order of the Russian Navy in the late 1990s and adopted for service in 2008. The system consists of a self-propelled command control and communications centre, self-propelled launchers, a transport and reloader machine and communications vehicle, a total of up to 11 special vehicles.

The system can conduct both single and salvo fire from any launcher, with the capability of receiving current information from other command posts and external reconnaissance/target designation data sources. A salvo can include up to 32 missiles. One such salvo can thwart a combat mission carried out by an enemy naval attack group, a landing force or a convoy.