A team of specialists from Ukraine’s Artem and the State Research Institute of Chemical Products have successfully tested the air-fuelled explosive warhead. The warhead is ‘fitted with a thermobaric mixture that has a negative oxygen balance’. During combustion, the temperature of the rocket can exceed 1,500°C. The company reported that the warhead has a blast zone with a 4m to 5m radius. Furthermore, a sharp pressure drop occurs during the warhead’s combustion. The shock wave produced by the rocket is effective against both indoor and outdoor targets. The test results proved that the warhead is suitable for both unguided weapons and guided rockets.
The RS-80 unguided air-fuelled warhead is an upgraded version of the S-8KOM unguided rocket. The RS-80 is designed to destroy hostile armoured, lightly armoured, and non-armoured combat equipment and enemy manpower. In addition to the main thermobaric charge, the warhead also features a shock core. This allows the warhead to destroy lightly armoured vehicles (LAVs), walls and shelters, up to 40mm of homogeneous armour, and up to 200mm of reinforced concrete. It is also capable of penetrating up to 500mm of brick. The RS-80 unguided rocket is equipped with a platter charge and was put through the first stages of prototype testing.
Artem Successfully Tests RS-80 Air-fuelled Warhead Unguided Aircraft Rocket Prototype
Thanks to the increase of warhead weight from 3.6 to 4.6 kg, the rocket can penetrate 400 mm of armor at the launch range of 1.2 – 4 km. In order to expand the limits of effective use and unification of modifications with Artem foresees the equipment of RS-80 with various combat elements and detonators. The equipment of this rocket with beam and HE-fragmentation warhead with a programmed fuze gives the opportunity to blow up the rocket while in the air, several meters away from the target. This modification was developed for fighting UAVs, as part of the surface-to-air rocket system. The destruction range of air targets – up to 4 km, ground targets – up to 7 km.
Artem National Joint Stock Holding Company is a state-owned, joint-stock holding company of the Ukranian defence industry firm Ukroboronprom (UOP). ARTEM Company is the leading enterprise of the aircraft industry of Ukraine and the former USSR countries in the production of air-to-air guided rockets which are in the armory of fighters like MiG-29, MiG-35, Su-27, Su-30, Su-32, Su-33, Su-34, Su-35 and their modifications as well as aeronautical units, devices and equipment for airplanes and helicopters manufactured by CIS countries. ARTEM Company manufactures and exports: R-27 and R-27E series medium- and extended-range air-to-air guided rockets of different modifications;
unguided aircraft rocket RS-80 with shaped-charge fragmentation warhead; antitank guided rockets of various caliber (100mm, 120mm and 125mm) and system GURT and GURT-M — ground automatic test equipment designed for on-site preparation and maintenance of air-launched guided weapons in field conditions or stationary bases.
