Russian Navy’s Caspian Flotilla gets Bal coastal missile system

The first Russian coastal missile system (CMS) Bal has entered service with the Russian Navy’s Caspian Flottila (CF).

The ceremonial transfer to the CF took place in the country’s Republic of Dagestan, the Ministry of Defence said on January 30.

As explained, CMS Bal is intended for shore defence of places of permanent deployment of ships that provide security in the Caspian Sea and land units of the CF.

Crews of the Bal CF complex can fire missiles in bursts or make single launches at a given time.

For most of the flight, the missile flies above the sea surface, which saves ammunition and makes it difficult to intercept and terminate the missile with air defence systems.

One CMS Bal is capable of firing more than 50 missiles simultaneously in a given time, according to the ministry.

Bal is mounted on a high-pass chassis MZKT-7930, which allows the crew to take firing positions on the unprepared coast. The complex is armed with cruise anti-ship missiles with a range of several hundred kilometers.