The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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Russian Missiles At Their Worst
by James Dunnigan
July 20, 2008
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
An Indian government report revealed what many naval officers already know; many of their Russian missile systems do not work well. The Uran (Kh-35) is a 25 year old system that is an unsuccessful clone of the U.S. Harpoon. Indians have experienced constant problems with the guidance system. Same with the Klub (3M54), which is used by two Russian built Kilo subs. The Klub is launched via a torpedo tubes, but recent test firings have been failures. There is also reliability problems with the Russian Shitl (9M317) anti-aircraft missiles used by several warships.
In addition to design flaws and poor workmanship, there are often problems obtaining spare parts and technical advice from the Russians. The Indian navy also has a hard time recruiting and training sufficient missile technicians. Getting qualified officers to supervise this maintenance is also a large problem, as engineering school graduates have much better opportunities in India's booming computer industry.
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