S3V Zagon Depth Bomb

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DB Selector

DB3K

Baseline

DB3k Weapon 1015

Hypothetical

No

Name

Zagon-1 [S3V]

Length (m)

1.3

Width/Span (m)

0.211

Diameter (m)

0.211

Weight (kg)

94

Range (nm)

Glide

Target Altitude / Depth (ft)

-500 to 2600 - I don't like these numbers, I don't think it really needs to fall for 500ft to start homing?

Target Speed (kts)

No response

Launch Altitude / Depth (ft)

Parachute Retarded - 160-3280

LaunchSpeed (kts)

No response

Warhead

19kg ASW Optimised Shaped Charge

Targets

Submarine

CEP (m)

No response

Sensors

1x Active Sonar, 120m range

Weapon Codes

Lock-On After Launch (LOAL), Bearing-Only Launch (BOL), Attitude Control - Aerodynamic Only

Comments

An absolutely wacky weapon - A guided depth bomb. It can fall through the water at a 60 degree angle (cross range of Depth/SQRT 3) and sinks at 16.2m/s. The tag 'Attitude Control, Hydrodynamic' may apply. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but I would imagine that the fuzing is combined impact/proximity: If it hits it hits, if it misses it tries to go off at closest approach like a normal depth charge. Claimed to be used by Russia and China on a variety of platforms including Ka-27/28, Il-38, Tu-142 and possibly also KQ-200 and Z-20F.

I note the existence of Weapon 1015, "KAB-250PL [S3V]", which shares some properties with the Zagon such as the S3V designation and the approximate size and weight. This weapon isn't used on anything and it has probably been in the database for a while to have such a small DBID as 1015 (between 1014, the C-802, and 1016, the Generic ESM Pod Average, both of which I would imagine have been in the DB since before the CMANO days). I think the Zagon is the weapon that the KAB-250PL is supposed to be, so this might be an update rather than a new weapon request.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S3V_Zagon https://www.heliopsfrontline.com/helix-rejuvenated-new-avionics-give-kamovs-ka-27-new-life Janes (The slightly larger Zagon-2E)

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Related to #289

[claudejdev]

1015, "KAB-250PL [S3V]" would be the "KAB-250-100PL Zagon-1 [S3V]".

That new weapon could be the "KAB-250-100PL Zagon-2 [S3V]", or even "KAB PL Zagon-2 [S3V]" 2E is the export designation.

IHS Jane's Weapons Air-launched 2021-2022. Coulsdon, Surrey, UK: IHS Global.

Butowksi mentions a maximum depth of 600m. Butowski, P. (2017). Russia's air-launched weapons: Russian-made aircraft ordnance today.

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Thanks for these sources, I think they clarify a few things, although of course they also muddle them.

KAB-250PL is a very strange designation for a 94kg weapon, but it does seem to at least be connected to the S3V. This request is currently only covering Zagon-1, Zagon-2 is... Well, you know what the Russians are like about announcing equipment and then building either three or none. On the other hand, my source on the Ka-27M says that they carry six S3V depth bombs and your sources imply that the possible choices are eight Zagon-1 or six Zagon-2, so maybe it is in service. For depth we now have three numbers: 600m, 800m and More Than 600m. Pick whichever. For the cross range, Bukowski is taking 60 degrees from the vertical but I think the quoted 60 degrees is from the horizontal instead.