Russia To Develop Naval Version Of Tor Anti-aircraft Missile System By 2019

The naval version of the Tor antiaircraft missile system may be developed in 2018-2019.

The Russian Navy command shows interest in this project, Almaz-Antey said at the KADEX-2016 international weapons exhibition on Friday.

The Russian Navy is considering the possibility of creating the naval version of the Tor antiaircraft missile system owing to the need to replace the outdated shipborne complexes Osa and Kinzhal, Almaz-Antey said.

"The manufacturer has worked on this issue and, considering the experience of enterprises cooperating in the production and assembly of Osa, Kinzhal and other systems on naval ships, and also the possibility of using the components of the serial-produced Tor antiaircraft missile systems for the Army, a conclusion can be made about developing the Tor ship-borne version within the shortest time possible (the first examples of the anti-aircraft missile system may appear in 2018-2019) and, what’s more, at minimal costs," Almaz-Antey said.

By some parameters, the ship-borne version will be superior to the existing examples of the Tor family, the Almaz-Antey press office said.

Last year, Fanil Ziyatdinov, general director of the Kupol Electromechanical Factory, part of Almaz-Antey and the parent enterprise for the production of Tor antiaircraft missile systems, said that the enterprise planned to develop the Tor shipborne version. According to him, the idea was to use the Tor antiaircraft missile system on the ships undergoing modernization. The head of the enterprise didn’t give any further details.