The S3V Zagon is a guided but un-propelled depth charge developed by the Russian firm Tactical Missiles Corporation. It was first unveilled at the 1992 MAKS Airshow as part of a marketing effort which resulted in China purchasing the weapon.
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The S3V is an aerially deployed weapon, with a parachute system detached at the moment of splashdown. The sonar mounted in the nose is activated upon entering the water, searching for hostile submarines. It directs its control surfaces to maneuver the depth charge toward the target once it is located and identified. The developer has claimed that the S3V is around 1.2 to 1.6 times more effective than conventional unguided depth charges in shallow water (≤ 200 meters) and around 4 to 8 times more effective in deep water (up to 600 meters). The weapon is usually deployed by Tu-142, Il-38 and Ka-27/28 aircraft.
Specifications:
After purchasing the S3V, China developed its own variant for surface use. The simplest of these was the very first one China developed for rail-launched deployment. This version has the parachute system removed, and in addition to rail-launched deployment via surface craft, it can also be installed and deployed on anti-submarine nets, as part of a static defence system. Alternatively, it can also be deployed by gas-operated ASW spigot mortars. Two more variants were developed for surface craft deployment based on the first Chinese variant, one of these incorporates a propellant charge, for deployment by ASW mortars of the British Limbo class. The other includes a solid-fuel rocket motor, thus having the longest range; this variant is deployed by ASW rocket launchers. Although China has developed several variants, only the air-dropped version was advertised briefly before the withdrawal of the marketing effort, rumoured (yet to be confirmed), to be the result of a Russian protest at copyright infringement.
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