Russian company unveils 'bomb in a box' cruise missile system

A Russian company has unveiled a unique "Pandora's Box'"cruise missile system which is deployed and can be fired from a standard 40-foot shipping container, from ships, rail cars or even off the back of a truck. Morinformsystem-Agat JSC is marketing the system as a take-anywhere weapon able to destroy ships and attack land targets with the Novator Klub-K 3M-54TE missile, one of the deadliest cruise missiles in existence. "We call it Pandora's box," said a company representative at MAKS air show, where the weapon made its first appearance. The Club K missile system, containing four rounds, is self-contained in the sea container along with two crew members in a sealed cabin with their communications and targeting systems. The weapon is fed information from satellites, then raised to a vertical position from the container by hydraulic rams, and fired. It is then guided inertially to the approximate target area, up to 270 kilometers away, where it finds the target using radar. The missile then accelerates to around 700 meters per second to hit the target with its penetrator high-explosive warhead. The maker will not discuss potential customers but says the system has attracted "considerable interest" from abroad.