11 November 2025
At the beginning of 2022, missile troops launched ballistic missiles from the Tochka-U system on a daily basis.
According to the 19th Separate Missile Brigade, the intensity of the missile systems’ use led to a rapid depletion of available stocks.
In storage facilities dating back to the Soviet era, there were missiles without warheads — the so-called “missile tails.” This allowed technical specialists to explore the possibility of modifying them.
It was decided to use a warhead from a high-explosive aerial bomb. In a short time, the necessary tests were conducted and mass production of the updated missiles was organized. This made it possible to compensate for the shortage of missiles and ensure that missile units could continue to perform their missions.
The origin of the “tails”
The destruction of the large Russian Saratov Project 1171 (Tapir-class) landing ship in Berdyansk. March 2022. Frame from a video from social media
Initially, the Tochka-U system was developed for the use of a special (nuclear) warhead (AA-60). In addition to it, high-explosive fragmentation warheads (9N123F) and cluster warheads (9N123K) were developed, as well as warheads with a passive radar homing head (Tochka-R modification).
The Tochka-U complex is operated by a three-person crew and is also operated by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bulgaria, Syria, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia.