Caspian Flotilla receives first Bal coastal defense missile system

An official ceremony took place in the Republic of Dagestan to hand over the first Bal coastal defense missile system to the Caspian Flotilla, the press office of Russia’s Southern Military District reported.

The Bal is designated for the coastal defense of the permanent bases of ships that provide security in the Caspian Sea and Caspian Flotilla land troops. 

The system’s teams can fire missiles in salvoes or make sole launches at the designated time. Most of its flight time, a missile flies over the sea surface, which makes it possible to save munitions and complicates its interception and destruction by anti-missile defense capabilities. One Bal launcher is capable of firing a salvo of over 50 missiles in no time," the press office said.

The system is armed with cruise anti-ship missiles with a flight range of several hundred kilometers.