RBU-1200 anti-submarine rocket launcher on the bow of the Finnish patrol craft Kurki (51).
The RBU-1200 system was developed in 1955 to provide anti-submarine capability against submarines and torpedoes by surface vessels. In order to allow installation on small warships the design was made very lightweight.
The RBU-1200 system has five tubes with rocket-propelled depth bombs per each launcher. Reloading is performed manually. The launcher cannot be swiveled horizontally, but rather has to be aimed by turning the entire warship, which is a serious disadvantage of the weapon system and limits its flexibility.
The system is controlled by a PUS-B "Uragan" fire control system.
The system uses RGB-12 rocket-propelled depth bombs,which are fitted with contact fuzes. The projectile is propelled by a solid rocket fuel motor initially, and for the rest of the flight it follows a ballistic arc. The effective range of the system extends from 400 to 1200 meters. The contact fuze K-3 / K-3M, or combined contact-delay fuze KDV are used as a detonators. K-3 / K-3M fuze detonates the warhead if a target is hit directly or if the projectile sinks to the bottom. The KDV fuze besides activating on impact on the target (or bottom) at the depths of 25-330 meters can also be set to activate upon reaching a specified depth in the range of 10-330 meters.[1]
