MOSCOW, January 11. /TASS/. The latest Otvet (Response) anti-submarine missile system has been accepted for service in the Russian Navy, a source in the domestic defense industry told TASS on Tuesday.

"The Otvet anti-submarine warfare system has been accepted for service with the Russian Navy. It has been serial-supplied to the Navy’s ships for a year already," the source specified.

TASS has no official confirmation of this information yet.

A source earlier told TASS that the state-of-the-art anti-submarine missile system had successfully passed state trials, which had been held from the board of the Project 22350 first serial-built frigate Admiral Kasatonov since 2019.

Otvet anti-submarine missile system 

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on December 15 that the Pacific Fleet’s frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov test-launched an Otvet anti-submarine missile in the Sea of Japan that successfully struck an underwater target.

The Otvet anti-submarine missile system was developed by the Sea Underwater Weapon - Gidropribor Group (part of the Tactical Missiles Corporation). According to open sources, the Otvet system consists of an anti-submarine missile launched from 3S-14 multi-purpose launchers (also used for Kalibr, Oniks and Tsirkon cruise missiles). The Otvet missile’s warhead section comprises a small-size homing anti-submarine torpedo. Upon reaching the target area, the missile parachutes a torpedo into the water, then it submerges and automatically hunts down an enemy submarine, using its sonar system.

The Otvet anti-submarine missile system mounted on surface ships has a maximum firing range of 40 km.

A TASS source earlier said that work was underway to boost the operating range of the system’s cruise missile that could be actually doubled. The Russian Navy plans to outfit most of its surface combatants with the Otvet anti-submarine missile system, including the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov.