OVERVIEW: The RSL-12, designated in Soviet service as the RBU-1200, is an unguided, short-range, 5-barrel ship-mounted anti-submarine rocket system designed to engage submarines and torpedoes at close range. It delivers depth-fuzed RGB-12 rockets in rapid salvo to create a concentrated underwater blast pattern.

DETAILS: Introduced in 1963, the RSL-12 launcher consists of five fixed tubes firing 252 mm RGB-12 anti-submarine rockets weighing approximately 73 kg, each carrying a 30 kg high-explosive warhead. Rockets are equipped with impact or time-depth fuzes and achieve an effective range of 400 to 1,200 m, targeting submarines at depths up to 330 m. The system has a limited vertical elevation (0° to +51°) and no horizontal traverse, requiring ship orientation for targeting. Controlled by the PUS-B "Uragan" fire control system, it computes fuse settings and elevation based on sonar-acquired target data.

The RSL-12 is manually reloaded and was primarily installed on smaller patrol and escort vessels with limited space. It was intended to supplement other ASW systems by covering the "dead zone" too close for longer-range weapons.

In use, the fire control system calculates the precise fuse delay and elevation angle. The five rockets are launched in under two seconds, forming a dense pattern on the water surface to maximize probability of kill.

NOTE:
IOC: 1963
Operators: Soviet Union (Russia), China, Vietnam, India, Bulgaria, Cuba, Albania, Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Finland, Syria, Romania, Poland
Platforms: Project 122/122bis submarine chasers, Project 12412P patrol boats, Pauk-class corvettes, Natya-class minesweepers, Abhay-class corvettes, Type 037, Type 053H1, Type 053H2 (China), Hämeenmaa-class minelayers, Kiisla-class patrol boats
Conflict used in: Cold War patrols, Vietnam War (as improvised ground launcher), coastal defense and ASW operations (1960s–present)

SOURCE:
Federation of American Scientists (FAS): https://fas.org ; Weaponsystems.net: https://weaponsystems.net/system/165-RBU-1200 ; Wikipedia RBU-1200: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RBU-1200 ; Topwar.ru: https://topwar.ru/13173-sovetskie-reaktivnye-bombometnye-ustanovki.html