OVERVIEW: The RBU-6000 (R90) is a guided, ship-mounted, short-range anti-submarine rocket launcher firing salvos of 213 mm depth‐fuzed rockets. Its upgraded RPK‑8 variant includes the R90 guided rocket, enhancing underwater target engagement.

DETAILS: Commissioned in 1961, the RBU‑6000 “Smerch‑2” comprises a horseshoe‑shaped 12‑tube launcher controlled remotely via the Burya fire‑control system using sonar target data. It originally fires RGB‑60 unguided rockets with 23 kg high‑explosive warheads; maximum range roughly 5,800 m and detonation depths to 500 m. The RPK‑8 upgrade (1991) integrates the R90 guided rocket, which releases a 90SG acoustic-homing depth charge at up to 1,000 m depth, increasing first-salvo kill probability to ~0.8 with 15 s system response.

The guided R90 rocket features a 19.5 kg shaped-charge warhead and acoustic homing radius of ~130 m; range from 600 to 4,300 m. Automatic below‑deck autoloader (60UP) holds 72–96 rounds, supports salvo fire of up to 12 rounds.

Firing sequence: sonar acquires range and depth; fire-control programs fuse settings and directs salvo launch; rockets plunge and detonate or home on targets underwater. Reloading is fully automatic and continuous.

NOTE:
IOC: 1961 (original); 1991 (RPK‑8 upgrade with R90)
Operators: Russia, India, Vietnam, China, Syria, Algeria, Ukraine
Platforms: Udaloy-class (Project 1155), Sovremenny-class (Project 956), Slava-class (Project 1164), Admiral Kuznetsov (Project 1143.5), Kirov-class (Project 1144), Krivak-class (Project 1135), Neustrashimyy-class (Project 11540), Type 051B Luhai-class, Type 053H3 Jiangwei III, Talwar-class destroyers, Grisha-class corvettes, Petya-class frigates, Kashin-class destroyers, Koni-class frigates, Parchim-class corvettes, and more 

Conflict used in: Cold War naval operations; modern usage includes anti-torpedo/diver defense, Indian Ocean patrols, Indian Navy service, and improvised land use during Russia–Ukraine conflict

SOURCE:
Jane’s Underwater Warfare Systems; Federation of American Scientists (FAS): https://fas.org; GlobalSecurity.org: https://www.globalsecurity.org; Naval Technology; Wikipedia RBU‑6000; Sputnik International (2017); TechConfronts History; Infogalactic; topwar.ru