Since Allied Force in 99, Most of NATO or rather US aircraft destroyed targets from a medium-high altitude where lower altitude trashfire(MANPADS, AAA, SHORAD) could not touch them. Now the capability to destroy mobile targets from medium altitude is improving, and improved JDAMs, Brimstones and other weapons are coming along. In Iraq we saw B-52s and many other aircraft dropping JDAMs on Iraqi armoured columns. So what are the best SAMs out there that could protect your armoured tank columns and/or airfields/command posts/other high value fixed targets from medium-high altitude aircraft, munitions, UAVs, cruise missiles, and whatever?
There are the higher altitude short/medium range SAMs like the SPYDER(15km range, 9 km altitude), BUK-M1-2(45, 25), RBS23 Bamse(15, 15), Pantsir-S1-O(20, 10km by missiles, 4, 3 by guns), MICA-VL(12,9), Umkhonto VL(12, 9), ASTER SAMP/T(100, 20), NASAMS(33, 15), SLAMRAAM/CLAWS/HAWK-AMRAAM(no official figures, but probably same as NASAMS considering they all they all employ the AMRAAM missile), Derby(similar to SLAMRAAM/CLAWS but employs Derby BVRAAM). Everything else like Roland, standard Hawk, SPADA-2000, ADATS, Avenger, Crotale, Rapier, Tanguska, Tor M1, SPYDER, RBS-70 are all lower altitude.
Out of all of these ones that can reach the higher altitude, only the RBS-23, Pantsir-S1-O, NASAMS, and SLAMRAAM/CLAWS, Derby, NASAMS seem to be the only SAMs that can fire on the move and move with armoured columns. On that list, Pantsir-S1-O is the only one that is a complete SAM system within one vehicle and can of course also fire on the move. Still, a lot of NASAMS/Derby/CLAWS/SLAMRAAM lined to various fire control radars seem the best option in the future. R-77-3PK is in development but not much is known about it. Pantsir-S1-O seems very good, just the 10km altitude might not be enough, but it’s ability to destroy munitions seem to be the better than that of NASAMS/Derby/CLAWS….
By: Srbin - 5th December 2004 at 01:16
Yes but Pantsir-S1 can search and track it’s own targets right? It would not have to depend on other places to search.
By: Arabella-Cox - 5th December 2004 at 01:00
The Buk or SA-17/-11 launcher has its own radar built into the launch vehicle. It is currently a tracking radar that can be cued from a larger search radar or it can be netted into the air defence network to find targets.
The Pantsir can fire on the move… both missiles and guns and it uses passive electro optical channels for detecting targets and tracking them. ie Thermal sights that one presumes can be used out to max range.
Upgrades for Pantsir were based on experience in Kosovo and one can assume that weapons like TOR will perhaps be upgraded in a similar way. (ie extra height).
By: Srbin - 4th December 2004 at 23:57
Yes, I thought so but was not sure.
Also there was a thread started on ACIG regarding the R-77-ZRK which is the SAM version of R-77, it seems that it must deploy. I am not sure how accurate it is.
Fire on the move is not such a big deal, but deploying is for SHORADS because they will see a target at a short range, therefore their reaction has to be fast. As it seems, the Pantsir-S1, Derby, BUK-M1-2 Launcher, SLAMRAAM and CLAWS are the only ones that don’t have to deploy. The Pantsir-S1 is fully autonomous and has it’s own radar, while the other 3 have to rely on other radars. I am not sure if this is a disadvantage. Anyways the BUK-M1-2 may be a little unsuitable in protecting an armoured column, since it comes within a battery like S-XXX series and other longer ranged and medium ranged SAMs.
By: Srbin - 4th December 2004 at 16:56
BTW, the BUK-M1-2, I understand it is tracked, does it have to deploy and such to fire?
By: Srbin - 4th December 2004 at 16:36
Also to correct this, the Pantsir-S1 is the better system out of the two(S1-O seems to be downgraded). It has a range of 20kms and a altitude of 10kms and can use a even bigger booster to reach 12kms. This is pretty good, much better than MICA-VL or SPYDER.
By: Srbin - 4th December 2004 at 16:04
I am actually not sure about NASAMS, and I cannot find any decent pictures of the system and if it has to deploy or not. This is all there is from the Kongsberg site
I think I may have overestimated the SLAMRAAM/CLAWS, Derby and NASAMS maximum altitude and range. The MICA-VL uses the MICA missile, and has a range of 12kms and maximum altitude of 9kms, I don’t think the surface launched AMRAAMs can get anything better. Though the MICA is launched vertically, the other ones are not, I don’t know how much this would affect the range. The CLAWS stands for Complementary Low Altitude Weapon System, I highly doubt it might be able to tackle higher flying aircraft.
Now, when it comes to radars and such, the Pantsir-S1-O is a complete system in one vehicle, while all of the other ones are all seperate launchers and radars. Which method is better?
By: Srbin - 4th December 2004 at 14:24
you notice every higher-altitude SAM needs a radar or some sort? that’s the problem. if your foe pops an ALARM over your head or is hanging around with HARM, when you switch on you risk saying bye bye to your SAM…
its not a matter of having a good SAM, radar-based SAMs IMO are too vulnerable to today’s ARMs even if they’re mobile.
otherwise i would go for the AMRAAM-based systems for mobility. the other truly mobile systems will find it hard to catch an F-15E at high altitude and high speed.
Actually the radars can simply move, thats what Serbs continually did, I think it said that NATO dropped over in total 10000 ARMs of HARM and ALARM sort, and very few actually hit. As for AMRAAM-based systems for mobility, those are also linked to mobile radars, a SLAMRAAM/CLAWS must acquire targets from other sensors.
By: wd1 - 4th December 2004 at 11:40
you notice every higher-altitude SAM needs a radar or some sort? that’s the problem. if your foe pops an ALARM over your head or is hanging around with HARM, when you switch on you risk saying bye bye to your SAM…
its not a matter of having a good SAM, radar-based SAMs IMO are too vulnerable to today’s ARMs even if they’re mobile.
otherwise i would go for the AMRAAM-based systems for mobility. the other truly mobile systems will find it hard to catch an F-15E at high altitude and high speed.
By: Srbin - 3rd December 2004 at 22:31
Noone is going to entirely depend on fighters/interceptors to protect your armoured columns, everyone will want some sort of SAMs that can keep up with mechanized columns.
By: Showtime 100 - 3rd December 2004 at 03:59
The best way to protect armour column is to send interceptor or fighter jet to stop the bomber! :diablo:
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December 2, 2004 at 10:01 pm