Defense Technology International - June 2008 - (Page 43)

ANDY NATIVI/DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL which is in service in Turkey and sold to the United Arab Emirates, and is proposing a multicaliber system for 107and 122-mm. rockets. The 2007 MAKS international aviation and space exhibition in Moscow displayed what may be Russia’s answer to the U.S. Himars rocket system: A highly mobile six-pack launcher for the Smerch 300mm. heavy artillery rocket. The launcher, installed on a four-axle Kamaz 6350 truck, formed the CV 9A52-4 system from Motovilikha Plants. Smerch rockets are about 25 ft. long, weigh 800 kg., and have a range of 70 km. Its new light conﬁguration combines strategic and tactical mobility, albeit at the cost of reduced firepower, off-road mobility and protection. The fully loaded Motovilikha vehicle has a combat weight of 24.5 metric tons and a crew of two that can prepare and ﬁre the rocket from a fire-control system in the cabin. The ramp can be elevated 55 deg., but if all rockets are loaded the limit is 30 deg. Time to prepare the system for ﬁring is 3 min. The most signiﬁcant Russian rocket artillery system, however, is the Iskander, which appeared prominently on May 9 in the ﬁrst Victory Day military parade on Moscow’s Red Square since 1990. The ﬁrst battalion equipped with the missiles was deployed on Russia’s Russia’s Iskander missile from KBM is highly accurate. It can deliver a 480-kg. payload 280 km., with CEP of 5-7 meters. Turkey’s Roketsan developed this 122-mm. multiple-launch rocket system. Northern Caucasus in 2007 (placing countries like Georgia in range of the weapon). The army expects to have ﬁve such battalions by 2015. Iskander is a successor to the Tochka (SS-21 Scarab) and Oka (SS-23 Spider) short-range tactical ballistic missiles of the Soviet Union. First revealed in 1999, the Iskander-M modification was adopted by the army in 2005. The military doesn’t disclose technical details of this version. More is known about the Iskander-E (export) variant developed by KB Mashynostroyeniya (KBM). Iskander’s self-propelled wheeled launcher is equipped with two single-stage, solid-fuel missiles. The major advantage of the 3,800-kg. missile is accuracy—it can deliver a 480-kg. payload with submunitions, high-explosive fragmentation or penetrating charge 280 km., with a CEP of 5-7 meters. Dynamic gas thrusters and aerodynamic fins control the missile in ﬂight. Inertial and electro-optical guidance systems bring the missile into the target area, where the electro-optical seeker scans terrain around a target and compares it to ALEXANDER KOSCHAVTSEV the image downloaded into the onboard computer before launch. This makes the missile independent of satellite navigation and resistant to jamming. The system doesn’t need a special launch position. According to KBM, the three-man crew takes up to 20 min. to prepare the ﬁrst missile for launch. A second missile can be ready a minute after the ﬁrst is ﬁred. Iskanders are ballistic missiles but the system may soon include cruise missiles. Dubbed the R-500, a cruise missile was ﬁrst tested at the Kapustin Yar range in May 2007. During a test ﬂight at an average 230-240 meters/sec., it reportedly maneuvered on a pre-programmed trajectory while changing altitude and speed. According to uno cial reports, the Iskander cruise missile can, unlike the ballistic version, be guided to the target by reconnaissance satellites or unmanned aircraft. After the successful test launch, First Vice Premier Sergey Ivanov, who supervises the defense industry, said Russia’s military-industrial commission would approve series production of the missile, and promised that it will be taken into service with Iskander-M in 2009. Ivanov refused to disclose the range of the new missile, saying it was more than the baseline version but conformed to international obligations. “We can sell such systems [abroad] with a range of no more than 300 km. But what we do for our own army is a di erent story.” I —With David Eshel in Tel Aviv, Andy Nativi in Genoa and Maxim Pyadushkin in Moscow. 43 AviationWeek.com/dti JUNE 2008 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL http://AviationWeek.com/dti

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Defense Technology International - June 2008 Contents Around the World Science Watch Tech Watch Basic Black Self-Defense Fire-Resistant Perfezione Hyperspeed Trial Big Sky Cashing In Digital Links Hang Ten Sea Change Programs Update Two Steps Back Direct Hit Staying Power Potent Stinger Do No Harm Guard Duty The Net Cutting Edge First Person In Review Insight

Defense Technology International - June 2008

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