Pantsyr-S1 (also known as Pantsir) is a close-in air defence system designed to defend ground installations against a variety of weapons including fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, ballistic and cruise missiles, precision-guided munitions and unmanned air vehicles. It can also engage light-armoured ground targets.
It was designed by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau of Tula, Russia, and is manufactured by the Ulyanovsk Mechanical Plant, Ulyanovsk, Russia. It has the reporting name SA-22 Greyhound.
Pantsyr combines two 2A38M 30mm automatic anti-aircraft guns developed from the two-barreled 30mm GSh-30 gun.
The Pantsyr S1 air defence missile / gun system can function in several wave bands and operate on a multimode adaptive radar-optical control system. The system has been designed to engage all target types, especially high-precision weapons, considering their developments as far ahead as 2020-2025. It has a high kill probability of about 0.7 to 0.95 against all targets. Its automatic combat capability makes it operate both autonomously and also as a seperate unit.
The system is currently undergoing trials with the Russian Air Force. Pantsyr-S1 G/M AD latest version was exhibited at the Russian Expo Arms 2008.
"Pantsyr-S1 (Pantsir) is a close-in air defence system designed to defend ground installations against a variety of weapons."In May 2000, the United Arab Emirates ordered 50 96K6 Pantsyr-S1 systems, mounted on MAN SX 45 8×8 wheeled vehicles. The order was worth $734m.
The first batch was delivered in November 2004. However a new radar was requested by the UAE and first deliveries of the completed system took place in 2007.
Syria has placed an order for 50 Pantsyr-S1 systems. Deliveries began in June 2008. Jordan has also placed an order for an undisclosed number of systems.
Pantsyr armament
Pantsyr-S1 carries 12 57E6 surface-to-air missiles on launchers. The missile has a bicalibre body in tandem configuration, separable booster and sustainer with separation mechanism. The sustainer contains the warhead and contact and proximity fuses. The fragmentation rod warhead weighs 16kg. The missile weighs 65kg at launch and has a maximum speed of 1,100m a second. The range is between 1km and 12km.
Two 2A72 30mm guns are fitted with 750 rounds of a variety of ammunition – HE (high-explosive) fragmentation, fragmentation tracer and armour-piercing with tracer. Ammunition type can be selected by the crew depending on the nature of the target. Maximum rate of fire is 700 rounds a minute. Range is up to 4km.
Fire control system
The Pantsyr-S1 fire control system includes a target acquisition radar and dual waveband tracking radar, which operates in the millimetre and centimetre waveband. Detection range is 30km and tracking range is 24km for a 2cm² to 3cm² target. This radar tracks both targets and the surface-to-air missile while in flight.
As well as radar, the fire control system also has an electro-optic channel with long-wave thermal imager and infrared direction finder, including digital signal processing and automatic target tracking. A simplified, lower-cost version of Pantsyr-S1 is also being developed for export, with only the electro-optic fire control system fitted.
"The radar tracks both targets and the surface-to-air missile while in flight."The two independent guidance channels - radar and electro-optic - allow two targets to be engaged simultaneously. Maximum engagement rate is 12 targets a minute.
The Pantsyr-S1E systems for the UAE will be fitted with a new MRLS fire control radar. MRLS is a phased array radar operating at 40GHz (K band), with a range of up to 28km.
Vehicle
Pantsyr-S1 is mounted on a 10t Ural-5323 truck chassis with a turret that houses the armament, laying drives, sensors, control equipment and crew.
The Ural-5323 truck is four-axle, 8×8 all-wheel drive with single tyre wheels. The first and second axle wheels are steerable. The engine is an air-cooled diesel Ural-745.10 providing 290hp. The dual-plate mechanical clutch has a pneumatic booster and three-range five-speed gearbox.
A two-stage transfer case has lockable symmetrical interaxle differential. Suspension is by rigid-axle bogie on longitudinal semi-elliptical leaf springs. Front suspension is fitted with hydraulic shock absorbers. The Ural-5323 can ford up to 1.75m of water.
The THAAD (theatre high-altitude area defence) missile system is an easily transportable defensive weapon system to protect against hostile incoming threats such as tactical and theatre ballistic missiles at ranges of 200km and at altitudes up to 150km.
The THAAD system provides the upper tier of a 'layered defensive shield' to protect high value strategic or tactical sites such as airfields or populations centres. The THAAD missile intercepts exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric threats.
The sites would also be protected with lower and medium-tier defensive shield systems such as the Patriot PAC-3 which intercepts hostile incoming missiles at 20 to 100 times lower altitudes.
THAAD programme
The US Army is expected to acquire 80 to 99 THAAD launchers, 18 ground-based radars and a total of 1,422 THAAD missiles. Two THAAD battalions are planned, each with four batteries.
"The target object data and the predicted intercept point are downloaded to the missile prior to launch."In 1992 Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space and other industrial team partners were awarded a $689m contract to develop the THAAD system. Raytheon was selected as sub-contractor to develop the ground-based radar.
Raytheon is responsible for the solid-state receiver / transmitter modules. TRW is responsible for software development. The other main contractors are Raytheon for the traveling wave tubes, Datatape for the data recorders and EBCO for radar turrets.
The THAAD programme entered the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase in 2000. In May 2004, production of 16 flight test missiles began at Lockheed Martin's new production facilities in Pike County, Alabama.
Flight testing, at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, of the EMD system began in 2005. The first flight test of the entire system including missile, launcher, radar and fire control system took place in May 2006. Flight testing began at Pacific Missile Range, Kauai, Hawaii in January 2007 with a successful intercept test in the high endo-atmosphere.
A second successful test took place in April 2007 with intercept in the mid endo-atmosphere. The final White Sands test took place in June 2007, with a low endo-atmosphere test. In October 2007, THAAD performed a successful intercept of a unitary target outside the atmosphere (exo-atmospheric). In June 2008, THAAD successfully intercepted a separating target in mid-endo-atmosphere. Tests will continue at PMR till 2009.
In January 2007, Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract for the first two production THAAD systems, to include six launchers, 48 missiles, two radars and two tactical operations centers. Initial operating capability (IOC) is expected in 2009.
In May 2008, the US Army activated the first THAAD battery unit at Fort Bliss, Texas, which will receive 24 missiles, three launchers, one fire control and one radar unit for initial fielding. This is in preparation for full system fielding in 2009.
In August 2007, Lockheed Martin announced that THAAD launcher, fire control and communications units will be built at its Camden, Arkansas facility. The THAAD interceptor is built at its Pike County facility in Troy, Alabama.
In September 2008, the United Arab Emirates requested the sale of three THAAD fire units, 147 missiles, four THAAD radars, six fire control stations and nine launchers.
Battery
The THAAD battery will typically operate nine launch vehicles each carrying eight missiles, with two mobile tactical operations centres (TOCs) and a ground-based radar (GBR).
THAAD missile information
The target object data and the predicted intercept point are downloaded to the missile prior to launch. The updated target and intercept data are also transmitted to the missile in flight.
The missile is 6.17m in length and is equipped with a single stage solid fuel rocket motor with thrust vectoring. The rocket motor is supplied by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. The launch weight is 900kg.
"The THAAD (theatre high-altitude area defence) missile system is an easily transportable defensive weapon."A separation motor is installed at the interstage at the forward end of the booster section. The separation motor assists in the separation of the kinetic kill vehicle (KKV) and the spent boost motor.
The shroud separates from the KV before impact. The KV is equipped with a liquid-fuelled divert and attitude control system (DACS), developed by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, for the terminal maneuvering towards the target intercept point.
A gimbal-mounted infrared seeker module in the nose section provides terminal homing to close in on the target missile in the terminal phase of approach.
During the initial fly-out phase of flight, the seeker window is covered with a two-piece clamshell protection shroud. Metal bladders installed in the shroud are inflated to eject the protective shroud before the seeker initiates target acquisition. The infrared seeker head, developed by BAe Systems, is an indium antimonide (InSb) staring focal plane array operating in the mid infrared 3 to 5 micron wavelength band.
M1075 truck-mounted launcher
There are nine M1075 truck mounted launchers in a typical THAAD battery. Launch vehicle is a modified Oshkosh Truck Corporation heavy expanded mobility tactical truck with load-handling system (HEMTT-LHS). The 12m-long by 3.25m-wide launch vehicle carries ten missile launch containers. While on the launcher, lead acid batteries provide the primary power. The batteries are recharged with a low-noise generator.
After firing, reloading the launch vehicle takes 30 minutes.
Ground-based radar
The cueing for the THAAD system is provided by the Raytheon Systems AN/TPY-2 ground-based radar (GBR) for surveillance, threat classification and threat identification. THAAD can also be cued by military surveillance satellites such as Brilliant Eyes.
The ground based radar units are C-130 air transportable. The AN/TPY-2 radar uses a 9.2m² aperture full field of view antenna phased array operating at I and J bands (X band) and containing 25,344 solid-state microwave transmit and receive modules. The radar has the capability to acquire missile threats at ranges up to 1,000km.
The first production radar is being tested at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. In September 2004, the THAAD radar tracked a tactical ballistic missile, cueing a successful intercept by a Patriot PAC-3 missile. A second radar was delivered to White Sands in June 2007.
Tactical operations centre
Each THAAD battery has two tactical operations centres (TOC). The TOC has been developed by Northrop Grumman, formerly Litton Data Systems Division. The TOC accommodates two operator stations and is equipped with three Hewlett-Packard HP-735 data processors.
"The THAAD missile uses kinetic energy, hit-to-kill technology."Mobile BMC3I units
The THAAD system is able to 'hand over' targets to other defence systems and can cue the targets to other weapons. THAAD is able to interface to other US or allied air defence data information networks and to the battle management and command control and communications centre.
Northrop Grumman has been contracted to develop the THAAD BMC3I. The battle management and command, control, computers and intelligence (BMC3I) units are installed in hardened shelters mounted on high-mobility multi-wheeled vehicles (HMMWVs).
The THAAD communications system can use JTIDS, mobile subscriber equipment, SINCGARS and the joint tactical terminal for voice and data communications and for intelligence data transfer.