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February 8, 2012
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S-300P (SA-10 Grumble)
| Alternate Name: | SA-10 Grumble |
|---|---|
| Country: | Russia |
| Basing: | Land |
Details
The S-300P surface-to-air missile system—currently manufactured, deployed, and exported by the Russians—is designed to detect, track, and destroy incoming ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and low-flying aircraft. Also known by its NATO designation, SA-10 Grumble, the system has been modified several times since its inception: the most recent variants are the S-300PMU-1 (SA-10D) and the S-300PMU-2 Favorit (SA-20).
In the late 1960s, the Soviet Union began work on a new strategic air defense system known as the S-300 (NATO: SA-10 Grumble). The S-300 was designed by the Russian Almaz Scientific Production Association to shoot down low-altitude targets, including cruise missiles and aircraft.(1) From the beginning, the system included the most “cutting-edge” Soviet missile defense technology. Its phased-array fire control radar was capable of tracking up to six targets simultaneously, while its single-state, solid-fuel propelled missile sported aerodynamic control surfaces and thrust vectoring. The first S-300 missile, known as 5V55K, had a range of 47 kilometers and could engage its targets between 100 and 30,000 meters.(2)
In 1980, the S-300 became operational and was renamed S-300P, in order to distinguish it from the S-300V (NATO: SA-12A Gladiator; SA-12B Giant), another surface-to-air missile system deployed by Soviet ground forces. The “P” in S-300P stood for “PVO-Strany,” code for “air defense system,” while the “V” in S-300V was for “Voyska,” or “ground forces.” Although some of the technology was similar, the two systems were quite different: the S-300P was designed to engage cruise missiles and other low-flying targets; the S-300V was developed to shoot down tactical ballistic missiles.(3) By 1987, approximately 80 S-300P sites were operational, with another 20 in the making. Nearly half were located around Moscow to protect key military and industrial complexes.(4) Over the years, the S-300P has undergone several modifications, including the S-300PT (SA-10A), the S-300PT-1/1A (also SA-10A), the S-300PS (SA-10B), and the S-300PM (SA-10C).(5)
Although the Soviet Union imploded in 1991, the Russians continued upgrading and modifying the S-300P system throughout the 1990s. At the 1992 Moscow Air Show, the Russians displayed the latest version in the S-300P lineage, the S-300PMU-1 (SA-10D). This upgraded system, armed with new single-stage, solid-fuel propelled 48N6 missiles, has the capability to shoot down tactical ballistic missiles in addition to cruise missiles and aircraft, at ranges of 5-150 kilometers and altitudes between 10-27,000 meters. The 1,900 kilogram missile carries a 143 kilogram high-explosive fragmentation warhead. A typical S-300PMU-1 battery contains 48 missiles on 12 mobile launchers. Each battery is capable of launching one 48N6 missile every three seconds. The missiles are guided by the 36N85 vehicle-mounted engagement radar, which is capable of detecting incoming ballistic missiles at 40 kilometers, and aircraft between 3 and 150 kilometers. The 36N85 can guide up to twelve 48N6 missiles, while simultaneously tracking up to six targets.(6)
In 1997, the Russians unveiled yet another variant of the system, this time called S-300PMU-2 (SA-10E Favorit). Its larger missiles (9M96E and 9M96E2), longer range (200 kilometers), and better guidance system make the S-300PMU-2 a thorough modification of its predecessor. The system can engage targets between 10 meters and 27 kilometers above the ground.(7) The Russians claim that, during a series of tests in the mid-1990s, the S-300PMU-2 shot down a target ballistic missile traveling at 1,600 meters per second, and that the system can destroy targets traveling at 4,800 meters per second.(8) The Russians add that the system has a kill ratio between 0.8 and 0.98 against Tomahawk-class cruise missiles and from 0.8 to 0.93 against aircraft.(9)
One of the main reasons why the Russians devoted so much time and effort to upgrading and modifying the S-300P during the 1990s was to increase the system’s market value. In a trend that continues to cause much concern in the U.S., the Russians have been exporting S-300P missiles (and other weapons) throughout Asia, Europe, and the Middle East as a means of financing their ailing economy.
In 1991, the same year as the Soviet collapse, Syria announced its intention to purchase $1.5 billion worth of arms from the Russians, including an unidentified number of S-300P missiles.(10) The following year, China began negotiating its own deal, and in 1993 received “dozens” of Russian S-300Ps, heightening U.S. concerns over the surge in weapons proliferation. In particular, the U.S was worried (and still is) that China would dismantle the Russian S-300s and incorporate the advanced technology into its own offensive missiles, such as the CSS-6 (DF-15/M-9) and the CSS-7 (DF-11/M-11), which in turn would be proliferated on down the line.(11)
In 1993, Iran procured an unidentified number of S-300PMU-1 missiles from Russia. Kuwait expressed its own interest shortly afterward.(12) According to a 1993 report, “the S-300PMU is being marketed extensively, particularly in the Middle East.”(13) The following year, Hungary received its own supply of Russian S-300s: the deal paid off Russia’s $800 million debt to its former Warsaw Pact ally.(14) In November 1996, Mikhail Timkin, deputy manager of the Rosvooruzheniye state arms export company, bragged that he had found two more buyers for the S-300P: “Cyprus is in the bag, we’ve wrapped it up completely. It buys only our weapons now. We have even got into NATO, can you imagine? I am in charge of Turkey, and I can tell you that Turkey is now buying weapons from us.”(15) A few years later, Greece was added to the list.(16)
As late as August 2002, Iraq was attempting to acquire its own S-300 missiles, possibly as a means of frustrating or delaying an attack by the U.S. Sources indicate that Saddam Hussein was trying to acquire enough S-300 components from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine to build his own missile defense shield.(17) Iraq never completed this objective, although in April 2003 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov admitted that Operation Iraqi Freedom had caused an upsurge in purchases of Russian weapons from other Middle Eastern nations: “We got a great advertising gift for our weapons in Iraq.” During the war, Alexander Nozdrachev, head of the state-run Russian Agency for Conventional Weapons, correctly predicted that the Iraq conflict would “generate a surge in interest in anti-aircraft defenses.” That year alone, Russian arms sales totaled $4.5 billion, mostly to Syria, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia—the lion’s share of which was for missile defense systems such as the S-300.(18)
Footnotes
- Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
- Michal Fiszer and Jerzy Gruszczynski, “Castles In The Sky,” Journal of Electronic Defense 25, 1 February 2002.
- Ibid.
- GlobalSecurity.org.
- Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
- Ibid.
- GlobalSecurity.org.
- “Russia In Talks To Create UAE Air Defence Network,” Flight International, 22 October 2002.
- GlobalSecurity.org.
- “$1.5 Billion Worth Of Arms To Be Bought From Soviet Union, Says Israel,” Flight International, 16 October 1991; “Syrian SAMS: Missile Systems From Russia,” Flight International, 7 October 1992.
- “Negotiations Begin For More Russian Arms,” Flight International, 2 September 1992; Ruth Sinai, “China Acquires Russian Missiles,” The Associated Press, 27 May 1993.
- “Iran Builds Up With Russian Firepower,” Flight International, 18 August 1993.
- “Kuwait Considers Helicopter/Missile Buy From Russia,” Flight International, 15 December 1993.
- “Hungarian Deal: Hungary To Receive Missile System To Pay Off Debt,” Flight International, 26 January 1994.
- “Russia Seeks ‘Solvent’ Markets For Arms Exports,” BBC Monitoring Service, 14 October 1996; “Cyprus To Buy Russian Anti-Aircraft Missiles Despite Turkish Worries,” BBC Monitoring Service, 16 December 1996.
- “Greece: Athens, Moscow Discuss Arms Deals,” Periscope Daily Defense News Capsules, 29 November 2001.
- “Iraq: Baghdad Seeks Russian Air Defense System,” Periscope Daily Defense News Capsules, 13 August 2002.
- Viktoria Loginova, “Iraq War Generates Free Publicity For Russian Weapons,” Agence France-Presse, 4 April 2003.
Iran Protests Cancelled S-300 Delivery
In the latest development surrounding the now five-year-old deal between Russia and Iran—under which Russia would sell Tehran the S-300 surface-to-air defense system—an Iranian official is calling for legal action against Russia for not holding up its end of the deal.
Russia officially announced in September that the planned sale had been cancelled because it had been determined that sale of the S-300 system was prohibited by the sanctions placed on Iran over the summer. This followed an initial freeze of the delivery in June. It was thought originally that a loophole in the sanctions language would have allowed the shipment to proceed. It is possible that this change of policy on Russia's part had something to do with the lifting of sanctions on a few Russian companies that had illegally sold arms to the middle east.
» Reporting on Suspension of Delivery
» Iran Protests Russia's Sudden Freeze of S-300 Delivery
» Missile system details for: S-300P (SA-10 Grumble), S-300V (SA-12A Gladiator, SA-12B Giant)
Concessions to Russia in Iran Sanctions Deal
As of Friday, sanctions on some Russian arms exporters involved in prohibited sales to the Middle East in 2006 and 2008 have been lifted. Such moves appear to be concessions to Russia in order to secure Security Council sanctions against Iran; negotiations have been underway in recent weeks and a draft resolution to come out of the Security Council was agreed to in the middle of last week. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley indicated that the lifting of sanctions had more to do with tighter export controls in Russia than any trade off reached during negotiations about sanctioning Iran over its nuclear program.
Additionally, a loophole in the missile proliferation prohibition section of the Security Council's draft resolution allows Russia to complete delivery on a 2005 purchase by Iran of five S-300 missile systems. The S-300 (known to NATO in various iterations as the SA-10 'Grumble' or the SA-20 'Gargoyle') is a short-range, solid-fueled, surface-to-air defensive missile. While it is most effective against enemy aircraft, it is also capable of intercepting short-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
» Missile system details for: S-300P (SA-10 Grumble)
Russia Set to Test First Serial S-400 SAM System Next Week
On July 5 Russia announced it will conduct the first tests of its new S-400 Triumf air defense complexes (NATO codename SA-21 Growler) during the week of July 9. The S-400 is designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets, including stealth aircraft, at a distance of up to 400 kilometers-more than twice the range of the S-300PMU-2 (NATO codename SA-10 Grumble). The S-400 will soon be put on combat duty near Moscow following the test, and eventually will replace the older S-300PMU-2s and defend critical administrative and political centers.
» More stories on: Russian Missile Defenses, Russia
» Missile system details for: S-400 (SA-20 Triumf), S-300P (SA-10 Grumble)
S-400 Moscow Deployment Postponed
The S-400 air and missile defense systems (SA-21 Growler) slated to be installed by July 1 will be postponed until later this summer, Colonel-General Alexander Zelin of Russia's Air Force said Tuesday in Moscow. The S-400 Triumf is an upgrade of the S-300 class (NATO codename SA-10 Grumble), and is capable of destroying stealth aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. Eventually all of the S-300 complexes will be replaced with the newer model.
The first S-400s were to be deployed in Electrostal-town of Moscow Region on July 1, 2007. The intention is to annually have one or two new regiments equipped with S-400s so that the latter would soon replace S-300 systems in all air defense units protecting Moscow and central Russia.
» More stories on: Russia
» Missile system details for: S-300P (SA-10 Grumble), S-400 (SA-20 Triumf)
Russia Sends S-300P Systems to Belarus
The AFP reports that Russia has sent four S-300P (SA-10 Grumble) air/missile defense systems to Belarus, said to be in retaliation for the recent delivery of U.S.-made F-16 fighters to Poland. According to an unnamed source in the Moscow-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the four S-300 systems “have already been put into service” in Belarus. The S-300P is capable of tracking and destroying ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and low-flying aircraft.
» More stories on: Former Soviet Republics, Proliferation, Russia
» Missile system details for: S-300P (SA-10 Grumble)
China Purchases Sixteen S-300PMU2 Batteries from Russia
China has purchased sixteen S-300PMU2 batteries from Russia, reports Interfax. The S-300PMU2 air/missile defense missile system has a range of 200 km and is capable of tracking and destroying ballistic missiles. Interfax quotes Vladislav Menshikov, director-general of the Almaz-Antey air defense consortium, the maker of the S-300PMU2, as saying, “We are fulfilling a contract to deliver eight batteries of S-300PMU2 Favorit missile systems to China, after which we’ll switch to another contract of the same size that came into force recently.”
» More stories on: Russia, Proliferation, China
» Missile system details for: S-300P (SA-10 Grumble)
Russia Tests S-300
The Russian military recently tested the S-300 air/missile defense system in a major exercise at the Ashuluk range in Astrakhan Region, reports Russian Channel One Europe TV. The broadcast stated that the S-300 crews “warded off air raids and missile attacks,” but did not specify the number of missiles fired, their targets, or their rate of success. The broadcast noted that Russia’s air defense shield currently “protects 140 strategic facilities and almost a third of Russia’s population,” adding that “the technical characteristics of the targets against which fire is directed are superior to the missiles actually possessed by the potential enemy.”
» More stories on: Russia, Testing - Foreign
» Missile system details for: S-300P (SA-10 Grumble), S-300V (SA-12A Gladiator, SA-12B Giant)
Russia Develops New Support Vehicle for S-300, Plans to Export
Russia has developed a new reloading and missile-transportation vehicle for its S-300 air/missile defense systems, reports the September 1 issue of Jane’s Missiles and Rockets. The NPP Start scientific production enterprise released details of the new 22T6E2 vehicle at the recent Russian Expo Arms 2006 exhibition in Nizhniy Tagil. The 22T6E2 is based on Russian wheeled vehicles rather than the Ukrainian-manufactured KrAZ-260 wheeled chassis currently in use. The new vehicle, 10.8 m long, 3.2 m wide and 3.8 m high, can simultaneously load or unload two S-300 missiles and can relocate four missiles in approximately 30 minutes.
Jane’s reports that Russia plans to export the new S-300 vehicles immediately. In 2005, the designers completed all testing of the 22T6E2 and received a certificate for mass production. According to Gennadiy Mikhaylovics Muratshin, the general director of NPP Start, the factory already has production orders from four unspecified countries.
» More stories on: Russia, Russian Missile Defenses
» Missile system details for: S-300P (SA-10 Grumble), S-300V (SA-12A Gladiator, SA-12B Giant)
Belarusian Missile Crews Test S-300 in Southern Russia
This morning, Belarusian missile crews took part in a military exercise at the Ashuluk range in southern Russia that included tests of the S-300 air/missile defense system, reports the Belarusian news agency Belapan. During the operational and tactical exercise, crews from the 115th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade used S-300 systems to engage 15 target simulators imitating an attack by cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles, and supersonic aircraft.
» More stories on: Former Soviet Republics, Russia, Russian Missile Defenses, Testing - Foreign
» Missile system details for: S-300P (SA-10 Grumble), S-300V (SA-12A Gladiator, SA-12B Giant)
Jane’s on Russian Defense Industry Capabilities
Russia’s defense industry could have a hard time meeting its export commitments, reports the September 1 issue of Jane’s Defence Industry. Defense agreements with Venezuela alone could reach $3 billion, a sum equivalent to almost 50 percent of Moscow’s total military exports in 2005. Venezuela is also considering additional purchases, including Tor M-1 and Osa-10 air-defense missile systems. Yet Russia already has significant commitments to other key customers, including China and India, which accounted for 70 percent of its defense exports in 2005. In addition, Moscow recently reached a defense accord with Algeria valued at $7.5 billion, in which it agreed to supply Algeria with eight battalions of S-300 PMU2 surface-to-air missile systems among other things. Further agreements with Algeria worth between $2 billion and $3 billion are expected. Jane’s questions whether Moscow will be able to keep these ambitious commitments, as its defense industry remains tied to “old-fashioned management practices and organizational structures at odds with free-market principles,” and has thus fallen into “poor health.”
» More stories on: Industry, Proliferation, Russia
» Missile system details for: S-300P (SA-10 Grumble)
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