To date, the Starstreak MANPADS is the most advanced portable anti-aircraft missile system in service with the British army. The complex, like other modern MANPADS, is designed to combat a wide range of air attack weapons, including low-flying attack helicopters up to the line of their effective use of their weapons and supersonic aircraft. The Starstreak complex was adopted in 1997 and since then has been actively exploited and promoted on the international arms market.
In the British army, this complex is presented in three main versions: a portable air defense system (SL), a portable air defense system based on a light multi-charge launcher (LML) and a self-propelled version on an armored Stormer chassis (SP). The latest modification of the complex is designed to provide air defense for the armored units of the British army, including on the march. Today, in addition to Great Britain, the operators of the complex are also South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, the last three countries issued orders for the Starstreak complex relatively recently - after 2011.
The lead developer of Starstreak MANPADS was Thales Air Defense Ltd (formerly Shorts Missile Systems). In addition to her, the following companies took part in the creation and production of the complex: Avimo (sighting optical system), Hunting Engineering (launcher), Racal Instruments (test equipment), BAe RO (rocket engine and fuse), BAe Systems (data bus and gyroscopes), GKN Defense (armored Stormer chassis for the self-propelled version of the complex), as well as Marconi Avionics. In addition, in 2001, a contract was signed for the design of a "friend or foe" identification system with the well-known French company Thales Communications, which is actively working on the arms market.
Soldier with Starstreak MANPADS (SL)
The British began to develop a new complex back in the mid-1980s. The UK Department of Defense signed a contract with the arms company Shorts Missile Systems for the development and initial production of the Starstreak HVM (High Velocity Missile) high-speed missile system in December 1986. At the request of the military, the system was initially developed in three versions. A detailed analysis of the existing and promising air attack weapons, which was carried out by Shorts specialists, showed that the greatest danger to the troops on the battlefield is posed by stealth attack helicopters and supersonic air attack weapons, against which the developed complex was sharpened.
Since the signing of the contract, Shorts Missile Systems has conducted over a hundred test launches of the new high-speed missile. Officially, the Starstreak anti-aircraft missile system was adopted by the British army on September 1, 1997, a modified multi-charge launcher in 2000. Since 1998, the SP version has been exported to other countries. The first export contract was an agreement with South Africa. In 2003, Thales Air Defense Ltd won a tender for the supply of Starstreak SP air defense systems for the armed forces of this African country, the amount of the won tender was more than 20.6 million euros. The contract for the supply of these air defense systems was carried out as part of the South African program for the modernization of ground-based air defense forces.
In addition to the above modifications, there is an air-launched version of the Starstreak - the Helstreak air-to-air missile. Back in September 1988, the Shorts company entered into an agreement to equip the American-made AN-64 Apache attack helicopter with data from a melee missile defense system. The new system, designated Helstreak, consists of one or more twin rocket launchers (50 kg each) and a missile guidance system transmitter. At the same time, the Helstreak rocket was adapted for use from other helicopters. Also in 1991, a version of the sea-based Starstreak complex was demonstrated: two installations of three missiles on each could be serviced by the shooter-operator of the complex from one workplace.
Anti-aircraft guided missile Starstreak HVM
All the indicated variants of the complex are united by its main component - the Starstreak HVM anti-aircraft guided missile, which is housed in a unified TPK - a transport and launch container, which is docked with other elements of the complex. The high-speed rocket is powered by a two-stage solid-propellant engine. The highlight of the rocket and its main feature is a very original warhead, which differs from the traditional high-explosive fragmentation warhead of missiles used in modern MANPADS of other countries. The original warhead of the Starstreak HVM missile consists of three arrow-shaped independent warheads ("darts") and their disengagement system. These "darts" are three tungsten submunitions 0.45 meters long, 20 mm in diameter, each equipped with small rudders and stabilizers. The weight of each such mini-spear is 900 grams, of which 450 grams is used for the plastic explosive PBX-98. Each of the "darts" has its own control and laser beam guidance, armor-piercing core, explosive charge and thermopile.
After launching the rocket and accelerating it to a speed of more than Mach 3, three submunitions are separated and separated. These "darts" line up in a triangular battle formation around the laser beam, their aiming at the target is carried out according to the principle called "laser trail" (semi-automatic command guidance along the laser beam). Due to the tremendous flight speed and the presence of a tungsten core, the submunitions pierce the hull of the air target, after which they explode inside, causing the maximum possible damage. The use of three submunitions in the missile's warhead increases the likelihood of hitting air targets. According to the assurances of the developers, the missile and its "darts" have a sufficient level of maneuverability to destroy airborne objects flying with an overload of up to 9 g. The guaranteed service life of the Starstreak HVM missile is 10 years.
The aiming unit of the complex includes a sealed light-alloy optical sight with a stabilized laser system, and a monocular sight, as well as a sealed control unit, which is placed by the developers in a cast mold, in this form there is a power source (lithium sulfide battery) and various electronic components that are needed for data processing and management.
Starstreak Lightweight Multiple-Charge Launcher (LML), one of three missiles already fired
The control unit of the Starstreak complex includes a joystick, a trigger, a general switch, a wind compensation switch, and an altitude level meter. During the battle, the shooter-operator of the complex captures an air target using a monocular sight, after which he energizes the sighting unit from a power source. The aiming mark is located in the center of the field of view of the operator of the complex, which keeps the selected air target in the crosshair of the sight. Lead in elevation and azimuth ensures that the anti-aircraft guided missile will hit the target by hitting, including its rear hemisphere.
After the completion of all pre-launch operations to lock the target, the shooter-operator of the Starstreak complex presses the trigger. The starting accelerator starts up from the available power source. The anti-aircraft missile leaves the TPK, while the starting engine is turned off. The accelerator accelerates the missile defense system to such a speed that it provides it with sufficient rotation necessary to create centrifugal force, deploying the stabilizers. The booster is separated from the anti-aircraft missile after its departure from the TPK and departure to a safe distance from the MANPADS operator. In less than a second of flight, the main rocket engine comes into play, which accelerates it to a tremendous speed - from Mach 3 to Mach 4. After turning off the main rocket engine, having received a signal from the velocity head sensor, three arrow-shaped "darts" are fired in automatic mode. Submunitions are guided at an air target by a laser beam, which is formed by an aiming unit using two laser diodes, one of which scans the space in the vertical plane and the other in the horizontal plane. According to the developers' assurances, the Starstreak HVM missile can engage air targets at ranges from 300 to 7000 meters and at an altitude of up to 5000 meters.
After launching the rocket, the shooter-operator of the complex continues the process of aligning the selected air target with the aiming mark, using a joystick for this. According to some reports, the introduction of additional software into the complex will allow the angle measuring device to be kept on an air target in automatic mode. After the shot is fired, the shooter-operator removes the empty TPK and attaches a new one to the sighting unit.
Launch of a Starstreak HVM rocket from a Stormer combat vehicle
Separately, we can highlight the self-propelled version of the complex based on the armored chassis "Stormer" (SP), there are also options for placement on the basis of the tracked armored personnel carrier М113 or the Piranha multipurpose wheeled armored vehicle. The self-propelled version of the complex based on "Stormer" has 8 launch containers at once, which are located in the rear of the combat vehicle in two packages of 4 pieces. At the same time, 12 spare missiles are located in the ammunition rack located at the rear of the vehicle. The crew of the Starstreak SP anti-aircraft missile system consists of three people: the vehicle commander, the driver and the operator. The combat weight of the vehicle is 13 tons. The armored vehicle is equipped with satellite navigation and satellite communication systems.
The Starstreak SP air defense system is equipped with a passive infrared target detection and tracking system Air Defense Alerting Device - ADAD manufactured by Thales Optronics (formerly Pilkington Optronics). The system is able to detect air targets such as "aircraft" at a distance of about 18 kilometers, helicopters at a distance of up to 8 kilometers. The time from the moment an air target is detected to the launch of missiles does not exceed 5 seconds. The main armament of the complex is the Starstreak HVM anti-aircraft guided missiles, which are supplied to the TPK and do not require test checks. This missile is similar to a conventional rocket of a portable complex and consists of a solid-propellant two-stage rocket engine, a separation system and a warhead of three arrow-shaped striking elements.
The performance characteristics of the Starstreak MANPADS:
The range of targets hit is from 300 to 7000 m.
The height of the targets hit is up to 5000 m.
The maximum rocket speed is more than 3 M (more than 1000 m / s).
The rocket body diameter is 130 mm.
Missile length - 1369 mm.
The launch mass of the rocket is 14 kg.
Warhead - three penetrating tungsten submunitions (darts) weighing 0.9 kg each, each of them carries a fragmentation warhead (explosive mass 3x0.45 kg)
