MANPADS Robotsystem 70 - missile system of the 70th model (RBS-70) - Swedish universal portable anti-aircraft missile system designed to destroy low-flying air targets (aircraft and helicopters) of the enemy. Developed in Sweden by engineers at Bofors Defense (today Saab Bofors Dynamics). The RBS-70 MANPADS was adopted by the Swedish army in 1977. In the future, it was actively exported, it was purchased by about twenty countries of the world, since 1985 the export designation of the complex is Rayrider.
Unlike the portable anti-aircraft missile systems of the USA, USSR and Great Britain, which were created at the same time, the Swedish complex can be called "portable" only at a stretch. The main disadvantage of the complex is called its large mass, two missiles in the TPK and PU are pulled together by 120 kg. To deliver such a "portable" complex to the required place, you have to use vehicles, or install it on different chassis. This was a conscious approach by the Swedes, which provided them with an advantage over foreign MANPADS of the same years in terms of range and height of targets and targets and a high potential for modernizing the complex. The Bolide missile, adopted in 2001, significantly expanded the capabilities of MANPADS, which is still in service with various countries of the world.
Since the needs of ensuring the defense capability of Sweden were met in abundance by the country's military-industrial complex, in the 20th century, almost every sample of Swedish weapons was created with an eye to export abroad, including for Sweden's partners in international military-political blocs. In this regard, the Robotsystem 70 MANPADS was no exception. Despite the fact that it was primarily developed for the Swedish armed forces, the corporate management of Bofors saw great potential in the development of the international arms market, including the US market. In the future, the complex was really actively promoted for export. Of the closest neighbors of Russia, it is in service with the armies of Latvia and Lithuania. These countries received RBS-70 MANPADS in the first half of the 2000s and are currently participating in a program to modernize them, purchasing new missiles, sights and equipment.
Work on the creation of the Robotsystem 70 complex was started in Sweden in 1967, and the first samples entered testing after 7 years. In parallel with the firing unit, work was underway to create the radio-technical part of the complex, in particular, the PS-70 / R detection and targeting radar. In 1977, the complex was put into service under the designation Robotsystem 70 (missile system of the 70th model), abbreviated as RBS-70. In the Swedish army, it occupied a niche between the 40-mm automatic artillery mounts L70 and the medium-range air defense system "Hawk". In the Swedish ground forces, it was intended to protect battalion-company units from air attacks.
The complex was originally created in accordance with such requirements of the Swedish Armed Forces as a long range of interception of air targets on a collision course; high probability and accuracy of defeat; the ability to work on targets to the very ground; resistance to all known natural and artificial interference; line of sight command control; the possibility of further modernization, ensuring the application at night. Based on the requirements of the military, Bofors Defense chose the option of guiding anti-aircraft missiles at a target through a laser channel. Thus, the RBS-70 became the world's first MANPADS with a similar guidance system. From the very beginning of the design work, the complex was created with the prospect of its installation on a tracked and wheeled chassis, so that the designers were not strictly limited by the mass and dimensions of the complex. The first mobile version of MANPADS was developed in 1981 on the basis of the Land Rover off-road vehicle, later the RBS-70 was installed on a variety of chassis, including wheeled and tracked armored personnel carriers.
Work on the modernization of the Robotsystem 70 complex began almost immediately from the moment of its creation. So in 1990, the modernization of the Rb-70 missile defense system was presented, which received the designation Rb-70 Mk1. And already in 1993, a modification of the Rb-70 Mk2 rocket was adopted, which seriously improved the capabilities of MANPADS. The maximum target destruction range increased to 7000 meters, the altitude - up to 4000 meters, the missile speed - up to 580 m / s. The new Bolide SAM, which appeared in 2001, further expanded the capabilities of the complex to defeat various air targets. The firing range increased to 8000 meters, the height of the targets hit - up to 5000 meters, the missile speed exceeded 680 m / s. Also, since 1998, work has been carried out in Sweden to modernize all elements of the complex with the introduction of a new data transfer standard for organizing a single information space of the air defense system.
Over the entire production period of the complex, about 1,500 launchers and more than 15 thousand missiles of all modifications to them were assembled. According to data provided by Saab Bofors Dynamics, the total number of missile launches using RBS-70 MANPADS at the end of 2000 was 1,468, with more than 90 percent of the missiles fired hitting targets.
At the moment of launch, the Rb-70 anti-aircraft missile is ejected from the container at a speed of 50 m / s. After that, her sustainer solid propellant rocket launches, which works for 6 seconds, accelerating the missile defense system to supersonic flight speed (about M = 1, 6). The task of the operator of the complex is to keep the air target in the field of view of the stabilized sight. The laser beam emitted by the guidance unit forms a kind of "corridor" in the center of which the rocket flies. The lack of radiation before the missile launch and the low power used by MANPADS for guidance make it difficult to effectively detect the RBS-70, and the command guidance of the missile by the operator of the complex increases its noise immunity and allows you to confidently hit even air targets making vigorous maneuvers.
Although each launcher can be used independently, the main use case is the use of MANPADS complete with a pulse-Doppler radar RS-70 "Giraffe" operating in the range of 5, 4-5, 9 GHz. This radar provides detection of a typical air target at a distance of up to 40 kilometers, the tracking range is up to 20 kilometers. The antenna of this radar can be raised on a special mast to a height of up to 12 meters. In this case, the radar can be installed on various chassis. The deployment time for such a station is no more than five minutes. The radar crew consists of 5 people who provide tracking of three air targets in manual mode and can serve up to 9 fire crews.
SAM complex RBS 70
Information about air targets is transmitted to the combat control panel, from where it can be directed to specific launchers. The response time of MANPADS is 4-5 seconds. In this case, the operator of the RBS-70 complex receives information about the air target in the form of a sound signal in the headphones. When aiming at an air target, the radar automatically adjusts the accuracy of the MANPADS guidance by the operator, transmitting electrical impulses through the cable, which are converted by the speaker of the command-launch unit into sound signals of three different tones: 1) low tone signal - warns the operator of the complex about deviation of the sight to the left of air target; 2) high-pitched signal - about deviation of the sight to the right of the air target; 3) intermittent sound signal - about an error in the determination of the true azimuth of the air target by the operator of the complex.
In 1982, the Swedish company Ericsson created a portable radar for target detection and tracking, called HARD (Helicopter and Aircraft Radar Detection). This radar detection system is compact enough to be carried by one of the crew members, while transport is required to transport the Giraffe radar. The instrumental target detection range of this radar is 12 kilometers, it provides guaranteed detection of air targets and early warning of the MANPADS operator at a distance of up to 9 kilometers.
The Rb-70 anti-aircraft guided missile was designed according to a normal aerodynamic configuration and was equipped with a two-stage solid-propellant sustainer engine, which was located in the middle of the missile defense system. A laser receiver is located at the tail end of the rocket. And in the bow there is a warhead, which can be detonated using a contact or laser proximity fuse. After the explosion, the air target is struck by a shaped charge (armor penetration up to 200 mm) and ready-made spherical striking elements made of tungsten with a diameter of about 3 mm. Over time, the number of such submunitions increased to three thousand. During the modernization of the rocket, which received more advanced large-sized cruise engines and a warhead, due to the miniaturization of electronic elements, the dimensions and weight of the rocket practically did not change. So the modification of the Rb-70 Mk2 of 1993 and the Rb-70 Mk0 of 1977 have the same length - 1.32 m. The Rb-70 rocket is placed in a transport and launch container, after the launch of the TPK it is not reused.
The probability of hitting air targets with the Rb-70 Mk2 missile is estimated at 0.7-0.9 when firing on a collision course and at 0.4-0.5 when firing on a catch-up course. At the same time, the process of modernizing missiles continued for a long time. In 2002, serial production of the Bolide missile for the RBS-70 MANPADS began, which is a deep modernization of the Rb-70 Mk0, Mk1 and Mk2 missiles and is designed for use with existing launchers. The purpose of creating a new SAM was to increase the capabilities of the complex to combat vigorously maneuvering and stealthy targets, for example, cruise missiles.
The launcher of the RBS-70 portable anti-aircraft missile system included:
- anti-aircraft missile in TPK (weight 24 kg);
- guidance unit (weight 35 kg), consisting of a device for forming a laser beam with adjustable focusing and an optical sight (has 7x magnification with a field of view of 9 degrees);
- power supply and tripod (weight 24 kg);
- equipment for identification "friend or foe" (weight 11 kg).
It is also possible to connect to the COND thermal imager complex, which makes it possible to use MANPADS at night without reducing its main characteristics. This thermal imager operates in the wavelength range from 8 to 12 microns and is equipped with a closed-loop cooling system.
All elements of the Robotsystem 70 complex are located on a tripod, in the upper part of which there is a mounting unit for the guidance unit, as well as a container with an anti-aircraft missile, and in the lower part there is a gunner's seat. The deployment time of the complex from the traveling position (from the wheels) to the combat position is 30 seconds. The calculation of the complex consists of two or three people. With three people, the complex becomes truly portable. A typical training course for a Robotsystem 70 MANPADS operator using simulators in the Swedish army takes 15-20 hours, which are usually distributed over 10-13 days.
The Swedish army also uses a self-propelled version of the RBS-70 complex - Type 701 (Lvrbv 701). Elements of the air defense complex were placed on the chassis of the Pbv302 tracked armored personnel carrier. The time for transferring the complex from the traveling position to the combat position is no more than a minute. Also, the RBS-70 complex has found wide application as a means of naval air defense. As part of the Swedish Navy, it is included in the armament of the Stirso-class patrol boats and the M-80 type minesweepers. As a launcher, they use the same tripod as in the land version.
The Robotsystem 70 complex has pronounced advantages and disadvantages. Compared to MANPADS equipped with IR / UV homing heads ("Igla", "Stinger", "Mistral"), the Swedish counterpart noticeably wins in firing range, especially on a collision course. The ability to engage air targets beyond a range of 4-5 kilometers allows the RBS-70 to bypass other MANPADS models. At the same time, the main disadvantage of the complex is its large mass. To move it, you need transport, or installation on different chassis. At the same time, it cannot be used from the shoulder, carried or used in combat conditions by one person, which is also not always acceptable. At one time, this led to the fact that the RBS-70 MANPADS lost in the tender that was announced by South Africa.
The command method of guiding anti-aircraft guided missiles gives the Robotsystem 70 MANPADS its characteristic features. The advantages include the ability to effectively combat low-flying targets and better noise immunity, and the disadvantages include the vulnerability of the complex calculation and high requirements for its preparation. The operator of the Swedish MANPADS needs to very quickly assess the speed of an air target, the range to it, the altitude and direction of flight, this information is necessary to launch the missile. Target tracking takes up to 10-15 seconds, requiring precise and quick actions from the operator in conditions of high psycho-emotional stress of the combat situation. Also, the advantages of the complex included its relatively low cost, which was about half of the cost of the American Stinger MANPADS.
RBS 70 complex of the Australian ground forces in the exercise, 2011
The performance characteristics of the Robotsystem 70 MANPADS (rocket of 1977):
The range of targets hit is 5000 m.
The minimum range of targets hit is 200 m.
The height of target destruction is up to 3000 m.
The maximum rocket speed is 525 m / s.
Rocket - Rb-70 Mk0
The caliber of the rocket is 106 mm.
Rocket length - 1, 32 m.
The launch mass of the rocket is 15 kg.
The mass of the missile warhead is 1 kg.
The mass of the complex in a combat position (with a tripod, radar and the necessary equipment) is 87 kg.
The deployment time of the complex from the traveling position to the combat position is 30 seconds.
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