On October 5, 2012, a military parade was held in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, followed by a public exposition of various weapons adopted by the Indonesian Armed Forces. There, for the first time, the multi-purpose modular MLRS ASTROS II Mk 6, created by the Brazilian company Avibras, were demonstrated.
Indonesia has not previously advertised the purchase of Brazilian MLRS anywhere. Under the contract, Brazil will receive 42 ASTROS II Mk 6 vehicles and related equipment and machinery. The contract is valued at $ 405 million. The first copies arrived in Indonesia at the end of September. The new systems will equip two new divisions, each containing 18 ASTROS II Mk 6. The supplied systems are specially designed for the needs of the Indonesian Armed Forces. The launchers are mounted on a Tatra chassis with a 6X6 wheel arrangement.
Features ASTROS II Mk 6
- weight - 24 tons;
- length - 9.9 meters;
- width - 2.8 meters;
- height - 3.2 meters;
Range of fire - 85 kilometers;
- combat crew - 4 people.
The basic model of the MLRS can use several types of RS SS-30/40/60/80. Especially for the Indonesian customer, the standard ammunition for the ASTROS II Mk 6 was the 300mm SS-80 RS. The missile is equipped with a warhead carrier of 52 submunitions of the cumulative fragmentation type. The launcher carries 4 missiles. In addition, for training purposes, the SS-09 of 70mm caliber was purchased, which is practical ammunition. The firing range of practical SS-09 is 10 kilometers. They are housed in a dedicated launcher with 32 charging bags.
The base model, called the Astros-2, has been in serial production since 1983. The developer and manufacturer is the Brazilian company Avibras. At that time, when creating the MLRS, several of the latest technical solutions were introduced. This mainly concerns the design of the PC. Was baptized by fire in "Desert Storm".
Main advantages:
- increased mobility;
- good security of equipment and systems;
- high density of fire;
- the ability to fire at any time of the day or night;
- increased characteristics of the effectiveness of missiles;
- automation of the missile guidance process.
The composition of the "Astros-2" system:
- PU "AV-LMU" unified for firing several types of missiles;
- ТЗМ "AV-RMD";
- a rocket projectile, depending on the customer's requirements;
- KM "AV-VCC", to ensure the operation of up to 3 batteries;
- mobile maintenance workshop;
- ACS "AV-UCF".
The main chassis was three-axle vehicles (10 tons) with a 6X6 wheel formula. Installed engine - diesel "Mercedes-Benz" 280 hp. The maximum speed is up to 90 km / h. Launchers have additional armament 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun.
