Author: www.vhu.cz|Caption: 2K12 Kub (SA-6 „Gainful“) Missile Launcher
The 25th Air Defence Missile Regiment (part of the Czech Air Force) is formed of two Air Defence Missile Groups. The 251st group is armed with four batteries of the 2K12 Kub (2К12 "Куб", NATO reporting name: SA-6 „Gainful“), the 252nd Air Defence Missile Group operates sixteen 9K35 Strela-10’s (9К35 «Стрела-10», NATO reporting name: SA-13 „Gopher“). The Chief of General Staff announced in June that the Czech Army would resume the search for a replacement for outdated Soviet-era 2K12 Kub mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM).
A typical 2K12 battery consists of five tracked vehicles, a radar vehicle and four triple-missile transporter erector launchers (TELs) with twelve ready-to-fire missiles per battery. The intercept altitude of the 3M9M3E missile is 25–14,000 m, and engagement range is 4.4–23 km. The army will be seeking a SHort-Range Air-Defence (SHORAD) and Medium Surface to Air Missile (MSAM) solution with the maximum intercept altitude of 25,000 m, and engagement range of 50 km, able to cover an area of 55 x 55 km.
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The need for replacement of the KUBs is urgent and discussed since several years. The obsolete systems are to be decommissioned in 2020. Back in 2016 several companies have submitted offers to supply SHORAD/MSAM systems to the Czech Army:
Lockheed Martin and MBDA with the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), which is a ground-mobile air and missile defense system intended to replace the Patriot missile;
Kongsberg / Raytheon with the NASAMS (Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System);
Rafael with the SPYDER-MR (Surface-to-air PYthon and DERby Medium Range) system;
Diehl with the IRIS-T SLM (Infra Red Imaging System Tail/Thrust Vector-Controlled, Surface Launched – Middle Range) system.
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The General Staff’s „Modernization Projects of the Czech Army“ document presented in June prescribes, in charter 9, the following specification and requirements for the SHORAD systems:
Specification
- 4 missile air defence batteries;
- 1 fire direction center (FDC) per battery;
- 4 missile launchers per battery;
- 1 3D radar per battery;
- At least 4 guided missiles per missile launcher;
- 2 spare missiles carrying transports per battery;
- 1 service vehicle per battery;
- Initial training of specialists, maintenance and logistic systems, sets of spare parts and units.
1. Fire capabilities
- SHORAD (MSAM) category capabilities met concerning the engagement range and intercept altitude;
- Radar guided air defence missiles;
- Doppler speed of engaged targets -400 to 700 m/s;
- At least 5 simultaneously engaged targets;
- Against aircraft, helicopters, guided cruise missiles, UAV (Radar Cross Section, RCS, up to 0.1m2)
- Target destruction probability within the effective coverage at least 0.8.
2. Endurance
- Climatic endurance according to STANAG 2895 A1 (Extreme hot dry), A2 (Hot dry), A3 (Intermediate), C1 (Intermediate cold);
- Operation 24/7.
3. Survivability
- Ballistic protection of the containers and cabines of the vehicles according to STANAG 4569 Level 2;
- Mobile masking and camouflage paint required;
- Active and passive EMC jamming resistance;
- INS navigation system;
- Filter and ventilation system;
- Automatic fire suppression system.
4. Communication and information system
- Requried communication protocols:
Link 16 and 11B;
Data links LLAPI;
Data links JREAP-C;
Data links Asterix 32/48;
Data links AWCIES.
- Connection with C2 CZE GBAD;
- Connection with ACCS/CRC;
5. Maneuver capabilities
- Chassis Tatra 815-7 8x8;
- Rail and Air transporability (C-130, C17, A400M) required;
- Operation modularity of the FDC and missile launcher on/without chassis.
6. Other requirements
- Czech industry involvement in the acquisition process;
- Lifetime of 20 years;
- Required confidentiality - NATO SECRET.
See also: Modernization Projects of the Czech Army