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Serbian Military Technical Institute displays Pasars 4 gun missile air defense system.
Pasars 4 gun Silo Strela-2M is a dual air defense system combining a Bofors 40mm L70 gun and 4 missile launchers, integrated on a Yugoimport FAP 2228 6x6 chassis. The vehicle is intended to protect troops and convoys on the move, units during a combat operation, as well as facilities against air attacks carried on by cruise missiles, drones, attack helicopters, etc.
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Pasars 4 air defense system (Picture source: Army Recognition)
Fabrika Automobila Priboj (FAP) is a Serbian automotive manufacturer of military vehicles and with headquarters in Priboj. Initially producing licensed copies of Saurer trucks, it produced Mercedes-Benz NG trucks under license. In 2014, Finnish truck maker Sisu Auto has placed an offer to buy FAP, in cooperation with the Government of Serbia. However, the negotiations were shut down due to disagreements in strategy between the parties. Over the years, the Government of Serbia has worked to place the company on healthy grounds. Today, FAP is operating as a manufacturer and overhaul provider for the Serbian Army. FAP is now majority-owned by the Government of Serbia and it is part of the "Defense Industry of Serbia".
Giraffe radar
The detection and tracking system is based on a Giraffe radar and an optical target indicator. The Saab Giraffe Radar is a family of land and naval two- or three-dimensional G/H-band (4 to 8 GHz) passive electronically scanned array radar-based surveillance and air defense command and control systems tailored for operations with medium- and Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) missile or gun systems or for use as gap-fillers in a larger air defense system. The radar gets its name from the distinctive folding mast which when deployed allows the radar to see over nearby terrain features such as trees, extending its effective range against low-level air targets. The first systems were produced in 1977. By 2007, some 450 units of all types are reported as having been delivered. The Military Technical Institute Belgrade purchased a license for Giraffe 75 and producing a new model with several modifications. Domestic Serbia designation is M85 "Žirafa" on chassis of FAP 2026.
Bofors 40mm L70
The Bofors 40 mm gun, often referred to simply as the Bofors gun, is an anti-aircraft automatic gun designed in the 1930s by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors. It was one of the most popular medium-weight anti-aircraft systems during World War II, used by most of the western Allies as well as some captured systems being used by the Axis powers. A small number of these weapons remain in service to this day, and saw action as late as the Persian Gulf War. In the post-war era, the original design was not suitable for action against jet-powered aircraft, so Bofors introduced a new model of significantly more power, the 40 mm L/70. In spite of sharing almost nothing with the original design other than the caliber and the distinctive conical flash hider, this weapon is also widely known simply as "the Bofors". Although not as popular as the original L/60 model, the L/70 remains in service, especially as a multi-purpose weapon for light armored vehicles, as on the CV 90. Bofors has been part of BAE Systems AB since March 2005.
Strela-2M missile
The 9K32 Strela-2 (arrow; NATO reporting name: SA-7 Grail) is a lightweight, shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missile (or MANPADS) system. It is designed to target aircraft at low altitudes, with passive infrared homing guidance and destroy them with a high explosive warhead. Broadly comparable in performance with the US Army FIM-43 RedEye, the Strela-2 was the first Soviet man-portable SAM – it entered use in 1968, and full-scale production began in 1970. While the Redeye and 9K32 Strela-2 were similar, the missiles weren’t identical. Nonetheless, the CIA concluded that the Soviet SA-7 had benefited from the RedEye’s development. The Strela-2 was a staple of the Cold War and was produced in huge numbers for the Soviet Union and their allies, as well as revolutionary movements. Though since surpassed by more modern systems, the Strela and its variants remain in service in many countries and have seen widespread use in nearly every regional conflict since 1972.
In order to address the shortcomings, two improved versions were ordered in 1968; as an intermediate stop-gap the slightly improved 9K32M "Strela-2M" (NATO reporting name SA-7b) to replace the original, as well as the more ambitious Strela-3.
As the modifications introduced with the Strela-2M were relatively minor, the process was fast and it was accepted in service in 1970. The Strela-2M replaced the Strela-2 in production lines immediately. Improvements were made particularly to increase the engagement envelope of the new system:
• Higher thrust propellant increased slant range from 3.4 to 4.2 km (2.1 to 2.6 mi) and ceiling from 1.5 to 2.3 km (0.93 to 1.43 mi)
• Improved guidance and control logic allowed the engagement of helicopters and propeller-driven aircraft (but not jets) approaching at a maximum speed of 150 m/s (490 ft/s; 340 mph)
• Maximum speed of receding targets was increased from 220 to 260 m/s (720 to 850 ft/s; 490 to 580 mph)
• More automated grip stock provided a simplified firing method against fast targets: a single trigger pull followed by lead and superelevation replacing the separate stages of releasing the seeker to track and launching the missile (see description below)
• The Strela-2M can be fired at targets flying at altitudes ranging from 50 to 2,300 meters.
Contrary to what was initially reported in some Western publications, more recent information indicates that, while lethality on impact had proven to be a problem, the warhead remained the same 1.17 kg (2.6 lb) unit (including 370-gram (13 oz) TNT charge) as in the original. This remained the warhead of all Soviet MANPADS up to and including most 9K38 Igla variants; to address the problem of poor lethality, a more powerful HE filling than TNT, improved fuzing, a terminal maneuver, and finally, a separate charge to set off any remaining rocket fuel were gradually introduced in later MANPADS systems, but the original Strela-2/2M warhead design of a 370-gram (13 oz) directed-energy HE charge in a pre-fragmented casing remained.
The seeker head improvements were only minor changes to allow better discrimination of the target signal against background emissions. Some sources claim that the seeker sensitivity was also improved. The only defense against infra-red countermeasures remained the seeker head's narrow field of view, which could be hoped to help the rapidly slowing flare fall off the missile field of view as it was tracking a fast-moving target. In practice, flares proved to be a highly effective countermeasure against both versions of the Strela-2.
The seeker is commonly referred to as a hot metal tracker. The seeker can only see infrared energy in the near-infrared (NIR) spectrum, emitted by very hot surfaces only seen on the inside of the jet nozzle. This allows only rear-aspect engagement of jet targets, earning the weapon its other moniker as a revenge weapon since the missile has to "chase" an aircraft after it has already passed by.
The Strela-2M was also procured for use on-board Warsaw Pact warships; installed on four-round pedestal mounts aboard Soviet amphibious warfare vessels and various smaller combatants, the weapon remained unchanged but was assigned the NATO reporting name SA-N-5 "Grail".
Silo missile
Instead of the Stre-al-2M, Pasars can fire Silo missiles that can be fired at targets flying between 320 and 400 m/s at altitudes ranging from 10 to 3,500 meters, at distances ranging from 500 to 5,200 meters. The 18.4 kg missile flies at 570 m/s.