While Antey's impressive S-300V family of SAM systems shares its earliest conceptual origins with the Almaz S-300P family, the two product lines diverged dramatically very early in their development histories. As a result, they share the same technology base but are essentially unique designs, optimised respectively for the needs of the prime customers, the V-PVO and PVO-SV.

While the PVO-SV shared some static and semi-mobile radar systems with the V-PVO during the early 1960s, the PVO-SV deployed its own unique inventory of fully mobile SAM systems, reflecting its role of providing air defence cover for highly mobile Soviet tank and motorised infantry divisions. By the end of the 1960s the PVO-SV had deployed a three tier system, with the cumbersome ramjet powered 2K11/3M8 Krug / 1S12 Long Track / 1S32 Pat Hand / SA-4 Ganef system providing long range area defence, the quite effective 2K12/3M9 Kub / 1S91 Straight Flush / SA-6 Gainful system providing medium range area defence and the 9M33 Osa / 9K33 Romb / SA-8 Gecko, 9M31 Strela 1 / SA-9 Gaskin, and ubiquitous ZSU-23-4P SPAAG providing low altitude point defence.

With the exception of the 3M8/SA-4 this package was widely exported in the Arab world and Africa and whilst achieving some initial success against the Israelis in 1973 generally suffered greviously when applied against Western air power and electronic combat forces. By the early 1970s it was clear that a new generation of systems would be needed to challenge growing Western SEAD and EW capabilities. The S-300V system was to provide the top tier in the new air defence umbrella.

Unlike first generation PVO-SV systems the S-300V would have a much broader role, encompassing both long range / high altitude air defence but also defence against US tactical ballistic missiles, specifically the Lance and Pershing I/II, the FB-111A's supersonic AGM-69A SRAM standoff missile, and the new US Air Force MGM-109 Ground Launched Cruise Missile - a trailer launched nuclear armed Tomahawk variant based in the UK and Western Europe. As a result the S-300V would have to provide exceptionally good detection and tracking performance against low radar cross section targets, at very high and very low altitudes, while retaining the very high offroad mobility so typical of established PVO-SV tracked area defence SAM systems, and possessing exceptional resistance to the much feared US EF-111A Raven jammer force.

The S-300V was the result of these pressures - an expensive, complex but highly capable dual role SAM/ABM system which remains without equivalent to this day. It was to be an Army level or Corp level asset, protecting the centre of gravity of the Red Army's mechanised land forces against attack by nuclear and conventionally armed systems.

The baseline S-300V entered production during the very early 1980s, and was accepted into service by the PVO-SV in 1983 under the designation S-300V-1, but was limited in capabilities. Difficulties with the complex technology delayed service entry of the fully developed package with ABM capability until 1988, under the designation S-300V. The only export customer to date has been India who have since acquired a pair of Israeli Green Pine ABM early warning radars, as a counter to Pakistan's nuclear armed ballistic missile force. The order for six S-300VM systems remains in negotiation while the Israeli Arrow and S-300PMU-2/S-400 are evaluated. A marketing drive in the Persian Gulf some years ago fell foul of US influence in the region - Patriots being bought instead, amid Russian allegations of dishonest marketing tactics by the US.

All principal components of the S-300V system are carried on the MT-TM Item 830 series tracked vehicle, with gross weights between 44 and 47 tonnes per vehicle - the S-300V is not a lightweight system - and has similar offroad mobility to a medium tank.

The S-300V system comprises no less than eight unique system vehicles, the 9S457 mobile command post, the 9S15 Bill Board acquisition radar, the 9S19 High Screen ABM early warning radar, the 9S32 Grill Pan engagement radar, the 9A82 and 9A83 TELARs (Transporter Erector Launcher and Radar), and the 9A84 and 9A85 TEL/Transloader vehicles.

The fully mobile 9S15 Obzor 3 / Bill Board acquisition radar is a mechanically rotated 3D radar system, with electronic beam steering in elevation and an IFF array. It provides long range early warning of aerial threats and low end TBMs such as the Scud A and Lance.

9S15 Bill Board

The 9S15 has two basic modes of operation. The first is optimised for a 12 second sweep and is claimed to provide a 50% probability of detecting a fighter sized target at 130 nautical miles. The second mode employs a faster 6 second sweep period, and is used to detect inbound TBMs and aircraft, with a reduced detection range of about 80 nautical miles for fighters, and 50 to 60 nautical miles for TBMs like the Scud A or Lance. Russian sources are unusually detailed on ECCM techniques used, claiming the use of three auxiliary receiver channels for cancelling sidelobe jamming, automatic wind compensated rejection of chaff returns, and provisions in the MTI circuits to reject jamming. A facility for precise angular measurement of jamming emitters is included. RMS tracking errors are quoted at 250 metres in range and about 0.5 degrees in azimuth/elevation, with the ability to track up to 200 targets. The system has an integral gas turbine electrical power generator for autonomous operation - a feature of most S-300V components.

This radar provides a highly mobile 3D search and acquisition capability, but is limited in low level coverage footprint by its antenna elevation. Its limited scan rate makes it unusable for high performance IRBM acquisition and tracking, which is the role of the 9S19 High Screen radar.

The specialised 9S19 Imbir is a high power-aperture, coherent, X-band phased array designed for the rapid acquisition and initial tracking of inbound ballistic missiles within a 90 degree sector. To that effect it uses a large passive phase technology transmissive array, using a conceptually similar space feed technique to the MPQ-53 and 30N6 series radars, producing a narrow 0.5 degree pencil beam mainlobe. The primary search waveform is chirped to provide a very high pulse compression ratio intended to provide very high range resolution of small targets. The design uses a high power Travelling Wave Tube (TWT) source, very low sidelobes and frequency hopping techniques to provide good resistance to jamming.

Three primary operating modes are used. In the first the 9S19 scans a 90 degree sector in azimuth, between 26 and 75 degrees in elevation, to detect inbound Pershing class IRBMs within a 40 to 95 nautical mile range box, feeding position and kinematic data for up to 16 targets to the 9S457 command post. The second mode is intended to detect and track supersonic missiles such as the AGM-69 SRAM, and sweeps a narrower 60 degree sector in azimuth, between 9 and 50 degrees in elevation, within a range box between 10 and 90 nautical miles, generating target position and velocity updates at 2 second intervals. The third mode is intended to acquire aircraft in severe jamming environments, with similar angular and range parameters to the second mode. The radar is claimed to produce RMS angular errors of around 12 to 15 minutes of arc, and a range error of a mere 70 metres (at max range 0.04%!). The peak power rating remains undisclosed.

In function the 9S19 most closely resembles much newer Western X-band ABM radars, but is implemented using seventies generation antenna and transmitter technology, and is fully mobile unlike the semimobile US THAAD X-band radar, and Israeli Green Pine.

An SA-12 battery will have several fire units, each centred on a Grill Pan phased array engagement radar, and some mix of 9A82, 9A83 TELARs and 9A84, 9A85 TEL/Transloaders. The Grill Pan controls the TELARs' command link/illuminator antennas and remotely fires the missiles (Author).

9S32 Grill Pan

The third radar in the S-300V suite is the 9S32 Grill Pan, an engagement radar similar in concept and function to the MPQ-53 and 30N6, but larger with the antenna turret capable of slewing through +/-340 degrees. It will automatically acquire and track targets provided by the 9S457 command post, control the operation of TELAR mounted illuminators and generate midcourse guidance commands for up to 12 missiles fired at 6 targets concurrently. The S-300V system uses continuous wave illumination of targets and semi-active radar terminal homing, not unlike the US Navy RIM-66/67 series SAMs - the illuminators are carried on the 9A82 and 9A83 TELARs.

Like the 9S19, the 9S32 is a high power-aperture, coherent, X-band phased array, but specialised for missile guidance producing a mainlobe of around of 1 degree in width. The TWT based transmitter is rated at 150 kW peak and 10-13 kW average power, with receiver sensitivity cited at 10^-17 Watts. Cited detection ranges are about 80 nautical miles for fighter sized targets, 40 nautical miles for SRAM class missiles and up to 80 nautical miles for larger IRBMs. The radar uses monopulse angle tracking techniques, frequency hopping in all modes to provide high jam resistance, and chirped waveforms providing a high compression ratio. Three auxiliary receiver channels are used for cancelling sidelobe jamming.

Two basic operating modes are used. In the first the 9S32 is controlled by the 9S457 command post and acquires targets within a narrow 5 x 6 degree field of view, alternately it can autonomously search and acquire targets within a 60 degree field of view. A datalink antenna is mounted aft of the array.

A pair of 9A82 TELARs deployed. The illuminator does not elevate in this design (Author unknown). Additional image [Click for more ...]

9A83 TELAR Stowed.

9A83 TELAR Deployment

The 9A82 and 9A83 TELARs carry two Novator designed 9M82 Giant long range SAM/ABMs, and four 9M83 Gladiator SAM/ABMs respectively. Each TELAR is equipped with a steerable high gain antenna used to transmit midcourse guidance commands to the missiles and provide continuous wave illumination of the target for the missiles' semi-active radar seekers during the terminal guidance phase - one source cites 10-12 kW of CW power rating. The TELARs are controlled by the 9S32 Grill Pan using either cables or a bidirectional radio datalink, permitting the TELARs to return status information to the guidance radar. The 9A82 TELAR is optimised for engaging targets at higher altitudes, and can slew its antenna through 180 degrees in azimuth, and 110 degrees in elevation, while the 9A83 TELAR has an elevating and telescoping mast providing antenna coverage of the full upper hemisphere - this arrangement is intended to extend the engagement footprint against low altitude targets. The TELARs are supplemented by the 9A84 and 9A85 TEL/Transloaders, essentially dumb launchers which can be used only with guidance/illumination from a nearby TELAR, and equipped with loading cranes instead of antenna booms.

9M82 Giant SAM

9M83 Gladiator SAM

The smaller 9M83 Gladiator SAM/ABM is intended to engage aerial targets at all altitudes, including cruise missiles, and smaller TBMs. The much larger 9M82 Giant has higher kinematic performance and is intended to kill IRBMs, SRAM class supersonic missiles, but also standoff jamming aircraft at long ranges. Both weapons employ two solid propellant stages, with thrust vector control of the first stage (10,225 lb/4,636 kg mass in the Giant and cca 5,000 lb/2275 kg in the Gladiator) and aerodynamic control of the 2,800 lb (1,200 kg) second stage, using four servo driven fins, and four fixed stabilisers. The guidance and control packages, and much of the weapon airframes are identical, the principal distinction being the bigger booster stage of the Giant and its larger stabilisers.

A cold start ejector is used to expel the missile from the launch tube, the first stage burns for about 20 seconds, upon which the missile transitions to its midcourse sustainer. During midcourse flight the missile employs inertial navigation with the option of command link updates. In the former mode it transitions to its semi-active homing seeker during the final 10 seconds of flight, in the latter 3 seconds before impact - a technique preferred for heavy jamming environments. Russian sources claim the semi-active seeker can lock on to a 0.05 square metre RCS target from 16.2 nautical miles. The midcourse guidance system attempts to fly the most energy efficient trajectory to maximise range. A two channel radio proximity fuse is used to initiate the 330 lb (150 kg) class smart warhead which has a controllable fragmentation pattern to maximise effect.

The engagement envelope of the baseline Gladiator is between 80 ft AGL to 80 kft, and ranges of 3.2 to 40 nautical miles, the Giant between 3,200 ft AGL to 100 kft, and ranges of 7 to 54 nautical miles. The system can launch the missiles at 1.5 second intervals, and a battalion with four batteries can engage 24 targets concurrently, with 2 missiles per target, and has a complement of between 96 and 192 missiles available for launch on TELAR/TELs. A TELAR can arm a missile for launch in 15 seconds, with a 40 second time to prepare a TELAR for an engagement, and 5 minute deploy and stow times - a genuine shoot and scoot capability.

The cited single shot kill probabilities for the Gladiator are 50% to 65% against TBMs and 70% to 90% against aircraft, for the Giant 40% to 60% against IRBMs and 50% to 70% against the AGM-69 SRAM - ballistic missiles with re-entry velocities of up to 3 km/s can be engaged.

The Antey S-300VM/SA-X-23 'Antey 2500'
Самоходный Зенитный Ракетный  Комплекс С-300ВM

The S-300V has been supplanted by the enhanced S-300VM, using the 9S15M2/MT2E/MV2E, 9S19ME, 9S32ME and 9S457ME components, and improved 9M82M and 9M83M missiles. This system has been marketed as the Antey 2500, intended to highlight its capability to engage 2,500 km range IRBMs with re-entry velocities around 4.5 km/sec. The 9M82M has double the range of the 9M82 against aerial targets, at 108 nautical miles, and increased terminal phase agility - a single shot kill probability of 98% is claimed against ballistic targets.

Commercially the S-300V/VM has been much less successful than the S-300P series, in part due to its higher cost and capability - the Indian sale has yet to materialise, compared to the large number of S-300P systems sold to the PRC. In 2003 the Russian government authorised a merger between Almaz, Altair and Antey to produce what is likely to be world's largest SAM system manufacturer. 

In the longer term the S-300V is likely to acquire similar evolutionary enhancements to the S-300P series, increasing its range and already superb lethality. It is likely that GPS aided navigation hardware will be added at some stage to both the S-300P/S-300V to increase the accuracy of the inertial/compass navigation systems on the radars and TELAR/TELs.