S-300PMU-1

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S-300PMU-1 (SA-10a/b GRUMBLE)

The S-300PMU-1 (SA-10 Grumble) is an all-weather, missile system which is able to engage several targets, aircraft & missiles, simultaneously at all altitude levels. The missiles are mounted, carried and vertically launched from a dedicated four-round capacity TEL vehicle based on a 8x8 truck chassis. The combined engagement radar and control station is mounted on the same chassis. It has a missile battery which deploys a battery command post & engagement control center, a large 3D continuous wave pulse Doppler target acquisition radar, an I-band multi-function phased-array radar, a trailer mounted engagement radar with a digital beam steering in hardened sites and up to twelve semi-trailer erector-launchers which mount four tubular missile container-launchers.

The S-300PMU-1 missile system

The towing unit for the semi-trailer erector-launcher is a 6x6 tractor truck. The launchers are usually positioned on concrete pads with the trailers being leveled by the use of four hydraulic jacks. A S-300 regiment probably comprises three such batteries and deploys a 4-metre high F-band long-range, 3D tracking & surveillance radar at the regimental command post for initial target detection. A S-300 regiment probably consists of three such batteries together with an additional radar section and a number of transport-loader vehicles for re-supplying purposes. The missile is vertically launched using a single stage weapon powered by an air-fired solid propellant rocket motor. The missile has a 100 kg HE-fragmentation warhead with proximity fusing although a low yield tactical nuclear type is believed to be a possible option.

The S-300PMU-1 mobile missile battery comprises;
• The combined engagement radar with an engagement Command & Control post station.
• Up to 12 TELs (SPU-mobile launcher unit).
• A trailer-mounted 3D 360º scanning target designation radar and a maintenance section.

The TEL version carries a total of four sealed container-launcher cylinders, each of which is used for the storage, transport and launching of a missile. When traveling the launcher system is carried in the horizontal position but at the launch site is elevated to an angle of 90º. The missile was designed to have this vertical launch trajectory so it has the quickest available reaction time capability to counter targets approaching from any azimuth. The combined radar and engagement control vehicle has a planar array antenna mounted to the front on a box-like antenna mount and support systems container. When traveling the array is carried horizontally but when deployed it is raised above the container to an angle of approximately 60º. Missile guidance is of the track-via-missile type with the guidance radar capable of engaging up to 6 targets simultaneously, with two missiles assigned per target to ensure a high kill probability. The maximum target velocity is stated to be 4200km/h with the battery capable of firing three missiles per second.

Firing a S-300PMU-1 missile during a test launch

The battery takes only five minutes to deploy once it comes to the halt as the vehicles have an electronic inter-vehicle communications and data transmission link that uses elevatable pole-type devices and does not require any interconnecting vehicle cables. Each derivative vehicle also has a set of four hydraulic jacks positioned either side between the first & second and third & fourth road wheels which are lowered to the ground to provide a more stable and level environment. Time out of battery for the system is again around five minutes. If the battery is employed in rugged terrain, then the engagement radar system and box-like superstructure can be mounted on a special trailer-mounted extendible 24.4 metre high tower to improve radar coverage.

If this type of radar is used in its extended state then the low-level engagement range of the S-300PMU-1 is said to increase to 43,200 metres from the original 32,000 metres. Missile engagement altitude limits extend from 25 metres upwards to about 34,000 metres. The maximum engagement range is said to be 90,000 metres, although in practice it is probably greater than this. When in its sealed container-launcher cylinder the missile is considered to be a round of ammunition and is said not to require any check-ups or adjustments for a period of 10 years.