S-350E Vityaz 50R6
Medium-range mobile air defense missile system - Russia
Description
The S-350E Vityaz 50R6 is a new mobile ground-to-air defense system designed, developed, and manufactured in Russia by the Russian Defense Company Almaz-Antey. Development of a Vityaz began in the early 1990s with a series of successful system firings against various target types. It was unveiled in 1998 by Almaz concern and is roughly a counterpart of the European SAMPT. It is probable that the system is mainly aimed at the export market and is designed to complement the S-300 / S-400 missile family. South Korea is developing a simplified version of the Vityaz called Cheolmae-2 with the help of Almaz Central Design Bureau. The Vityaz is expected to replace the outdated S-300PS systems, whose service life is ending in the next two years. The new system will have more advanced radar and a launcher with 16 missiles compared to only four on the S-300. In February 2013, the Russian Ministry of Defense and Almaz-Antey announced the first flight test for the Vityaz 50R6 for autumn 2013. The system was unveiled for the first time to the public during the MAKS AirShow in Moscow, in August 2013. According to Almaz, Vityaz could replace older SAMs like the S-125 while adding multiple-target and anti-missile capabilities. According to information released in 2003, the system can be delivered in two configurations: a version optimized for protecting against high-precision weapons (cruise missiles, ARMs, smart bombs, and tactical UAVs) able to simultaneously engage up to eight targets, and a multi-role version, in the former configuration the battery consists of a radar and up to four launchers with 32 "small" missiles each, while in the latter the heart of the battery is a mobile command post linked to up to two radars and up to eight launchers. On December 23, 2019, it was announced by Almaz-Antey that Russian troops have received the first set of the advanced S-350 ‘Vityaz’ surface-to-air missile system.
S-350 Vityaz 50R6 variants:
- No variants at this time.
Technical Data
| Missile Launcher Unit |
| The S-350E Vityaz 50R6 missile system is mounted on an 8x8 truck chassis, under the technical name 50P6. It's a dual missile system, whereby each standard container can be replaced by a pack of four smaller and shorter weapons. The vertical launcher truck carried twelve tubular containers, in two lines of six. |
| Missiles |
| The missile launched by the S-350E Vityaz 50R6 air defense system is the 9M96 guided missile family which was originally designed for the S-400 system. This missile can be used against aerial and ballistic targets with a firing range from 1.5 to 120 km and an altitude of 10 to 30,000 m. It features passive IR homing guidance. The 9M96 is a dual-role anti-missile and anti-aircraft missile. The S-350 can also fire 9M100 guided missile to destroy aircraft, UAVs, and cruise missiles. The 9M100 is a short-range, IR-guided missile that has been mentioned as both a SAM and an AAM. It has a maximum firing range of 10 km. The 9M96E missile is ‘hit-to-kill’ designed for direct impact, and use canards and thrust vectoring to achieve extremely high G and angular rate capability. An inertial package is used with a datalink from the MFMTR X-band radar for midcourse guidance, with a radar homing seeker of an undisclosed type. The small 24 kg blast fragmentation warhead is designed to produce a controlled fragment pattern, using multiple initiators to shape the detonation wave through the explosive. A smart radar fuse is used to control the warhead timing and pattern. |
| Mobility |
| The S-350E Vityaz launcher missile canisters are mounted on the 8x8 truck chassis BAZ-6909. The power plant comprises an engine, a clutch, and a gearbox that are mounted behind the cab. The engine is the YaMZ-8424.10-033 multi-fuel four-stroke eight-cylinder V-type liquid-cooled diesel with a power of 470 hp. The suspension is of an independent torsion-bar wishbone type with telescopic shock absorbers. The tire and air pressure regulation system is centralized and controlled from the driver seats and includes a pressure control valve, shutoff valves of the wheels, and piping. The cab is of a metal stamped and welded double-door three-seat type. Protected cabs and frame-type cabs with local armor can be installed. Auxiliary equipment includes a filtering and ventilation system, a heater, communication, decontamination, and protection systems. The BAZ-6909 can run at a maximum speed of 80 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 1,000 km. The truck can negotiate obstacles of 57 % gradient, 38% side slope, a fording depth of 1.4m, and a trench of 1.5 m maximum. |
| Launcher unit - Command- Control vehicles |
| - 50K6E Command and Control Post: This component is responsible for coordinating and managing the various subsystems within the S-350 system. It processes the data received from the radars, allocates targets to the missile launchers, and controls the overall operation of the missile system. - 50N6A Multifunctional Radar: The 50N6A radar is a multifunctional, phased-array radar capable of detecting, tracking, and identifying targets. It provides target information to the command and control post and helps guide the missiles toward their targets. - 50P6 Launcher Vehicle: The 50P6 is a mobile launcher vehicle that carries and launches the 9M96E and 9M96E2 missiles used by the S-350 system. Each launcher vehicle typically carries 12 missile tubes, and multiple vehicles can be used to increase the system's firepower. - Relay station truck for Vityaz 50R6: The Relay station vehicle for S-350 Vityaz 50R6 ground-to-air defense missile system is used for communication between the launcher, radar, and command post of the Vityaz air defense missile system. |
| Combat Use |
| A typical S-350E Vityaz 50R6 battery includes a shelter-mounted fire-control system with integral radar that carries out target surveillance and tracking functions, three missile container-launcher platforms, and a missile resupply vehicle. All three components are mounted on the same forward control (6 × 6) cross-country truck chassis. The basic missile load per battery is 48 weapons. Each truck-mounted launcher assembly has two layers of six ready-to-fire missiles in their cylindrical container launchers which, when in the traveling configuration, are in the horizontal position. For cold launching the missiles to a height of about 30-m (where the weapon's main rocket motor sustainer ignites), they are swung into the vertical position at the rear of the vehicle. All component system vehicles use four hydraulically operated outriggers to stabilize themselves at the battery launch site. Each battery also has its auxiliary power unit. The component vehicles use an inter-vehicle datalink to pass information back and forth with the fire-control system. Reload missiles in their container launchers are loaded by means of a crane. |
Specifications
| Type | Launch Weight missile |
| Medium-range surface-to-air defense missile system | Floor: Level 2 STANAG 4569 Crew Compartment: Level 3 STANAG 4569 |
| Country users | Length missile |
| Russia | - 9M100: 2.5 m - 9M96E/9M96M: 4.75 m |
| Designer Country | Range Missile |
| Russia | - 9M100: 10 km max. - 9M96E/9M96M: 1 - 40 km max. |
| Propulsion | Guidance System |
| Solid propelled rocket | - 9M100: inertial with IR - 9M96E.9M96M: inertial with active radar terminal homing seeker |
| Explosive Load | Radar command vehicles |
| 9M96E/9M96M: 26 kg FRAG-HE | - 50N6A multifunctional radar - 50K6 Command and control vehicle |
Details View
| 50P6 Launcher Unit | |
| 50N6A Fire control system with target and surveillance radar | |
| 50K6 Command and control vehicle | |
| Relay station for communication | |
Pictures - Video