2K11 pitcher

SA-4 Ganef
General Information
Type	Anti-aircraft guided missile
Manufacturer	Lyulev design office
development	1957
Technical specifications
length	8.84 m
diameter	860 mm
Combat weight	2453 kg
span	2600 mm
Drive First stage Second stage	4 solid rocket engines ramjet
speed	Do 4
Range	50 km
Furnishing
Target location	SACLOS via radio
Warhead	135 kg FRAG-HE
Detonator	Impact or radio proximity fuse
Weapon platforms	Tracked vehicle
Lists on the subject

2K11 Krug ( Russian Круг Kreis ; NATO code name : SA-4 Ganef) is a mobile Soviet anti-aircraft missile complex with two-stage radar-guided anti - aircraft missiles 3M8 and their modifications, which achieved long ranges with their ramjet engines . The complex was introduced to the Soviet Army from 1967 , later also to the NVA and the other armies of the Warsaw Pact .

development

The growing strength of the NATO - Air Force the end of the 1950s made the weaknesses of the S-25 and more clearly. The need for a new, more effective air defense system was recognized. The Lyulev design office then developed the complex 2K11, an air defense system against targets at medium to high altitudes.

Four variants of the 2K11 (3M8, 3M8M, 3M8M1, 3M8M2; later renamed: 9M8, 9M8M, 9M8M1 and 9M8M2) were known, which differ only slightly. In contrast to the previous Soviet anti-aircraft missiles (S-25, S-75 , S-125 ), the 2K11 Krug was a mobile anti-aircraft system with both missiles and the H-band fire control radar "Pat Hand" a chain chassis GM123 (for the launch pad 2P24) or GM124 (for the missile control station 1S32) were mounted. The target acquisition and assignment radar 1S12 (like RBS-40, but also with telecode device 1S62, and the associated telescopic antenna mast in the front right, for data exchange with 1S32), P-40 (E-band), extended version with modified devices for cooperation with Height finder PRW-9B, was mounted on an AT-T chassis that was designed as a traction device for heavy artillery. This meant that the 2K11 could be laid quickly, which meant a lot of work for the previous systems, especially the S-25. After the introduction of the first variant (9M8M1; NATO: SA-4A) in the armed forces in 1967, the (9M8M2; NATO: SA-4B) followed in 1973. Here the ability to intercept targets at shorter distances has been improved at the expense of maximum altitude and range.

A typical 2K11 battery consisted of a 1S32 missile control station (RLS), three 2P24 (SR) launch ramps (TEL - Transporter-Erector-Launcher) each with two 3M8 anti-aircraft missiles, and a 2T6 (TLF) transport loading vehicle. This was a truck of the type Ural-375D equipped with a special crane , which ensured the replenishment as well as the loading and unloading of a single rocket in cooperation with the launch pad. Reloading a launch pad with two rockets took between 10 and 15 minutes, but two TLFs were required.

Although the 2K11 Krug was considered an effective air defense system in the 1960s / 1970s, it has been considered obsolete since the late 1980s due to the poor targeting accuracy of the missiles and the ease with which their active radar stations can be controlled.

technology

2K11 pitcher of the National People's Army during the parade for the 39th anniversary of the founding of the GDR

The 2K11 was designed as an air defense system against targets at medium to high altitudes, as a supplement to the medium-range systems 2K12 Kub and short-range systems such as 9K33 Osa . The rockets are 8.8 m (9M8M1) and 8.3 m (9M8M2) in length. The effective range is 8 to 55 km. Enemy targets can be fought at altitudes of 100 m to 27,000 m (~ 24,000 meters for the b variant).

The four launch engines ( solid rockets ) mounted on the outside of the rocket body burn for about 15 seconds and accelerate the rocket to such a speed that the march engine (air-breathing ramjet engine) is started and works constantly. The cruise engine accelerates the rocket up to a speed of up to 4  Mach so that it can detach itself from the surrounding launch engines. This takes place approximately at a distance of approximately 3.5 km. At the same moment the control of the missile is activated and the steering process by the missile control station begins.

The warhead weighs 150 kg, 90 kg of which is due to the explosives; it is armed about 300 m away after leaving the launch pad. The explosive device is wrapped in around 15,000 steel cubes (edge ​​length 3–4 mm) glued to strips of fabric, which form a network, the knots of which pierce the hull of an aircraft effortlessly at high speed. A detonation at a distance of 250 to 300 m is sufficient to destroy any aerial target.

The electronics of the system were largely based on electron tubes because they are largely insensitive to an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) .

The vehicles had a gyroscope- based system for positioning. The navigation gyro was started at a location with known coordinates and was able to calculate the change in location during the journey using an electromechanical system.

The launch ramps and the rocket control station each had a gas turbine for power supply, but could also be supplied with external power from a PES 100 unit carried along via cables.

control

The missile is guided to the target by a remote control from a missile control station . The long-track radar can detect targets up to 300 km away and up to 30,000 meters high and assign targets up to 150 km away to the positions. The data collected by the long-track radar is then sent to the 2K11 battery, where the "Pat-Hand" fire control radar (H-band) takes over. The radar can lock targets up to ~ 125 km away. The launch of a rocket, however, only takes place at a maximum distance of 80 to 90 km. The missile control station uses radar to track the target and the missile at the same time.

There is a responder in the rocket for contact with the control station. The steering commands calculated by the missile control station are transmitted to the missile via pulse-coded radio commands and guide the missile close to the target. After about 2/3 of the calculated distance to the target, the radio detonator in the missile is armed by the missile control station. This actively radiating radio detonator registers reflected pulses and detonates the warhead. The direction of emission and reception of the radio detonator can be changed by the ground station as a function of the approach speed to the target.

Additional target information can also be transmitted using a radio altimeter , which is mounted on a truck / trailer and can determine altitude information at distances of up to 240 km. An electro-optical target acquisition system has been added for radar acquisition, which is intended to ensure the (limited) use of the missiles even under severe ECM malfunctions.

variants

• 2K11A pitcher A

2K11M

2K11M1

• M-31 pitcher M - naval

Start setup

The launch vehicle can be swiveled 45 ° vertically and 360 ° horizontally. The crew is seated in the front (driver) and on the side of the turnstile. The starter vehicle is also equipped with an air filter and an overpressure system, which protect the crew against NBC effects, but has no amphibious capabilities. In addition, an infrared night vision device can be used by the driver and the commander. The ramp had to be prepared manually by the crew members; to do this, the vehicle had to be left, which would be problematic when using ABC weapons:

• Remove the protective tarpaulins that are pulled over the missiles
• Driving in an earthing rod and laying a telephone line to the control station
• Open and fold down the transport lock (this fixed both the rocket and the mount)
• Remove a cover on the rear of the missile and crank up a connector on the missile
• Attach the guide surfaces and rudder dismantled during transport
• Starting up the gas turbine for power supply
• Perform a pre-training test

2K11 pitcher in use with the NVA

Power unit PES 100 of the NVA, the two rollers at the rear are used to hold supply lines to the vehicles of the rocket battery, the connection is made in the open flap on the left

Crew of a 2P24

The crew consisted of the NVA from

• Commander ( professional officer , professional non-commissioned officer or temporary officer)
• Head mechanic (temporary sergeant, one of the three battery mechanics operated the PES 100 power generator)
• Driver (temporary officer)

Crew of the 1S32

The crew consisted of

• Station manager (career officer: deputy of the battery chief and command platoon leader)
• Oberfunkorter1 for angular coordinates (non-commissioned officer on time)
• Oberfunkorter2 for distance (non-commissioned officer on time)
• Base driver (non-commissioned officer on time)

The six-month training of the crews took place in the GDR in Zingst in the Fla-Missile Training Center 40 (FRAZ 40) on the Darß. Every two years, target training exercises with live rockets at target missiles were carried out on a firing range (Russian: polygon) called Ashuluk in Kazakhstan (near the Russian city of Astrakhan ).

Locations

Locations of 2K11 regiments of the NVA air defense were Hohenmölsen (Fla-Missile Regiment 3 FRR-3) in Saxony-Anhalt and Basepohl near Stavenhagen (Fla-Missile Regiment 5 FRR-5) in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

See also

• List of surface-to-air missiles

Web links

Commons : 2K11 Krug  - Collection of images, videos and audio files