AFMS-6
The artillery radio measuring station AFMS-6 , abbreviated AFMS-6 . was an artillery reconnaissance radar developed in the former Soviet Union in 1959 . The Russian name was станция наземной артиллерийской разведки-6 , abbreviated СНАР-6, and it means station for ground-based artillery reconnaissance . The radar was used to clear up enemy targets, determine target coordinates and guide one's own fire. In this function it replaced its predecessors SNAR-1 and SNAR-2 .
development
As the range of the artillery increased, the problem of determining the target coordinates arose early on. With firing ranges of more than ten kilometers, real-time optical reconnaissance of targets and sufficiently accurate determination of their coordinates was difficult, and at night and with poor visibility, it was no longer possible. With sound measurement methods have already been in World War II enemy artillery positions tracked even in the absence of direct visual connections and their coordinates are determined. The advantage of this procedure is that it is a passive procedure that cannot be investigated remotely. The disadvantage is the limitation to a range of around 20 km - which was mostly sufficient during the war - and the fact that it can be used to measure the shooting down of enemy artillery. Artillery that has not yet started fire fighting, as well as other military vehicles, cannot be detected with it. However, the advances in radar technology achieved during the Second World War made it possible to develop powerful and compact radar devices that could be used for artillery observation. The Artillery Headquarters of the Soviet Army began considering the use of radar technology for this purpose as early as the Second World War. In 1943, the Research Institute NII-244 (НИИ-244) of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union was commissioned to develop a corresponding station. The head of development was AA Raspletin (А. А. Расплетин). The SNAR-1 was the first Soviet radar that was developed and used for this purpose. The SNAR-1, which was taken over by the Soviet Army in 1947, had basically proven itself, but had a number of shortcomings. Two vehicles were required to accommodate the electronic systems, the antenna and the power supply units, which limited tactical mobility. Another problem was the low resolution of the station, which made it difficult to recognize the target signals against the background of the fixed targets. The SNAR-2, introduced in 1950, used more modern electronic components. Due to the reduced volume of the assemblies, the electrical unit could be accommodated on the equipment vehicle together with tools, spare parts and accessories; the unit car was no longer required. The use of millimeter waves increased the resolution, which made it easier to distinguish between fixed and moving targets. Still, finding small, moving targets was problematic. The introduction of a system of moving targets (SBZ) was intended to facilitate the detection of moving targets against the background of fixed targets. Corresponding research was carried out in 1953 both in the NII-244 and in the Radio Technical Academy of Artillery (Артиллерийская радиотехническая академия им. Говорова (АРТА)) in Kharkov . The research showed that the problem could only be solved using coherence radar.
The development of the new station was ordered in July 1958 under the name Kontur (Контур). In addition to the SBZ, the station should also be protected against active radar interference. The basis of the development was the SNAR-2. The box body, the antenna construction and the electrical units were taken over from it, the electronic assemblies were newly developed. The development could be completed within a year up to 1959, at the end of the year the factory testing took place, in the following February the state testing started, which lasted until April. In 1960 the SNAR-6 was taken over into the armament of the Soviet Army and serial production began.
construction
The system consists of
- the equipment vehicle
- the electric unit AB-4-0 / 115 / Tsch-425
Basic interaction of the elements of the weapon system
The equipment vehicle holds the essential electronic components of the system and the antenna system in the case. In use, the electrical unit is operated remotely. Clarification while driving is not possible.
Basically, the SNAR-6 is used from measured positions. The sector search is used for reconnaissance, a sector with a width of 25 to 28 ° is searched. The enlightened goals are displayed on a panoramic device , on which a representation of the boundaries of the sector is also generated electronically. The station can also work in an all-round search mode. In this procedure, the station can be oriented using known points in the area. The targets to be accompanied are displayed on a viewing device , with the help of which the lateral angle and distance to the target can also be determined. The calculated coordinates are transmitted to the firing batteries by telephone and radio. Two-color screens are used to distinguish fixed from moving targets. The target escort viewing device also serves to display the impacts of your own artillery and to measure the stowage area. The determined deposit is also passed on by telephone and radio to the firing batteries for fire correction. An R108 VHF radio and a telephone exchange are available to transmit the information.
Compared to the SNAR-2, the range of the reconnaissance of people and vehicles in the case of weak disturbances could be increased by 25%. In the event of severe interference, targets could be identified and accompanied over a distance of 10 km; under these conditions, reconnaissance was no longer possible with the SNAR-2. The equipment vehicle is built on the basis of the light AT-L chain tractor . Instead of the flatbed, a box body was placed on the chassis, which houses the electronic assemblies, the antenna system and the workplaces of the crew.
commitment
Operational principles
The SNAR-6 was used at division level to guide the artillery grouped into divisional artillery groups. For this purpose, it was assigned in the structure to the command batteries of the chief artillery or the chief missile troops and artillery.
States of operations
The system was introduced in the Soviet Army but was replaced by the revised SNAR-10 in the 1970s. The SNAR-6 was also exported to individual countries, such as the GDR.
Use in the GDR
In the National People's Army of the GDR , the SNAR-6 was used in small numbers from the 1960s. Deviating from the original name, the designation artillery radio measuring station AFMS-6 was chosen . Because of the high operating costs of the caterpillar vehicle, the existing stations in 1974/75 in the maintenance base for armament 2 (IBB-2) in Doberlug-Kirchhain were converted to the Ural-375D truck . In the formations of constant combat readiness , the AFMS-6 was replaced by the AFMS-10 in the 1970s . The stations that became free were used as training equipment or assigned to the command batteries of the head of the rocket troops and artillery of the mobilization divisions. When the NVA was dissolved in 1990, there were still some AFMS-6 in the NVA's inventory.
literature
- М. М. Лобанов (MM Lobanow): Развитие советской радиолокационной техники ( development of Soviet radar technology ), издательВство "оениздат", 1982 (Russian)