Crotale

The title of this article is ambiguous. A description of the musical instrument can be found under Crotales

Crotale
General Information
Type	Anti-aircraft missile
Local name	R.440
NATO designation	Crotale
Country of origin	France
Manufacturer	Matra BAE Dynamics & Thomson-CSF
development	1966
Commissioning	1971
Working time	in service
Technical specifications
length	2.89 m
diameter	150 mm
Combat weight	85 kg
span	540 mm
drive	Solid - rocket engine
speed	Mach 2.3
Range	0.5-12 km
Service ceiling	15-5000 m
Furnishing
steering	Inertial navigation platform
Target location	SACLOS via radar
Warhead	13.9 kg fragmentation warhead
Detonator	Proximity and impact fuses
Weapon platforms	Trailer or vehicle
Lists on the subject

Crotale ([ kʀo'tal ], French : rattlesnake ) is a mobile, all-weather anti - aircraft missile system made in France . It is used to combat low-flying aircraft and helicopters.

development

Development at Matra BAE Dynamics and Thomson-CSF Airsys (now Thales ) began in 1966. The first systems were delivered in 1971. The Crotale system was originally developed by France for South Africa , where it is named Cactus . However, the performance of the system was so convincing that France procured the system for both the army and the navy . In the years that followed, the system was continuously modernized and adapted to the current threat situation.

technology

The anti-aircraft missile system essentially consists of two components. The starter vehicle has four rocket launchers; The fire control radar is mounted between the mounts . The second vehicle carries the search radar . The surveillance vehicle can be connected to several starter vehicles via a simple cable. From version R.480 onwards , a new, compact gun turret is used. This is equipped with the sensor units, a surveillance radar and 2 × 4 launch containers for the guided weapons.

In the French army, the system was first developed on a 4 × 4 wheeled vehicle from the armaments manufacturer Hotchkiss with four starting containers. To ensure greater mobility, it was decided to install the system on the chassis of the French AMX-30 main battle tank and the number of launch containers was increased to six.

In the navy, the missile system is used on various combat ships. For example, the frigates of the La Fayette class have a Crotale eight-way launcher at the stern above the helicopter flight deck .

The guided missile is powered by a solid rocket motor. After the start, the guided missile reaches its top speed of Mach 2.3 within 2.3 seconds . The modern VT-1 guided weapon reaches a top speed of Mach 3.5. The guided missiles are brought to the target by means of a radar beam. If the target comes within the proximity fuse's response radius, the fragmentation warhead is detonated. This has an effective radius of action of eight to ten meters (depending on the target size). In the event of a direct hit, the warhead is triggered by the impact fuse.

variants

• R.440 Crotale: First production version, introduced in 1971. Range 8 km.
• R.460 Shahine : version installed on the chassis of the AMX-30 . Range 14 km.
• R.460 Cactus: Version of the Shahine for use in desert regions.
• R.480 Crotale-NG: version with high-speed guided missile . Introduced in 1990. Range 11 km.
• R.480NR Crotale-NG: Completely modernized version with the new VT-1 high-speed guided weapon .
• Crotale Mk.3: Improved Crotale-NG with new electronics and new Shikra 3D radar system. Can fight cruise missiles and precision bombs . Introduced in 2008.
• Crotale CN1: marine version for use on ships.
• Crotale CN2: Improved variant with completely new radar system and electronics.
• Crotale CN3: Variant of the Crotale CN2 with the new VT-1 high-speed guided missile.
• HQ-7 : Chinese replica .

distribution

Egyptian Crotale starter vehicles

South Korean Chun-ma system during the launch of a guided missile

•  Egypt 12 systems with 60 guided missiles.
•  Bahrain : 7 systems.
•  Bangladesh : Ulsan class and 053H class (Chinese Jianghu III class), FM-90N .
•  Chile : 2 systems with 375 guided missiles.
•  People's Republic of China : Licensed production and reverse engineering of several hundred systems under the local designation HQ-7, FM-80 and FM-90 .
•  Finland : Crotale NG installed on a Sisu XA-181 vehicle, designation ItO 90 . 21 systems.
•  France : Crotale NG (twelve systems) and Crotale, u. a. La Fayette class .
•  Greece : Crotale NG, 11 systems.
•  Iran : Systems acquired in France and China.
•  Libya : 12 systems with 216 guided missiles.
•  Morocco : Cactus.
•  Oman : Crotale NG, 2 systems with 50 guided missiles.
•  Poland : Crotale NG
•  Pakistan 12 systems with 300 guided missiles.
•  Philippines : Systems no longer in use.
•  Saudi Arabia : Shahine and Crotale NG, 22 systems with 725 guided missiles.
•  South Africa : Cactus, 7 systems with 200 guided missiles.
•  South Korea : Crotale NG, local name Chun-ma . 114 systems.
•  United Arab Emirates : 3 systems with 210 guided missiles.

commitment

The Crotale system was used during the French intervention in Chad and during the Second Gulf War .

literature

• Land-Based Air Defense Edition 2003, 2004, 2005. Jane's Verlag.
• Ian Hogg : 20th Century Artillery. Gondrom, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1878-6 .

Web links

Commons : Crotale missile system  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Description on www.army-technology.com (English)
• Description on www.armyrecognition.com (French)
• Description on www.globalsecurity.org (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Forecast International: R.440 / R.460 / VT-1 (pdf)
2. ^ The Military Balance 2016. p. 322, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), ISBN 1-85743-835-3 .
3. ^ Trade Register on sipri.org , Retrieved July 28, 2020.