Valentin
Matyashev
NIIP Director, D. Sc. (technology), Professor, Academician
Buk-M1 air defense missile (ADM)
system, designed to combat aircraft, cruise missiles and helicopters (including
hovering vehicles) entered service in the late 1980s.
However, development of air attack weapons and, particularly, aircraft involved
in the conduct of high-density air raids, has placed to the forefront the
tactical ballistic missiles (TBM) and precision-guided weapons (PGW) and, above
all, aircraft-launched and anti-radar missiles (ARM) and aerial guided
bombs.
Therefore, the Buk-M1
designers were faced with the problem of upgrading this complex to make it
capable of defeating tactical ballistic missiles and precision-guided
munitions.
Simultaneously, based on
experience obtained in Army and Navy exercises, it was deemed necessary to make
the Buk-M1 complex capable of defeating surface targets (motor boats, frigates,
destroyers, etc.) and land-based radio-contrast targets (radars, launchers,
aircraft, command posts, etc.) to enhance the defensive capability of a land
force grouping in coastal areas, in repelling enemy landing attacks.
To implement these tasks
it was necessary to considerably upgrade Buk-M1 complex software and the
missile.
Taking into account that a sector scan mode featured by elevation coverage of
up to 55° was integrated in the target acquisition radar, type 9C18M1, in the
design stage to enable the system to detect tactical ballistic missiles and
steep-diving anti-radar missiles, no modernization of the system was required.
The aforementioned angle ensures detection of tactical ballistic missiles
launched up to 280 km away and azimuth coverage of 160° at distances from the
protected installation, ensuring the required range of ballistic target
acquisition by a self-propelled firing unit, as well as the launching and
killing range of a tactical ballistic missile with effective reflecting area of
up to 0.05 m2.
