S-200 (missile)

The NPO Almaz S 200 ''Angara/Vega/Dubna'' (Russian С-200 Ангара/Вега/Дубна), NATO reporting name SA-5 '' Gammon'' (initially '' Tallinn''), is a long range, high altitude surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s to defend large areas from high-altitude bombers or other targets. In Soviet service, these systems were deployed primarily on the battalion level, with six launchers and a fire control radar.

The S-200 can be linked to other, longer-range radar systems.

Description

The S-200 surface-to-air missile system was designed for the defense of the most important administrative, industrial and military installations from all types of air attack. The S-200 is an all-weather system that can be operated in various climatic conditions.

By 1966, the S-200 was officially accepted into service in order to replace the failed anti-ballistic missile RZ-25/5V11 "Dal". The Dal was assigned the NATO reporting name SA-5 "Griffon" before it was cancelled.

The first S-200 operational regiments were deployed in 1966 with 18 sites and 342 launchers in service by the end of the year. By 1968 there were 40 sites, and by 1969 there were 60 sites. The growth in numbers then gradually increased throughout the 1970s (1,100 launchers) and early 1980s until the peak of 130 sites and 2,030 launchers was reached in 1980–1990.

Missiles

Each missile is launched by 4 solid-fueled strap-on rocket boosters. After they burn out and drop away (between 3 and 5.1 seconds from launch) it fires a 5D67 liquid fueled sustainer rocket engine (for 51–150 seconds) which burns a fuel called TG-02 Samin (50% xylidine and 50% triethylamine), oxidized by an agent called AK-27P ( red fuming nitric acid enriched with nitrogen oxides, phosphoric acid and hydrofluoric acid). Maximum range is between and , depending on the model. The missile uses radio illumination mid-course correction to fly towards the target with a terminal semi-active radar homing phase. Maximum missile speed is 2500 m/s and maximum target speed is around Mach 6 for new model and Mach 4 for earlier model. Effective altitude is to for early models and up to for later models. The warhead is either high-explosive fragmentation (16,000 × 2 g fragmentation pellets and 21,000 × 3.5 g pellets) triggered by radar proximity fuse or command signal, or a 25  kt nuclear warhead triggered by command signal only. Each missile weighs around at takeoff.

Main radar system

The fire control radar of the S-200 system is the 5N62 (NATO: Square Pair) H band continuous wave radar, whose range is .
It is used for both the tracking of targets and their illumination.

Additional radar systems

* P-14/5N84A "Tall King" A-band early warning radar (range , 2–6 RPM, maximum search altitude ) or 5N69 Salute "Big Back" E-band early warning radar
* Kabina 66 "Back Net" or 5N87 "Back Trap" E-band early warning radar (with special low-altitude search mod, range , 3–6 RPM)
* P-35/37 "Bar Lock/Bar Lock B" 1,000 kW E/ F-band target detection and tracking radar (with integrated IFF, range , 7 RPM)
* PRV-11 "Side Net" or PRV-13 "Odd Pair" E-band height finding radar (also used by the S-75 Dvina, 2K11 Krug and 2K12 Kub, range , 3–6 RPM)
* P-15M(2) "Squat Eye" 380 kW C-band target detection radar (range )

Versions

* S-200A "Angara" (SA-5a), with the V-860/5V21 or V-860P/5V21A missile, introduced in 1967, range 17-, ceiling /0.5–40.
* S200W "Wega" (SA-5b), with the V-860PV/5W21P, 5W28W missile, introduced in 1970, range minimum 7 km, ceiling superior limit 35, minimum height 0,05 km. Five divisions. Division – one goal and missiles at targets a maximum of 2. Missile has a semi-active radar homing. The launch – reclining, with a constant angle of elevation, from the launcher, is rotated horizontally.
* S-200 "Vega" (SA-5b), with the V-870 missile, range increased to and ceiling to with the new, shorter missile and solid fuel motor. The probability of hitting the target 0.66–0.99.
* S-200M "Vega-M" (SA-5b), with the V-880/5V28 or V-880N/5V28N² missile, range , ceiling
* S-200VE "Vega-E" (SA-5b), with the V-880E/5V28E missile, export version, high-explosive warhead only, range Minimum target size of 0.3 sq. meters. Speed of the target -1200 m / s The number of simultaneously fired targets. Up to 5 (the number of radar targeting). Greater than previously opportunity fight against stealth.
* S-200D "Dubna" (SA-5c), with the 5V25V, V-880M/5V28M or V-880MN/5V28MN² missile, introduced in 1976, high-explosive or nuclear warhead, range , ceiling 0,3-. The probability of hitting the target 0,72-0,99.

The command post of the S-300 system (SA-20/SA-20A/SA-20B) can manage the elements of the S-200 and S-300 in any combination. The S-200 Dubna missile complex can be controlled by the S-300's command post, and the S-300 missile complex can be controlled by the S-400 command post or through a higher-level command post (Organize Use PVO
73N6 "Baikal-1").

Iranian air defense force has implemented several improvements on their S-200 systems such as using solid state parts and removing restrictions on working time. They destroyed a UAV target beyond 100 km range in military drill in recent years. They use two new solid propellant missile named Sayyad-2 and Sayyad-3 via interface systems Talash-2 and Talash-3 in cooperation with S-200 system. These missiles can cover medium and long ranges at high altitudes.

Also, Iran claims to have developed a mobile launcher for the system.

Operational history

Ukraine

A Ukrainian S-200 operated by the Ukrainian military during a Ukrainian training exercise fired on a Tupolev Tu-154 passenger aircraft flying from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk, Siberia Airlines Flight 1812. The airliner was destroyed over the Black Sea on 4 October 2001, killing all 78 people on board.

Libya

Starting in 1985, Libya received a number of S-200 missile systems. In the following months, Libyan forces fired a number of S-200 missiles in different occasions at US fighter-bombers, missing them.
In the USSR, three organizations (CDB Almaz, a test site and a research institute of the Ministry of Defense) conducted computer simulation of the battle, which gave the probability of hitting each of the air targets (3) in the range from 96 to 99%.

Syria

Starting in January 1983, Syria received supplies of S-200 missiles from the Soviet Union. They were organized into two long range surface to air missile regiments, each composed of two battalions of two batteries each for a total of at least 24 launchers. Later in the 1980s, the Soviet Union agreed to supply a third regiment increasing the number of launchers to 40–50.
Initially the missiles were manned by Soviet crews, later they were transferred to Syrian control. As such, Syria became the first country outside the Soviet Union to field the S-200 system.

During the initial years of the Syrian civil war, parts of the S-200 systems were occasionally spotted when Syrian Air Defense Force sites were overrun by rebel forces. Most notably radars, missiles and other equipment from S-200 systems was pictured in a state of disrepair when rebels overtook the air defense site in Eastern Ghouta in October 2012. On 2 January 2017, the Syrian Army re-captured this air defense base.

Starting with the Russian intervention in the civil war in late 2015, there were new efforts to restore some Syrian S-200 systems. Indeed, on 15 November 2016, the Russian defence minister confirmed that Russian forces repaired Syrian S-200s to operational status. For example, in July 2016, the Syrian Army, with Russian assistance, rebuilt an S-200 site at Kweires airport, near Aleppo.
On September 12, 2016, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that two Syrian S-200 missiles were fired at Israeli aircraft while they were on a mission inside Syrian airspace. The Syrian Defense Ministry claimed that an Israeli jet and a drone were shot down. According to the IDF spokesman's office, the claims are "total lies," and "at no point was the safety of IDF aircraft compromised."

On March 17, 2017, the Israeli Air Force attacked a number of Syrian armed forces targets near Palmyria in Syria. Four Israeli aircraft flew through Lebanese territory and launched Popeye

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