Following affirmation {that a} spinoff of the Soviet 5V55 surface-to-air missile has been chosen to kind the guts of the pan-European Freya missile defence system, important questions have been raised concerning its capabilities. Manufacturing of the missile was established on the Vizar plant in Soviet period Ukraine from the late Seventies, with Ukraine set to provide an enhanced spinoff of the design underneath the designation FP-7 for this system. Enhancements to propulsion, steerage and management programs have prolonged the design’s engagement vary to over 150 kilometres, in comparison with simply 90 kilometres for the unique Soviet period missile, which whereas being comparatively conservative for near 40 years of technological advances, continues to be an necessary enchancment.
The 5V55’s design was significantly pivotal as a result of its mixture of an extended vary and a capability to be built-in into extremely cellular air defence programs just like the S-300, the place prior lengthy vary programs such because the S-200 and S-75 had all operated from fastened websites. The brand new missile launched chilly vertical launch, a expertise that may later develop into normal throughout Russian air defence programs. Reasonably than igniting its predominant motor contained in the launcher, a fuel generator first ejected the missile vertically from its launch canister earlier than the primary rocket motor ignited a number of metres above the car. Small management thrusters then rotated the missile towards its goal earlier than powered flight started. This methodology considerably diminished stress on launch automobiles, allowed engagement in any route with out rotating launchers, and improved response instances towards quickly approaching threats.
One of many 5V55’s most important improvements was its steerage system. Earlier Soviet long-range surface-to-air missiles relied largely on command steerage all through flight, requiring steady monitoring by floor radars. The 5V55R launched Observe-Through-Missile (TVM) steerage, underneath which the missile itself acquired radar reflections from the goal and transmitted this data again to the engagement radar for processing. The bottom station then calculated the optimum interception course and transmitted up to date steerage instructions to the missile. This mixed lots of some great benefits of semi-active radar homing with the better computational energy out there to ground-based programs, whereas making the missile considerably extra immune to digital jamming.
The 5V55 was in lots of respects by far probably the most superior surface-to-air missile of its time when introduced into service in 1978, which it might stay for over a decade. The missile may have interaction targets flying at altitudes starting from only some metres above the bottom to over 25 kilometres, permitting it to defend towards each terrain-following plane and high-altitude reconnaissance platforms. Though the 5V55 was finally outdated by the 48N6 household launched with the S-300PM and later adopted by the S-400, its affect remained appreciable. The cold-launch methodology, canisterised storage, vertical launch structure, and TVM steerage idea all turned defining traits of subsequent generations of Russian long-range surface-to-air missiles. These applied sciences have remained central to Russian built-in air defence structure for almost half a century.
