Non-Subscriber Extract
Serbian company offers hybrid gun/missile anti-aircraft system
By Miroslav Gyürösi
01 May 2009
This computer simulation shows the planned configuration of the new gun/missile system, complete with four 30 mm cannon and four ready-to-fire 9M37M missiles. (Yugoimport)
Serbia's Yugoimport state-owned company is developing a new self-propelled hybrid SHORAD (short-range air-defence) designated Heavy Self-Propelled Air Defence Gun-Missile System.
The only information officially released is a single computer-generated image showing the system mounted on a BVT 8808-SR Lazar wheeled armoured combat vehicle. A turret mounted on the lowered rearward section closely resembles the turret from earlier Foka self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, which is consisted of a M80A armoured personal carrier tracked chassis armed with two 30 mm calibre Zastava M86 automatic guns, plus sensors.
In the new system the M86 cannon armament is supplemented by two transporting-launching containers for 9M37M-series missiles. These can be trained in elevation.
Serbia produces the 9M37M under licence for a locally developed version of the Strela-10M (SA-13 'Gopher') system designated Sava, but has upgraded the missile to meet local requirements. The Serbian variant is fitted with two-colour passive IR seeker, but has the same 3 kg warhead with proximity and impact fuzes, 5,000 m maximum range, and 25 to 3,000 m altitude coverage as the Russian missile.