Shtora-1
Active protection system
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shtora-1 (Russian: Штора, "curtain") is an electro-optical active protection system or suite for tanks, designed to disrupt the laser designator and laser rangefinders of incoming anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). The system is mounted on the Russian T-80 and T-90 series tanks and the Ukrainian T-84. The existence of Shtora was revealed in 1980 by spy Adolf Tolkachev.[2]
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| Shtora-1 | |
|---|---|
A T-90 main battle tank fitted with the Shtora system; note the two dazzler "boxes" to each side of the main gun | |
| Type | Active protection system |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1988–present |
| Production history | |
| Designer | NII Transmash in St.Petersburg in cooperation with Elers-Elektron in Moscow[1] |
| Designed | 1980[2] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 350 kg (770 lb)[3] |
Description
Shtora-1[4] is an electro-optical jammer that disrupts semiautomatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) ATGMs, laser rangefinders and target designators. Shtora-1 is a soft kill countermeasure system. The system was shown fitted to a Russian main battle tank during the International Defense Exposition, held in Abu Dhabi in 1995. The first known application of the system is the Russian T-90 main battle tank, which entered service in the Russian Army in 1993.[a] It is also available on the BMP-3M infantry fighting vehicle.
Components
The Shtora-1 has four key components: two electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) "dazzlers" mounted on both turret cheeks, an infrared jammer, a modulator, and a control panel in the fighting compartment.
- Banks of forward firing grenade launchers on each side of the turret that lay an aerosol smoke screen opaque to IR light.
- A laser warning system consisting of four angle sensors with two higher precision sensors covering the frontal 90° arc and two lower precision sensors covering the sides and rear.[5]
- A control system comprising control panel, microprocessor, and manual screen-laying panel. This processes the information from the sensors and activates the aerosol screen-laying system.
- Two IR lights, one on each side of the main gun, continuously emit coded pulsed-IR jamming when an incoming ATGM has been detected.
Shtora-1 has twelve smoke grenade launchers and weighs 400 kg. It can lay a 15 meter high and 20 meter wide smoke screen in three seconds that lasts about twenty seconds at ranges from 50 to 70 meters.[5] The Shtora-1 can also automatically slew the main gun towards a detected threat, so that the tank crew can return fire and so that the stronger frontal turret armour is facing it.[4]
Shtora-1 can operate in fully automatic or semi-automatic modes, protecting the vehicle continuously for up to six hours against ATGM attacks.[6]
Operational history
A number of Shtora-1 protected T-90s have been lost to anti-tank guided weapons in Syria and Ukraine.[7][8] The jammers have been removed from many currently serving T-90s and the more modern S and M variants did not include them.[citation needed]
Specifications
- Laser illumination sensors:[3][9]
- 2x TShU-1-1 coarse precision sensors and 2x TShU-1-11 fine sensors
- Field of view (each): 138° azimuth (coarse) 45° (fine) and −5 to +25° elevation
- Field of view (total): 360° azimuth
- Angular resolution: 7.5° (coarse) 3.75° (fine)
- EO interference emitters:
- 2x OTShU-1-7
- Operating band: 0.7-2.7 μm
- Protected sector: 4° elevation and 20° azimuth
- Energy consumption: 1 kW
- Light intensity: 20 mcd
- IR smoke grenades:
- 12x 81 mm 3D17
- Obscured band: 0.4-14 μm
- Bloom time: 3 s
- Cloud persistence: 20 s
Notes
- Though an early version of the system was apparently fitted to the pre-production T-80 model.