Viking SAM compared with European SAM

Experts from the Russian Analytical Centre for Aerospace Defence have run an article in the National Defence magazine in which it found that the Viking medium-range air defence system (export version of the Buk-M3 air defence system) was superior to the German IRIS-T SLM, the Norwegian-American NASAMS III and the SAMP/T of the Eurosam consortium, in terms of combat performance and combat sustainability.

According to the authors, the Viking as a whole has 36 target channels and 72 missile channels whereas the SAMP/T has 10 as revealed by Eurasam. Western manufacturers the article states, report the rate of fire of their launchers as 6-8 missiles in ten seconds. After firing 10 missiles from SAMP/T, all target channels are overloaded due to the peculiarities of the missile guidance scheme, and the next launch becomes possible only as the channels are released. In the medium-range zone, the waiting time will be from 15 to 60 seconds depending on the distance to the target. At the same time, the interval between launches of the Viking is two to three seconds.

The experts believe the advantage of the Viking is its tracked chassis, which allows it to operate without being tied to paved roads and in a wide range of climatic conditions. The experience of modern combined arms battles shows that the mobility and combat stability of military equipment are directly related.

In addition, the Viking has a higher deployment speed of the main combat assets from marching formation to combat formation – the entire system is deployed within 10 minutes. The Russian air defence system is capable of leaving a position with its systems turned on within 20 seconds after the missile launch. Another factor in ensuring its combat stability is its 15 mm armour.

At the same time, foreign medium-range systems are mounted on a wheelbase, which requires good roads. Western air defence systems are deployed from marching formation to combat formation in 10-15 minutes depending on the type.

“The combat stability of the IRIS-T SLM and SAMP/T batteries is also sharply weakened by the presence of only one radar in their composition. After the radar is hit, all the means of these systems fail. It is worth noting that the Kongsberg developers recognized this threat: the NASAMS III battery includes six to eight radars – approximately one for every two launchers. This proportion approximately corresponds to that of the Viking air defence system,” the authors note.

High manoeuvrability allows the Viking to quickly move into position and engage in battle, and after completing the task, leave the dangerous area to avoid a retaliatory strike.

The Russian Viking has balanced characteristics of reconnaissance range and guidance range, the number of tracked targets, fire, target, missile channels, anti-aircraft missiles and the size of its ammunition – all of these characteristics are consistent with each other.

“For a number of characteristics, the Viking air defence system is a world record holder. But the main thing is that it has no weak points. The subsystems do not slow down the complex as a whole; each works to increase its performance characteristics. If we take into account the high manoeuvrability characteristics and good combat stability, it becomes obvious that we have an air defence system that is optimally suitable for participation in combined arms combat,” TASS quotes the authors of the article.