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 Friday, October 18, 2002
The Finnish Navy has signed a multi-million rand contract with
Denel’s Kentron division this week for the supply of Umkhonto-IR
surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and associated fire control equipment.
The missiles are meant to equip six vessels of the Finnish Navy’s
Squadron 2000 project.
It is believed that the special features of the Umkhonto-IR missile,
including its multiple target and vertical launch capability,
combined with a competitive proposal, won the day for Kentron.
Industry support from the South African National Defence Force
(SANDF) over the past number of years made it possible for the
South African Navy (SAN) to become the launch customer of the
Umkhonto-IR missile system for its new Meko A-200 Patrol Corvettes,
currently under construction in Germany.
The SA Navy’s selection of the Umkhonto-IR enabled Kentron to
expand its marketing of the state-of-the-art missile to other
prospective clients like Finland.
The fact that Finland is a member of the European Union makes
the selection of Umkhonto-IR all the more significant and creates
a solid platform for future marketing and sales elsewhere in the
world.
Typically the Umkhonto-IR surface-to-air missile system acts as
a ship’s primary defensive weapon against incoming sea-skimming
missiles and other air threats such as attack aircraft.
The missile is launched from a set of sealed and pressurised cylindrical
launch canisters installed below the deck of the vessel. Launched
vertically, with autonomous flight control, the Umkhonto-IR missile
system provides for all around protection (360°cover) of the ship.
A number of missiles (up to eight or more) can be launched at
different targets simultaneously.
The 3-metre long missile, weighing 125 kg at launch, takes less
than 16 seconds to engage a target as far as eight kilometres
away. It has a set of tail-mounted, aerodynamic control fins,
as well as thrust vectoring vanes in the motor nozzle, making
it highly agile. With its low smoke propellant, the attacking
enemy is less likely to notice the missile during flight.
Equipped with an IR (infra-red) seeker and sophisticated guidance
systems, including digital autopilot, the Umkhonto-IR missile
homes in on its target after launch. By doing such mid-flight
guidance to the target , known in military terminology as lock-on-after-launch,
saves on valuable time, thus allowing for superior protection
of the vessel.
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