China seeks export customers for Yitian SHORAD system

During the IDEX 2009 defence equipment exhibition and conference held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) displayed two air-defence systems for the first time outside China. These were a truck-mounted twin 35 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system called the CS/SA1 (based on the Rheinmetall Air Defence Oerlikon twin 35 mm GDF towed anti-aircraft gun) and the Yitian short-range air-defence (SHORAD) mobile air-defence system. The existence of the Yitian SHORAD was first revealed some four years ago, when the system was claimed to be still in the final stages of development. According to NORINCO, the system is now in service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and is being offered on the export market.

In the form in which it was shown at IDEX, the missile system was integrated on the latest-generation NORINCO WMZ 551 (6x6) armoured personnel carrier (APC) chassis, but could be installed on other tracked or wheeled chassis. Used in significant numbers by the PLA, the WZ 551 has been exported to a number of countries around the world. Its flexible design allows it to be modified for a wide range of missions, including being fitted with a turret-mounted 105 mm gun for use in the direct-fire role. According to NORINCO, the Yitian SHORAD system has a combat weight of 16 tonnes. Its air-cooled diesel engine gives a maximum road speed of 100 km/h and a cruising range of up to 800 km. The vehicle shown at IDEX retained the full amphibious capability of the WMZ 551 and is propelled in the water by two shrouded propellers situated one either side at the rear that are also used for steering when afloat. However, the vehicle will have a very limited amphibious capability in its Yitian form due to the additional weight on top of the hull when compared to the baseline WMZ 551. Both the vehicle commander and driver are seated at the very front of the vehicle, with driver on the left and commander on the right.

The commander also operates a remote-controlled 12.7 mm machine gun installed on the right side of the roof. Used typically for self-defence, this is laid on to the target using a flat-panel display and an associated hand controller. Banks of four electrically operated smoke-grenade launchers are installed on either side of the roof and cover the frontal arc. Standard equipment includes a land navigation system and a nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) system. In the baseline WMZ 551, the main diesel powerpack is to the rear of the commander's and driver's position. It is located on the left side of the vehicle, allowing enough space for a small passageway to the right that allows access to the rear compartment. This passageway has been omitted from the Yitian vehicle. Due to the space taken up by the additional electronics and the auxiliary power unit needed to run the missile system when the main engine is switched off, there is no access between the front and rear areas of the vehicle. A remote-controlled turret mounted on the roof of the vehicle carries eight TY-90 fire-and-forget surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), mounted as banks of four on either side of the turret.

Each missile is mounted in an individual container that serves for transport purposes and as a launcher. The TY-90 (Tian Yan - 'Heavenly Swallow') missile was originally developed by the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation for use in the air-to-air role from the Z-10 attack helicopter, although it has also been launched from a number of other helicopters. At one time, the TY-90 was thought to be a modified version of an existing shoulder-fired manportable SAM, but this is now clearly not the case. According to NORINCO, the TY-90 has a range of 500-6,000 m with altitude limits from 15 m up to 4,000 m. Maximum speed is Mach 2.2 and the single-shot kill probability is 80 per cent. The missile's nose-mounted infrared seeker was developed by the Luoyang Optoelectro Technology Development Center. It uses an indium antimonide (InSb) detector and is reported to provide an all-aspect capability. An expanding-rod warhead initiated by a laser proximity fuze is reported to have a kill radius of 4 m.

Although the system has been designed to engage fixed- and rotary-wing targets, according to NORINCO it is also capable of detecting and engaging other aerial targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and even cruise missiles. An advanced electro-optical package is mounted between the two four-round banks of missiles. Above this is the antenna of a 3-D X-band tracking radar that can be folded down for transport. NORINCO claims that the radar has a maximum range of up to 18 km against a fighter-sized aircraft and up to 8 km against a typical cruise-missile target. The electro-optical package includes day and thermal devices, a laser rangefinder and an automatic target tracker. The example shown at IDEX did not have any devices to keep the optics clear in bad weather. According to NORINCO, the electro-optical package can detect a typical aircraft target out to a range of about 12 km and start tracking at a range of about 10 km, but these figures depend on the ambient weather conditions. Two operators are seated in the very rear of the vehicle; each has a display and associated controls that include command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) and communications systems.

In a typical engagement, the surveillance radar would detect the target. If this were confirmed as hostile, it would be assigned to the electro-optical tracker, who would continue to track the target. Once the target was within the effective range of the TY-90 missile, it would be engaged. The system can deal with targets flying at speeds of up to 400 m/s and the overall system reaction time is being quoted as six to eight seconds. Although it would normally be integrated into an overall air-defence system, Yitian can be used as a stand-alone system. It could also operate with its radar switched off, receiving target information from another sensor. The system can be used to defend high-value static areas or to defend mobile columns. A typical Yitian SHORAD battery would consist of a headquarters section with a command-post vehicle, six Yitian SHORAD systems, missile resupply vehicles, a missile-testing and maintenance vehicle and a mechanical/electronic maintenance vehicle.

The command-post vehicle is also based on a modified WMZ 551 chassis. It has a raised roof at the rear and is fitted with a SHORAD surveillance radar. An IBIS-80 truck-mounted surveillance radar is being offered as an option. The TY-90 SAM is also used on the NORINCO Giant Bow II air-defence system. This consists of a battery command-post vehicle (BCPV), AS901A 3-D radar, Giant Bow II TY-90 launchers and Giant Bow II twin 23 mm light anti-aircraft guns. The latter are the Chinese version of the widely deployed Russian ZU-23-2 LAAG. The BCPV has a roof-mounted electro-optical package that can track the air threat for subsequent engagement by the Giant Bow II TY-90 launchers. The latter is based on a similar two-wheeled carriage and has a total of four ready-to-launch TY-90 SAMs. These missiles are launched from rails rather than the sealed container/launcher used by Yitian. In a typical target engagement, the TY-90 missiles would be used to engage targets at longer ranges with the 23 mm LAAG being used to engage close-in targets, as well as having a secondary ground role.

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