The OKB TSP Scientific Production Limited Liability Company (OKB TSP SPLLC) of Belarus unveiled its prototype 9M318 surface-to-air missile (SAM) for the Buk-MB2 and Buk-MB3 medium-range SAM systems at the MILEX 2019 defence exhibition in Minsk, Belarus, between 15–18 May.
An OKB TSP SP spokesperson told Jane’s that the new missile is designed to engage high-speed manoeuvrable aerodynamic targets with low radar cross-section (RCS), including fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, tactical ballistic, anti-ship, cruise, and air-launched missiles, and surface and radio-emitting ground targets in an electronically contested environment.
The OKB TSP SP prototype 9M318 interceptor for the BUK family of surface-to-air missile systems, shown at the 2019 MILEX Defence Exhibition in Minsk, Belarus, in May. ( N Novichkov)
The 9M318 has a stated operational range of 3 km–70 km and can engage an aerial target flying at an altitude between 0.015 km and 25 km at a speed of up to 1,350 m/s. Weighing 815 kg and equipped with active radar homing guidance, the new 9M318 interceptor can engage airborne threats with an RCS of less than 0.1 m.
The prototype 9M318 was displayed at the MILEX show along with the 9M38MB1 interceptor used by the Buk, Buk-M1, Buk-MB, and Buk-M2 systems. Belarus owns some stocks of the 9M38 Soviet-era missile, which it is upgrading and offering to foreign Buk system users. However, as Russia ceased manufacturing the 9M38 some time ago, and Belarus has to replenish its interceptor stocks, the development of the 9M318 is a seen as a priority for the Belarusian defence sector.
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