Russian agency TASS reported that Russia’s Design Bureau of Machine-Building outside Moscow (part of the High Precision Weapons Company of the Rostec state coporation) has prepared for serial production Gibka-S, Russia’s first Very Short-Range Air Defense (VSHORAD) system. The VSHORAD system can engage aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and precision weapons. The export-oriented modification of the Gibka-S air defense system is fully ready for serial production. Gibka-S uses serially produced missiles for MANPADs, such as Igla-S and Verba. The acceptance trials of the very short-range air defence (VSHORAD) system were completed in December 2019. The trials validated the stated specifications of the system components.
Gibka-S has the capability to protect deployed and marching units from the threat of low and extremely low flying aircraft during day and night. It is composed of two major components, including a combat vehicle and a commander’s reconnaissance and combat control vehicle. The light air defence system underwent preliminary trials before the state trials. Completion of the state trials represents a significant milestone in the commissioning of the system with the Russian armed forces. KBM collaborated with its partners, including NPP Rubin, FGUP NII prikladnoy akustiki, Gosudarstvenny ryazanskiy priborny zavod, Saratovskiy agregatny zavod, VNII Signal, and FGUP GosNIIAS, for the development of the Gibka-S VSHORAD system.
The Gibka-S VSHORAD system also comprises a commander’s reconnaissance and combat control vehicle (CRCV) for battery commander. The CRCV is intended for automated control of the MANPADS sections mounted on the combat vehicle. Equipped with Garmon 1L122-2E small-size radar, the vehicle enables communication with the higher command posts. Once a target is detected, the combat control vehicle alerts one of the combat vehicles to engage it. The radar has a target coverage range of up to 40km and can detect targets flying at an altitude of 10km.The 9?332 combat vehicle and the 9S937 CRCV are based on the Tigr armoured vehicle. The Tigr platform can attain a road speed of more than 110km/h. The vehicle measures 5.6m long and 2.4m wide. It has an operational range of over 1,000km and can cross waterways with a depth of 1.2m.
The VSHORAD system can fire Verba or Igla-S (9?336, 9?342, 9?39) portable surface-to-air missiles to defeat incoming and receding aerial targets. The infrared-guided missiles are installed on a turret mounted on the combat vehicle. The 72.2mm Igla-S 9M342 missile has a length of 1,690mm and a weight of 11.3kg. Powered by a solid propellant booster, the missile can strike targets flying at an altitude of up to 3,500m at a speed of 400m/s. It has a maximum target engagement range of up to 6,000m. An optical homing passive seeker directs the missile towards the target. The Igla-S missile is fitted with a high-explosive (HE) blast fragmentation warhead with a proximity and impact fuse. The Verba 9?336 is a 72mm missile with target range and altitude similar to that of the Igla-S missile. Guided by a tri-mode passive homing seeker, the Verba missile carries a HE warhead weighing 2.5kg.
