KS-1 Surface-to-air missile
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The Kai Shan - 1 (KS-1) (凯山一号) is the first Chinese surface-to-air missile to adopt phased array radar.
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[edit] Design
The missile is roughly the Chinese equivalent of American MIM-23 HAWK, except it was designed not only to engage aircraft, but also missiles. The unique design feature included that it is the first Chinese SAM to adopt an indigenous phased array radar, designated SJ-202, which can simultaneously track and engage multiple targets 115 km and 80 km away respectively.
[edit] Development
The first successful test fire of the missile was in 1989, and the KS-1 development was completed in 1994. The missile was first publicized in 1998 Zhuhai Airshow. An improved version KS-1A which greatly reduced the minimum altitude and minimum range has already been developed, and first appeared in the Sixth Zhuhai Airshow in 2006. It was rumored that this improvement also increased ability to engage targets maneuver at higher g force.
[edit] Deployment
Standard deployment of the KS-1 SAM battery typically includes:
- 1 SJ-202 Phased array radar
- 4 launchers each with 2 missile
- 24 missiles
- Other support equipment
[edit] Specification
The KS-1 missile itself resembles the MIM-23 HAWK missile, but with greater diameter and warhead, and it is slightly longer.
- Weight: 900 kg
- Warhead: > 100 kg
- Length: 5.6 m
- Diameter: 0.4 m
- Speed: > Mach 4
- Maneuverability: > 20 g
- Maximum target speed: 750 m/s
- Maximum target maneuverability: > 5 g
- Maximum range: > 42 km
- Minimum range: < 7 km
- Maximum altitude: > 24 km
- Minimum altitude: < 500 m
[edit] History
The People's Liberation Army preferred to wait for the improvement model KS-1A with better performance, and thus the KS-1 was only delivered in Chinese armed forces in very small numbers for evaluation purposes. However, due to more advanced SAM systems available, such as HQ-16, and HQ-17, it's unlikely that the People's Liberation Army would even purchase KS-1A, and the fate of both missiles are uncertain. Both the KS-1 and KS-1A missiles are offered for export.
