IDEX 2015: Chinese companies expand guided rocket options

Jeremy Binnie, Abu Dhabi - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
22 February 2015


The AR3 on display at IDEX with two pods for 370 mm rockets. An example of the Fire Dragon 280 can be seen to the front of it. Source: IHS/Patrick Allen

Norinco's new AR3 multiple rocket launcher (MRL) dominated the Chinese stand at the IDEX show in Abu Dhabi and led a large array of guided rocket/surface-to-surface missiles.

The key difference between the new system and the AR2 that is already in service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is that it can fire larger 370 mm rockets, as well as the 300 mm ones used with the older system, Norinco representative Xu Wulin told IHS Jane's .

The AR3 launcher can accommodate two pods of rockets, each of which can contain four 370 mm or five 300 mm rockets, he said. In contrast, the AR2 can launch 12 300 mm rockets, each of which has to be individually loaded.

Norinco also displayed its new Fire Dragon series of guided munitions for its MRLs, with the Fire Dragon 140 being the guided version of the 300 mm rocket and the Fire Dragon 280 the 370 mm. Both use an inertial navigation system (INS) and GPS guidance and have stated ranges respectively of 140 km to 280 km, the former being somewhat longer than that of its unguided counterpart.

The control surfaces are canards attached towards the front of the munition, which are folded to one side before launch in the case of the 370 mm rocket, but not for the 300 mm.

There is also the 220 mm Fire Dragon 60 that is used with the SR5 launcher, which can carry 12 rockets in individual canisters. Using terminal laser guidance in addition to INS/GPS, the Fire Dragon 60 has a range of up to 70 km and a circular error probable (CEP) accuracy of 3 m, according to Norinco. It is available with either penetration or high-explosive warheads.

Norinco would not reveal the warhead options for the larger Fire Dragon weapons, but these could reflect those for the unguided 300 mm: a 190 kg unitary high-explosive warhead or cargo warheads capable of carrying 414 or 623 dual-purpose anti-personnel/anti-tank bomblets.

Other Chinese companies were promoting rival MRL systems at IDEX. China Aerospace Long-March International (ALIT) had models of its A-series, WS-series, and M20 on its stand.




A scan from the ALIT catalogue shows the ranges of its various surface-to-surface ballistic projectiles. (China Aerospace Long-March International)

The A100, A200, and A300 all use 301 mm projectiles, but the A300 uses a longer version that takes the range from 200 km out to 290 km. The A200 and A300 use a combination of inertial measuring unit and GPS guidance that gives the former a CEP of 30 m and the latter a CEP of 30 m when using a unitary warhead and 45 m with a "shaped-charge fragmentation cluster" warhead.

An ALIT representative told IHS Jane's that the A-series was already in production for an export customer, which he declined to identify, but not the PLA.

The A300's capabilities are mirrored by ALIT's 750 mm M20 missile, which has a stated maximum range of 280 km with a 480 kg warhead and a CEP of 3 m.

The A200, meanwhile, is nearly matched by the 400 mm WS-3A, the largest member of the WS-series, which encompasses 122 mm, 200 mm, and 302 mm in guided and unguided versions. The WS-3A has a maximum range of 280 km with a 200 kg warhead and a CEP of 50 m, according to ALIT.

Next door, China National Precision Machinery Import & Export (CPMIEC) was promoting its SY300, SY400, B611M, and P12 systems.

The SY300 and SY400 use 300 mm and 400 mm munitions. The key difference of the SY300 and SY400 is that they use GNSS rather than GPS guidance, in addition to INS, and 'hot launch' their rockets vertically so can be used to engage targets in any direction. The CEPs for the SY300 and SY400 when GNSS is used are respectively listed as 50 m and 30 m.

The maximum range of the SY400 is 200 km when using a 200 kg warhead. This drops to 150 km with a 300 kg warhead, putting it in the same class as the A200 and WS-3A.

Unitary blast fragmentation, fuel-air explosive, and dual-purpose submunition warheads are options, as well as a blast fragmentation warhead that contains an incendiary agent.

The SY400 system can also fire the larger BP-12A tactical missile, according to CPMIEC. This 600 mm weapon has a maximum range of 280 km, a CEP of 50 m when using GNSS and INS guidance, and a warhead of 480 kg.

CPMEIC is also marketing another system called the B611M, which uses a 605 mm guided rocket, two of which can be carried on each launcher. The system has a maximum range of up to 260 km, a CEP of 50 m when using combined guidance and a warhead weight of 480 kg: a very similar performance to that of the BP-12A.

IHS Janes