Saab touts successful test of new air-defense weapon

STUTTGART, Germany – Saab successfully demonstrated the live-fire of its mobile short-range air defense (MSHORAD) system for the first time in late August, the company announced Sept. 5.

The live fire demonstration took place Aug. 30 in Karlskoga, Sweden, before a delegation of officials from 15 nations, per a company press release. The company’s MSHORAD system consists of a mobile radar unit based on Saab’s Giraffe 1X radar, and a mobile firing unit focused around the RBS 70 NG missile system. The two units are connected by Saab’s ground based air defense command-and-control (GBAD C2) system.

Five successful firings were performed using the RBS 70 NG, mounted on a Czech-built SVOS MARS S330 4x4 vehicle, against targets including an unmanned aerial system, and an elevated helicopter airframe. A night firing was also performed against a towed target, Saab said.

“These successful firings proves that we have a fully operable mobile air defense solution,” said Stefan Öberg, head of Saab’s missile systems business unit. “These firings highlight the value of a single supplier being able to deliver everything from radar to the firing unit, including a GBAD C2 solution.”

Company officials called the MSHORAD system Saab’s response to the “new battlefield era, with airborne threats such as the advent of drones, unmanned aerial vehicles and other advanced airborne threats.” The concept first debuted in 2017. The RBS 70 NG has an effective range of over 9 km and is capable of hitting targets up to 5,000 meters high. Saab’s Bolide missile can reach a maximum velocity of Mach 2.

One or several mobile radar units can support one or more mobile firing units, per a presentation provided by the company. The system can be operated autonomously, and is meant to be easily integrated into higher-level C2 systems. The mobile firing unit can also be seamlessly transitioned into a man portable air defense system (MANPAD), using the same sight and missile capabilities.

The delegation included members from both NATO and non-NATO nations, Saab said in an email to Defense News. Specific countries were not named, but the company said it has seen interest from countries that would be new users of a Saab GBAD system, as well as from its existing customer base for the RBS 70 in its MANPAD configuration.

Vivienne Machi is a reporter based in Stuttgart, Germany, contributing to Defense News' European coverage. She previously reported for National Defense Magazine, Defense Daily, Via Satellite, Foreign Policy and the Dayton Daily News. She was named the Defence Media Awards' best young defense journalist in 2020.

德国斯图加特——萨博公司于9月5日宣布，该公司于8月下旬首次成功演示了其移动式短程防空（MSHORAD）系统的实弹射击。

根据公司新闻稿，8月30日，在瑞典卡尔斯库加，来自15个国家的官员代表团观看了实弹演示。该公司的MSHORAD系统由一个基于萨博Giraffe 1X雷达的移动雷达单元和一个以RBS 70 NG导弹系统为核心的移动发射单元组成。这两个单元通过萨博的地面防空指挥控制系统（GBAD C2）连接。

萨博公司表示，RBS 70 NG导弹安装在捷克制造的SVOS MARS S330 4x4车辆上，成功进行了五次射击试验，目标包括无人机系统和高空直升机机身。此外，还进行了一次夜间射击试验，目标为拖曳式目标。

萨博导弹系统业务部门负责人斯特凡·厄贝里表示：“这些成功的试射证明我们拥有完全可操作的移动防空解决方案。这些试射凸显了单一供应商能够提供从雷达到发射装置（包括地面防空指挥控制系统）所有组件的价值。”

公司官员称，萨博的MSHORAD系统是其应对“新战场时代”的举措，旨在应对“无人机、无人飞行器和其他先进空中威胁等空中威胁”。该概念于2017年首次亮相。RBS 70 NG的有效射程超过9公里，能够打击高达5000米的目标。萨博的“流星”（Bolide）导弹最高速度可达2马赫。

根据该公司提供的演示文稿，一个或多个移动雷达单元可以支持一个或多个移动发射单元。该系统可独立运行，并可轻松集成到更高级别的指挥控制系统中。此外，该移动发射单元还可以无缝转换为便携式防空导弹系统（MANPADS），并沿用相同的瞄准具和导弹性能。

萨博公司在发给《防务新闻》的电子邮件中表示，代表团成员既有来自北约成员国，也有来自非北约成员国。邮件中并未提及具体国家，但该公司表示，一些国家对萨博地面防空导弹系统表现出了兴趣，这些国家可能成为萨博地面防空导弹系统的新用户；此外，该公司现有客户群也对RBS 70便携式防空导弹系统表现出了兴趣。

薇薇安·马奇是驻德国斯图加特的一名记者，主要负责《防务新闻》的欧洲报道。她此前曾为《国家防务杂志》、《防务日报》、《卫星通讯》、《外交政策》和《代顿每日新闻》撰稿。2020年，她荣获防务媒体奖最佳青年防务记者称号。