Sky Sabre (2020)
Truck mounted 8x8 SAM system
The Sky Sabre is a truck-based SAM system. It replaced the former Rapier. It is the latest high mobility British air defence missile system with each unit consisting in three separate motorized components: The radar, command and control and missile vehicles. It can control the flight of 24 missiles simultaneously whilst in flight, to intercept up to 24 separate targets. The launching vehicle and radar vehicle are both installed on the 8x8 MAN SX 45 truck under licence. They are expected to operate at distances of up to 15km apart. The Sky Sabre air defence system operates the CAMM missile, entering service with the Royal Artillery in January 2022.
The System: Sky Sabre
CAMM (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile)
The Sky Sabre combat system uses the CAMM program missile family developed with Italy and Poland (ER/MR) with the goal to replace the Rapier missile from 2021. The development of CAMM also contributed to updating the RAF's ASRAAM. The Common Anti-Air Modular Missile program evolved from a Technology Demonstration Programme (TDP) funded by MBDA and the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) as part of the Future Local Area Air Defence System (FLAADS) initiative. The latter was part of the "Team Complex Weapons" partnership of companies comprising MBDA and Thales UK to maintain British sovereign capability in missiles, with a common weapons platform, CAMM, air, land and sea.
Requirements were identified as "airborne targets which are typified by high speed, rapid evasive manoeuvres, low signatures and advanced countermeasure" in 2000, with the first active phase in 2003, second in 2008, completed in 2010. The Navy was the first equipped from 2012, with the first systems installed in 2018. As of 2024 the programme was announced as tripling its output with a new facility at Bolton and in Italy.
The land based component, Ground-based air defence or "Land Ceptor" was adopted for the Sky Sabre defence system, composed of the Launcher and Giraffe radar truck. The Italian version used the KRONOS LAND AESA radar of the Italian MAADS (Medium Advanced Air Defence System). This "Enhanced Modular Air Defence Solutions" (EMADS) package or commonly "Land Ceptor" uses MBDA's Intelligent Launcher (iLauncher).
Vehicles of the System
Radar Vehicle
The eyes and ears of the system is the Giraffe Agile Multi Beam 3D medium-range surveillance radar. This radar rotates atop an extending mast allowing it to be elevated above the tree lines and other obstructions in order to identify low flying targets. It was be also traversed at a full 360 degrees for a max detection range of 120km.
C&C Vehicle
The second component is the Battle Management and Intelligence suite: This command and control centre links the radar with the missiles, sending target data in real time, and provides the tactical datalink Link 16 allowing Land Ceptor to share informations with Royal Navy vessels, Royal Air Force, and all types of air, land and sea NATO assets. It was tailored to be fully integrated with joint, combined, or NATO operations.
Missile Vehicle
MDBA Canister
The third component is the Land Ceptor intelligent launcher. Each missiles weights 99 Kg each, double the weight of the Rapier it replaces, but for three times the range. The the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) is capable of 2300 mph to eliminates fighters, drones, or laser-guided smart bombs with surgical accuracy.
The system was designed as a scalable, palletised erector launcher, for up to eight CAMM or CAMM-ER missiles, mounted on its 8x8 vehicle. The iLauncher provides a 2-way data link for the missiles while in-flight. They could optionally integrate an electro-optical targeting system for passive target acquisition in line sight as well. So direct and indirect fire and guidance. Additionally, the iLauncher needs to assistance and could self-load or unload its missile racks via a hook system. It is possible as well to replace each single missile canister with the assistance of a crane, which reportedly allows for missiles to be loaded much faster than for the Rapier.
The system is also fitted with its own power supply to be fired remotelly after being dismounted from the parent vehicle to be hidden in a better concealed position if necessary. It os also provided with all the necessary test-equipment for streamlined maintenance as well. The iLauncher evolved from its initial concept in the early 2010s, with the first mounted on much lighter MAN 4x4 trucks. But they still needed external assistance to be loaded with two racks of six missiles (12 missiles total). This needed a small crane and these had an early version of the data link mast. They were cheaper however, with far less auxiliary components than the final vehicle, which forced the adoption of a 8x8 platform.
CAMM and iLauncher are designed for customer's interation, choosing its own command and radar systems. It could be provided with wider battlespace management systems: One such alternative is Northrop Grumman's
Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS). Though its latest data link, the EMADS complex does not required physical connector cables so the fire-group could be deploy and redeployed rapidly and all components spaced apart up to 15 kilometres (9.3 mi), greatly enhancing counter-battery fire or survivability as a whole.
The carrier: MAN SX 45
General Layout and configuration
The 8x8 MAN SX 45 was introduced in 2007. The SX range shared whatever the platform, a modular military-specific cab also shared with the HX, FX, LX and MX range, benefiting from massive scale economics. The 8x8 heavy utility truck was designed to carry heavy loads on tough off-road conditions. The aft payload capacity ranges indeed from 14 to 16t. I was als tailored on strict military requirements to mount heavy and specialized equipment. In that case, a radar, command shelter (with long range telecopic masts) and anti-air launcher.
The Sky Sabre SX45 cound mount in wartime an optional integrated armored cab to provide protection against small arms fire and artillery shell splinters. The chassis and cabin could also withstands a 8 kg anti-tank mines from the start. The roof was also reinforced to support a remotely controlled weapon station (RWS) if needed with a 12.7-mm heavy machine gun or 40-mm automatic grenade launcher. The canin houses a driver and single passenger but has a third folding central seat. Split vertical windscreen with cap to minimize light reflections a polarized glass (anti-reflective coating).
General Layout and configuration
The MAN SX45 is powered by a MAN D2066 LFG 10.5-liter turbocharged diesel engine rated for 440 hp meets EURO 4 emission requirements located behind and under the cab. It's not a COE indeed. The layout allows to reduce overall height, and it is coupled with fully-automatic 6-speed transmission. Maximum road speed is 90 km/h (governed). The truck could climb a 60% gradient, a side slope of 40%, a vertical step of 0.6 m, a trench 1.9 m and ford up to 1.5 m. The standard SX45 engine is turbocharged and intercooled with a common rail diesel. Max output reaches 480hp for 2,300Nm torque, a power passed on all all four axles wth independent suspensions via a ZF HP902 six-speed Powershift automatic transmission and its two-speed transfer box.
The chassis is made of a boxed-section, torsionally rigid design. The SX45 has beam axles sprung by long-travel coil springs (320mm per wheel, 16° offset per axle). The frame and cab are manufactured in Poland by Star Trucks plant acquired in 2000. The SX45 was designed to keep pace with tracked combat vehicles, across any terrain. Thre is also for this a central tyre pressure system. It is also "amphibious" without preparation in up to 1.2 m deep water and 1.5 m with preparation. As standard it was tested to operate from -32°C to +50°C. For norther, winter operation, the SX45 is also fitted with a special arctic kit for operating to -46°C. It could be carried tactically by the A400M (two trucks).
Exports
Italy: The Italian Army already uses the Frenco-Italian medium/long range Mamba system. However the CAMM-ER along with PCMI/X-TAR radar selected as Grifo (Griffin) to replace the Skyguard (Aspide) has been selected for short range. The Italian Air Force selected the CAMM-ER along with Kronos radar selected as MAADS (Medium Advanced Air Defence System) to replace the SPADA (Aspide missiles) batteries.
Poland: The CAMM family was selected as the based for the domestic Narew short-range air defence system in November 2021. With the situation degrading in April 2022 and crisis with Belarus, and from a few CAMMs locally known as the Mała Narew (Little Narew) and integrated into the existing PSR-A Pilica very short-range system making the Pilica+ (22 batteries, by November 2023). 1,000 missiles were ordered.
⚙ specifications |
| Weight | Empty 18t, Load 16t |
| Dimensions | 10.5 x 2.55 x c3m |
| Propulsion | MAN D2066 LFG diesel 440 hp |
| Speed | 90 km/h |
| Range | 750 km |
| Armament | Launcher: 2x6 missiles racks +12 reloads |
| Protection | None (Optionally armored cabin)+ NBC |
| Suspensions | Configuration 8x8 coil springs |
| Crew | Cab seating 1+2 men |