Serbia demonstrates FK-3 anti-aircraft missiles
Recently, the Serbian air defense force publicly demonstrated for the first time the FK-3 long-range air defense missile imported from China. The introduction of the FK-3 anti-aircraft missile has effectively enhanced Serbia's air defense capabilities and can better defend its airspace and national security.
According to relevant information, Serbia has imported about 3 battalions of FK-3 air defense missiles from China, equipped with the 250th Air Defense Brigade. Previously, the brigade was mainly equipped with Soviet SA-3 and SA-6 air defense missiles, both of which were products of the Soviet Union for 60 years and could no longer meet the requirements of the battlefield in the new century.
The Serbian 250th Air Defense Brigade is equipped with FK-3 anti-aircraft missiles
The 250th Brigade Air Defense Brigade is a heroic unit and the only air defense unit in the world that has ever shot down a stealth aircraft. This force performed well in the 1999 Kosovo War, shooting down a U.S. F-117A stealth attack aircraft and shocking the world. The 250th Air Defense Brigade is now deployed near the Serbian capital Belgrade and is responsible for the defense of the capital. At the beginning of April this year, the Chinese Air Force dispatched 22 Y-20A large transport aircraft to send FK-3 long-range air defense missiles to Serbia, which is also the first time that the Y-20 has carried out such a mission, indicating that our strategic delivery capability has taken another big step forward.
According to images published by Serbia, the FK-3 anti-aircraft missiles they introduced are still traditional tilt launchers. The latest improvement of the FK-3 has been replaced by a vertical launcher for faster launch speeds. This choice of the Cypriot side may reduce costs and costs, and the advantage of vertical launch is that it can attack in omnidirection, without the need to convert the launcher, and the launch speed is fast. The disadvantage is that the missile needs to increase the thrust vector nozzle, so that the missile can turn to the direction of the target, and the sample will increase the technical difficulty of the missile, increasing the cost and price. Although the tilt launch cannot be omnidirectional, the launch speed is relatively slow, but the advantage is that the missile is pointed at the target and can quickly reach the fastest speed, and the missile enters the working range of the guidance system faster, which is conducive to compressing the launch proximity and improving the close defense capability.
The FK-3 introduced in Serbia still uses a tilted launch
The FK-3 missile is comparable to or similar in performance to the Patriot PAC-2
Serbia's economic strength is limited, the procurement of long-range anti-aircraft missiles has been exhausted, and it must be very sensitive to model cost and physique. In addition, Serbia's national defense strategy is also to deal with local wars with neighboring countries, and the tilt launch method is also acceptable. Considering all aspects, Serbia chose the relatively inexpensive FK-3 long-range anti-aircraft missile.
Nevertheless, it is still believed that after the introduction of the FK-3, the Serbian air defense system took a big step forward. The FK-3 has a maximum range of 100 km, a maximum firing height of 27 km and a minimum range of 5 km. Equipped with H200 active phased array multi-function guidance radar, it has a maximum detection distance of 300 kilometers for air targets, and can simultaneously guide 12 batches of missiles to intercept 6 targets. As China's new generation of air defense missiles, it also adopts the concept of integrated air defense system, FK-3 can command and control other air defense systems, such as SA-3, SA-6 air defense missiles, forming an overall combat system and improving the combat capability of air defense systems. Western defense analysts believe that the overall performance of the FK-3 air defense missile is up to or even better than that of the Patriot PAC-2 air defense missile, and serbia can fully cope with the threat posed by the introduction of Rafale fighters by neighboring countries after the introduction of FK-3 air defense missiles.
An improved version of the FK-3, it was changed to a vertical launch
It is reported that relevant Chinese units are still developing more advanced FK-3 air defense missiles, FK-3 improved air defense missiles have been replaced by vertical launch systems, the range has been increased to more than 200 kilometers, and the capability of anti-tactical ballistic missiles has also been increased, and the overall performance has been greatly enhanced than that of the FK-3.