SA-2 Guideline SAM
The SA-2 Guideline (NATO designation) is a Soviet-designed, high-altitude air defence system, built around a surface-to-air missile with command guidance. Since its first deployment in 1957 it has become one of the most widely-deployed air defence systems in history.
It achieved the first successful destruction of an enemy aircraft by a surface-to-air missile, shooting down a Taiwanese Martin RB-57D Canberra over China on 7 October 1959, hitting it with three missiles at an altitude of 20 km (65,600 ft). At the time the aircraft's destruction was attributed to fighter aircraft in order to keep the SAM programme secret.
This system first gained international fame when using a newer, longer-range and higher-altitude missile in the 1960 U-2 incident, shooting down Francis Gary Powers' aircraft overflying the Soviet Union on 1 May 1960. The system was also deployed in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when it shot down another U-2 (piloted by Rudolf Anderson) overflying Cuba on 27 October 1962. North Vietnamese forces used the SA-2 extensively during the Vietnam War to defend Hanoi and Haiphong.
The Soviets typically deployed six, semi-fixed, single-rail launchers at each launch site, positioned some 60-100m apart in a hexagonal "flower" pattern, with radars and guidance systems in the centre. This layout made the sites easily recognisable in reconnaissance photos. Typically another six missiles are stored on tractor-trailers (such as the one above) near the centre of the site.
The SA-2 is a two-stage missile consisting of a solid-fuel booster and a storable liquid-fuel upper stage, which burns red fuming nitric acid as the oxidiser and kerosene as the fuel. The booster fires for about 4–5 seconds and the main engine for about 22 seconds, by which time the missile is traveling at about Mach 3. The booster mounts four large, cropped-delta wing fins that have small control surfaces in their trailing edges to control roll. The upper stage has smaller cropped-deltas near the middle of the airframe, with a smaller set of control surfaces at the extreme rear and (in most models) much smaller fins on the nose. All of this can be seen above.
The missiles are guided using radio control signals. The guidance system at a launch site can handle only one target at a time, but can direct three missiles against it. Additional missiles could be fired against the same target after one or more missiles of the first salvo had completed their run, freeing the radio channel.
The missile typically mounts a 195 kg fragmentation warhead, with proximity, contact, and command fusing. The warhead has a lethal radius of about 65m at lower altitudes, but at higher altitudes the thinner atmosphere allows for a wider radius of up to 250m. The missile itself is only accurate to about 75m, which explains why two were typically fired in a salvo. As was typical for most Soviet weapons, one version (the SA-2E) could mount a nuclear warhead which had an estimated 15 kT yield. A navalised version of the system, known as the SA-N-2 Guideline by NATO, could be found on early Soviet air defence ships.
SA-2 Guideline SAM
The SA-2 Guideline (NATO designation) is a Soviet-designed, high-altitude air defence system, built around a surface-to-air missile with command guidance. Since its first deployment in 1957 it has become one of the most widely-deployed air defence systems in history.
It achieved the first successful destruction of an enemy aircraft by a surface-to-air missile, shooting down a Taiwanese Martin RB-57D Canberra over China on 7 October 1959, hitting it with three missiles at an altitude of 20 km (65,600 ft). At the time the aircraft's destruction was attributed to fighter aircraft in order to keep the SAM programme secret.
This system first gained international fame when using a newer, longer-range and higher-altitude missile in the 1960 U-2 incident, shooting down Francis Gary Powers' aircraft overflying the Soviet Union on 1 May 1960. The system was also deployed in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when it shot down another U-2 (piloted by Rudolf Anderson) overflying Cuba on 27 October 1962. North Vietnamese forces used the SA-2 extensively during the Vietnam War to defend Hanoi and Haiphong.
The Soviets typically deployed six, semi-fixed, single-rail launchers at each launch site, positioned some 60-100m apart in a hexagonal "flower" pattern, with radars and guidance systems in the centre. This layout made the sites easily recognisable in reconnaissance photos. Typically another six missiles are stored on tractor-trailers (such as the one above) near the centre of the site.
The SA-2 is a two-stage missile consisting of a solid-fuel booster and a storable liquid-fuel upper stage, which burns red fuming nitric acid as the oxidiser and kerosene as the fuel. The booster fires for about 4–5 seconds and the main engine for about 22 seconds, by which time the missile is traveling at about Mach 3. The booster mounts four large, cropped-delta wing fins that have small control surfaces in their trailing edges to control roll. The upper stage has smaller cropped-deltas near the middle of the airframe, with a smaller set of control surfaces at the extreme rear and (in most models) much smaller fins on the nose. All of this can be seen above.
The missiles are guided using radio control signals. The guidance system at a launch site can handle only one target at a time, but can direct three missiles against it. Additional missiles could be fired against the same target after one or more missiles of the first salvo had completed their run, freeing the radio channel.
The missile typically mounts a 195 kg fragmentation warhead, with proximity, contact, and command fusing. The warhead has a lethal radius of about 65m at lower altitudes, but at higher altitudes the thinner atmosphere allows for a wider radius of up to 250m. The missile itself is only accurate to about 75m, which explains why two were typically fired in a salvo. As was typical for most Soviet weapons, one version (the SA-2E) could mount a nuclear warhead which had an estimated 15 kT yield. A navalised version of the system, known as the SA-N-2 Guideline by NATO, could be found on early Soviet air defence ships.