The Sarab Active Protection System (Mirage) is an active protection system, developed by the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS) and designed to help the Syrian Army’s T-55, T-62, T-72 and T-72 Adra tanks counter line of sight anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs).[1]
| Sarab سراب | |
|---|---|
| Type | Active protection system |
| Place of origin | Syria |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2016–present |
| Used by |  Syria |
| Wars | Syrian Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS) |
| Designed | 2015–2017 |
| Produced | 2016–present |
| Variants | Sarab-1 Sarab-2 Sarab-3 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1100kg |
Design
editSyrian intelligence acquired 18 Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles from the Free Syrian Army; these missiles were used by the CERS to develop a countermeasure.[2] The resulting soft-kill system incorporated powerful infrared (IR) jamming lights which were 80% effective against ATGMs.[1][3] This has significantly reduced Syrian tank losses during the Syrian civil war.
Sarab can effectively jam SACLOS missiles such as the TOW (also TOW 2), HOT, MILAN, Dragon, 9K115-2 Metis-M, 9M113 Konkurs and Malyutka and laser guided weapons such as the Copperhead and some variants of the Maverick and Hellfire.[1]
Versions
editAs of 2017[update], the Sarab (Mirage) system has three versions:
- Sarab-1 was introduced in early 2016. Using multiple IR emitters mounted on a tank turret, it covers the 180° frontal arc of the tank and can operate for 6 hours.
- Sarab-2 entered service at the end of 2016. It includes a protective casing and uses less power, letting it operate continuously for up to 10 hours.[4]
- Sarab-3 was introduced in 2017. Unlike the prior variants, it provides full 360 degree protection by using more IR emitters.[1][5]
Operators
editCurrent operators
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Eshel, Tamir (1 March 2017). "Home Grown Syrian Soft Kill System Successfully Defeated TOW Missiles". Defense Update.
- ^ Murakhovsky, Viktor (1 March 2016). "Т90 в Сирии: "Экипаж танка был слабо подготовлен"". gazeta.ru. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Villasanta, Arthur Dominic (2 March 2017). "New Syrian Army Infrared Jammer Protects Tanks vs TOW and other ATGMs". Chinatopix.
- ^ "In Syria, new anti-missile "birdhouses" were spotted on the T-72". Vestnik. 6 November 2016.
- ^ "Sarab 1 ,2 &3 Active Protection System". within-syria.blogspot.ca.