 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Astros II" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Astros II | |
|---|---|
 ASTROS II launching SS-30 Rocket | |
| Type | Multiple rocket launcher |
| Place of origin | Brazil |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1983-present |
| Used by | SeeOperators |
| Wars | Iran–Iraq War Gulf War Angolan Civil War Yemeni Civil War (2015–present) Military Intervention in Yemen |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Avibras |
| No. built | 270+ |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 10,000 kg[1] 27,000 kg (MK6) |
| Length | 7 m (20 ft) |
| Width | 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) |
| Height | 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) |
| Crew | 3 |
| Shell | Rocket length: 4.20 m (13 ft 9 in)[2] Rocket weight: 152 kg (335 lb)[2] |
| Caliber | 450mm (7.08in)[2] |
| Maximum firing range | 30 (SS-30) to 300 km (AV-TM 300)[2] |
Main armament | Universal Multiple Launcher Module 127–450 mm |
Secondary armament | 1 × 12.7 mmM2 Browning machine gun[1] |
| Engine | Mercedes OM422 8-cylinder diesel 280 hp (209 kW)[1] |
| Suspension | 6×6 |
Operational range | 500 Km |
| Maximum speed | 100 Km/h |
Astros II (ArtillerySaTurationROcketSystem) is a self-propelledmultiple rocket launcher produced in Brazil by theAvibras company. It features modular design and employs rockets with calibers ranging from 127 to 450 mm (5–17.72 inches). It was developed on the basis of a Tectran VBT-2028 6×6 all-terrain vehicle for enhanced mobility based on Mercedes-Benz 2028 truck chassis[3] while later versions useTatra 815-7 chassis.
.jpg)
A full Astros system includes 1 wheeled 4×4 Battalion level Command Vehicle (AV-VCC), which commands 3 batteries, and a series of 4×4 and 6×6 wheeled vehicles.[3] Each battery consists of:[4]
In the older version of the system, thefire control vehicle were listed as optional vehicle in a battery. The command vehicles and weather stations are recent additions, designed to improve overall system performance on newer versions. All vehicles are transportable in a C-130 Hercules.[3] The launcher is capable of firing rockets of different calibers armed with a range of warheads.[5]
Each rocket resupply truck carries up to two complete reloads.
The Astros II artillery system entered service with the Brazilian Army in the early 1990s.[6] The system is battle proven, having been used in action by the Iraqi Army in the Gulf Wars.
In the 1980s, Avibrás sold an estimated 66 Astros II artillery systems to Iraq. Iraq also built the Sajeel-60 which is a license-built version of the Brazilian SS-60. Sixty Astros II were sold toSaudi Arabia[7] and an unspecified number sold to Bahrain and Qatar. Total sales of the Astros II between 1982 and 1987 reached US$1 billion. This fact made the Astros II multiple rocket launcher the most profitable weapon produced by Avibrás.[8]
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Avibrás manufactured almost exclusively rockets and multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), such as the Astros II, in addition to developing antitank and antiship missiles. At its peak, Avibrás employed 6,000 people; later it would be reduced to 900 people in the early 1990s as the arms industry demand fell. Even so, in the first Gulf War in 1991, the Astros II was successfully used by Saudi Arabia against Iraq.[9] Years earlier, the Astros II system had helpedAngola to defeat theUNITA.
The next step is an ambitious program, the Astros 2020 (Mk6), based on a 6×6 wheeled chassis.[10] Being a new concept, it will require an estimated investment of R$1.2 billion, of which about US$210 million will be invested solely in development. It will be integrated with the cruise missileAVMT-300 with 300-km range during the stage of testing and certification. It is said that the venture will, for example, enable the Army to integrate the Astros with defense anti-aircraft guns, paving the way for the utilization of common platforms, trucks, parts of electronic sensors and command vehicles.[11] The new MK6 system will use Tatra Trucks’ T815-790R39 6×6 and T815-7A0R59 4×4 trucks instead of the original Mercedes-Benz 2028A 6×6 truck. ASTROS 2020 offers several basic improvements including an improved armored cabin, modern digital communications and navigation systems, and a new tracking radar that replaces the AV-UCF's Contraves Fieldguard system.[3] The new tracking radar used by MK6 AV-UCF was later revealed to be the Fieldguard 3 Military Measurement System from Rheinmetall Air Defence.[12] The Astros 2020 will also be equipped with a 180 mmGPS-guided rocket called the SS-AV-40G with a range of 40 km (25 mi) and SS-150 newly developed rockets with a claimed maximum range of 150 km. Four of them are carried.[10] 36 Astros 2020 systems are to be acquired.[13]
.jpg)
Brazil
Indonesian Army: 63 Astros II Mk6 (first batch of 36 ordered in 2012 and second batch of 27 delivered in 2020).[17]
Iraq: 66 Astros II.[8] (also built under license as theSajil-60). Only with rockets of shorter range SS-40 and SS-60.
Malaysian Army: 36 units of Astros II.[5][18][19]
Qatar[20]
Saudi Arabia: 76 Astros II.[7]
Spain: Spain is currently evaluatingK239 Chunmoo, Astros II andPULS systems, but the decision regarding a potential order of one of these systems has not been made.[21][22]
Ukraine: On December 4, 2022, the Brazilian media reported a Ukrainian interest in the ASTROS system, to equip the Army in theRusso-Ukrainian War efforts. The sale was blocked by the Bolsonaro administration.[23] A diplomatic effort by the United States to persuade the president-elect of Brazil,Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to unblock the deal was reported on the 5th of December 2022.[23]