Type 91 Surface-To-Air missile
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The Type 91 Surface-To-Air missile is a Japanese man-portable surface to air missile. It is similar in appearance to the US FIM-92 Stinger missile.
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[edit] Development
Development work on an advanced infra-red seeker began in 1979 at the Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI), funded by the Japanese Defence Agency. In 1982 the Japanese Self Defence Force began looking for a replacement for the FIM-92 Stinger which was then in service. Development of the missile then known as Keiko or SAM-X was defered until 1987. Toshiba took over the project in 1988 and began engineering development. The development was completed in 1990, and low rate production was started in 1991. The missile was initially designated the Type 91 Kin-SAM. It was first deployed in 1994.
[edit] Description
The missile is similar to the Stinger missile it replaced, with two rocket solid motors, an initially booster motor and a sustainer. The seeker however is an advanced imaging seeker operating in both the visual and infra-red frequency ranges: 0.4 to 0.7 um and 3.5 to 5.2 um respectively. On launch the missile records the targets image profile and is able to ignore defensive countermeasures. It is possible the missile may also be resistant to laser based countermeasures.
A vehicle based variant, the Type 93 surface-to-air missile launcher has also been developed.
[edit] Specifications
- Length: 1.43 m
- Diameter: 0.08 m
- Weight: 11.5 kg
- Range: 300 to 5000 m
[edit] References
- Jane's Land-Based Air Defence 2005-2006
