2К12 "Куб": Обзор и Модернизации Системы ПВО

The 2K12 "Kub" (2К12 Куб; English: 'cube') (NATO reporting name: SA 6 "Gainful") mobile surface to air missile system is a Soviet low to medium level air defence system designed to protect ground forces from air attack. 2К12 is the GRAU designation of the system. Each 2K12 battery consists of a number of similar tracked vehicles, one of which carries the 1S91 (SURN vehicle, NATO designation "Straight Flush") 25 kW G/H band radar (with a range of ) equipped with a continuous wave illuminator, in addition to an optical sight. The battery usually also includes four triple missile transporter erector launchers (TELs), and four trucks, each carrying three spare missiles and a crane. The TEL is based on a GM 578 chassis, while the 1S91 radar vehicle is based on a GM 568 chassis, all developed and produced by MMZ.

The development of the 2K12 was started after 18 July 1958 at the request of the CPSU Central Committee. The system was set the requirements of being able to engage aerial targets flying at speeds of at altitudes of at ranges up to , with a single shot kill probability of at least 0.7. he decided upon the development of a new system, called Buk, where each TEL should have its own fire control radar (TELAR) and is able to engage multiple targets from multiple directions at the same time. The final major development of the Kub missile system was achieved during the development of its successor, the 9K37 "Buk" in 1974. Although the Buk is the successor to Kub it was decided that both systems could share some interoperability, the result of this decision was the "Kub M4" system. There are several plans to integrate active radar homing missiles into Kub. For instance, Polish WZU of Grudziadz demonstrated a project of a Sparrow armed Kub at the MSPO 2008 defence exhibition in Kielce. It is reported also that Vympel initiated some work to use its RVV AE air to air missile to modernise the Kvadrat SAM system. Also, the Czech company RETIA presented a SURN (fire control radar) upgrade featuring an optical channel and new multiple function color displays as well as the radar upgrade and the IFF system. In 2011 a Kub upgraded launcher (named "2K12 KUB CZ") with three Aspide 2000 missiles in launch containers was presented at the International Exhibition of Defence and Security Technologies (IDET) exposition in Brno. The modifications were made by Retia.

The 2K12 system shares many components with the 2K11 Krug (SA 4) system. In many ways they are designed to complement each other; 2K11 is effective at long ranges and high altitudes, 2K12 at medium ranges and intermediate altitudes. The system is able to acquire and begin tracking targets using the 1S91 "Самоходная установка разведки и наведения" (SPRGU "Self propelled Reconnaissance and Guidance Unit" / NATO: "Straight Flush" radar) at and begin illumination and guidance at IFF is also performed using this radar. It can only guide one or two missiles to a single target at any time. The missile is initially command guided with terminal semi active radar homing (SARH), with target illumination provided by the "Straight Flush" radar. Detonation is via either the impact or proximity fuze. On the latest models, this vehicle is also fitted with an optical tracking system which allows engagement without the use of the radar (for active RF emissions stealth reasons, or due to heavy ECM jamming) in which case the effective altitude is limited to 14 km/46000 ft. The optical tracking method also allows engagements to altitudes below that where the radar is able to track targets. Maximum target speed is around Mach 2 for head on engagements and Mach 1 for tail chase engagements. Top speed of the missile is approximately Mach 2.8. In contrast to the elaborate Patriot missile or even the simpler Hawk system fielded by US forces, most of the system rides on two tracked self propelled vehicles, rather than towed or mounted on trucks, and either the launcher or control vehicle can be set to launch in only 15 minutes after changing location.

The fairly large missiles have an effective range of 4–24 km (2.5–15 miles) and an effective altitude of 50–14,000 m (164–45,931 ft). The missile weighs 599 kg (1,321 lb) and the warhead weighs 56 kg (123 lb). Top missile speed is approx. Mach 2.8. The combined propulsion system 9D16K included solid fuel rocket motor which, when burned out, forms the combustion chamber for a ramjet in a pioneering design putting this missile far ahead of its contemporaries in terms of propulsion. The missile was fitted with a semi active radar seeker 1SB4, designed by MNII Agat, which was able to track the target by Doppler frequency since the start. Later upgrades (3M9M3 missile) could do this before the start. Chief Designer of the seeker head was Yu. N. Vekhov, since 1960 – I. G. Akopyan. In 1977 a new version, the 3M9M1 (DoD designation SA 6B) was created with three missiles fitted onto a different chassis (the same as that of the 9K37 "Buk" (NATO reporting name "Gadfly" / DoD SA 11 ), the 2K12 effective replacement) with an integrated "Fire Dome" missile guidance radar. For comparisons between the 2K12, 9K37, see the 9K37 Buk entry. An earlier incremental upgrade saw the 2K12 missiles replaced with the 2K12E versions and this system was known as Kvadrat ("Квадрат", meaning square). This name was derived from the most common arrangement pattern of the military vehicles of the 2K12 complex, when the 1S91 radar is located at the center and 4x2P25 TELs at the vertices of a square around the radar.

Complex (GRAU designation)KubKub M1Kub M3Kub M4 (Buk M1)Introduced1967197319761978Missiles per TEL3333Engagement range6–22 km4–23 km4–25 km4–24 kmEngagement altitude100–7,000 m80–8,000 m20–8,000 m30–14,000 mMissile speed (Mach)1.751.7522 Maximum target speed (Mach)1.751.751.751.75 Response Time (seconds)26–2822–2422–2424 missile Weight, kg630 kg630 kg630 kg630 kgSimultaneous engagements1112 Deployment time (minutes)5555

SURN 1S91 vehicle included two radar station – a target acquisition and distribution radar 1S11 and a continuous wave illuminator 1S31, in addition to an IFF interrogator and an optical channel. While 1S31 antenna was installed on the upper section of the superstructure and the 1S11 on the lower, they could turn around independently. To make the height of the vehicle lower the central cylinder was able to hide inside the prime mover. The acquisition range of the radar was reported as for an F 4 Phantom II type of target. Total weight of the 1S91 vehicle with a crew of 4 was 20.3 tonnes and 2P25 vehicle with 3 missiles and a crew of 3 was 19.5 t.

In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Egyptian and Syrian 2K12s surprised the Israeli military, who were accustomed to having air superiority over the battlefield. The highly mobile 2K12 took a heavy toll on the slower A 4 Skyhawk and even the F 4 Phantom, forming a protective umbrella until they could be removed. The radar warning receivers on the Israeli aircraft did not alert the pilot to the fact that he was being illuminated by the radar. The 2K12 performed well according to a conversation between Israeli General Peled and Henry Kissinger, and caused the most Israeli losses of any Egyptian anti aircraft missile, followed by the 9K32 Strela 2. The superior low altitude performance of the weapon, and its new CW semi active missile seeker resulted in a much higher success rate compared to the earlier S 75 Dvina and S 125 Neva systems. While exact losses are disputed, around 40 aircraft are usually cited as lost to SAMs, and the 2K12 Kub proved the most effective of the three weapons. But in subsequent conflicts, its performance declined as captured examples resulted in effective counter measures being developed.

The Syrians also deployed the 2K12 Kub to Lebanon in 1981 after the Israelis shot down Syrian helicopters near Zahlé. The SAM batteries were placed in the Bekaa Valley near the Beirut Damascus road. They remained close to the existing Syrian air defense system but could not be fully integrated into it. Early in the 1982 Lebanon war, the Israeli Air Force concentrated on suppressing the SAM threat in the Beqaa Valley, launching Operation Mole Cricket 19. The result was a complete success. Several 2K12 Kub batteries, along with S 75s and S 125 systems, were destroyed in a single day. While Syria's own air defenses remained largely intact, its forces in Lebanon were left exposed to attacks by Israeli strike aircraft for the remainder of the war. It has been reported, however, that at least one Israeli F 4 Phantom fighter bomber was shot down in the area by a 2K12 Kub on July 24, 1982.

The People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) procured a number of 2K12 Kub systems from the Soviet Union in 1981. According to the Central Intelligence Agency, Angola had obtained sixteen TEL launchers for the 2K12 Kub systems, which were deployed in the Moçâmedes District. The South African military noted that the missiles would make it difficult for it to provide air cover for its cross border operations against guerrillas of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia, which were operating from Angolan sanctuaries. All of Angola's 2K12 Kub launchers were destroyed in a South African preemptive strike as part of Operation Protea. On 26 June 1988, six 3M9M3 missiles launched from a Cuban 2K12 Kub battery were fired at a South African weather balloon being used as a radar decoy over Tchipa.

On 19 August 2003, a Polish Air Force Su 22M4K was accidentally shot down by friendly fire during an exercise by a Polish 2K12 Kub battery. The aircraft was flying 21 km (13 mi) from the coast over the Baltic Sea near Ustka. The pilot, General Andrzej Andrzejewski, ejected and was rescued after two hours in the water.

The system was deployed by Libya during the border dispute with Chad and proved a threat for French aircraft. On 16 February 1986, the system failed in detecting low flying French jets which were attacking the Ouadi Doum airbase. On January 7, 1987, the French Air Force were successful in destroying a 2K12 Kub radar site in the Faya Largeau area with SEPECAT Jaguars armed with Martel anti radiation missiles. In March, the Chadian rebels captured Ouadi Doum air base, seizing virtually all heavy equipment used for the defense of this airfield, intact. Most of this equipment was transported to France and the United States in the following days, but some 2K12 Kub systems remained in Chad. With this catastrophe, the Libyan occupation of northern Chad – and the annexation of the Aouzou Strip – was over: by 30 March, the bases at Faya Largeau and Aouzou had to be abandoned. The LARAF now had a completely different task: its Tu 22Bs were to attack the abandoned bases and destroy as much equipment left there as possible. The first strikes were flown in April, and they continued until 8 August 1987, when two Tu 22Bs tasked to strike Aouzou were ambushed by a captured 2K12 Kub battery used by the Chadian Army. One of the bombers was shot down. Libyan air defense, including 2K12 Kub batteries, was active during the 2011 military intervention in Libya.

Several 2K12 Kub batteries, along with other SAM systems and military equipment, were supplied to Iraq before and during the Iran–Iraq War as part of large military packages from the Soviet Union. The batteries were active since the start of the war in September 1980, scoring kills against U. S supplied Iranian F 4 Phantoms and Northrop F 5s. The SA 6/Kub was also used during the 1991 Gulf War. The threat posed by these SAMs led to the US Navy outfitting the ALQ 167 Bullwinkle Jamming pod on their F 14A/A+ Tomcats and A 6E TRAM/SWIP Intruder aircraft. On the opening night of Desert Storm, on 17 January 1991, a B 52G was damaged by a missile. Different versions of this engagement are told. It could have been an S 125 or a 2K12 Kub while other versions report a MiG 29 hit the bomber with a R 27R missile. However, the U. S. Air Force disputes these claims, stating the bomber was actually hit by friendly fire, an AGM 88 High speed, Anti Radiation Missile (HARM) that homed on the fire control radar of the B 52's tail gun; the jet was subsequently renamed In HARM's Way. Shortly following this incident, General George Lee Butler announced that the gunner position on B 52 crews would be eliminated, and the gun turrets permanently deactivated, commencing on 1 October 1991. On January 19, 1991, a USAF F 16 (serial 87 228) was shot down by a 2K12 Kub during the massive (though ill fated) Package Q Strike against a heavily defended Baghdad. It was the tenth coalition aircraft lost in combat in Operation Desert Storm. The pilot, Captain Harry 'Mike' Roberts, ejected safely but was taken prisoner and freed in March 1991. The aircraft was on a mission to attack the Air Defense Headquarters Building. It had flown 4 combat missions before being lost. The 2K12 Kub threat was largely controlled by Allied EW assets together with the older S 75s and S 125 missile systems. Most of the losses were due to IR guided SAMs. Kubs continued to be used by the Iraqi military, along with other SAM systems, to challenge the Western imposed no fly zones during the 1990s and early 2000s. They were not able to shoot down any Coalition aircraft though several sites were destroyed as retaliation. In one incident, on September 11, 1996, during Operation Provide Comfort II, one missile was fired against two USAF F 16 in northern Iraq but missed. On December 30, 1998, a 2K12 Kub site near Talil fired 6 8 missiles at aircraft enforcing the Southern Watch component of the NFZ. American F 16s responded by dropping six GBU 12 laser guided bombs on the site and also launching two HARMs "as a preemptive measure" to warn Iraqi radar operators against carrying out more firings.

On April 14, 2018, American, British, and French forces launched 103 air to surface and cruise missiles targeting sites in Syria. According to the Russian military, twenty one Kub missiles launched in response allegedly destroyed eleven incoming missiles, However, the American Department of Defense stated no Allied missiles were shot down.

South Yemen formerly operated these systems in the South Yemeni air defense forces. Later, United Yemen purchased a large number of these systems in the 1990s and they entered service with the Yemeni air defense forces in 1999. On 6 June 2019, Houthi forces successfully shot down a USAF MQ 9. CENTCOM officials blamed the shoot down on a Houthi operated and domestically made Fater 1 missile – a SAM system upgraded from a Soviet 2K12 Kub air defence system. In August 2019, the Houthis shot down a third Reaper drone with the same type of missile. On 8 November 2023 Houthis used the SA6 (NATO reporting name) missile to shoot down a fourth American MQ 9 Reaper drone (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which is worth about $32 million apiece. On 19 February 2024, the Houthis shot down a fifth American Reaper drone, once again probably by using the same missile system as in the previous four incidents.