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Saab MSHORAD MFU
Summary
The Saab MSHORAD is a family of vehicles developed by Saab and SVOS in order to create a new air defence solution for the export market around the world. Whilst the MSHORAD is a family of vehicles consisting of a radar / command vehicle (Mobile Radar Unit or MRU for short) and a Mobile Firing Unit (or MFU for short), the MFU is fully able to operate on it’s own without the MRU, but won’t recieve targeting data as the only sensors mounted on the MFU is an intergrated IRST in the sighting system. The vehicle is based on the SVOS MARS 4x4 S-330 Hard Top (but can and has been mounted on other platforms) with a Saab Trackfire RWS on the roof that has a triple RBS 70 NG launcher fitted onto it.
History
The Saab MSHORAD was first revealed in 2017 at the DSEI 2017 exhibition in London as Saab tried to sell a solution to protect infantry against everything from small UAVs to attack helicopters. This variant of the MSHORAD did however get reworked and on the 30th of Mars 2022 a new version of the MSHORAD got revealed in a youtube video by Saab where the hull got switched from an IVECO LMV 4x4 to the MARS 4x4 S-330 Hard Top produced by the Czech company SVOS. Whilst the hull and weapons systems of the MSHORAD MFU stayed the same from here, the internals got changed a bit somewhere between the 30th of Mars 2022 and the live firing trials on the 5th of September 2022 where it was shown with its current design. The main changes now were the moving of the gunner from the front-right seat into the back-right seat along with the ammo stowage being moved from where the gunner is currently sitting, to behind his back on two racks. Later, a separate version was purchased for testing by Sweden, with the hull swapped for a Bv 410.
Features
Weapons
The weapons of the MSHORAD MFU is a triple RBS 70 NG launcher mounted on a Saab Trackfire RWS. The RBS 70 NG is the same weapon as on the RBS 70 on the Lvrbv 701 and ASRAD-R but with improved optics and FCS. The missile that it uses is however the same laser beam-riding BOLIDE missile that we currently have on the ASRAD-R. This launcher is mounted on the Trackfire RWS that is developed by Saab giving the MSHORAD MFU a gun elevation of -20° to +55°. The Trackfire RWS is rated at 120°/s in both axis, although the MSHORAD MFU’s turret weighs more than the listed Trackfire turret (280 vs 400 kg with all 3 missiles). You can approximate the turret traverse of the MSHORAD MFU’s RWS to about 100°/s in both axis with some maths. The thermal sight used by the RBS 70 NG is the ThermoSight BORC which is produced by Teledyne FLIR. The sights of the RBS 70 NG also include a laser rangefinder.
Hull
The hull of the MSHORAD MFU is the MARS 4x4 S-330 Hard Top produced by SVOS. Its protection is rated as STANAG Level 2 giving it protection against 7.62x39 mm bullets. It weighs 12 000 kg in its basic configuration and has a GVW of 14 000 kg. The MFU weighs around 12 500 Kg with the RWS and missiles. The MARS 4x4 S-330 Hard Top has an adjustable suspension letting it change its ground clearance between 245 mm and 472 mm. It has an unknown six-cylinder engine with 240 Kw at 2200 rpm and a torque of 1300 N at 1600 rpm and a top speed of 110 km/h. The SVOS MARS 4x4 S-330 also comes with a Laser Warning system and 3 pairs of Rheinmetall Rosy_L smoke grenade launchers installed.
Saab Barracuda MCS
The Saab Barracuda MCS is a camouflage system developed by Saab which helps reduce the signature of a vehicle / soldier. It gives significant concealment in ultraviolet, near infrared, short-wave infrared, thermal infrared and radar. This would make the MSHORAD MFU a lot harder to spot through thermals in War Thunder and possibly even make it impossible or at least significantly harder for vehicles / weapons that uses radar (such as the Khrizantema-S) or IRST (basically every aircraft and helicopter’s FCS) for targeting to lock onto and track the MFU. The MFU during the September 5th 2022 firing trials was fitted with such camo netting which would allow the addition of Barracuda MCS as a modification for the MSHORAD MFU.
2022-09-05 firing trials.
MSHORAD MFU with Barracuda and 3 pairs of Rheinmetall Rosy_L smoke launchers at AKCE 2022.
Barracuda’s protection against short-wave infrared and radar as two examples.
In War Thunder
In War Thunder the MSHORAD MFU would act like a Type 93 with the weapons of the ASRAD-R, although with upgrades in almost every regard. The MFU does not carry a radar on its own, but can track and lock onto targets using data sent through a datalink from the MRU. This would not be present in War Thunder as that mechanic has yet to be implemented but it could become possible in the future. It does however have the ability to track and lock onto targets on its own due to the FCS of the RBS 70 NG as they have an integrated IRST auto tracker and auto detection system which gives the MFU a limited search option through its optics which makes it so you don’t have to stare at the sky looking for small dots but get some help with detecting targets. It has the ability to fire on the move, although a specific speed for this is not listed anywhere.
Specifications
General
- Crew: 3 (Commander, Driver and Gunner)
- Weight: ~12 500 kg
- Ground clearance: Adjustable between 245 mm and 472 mm
- Height: Unknown
- Width: Unknown
- Length: Unknown
- Smoke:
- 3x2 Rosy_L Rheinmetall smoke launchers
- 30 smoke grenades (10 front, 10 right, 10 left)
Mobility
- Top speed: 110 km/h
- Turning radius : 16 m
- Fording: 1.2 m
- Vertical obstacle: 0.5 m
- Trench: 0.85 m
- Side slope: 22°
- Gradient: 31°
- Engine: Unknown
- 6 cylinder engine
- 240 Kw at 2200 rpm
- 1300 N at 1600 rpm
- Transmission: Unknown
- 6 forward gears
- 1 reverse gear
- Reverse speed: Unknown
Weapons
- Ammo: BOLIDE missiles
- Intercept range: > 9 km
- Altitude coverage: 0 - 5000 m
- Manoeuvrability: > 20 g
- Beam riding
- Dual purpose with a combined shaped charge and tungsten sphere shrapnel warhead
- Ammo count - 7 (3 ready to fire)
- Reload time - 60 seconds for a full reload (or 20 seconds per missile if reloaded one by one)
- RWS
- Gun elevation angles: -20° to +55°
- Turret traverse speed
- 100°/s horizontal
- 100°/s vertical
- Weight: 400 kg
- Laser rangefinder
- IRST Auto tracker
- Auto detection system
- Can lock targets from up to 17 km away
Sources
Saab MSHORAD 2022-03-30 Reveal
Saab MSHORAD 2022-09-05 Live firing trial
The Swedish purchase of MSHORAD
Maths for turret traverse:
The Trackfire RWS weighs 280 kg and rotates at 120°/s
E = (mv^2)/2
E = (280 * 120^2)/2 = 2016000 J
The MSHORAD RWS weighs 400 kg
E = (mv^2)/2
2E = mv^2
2E/m = v^2
sqrt(2E/m) = v
sqrt(2 * 2016000 / 400) = 100.4°/s or simply 100°/s for simplicity
(It was a long time ago since I did physics so this might be completely wrong and as such not useful at all but I have yet to see a direct value given for the MSHORAD RWS turret traverse so this is the best I can get)
Additional images / videos
Performance of the SVOS MARS 4x4 Hard Top.
Performance of the SVOS MARS 4x4 Hard Top.
Internal layout of the MSHORAD MFU with the ammo stowage on the right side behind the gunner on two separate racks.
Gunner’s sight of the MFU.
The crew of the MFU with the driver in the front-left seat, commander in the back-left seat and the gunner in the back-right seat.
The MFU on the left and the MRU on the right.
