The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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China Does It Cheaper Again
by James Dunnigan
December 7, 2012
China is offering their new FK-1000 anti-aircraft system for export. This is a large truck containing radar, 25mm anti-aircraft cannon, and short range missiles. This is seen as a pretty direct copy of the Russian 2K22 (SA-18) self-propelled (on a tracked vehicle) system armed with radar, eight anti-aircraft missiles (10 kilometers range), and two 30mm (4,000 meters range) automatic cannon (with 1,900 rounds of ammo). The FK-1000 has two 25mm cannon and twelve copies of the Tunguska missiles used on the 2K22 system. The FK-1000 is mounted on an 8x8 wheeled vehicle and carries a more modern AESA radar.
Thus, the FK-1000 is not the most modern weapon of this type. In 2008, Russia began replacing the 2K22 with the more modern Pantsir-S1, which is mounted on an 8x8 truck. Each vehicle carries radar, two 30mm cannon, and twelve upgraded Tunguska missiles. The 90 kg (198 pound) Tunguska missile has a twenty kilometer range while the Pantsir-S1 radar has a 30 kilometer range. The missile can hit targets at up to 8,400 meters (26,000 feet) high. The 30mm cannon is effective up to 3,200 meters (10,000 feet). The vehicles used to carry all the Pantsir-S1 can vary, but the most common one used weighs 20 tons and has a crew of three. Each Pantsir-S1 vehicle costs about $15 million, which is about the same as the older 2K22 but with superior capabilities. The FK-1000 looks more like the Pantsir-S1 but has capabilities closer to the older 2k22 and costs closer to $5 million each.
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