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Ukraine Receives Trailer-Mounted Crotale Air Defense System from France

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Ukraine Receives Trailer-Mounted Crotale Air Defense System from France
The Crotale NG air defense system mounted on an armored platform during operational deployment. (Source: Ministry of Defence of France)

France has delivered trailer-mounted Crotale air defense systems to Ukraine as part of its military aid package. The 38th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces released a video on February 5.

The delivered Crotale systems are configured in the NG (New Generation) variant, featuring enhanced radar capabilities and an increased missile capacity of up to eight units. The system is mounted on a trailer, incorporating launch units, a radar complex, and an operator station for fire control.

According to previous reports, France has supplied Ukraine with two batteries of the Crotale system to bolster the country’s air defense capabilities.

Crotale NG capabilities

Originally developed in France for the protection of airfields, the Crotale NG variant replaces earlier self-propelled systems mounted on Hotchkiss P-4 R chassis.

The NG version is equipped with an electro-driven turret weighing approximately 4,800 kg. It includes a surveillance radar integrated with an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) subsystem, a tracking radar, and an electro-optical system featuring thermal imaging, a daytime television camera, a video tracking system, and infrared detection technology.

French military personnel load a trailer-mounted Crotale NG air defense system. (Source: Open Source)
French military personnel load a trailer-mounted Crotale NG air defense system. (Source: Open Source)

The system carries eight ready-to-launch VT-1 missiles in two sets of four containerized launchers. The standard surveillance radar, the Thales 2630 model, operates in the S-band with adaptive frequency control, pulse compression, and Doppler processing. It features a flat rotating antenna with a 40 rpm scan rate and electronic counter-countermeasure (ECCM) capabilities, including a “strobe-on-jam” function.

The tracking radar operates in the Ku-band with a detection range of up to 30,000 meters and the ability to track targets ranging from hovering helicopters to high-speed aircraft exceeding Mach 2.

VT-1 Missile specifications

The VT-1 missile has a launch weight of 75 kg, with a total weight of 95 kg including its containerized launcher. It measures 2.29 meters in length with a diameter of 0.165 meters. After launch, four foldable steel wings deploy for aerodynamic stabilization.

A Crotale EDIR short-range air defense system is mounted on the French stealth frigate La Fayette during a mission in the Mediterranean Sea on October 26, 2020. (Source: Getty Images)
A Crotale EDIR short-range air defense system is mounted on the French stealth frigate La Fayette during a mission in the Mediterranean Sea on October 26, 2020. (Source: Getty Images)

The missile is equipped with a 13-kg fragmentation warhead produced by TDA. It utilizes a Thomson-CSF FPNG active radar proximity fuse, which employs pseudorandom pulse-modulated broadband electromagnetic detonation in the I/D-band.

The fuse is activated by the onboard processor, determining the optimal detonation time between 0.2 and 0.5 seconds before interception, with an effective blast radius of 8 meters.

The VT-1 missile has a maximum engagement range of 11,000 meters, a minimum range of approximately 500 meters, and an altitude interception range from very low levels up to over 6,000 meters. It reaches a top speed of Mach 3.5, powered by an advanced TX883 solid-fuel rocket motor designed with reduced smoke emission. This propulsion system is derived from the technology used in the Sidewinder air-to-air missile.

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