Chinese Defence Today - 9M317/Shtil (SA-N-12) Ship-to-Air Missile

The Shtil is the shipborne (naval) air defence system developed by Russian Altair Naval Radio Electronics Scientific Institute Public Joint Stock Company (JSC), a member of Concern Almaz-Antey JSC. The air defence system features the 9M317 (NATO codename: SA-N-12 Grizzly) medium-range, semi-active radar-homing ship-to-air missile developed from the 9M38 (SA-N-7 Gadfly). The PLA Navy (PLAN) is operating both the 9M38 and the more advanced 9M317 missiles, with the former installed on the Russian-built Project 956 Sovremenny class missile destroyers and latter on the indigenous Type 052B Guangzhou class missile destroyers.

The 9M38 missile was developed in the 1970s as a multi-platform air defence missile to be used on both the land-based 9K37 Buk (SA-11 Gadfly) and naval Shtil (SA-N-7 Gadfly) air defence systems. The missile is similar to the U.S. Navy Standard missile in terms of design and general performance, and has been deployed on a wide range of Soviet/Russian vessels. In the land-based system, the 9M38 is fired from 9A38 and 9A310 self-propelled launch vehicles, while the naval Shtil system uses a trainable launcher fed by a below-deck loading system based on 12-cell drum magazines. Development of the 9M38 successor known as 9M317 (SA-N-12 Grizzly) began in the early 1990s.

The PLAN first obtained the Shtil system in the later 1990s as a part of the weapon package for the two Project 956 Sovremenny class destroyers it ordered from Russia. The missiles equipped by these destroyers are believed to be the standard 9M38/SA-N-7 variant, which is guided by the MAE-5 Top Plate 3D circular scan radar for target tracking and the Front Dome (two radar for each launcher, each radar with three guidance channels) indication radar for missile guidance. The system can direct three missiles to attack up to three targets simultaneously. The missile has a maximum range of 25km.

The PLA Navy has also purchased at least four Shtil systems to be installed on its Type 052B Guangzhou class missile destroyer, each with two systems (one front, one rear). These systems use the improved 9M317/SA-N-12 variant of the missile with an extended range of 38km against aircraft and 20km against anti-ship cruise missile. As well as being guided by the Russian-made radar systems, these missiles can also be directed by two electro-optical directors in clear weather for improved anti-jamming performance.

The 9M38 missile has a similar aerodynamic design to the U.S. Standard missile, with cruciform wings of long chord and short span. The missile body is long and slim, with a sharp nose for high-speed flight. The Mach 3 semi-active radar-homing missile has a maximum slant range of 25km (or 38km for 9M317) and a minimum range of 3km. The missile is capable of engaging targets at altitudes of 30~14,000m and can sustain 23g manoeuvres. The solid fuel missile is 5.6m long with a diameter is 0.4m and a wing span of 1.2m. The launch weight is 650kg, which includes a 70kg HE warhead with a 17m lethal blast radius. The 9M317 missile is almost identical to the 9M38 in appearance, apart from a smaller wing span and chord.

The missile uses a radio command + semi-active radar guidance. During the initial stage of the flight, the missile relies on the command from the target acquisition radar until it is close to the target. Then the missile is switched on its semi-active radar seeker to locate the target. In a severe jamming environment the missile could also be guided by the electro-optical director, which would overwhelm the normal semi-active radar homing system. In this case the missile is guided by radio command only.

Missile length: 5.7m
Missile diameter: 0.13m
Missile wingspan: N/A
Missile weight: 650kg
Propulsion: Solid rocket
Operating altitude: 30~14,000m
Operating range: 25~32km (9M38); 38~42km (9M317)
Max speed: Mach 3 (9M38); Mach 4 (9M317)
Guidance: Semi-active radar homing
Warhead: 70kg high explosive