YDJ-48 Salmusa

YDJ-48 Salmusa
YDJ-48 missile on a Daesŭngri DS-9 fighter. Note the three-missile pylon.
Type	Air-to-surface missile
Place of origin	Menghe
Production history
Manufacturer	Samsan Defense Industries
Unit cost	₩180,000
Produced	2005-present
Specifications
Length	1.8 m
length	180mm
Height	Tandem HEAT charge
Propellant	Solid fuel
Operational range	12 km from helicopter or land vehicle 20 km from fixed-wing aircraft
Speed	450 m/s
Guidance system	94 GHz mmW active radar homing with inertial navivation system (G and D) semi-active laser homing with inertial navivation system (N)
Steering system	Control surfaces
Launch platform	Gyundoan-Han GH-26 Agŏ Songrim SR-6 Songrim SR-8 Daesŭngri DS-9 Daesŭngri DS-10 Y48G1 missile system Y48G2 missile system

YDJ-48 is the Menghean designation for the Brimstone ground-attack missile, which Menghe has produced under license since 2005. It is also known by the name Salmusa (살무사), or adder. In Menghean service, the YDJ-48 missile is launched from fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and ground vehicles, in the latter case as part of the Y48G1 or Y48G2 systems.

Design

The basic characteristics of the YDJ-48 base variant are the same as those of the early production-model Brimstone missile. This includes fire-and-forget guidance with lock-on-after-launch capability: in effect, the missile can be fired at a known concentration of enemy armor, and either autonomously acquire a target with millimeter-wave radar (YDJ-48G and D) or pick up on a target designated by a laser (YDJ-48N). These capabilities allow the launch platform to rapidly fly away after releasing its missiles, and allow a commander to direct a salvo of missiles at an enemy armored attack even if the precise locations of the enemy tanks are unknown, particularly with the improved seekers on later missiles.

Once it acquires a laser or radar target, the YDJ-48 missile follows either a direct-impact or top-attack trajectory to impact it. On the G and N variants the pilot or gunner selects the trajectory before launch, while the D variant reportedly has the ability to identify a target's radar signature and choose the most appropriate trajectory. Against a modern main battle tank, a top-attack trajectory has the advantage of bypassing thick frontal composite armour and instead impacting the thinner roof armor. To improve effectiveness against reactive armour, including on the roof, the missile uses a tandem-charge warhead. Interestingly, like many other Menghean missiles, the YDJ-48 also features a prefragmented sleeve around the larger rear warhead. This makes the weapon more effective against soft targets, particularly light ships and hovercraft. It also spreads shrapnel around the impact site, useful when engaging an IFV or APC with infantry advancing on foot alongside it.

Variants

• YDJ-48G - Original variant with millimeter-wave active radar homing guidance for fire-and-forget and lock on after launch capability.
• YDJ-48N - Menghean domestic variant with a semi-active laser homing seeker in place of the millimeter-wave radar seeker. Initially produced to more effectively strike stationary targets and targets in clode proximity to friendly forces.
• YDJ-48D - Menghean domestic variant with upgrades to the mid-course stage of the trajectory. It can more effectively locate targets in the lock-on-after-launch mode, and can reportedly distinguish friendly and enemy vehicles based on their high-resolution radar signatures.

Land-launch platforms

In addition to launching the missile from fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, Menghe has also invested considerable effort in developing land-launched platforms for the YDJ-48. In the Menghean Army, these systems typically operate at the regimental level in a dedicated tank destroyer battery. Note that the designations Y48G1 and Y48G2 refer to the collective systems (gyetong) of launch vehicles and targeting vehicles, rather than the individual tank destroyers themselves, which have a sub-designation within the system.

In both forms, the structure of the Y48G battery is borrowed from that of the YDCh-17's tank destroyer battery. The battery is made up of four tank destroyer platoons, each made up of three missile launch vehicles and a platoon command vehicle. The platoon command vehicle is fitted with the turret from a BSCh-5D IFV but uses a BSCh-6 hull, allowing it to protect the tank destroyers against infantry and light vehicles.

Y48G1

This is the first land-launched YDJ-48 system, introduced as a hasty response to the breakdown of relations with Maverica. It was first unveiled to the public at the Victory Day Parade in July 2006, where nine launch vehicles with exposed missiles followed a battery command vehicle. At the time, it fed some speculation about whether the system was fully functional or merely assembled for show. Expert analysts still disagree about how many Y48G1 systems were built and whether they remain in service, but it is clear that the Y48G1B served as an experimental tank destroyer and that the Y48G2B rapidly replaced it in new production.

The tank destroyer component, Y48G1B, consists of the low-profile variant of the BSCh-6 APC with four YDJ-48G missiles on exposed launch rails on the roof. The four-missile launch unit can traverse through 360 degrees and independently elevate to clear terrain ahead of the vehicle, but it cannot retract into the hull. This leaves the missiles fully exposed on the roof. Photos of Y48G1B tank destroyers on tank transporters suggest that a canvas tarp is normally pulled over the launcher during long road marches, protecting the missiles against rain, dirt, and branches, but not heavier damage. Modified Y48G1B2 tank destroyers have also been spotted with large storage boxes over the rear hull, suggesting that the crew may stow the missiles when out of battle. In either case, the crew must exit the vehicle to bring the tank destroyer to a battle-ready state, and the missiles are left exposed to the elements when in combat.

Another drawback of the Y48G1 system is that it did not fully exploit the non-line-of-sight capabilities of the YDJ-48 missile. Instead, each tank destroyer was equipped with a laser sight to designate targets for its own missiles.

The Y48G1 system is made up of the following components. All are based on the BSCh-6 tracked APC.

• 1× Y48G1JS (jungdae saryŏngcha) - Battery command vehicle with signal equipment to coordinate multiple batteries. Crew: 5 (Company XO, driver, gunner, senior radio operator, radio operator)
• 4 tank destroyer platoons:
  • 1× Y48G1SS (sodae saryŏngcha) - Platoon command vehicle with a 30mm autocannon and ground search radar. Crew: 4 (Platoon CO, Platoon SSGT, driver, radio operator)
  • 3× Y48G1B (balsagi) - Tank destroyer with four YDJ-48 missiles on exposed launch rails. Uses its own laser designator to guide missiles.

Y48G2

This is a more mature version of the YDJ-48 land-launched missile system. It uses the same BSCh-6-derived chassis, but instead stores the missiles in sealed launch boxes with hinged front and rear panels. This protects the missiles against branches and the elements, but it provides no protection against small-arms fire and shrapnel.

More importantly, the Y48G2 system features improved inter-vehicle networking, allowing the launch vehicle to strike a target well beyond the launcher's line of sight. To exploit this capability, the platoon command vehicles have a laser designator which the gunner can use to illuminate a YDJ-48N missile for terminal guidance. The Y48G2 system also supports the YDJ-48D missile, which has millimeter-wave radar guidance and lock-on-after-launch capability with mid-course inertial guidance. This allows a Y48G2B tank destroyer to launch a single missile or a salvo of missiles toward a concentration of enemy armor, relying only on grid square coordinates provided by a command vehicle or a front-line combat unit. To support this networking, the Y48G2JG forward observer vehicle has radio equipment to transmit secure information back to launch vehicles up to 10 kilometers away.

The Y48G2 system is structured differently from the Y48G1 system. The platoon command vehicles are instead classified as forward observer vehicles, and a fifth vehicle of this type is placed in the battery headquarters.

• 1× Y48G2JS (jungjungdae saryŏngcha) - Battery command vehicle with signal equipment to coordinate multiple batteries. Crew: 5 (Company XO, driver, gunner, senior radio operator, radio operator)
• 1× Y48G2JG (jŏnbang gwanchŭk charyang) - Forward observer vehicle with target designation equipment. Crew: 4 (Platoon CO, platoon SSGT, driver, radio operator)
• 4 tank destroyer platoons:
  • 1× Y48G2JG (jŏnbang gwanchŭk charyang) - Forward observer vehicle with target designation equipment. Identical to the type used at the battery level.
  • 3× Y48G2B (balsagi) - Missile launch vehicle with four YDJ-48 missiles in thin-walled steel launch boxes.