Starshel
Encyclopedia
R-045/R-046 Starshel is a type of electronic countermeasures
ammunition, fired by 122 mm or 152 mm artillery
guns, respectively. It is designed to completely disrupt enemy radio
communications on the battlefield.
up, which is powered by a small lithium-ion battery for at least an hour. The effective jamming range is at least 700 m. Usually 1 or 2 Starshel kits are used to completely jam enemy front-line communications on a tactical scale.
Electronic countermeasures
An electronic countermeasure is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar or other detection systems, like infrared or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting information to an enemy...
ammunition, fired by 122 mm or 152 mm artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
guns, respectively. It is designed to completely disrupt enemy radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
communications on the battlefield.
Design and deployment
The Starshel rounds were developed and deployed in the early 1980s and were operationally deployed in the mid-80s. By the mid-1990s the rounds were issued to every artillery unit in the Bulgarian army as special ammunitions. A full jamming kit consists of several rounds, covering a jamming range of 20 to 100 KHz (with 5 rounds) for the R-045 and from 1,5 to 120 kHz (with 8 rounds) for the R-046. The fins of the round are deployed in-flight. After contact with the ground, an automatic fuze fires the 1,5 meter-long antennaAntenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
up, which is powered by a small lithium-ion battery for at least an hour. The effective jamming range is at least 700 m. Usually 1 or 2 Starshel kits are used to completely jam enemy front-line communications on a tactical scale.
Specifications
- R-045 range: 3,000 - 14,500 m
- R-046 range: 4,000 - 16,500 m
- R-046 weight: 34,56 kg
- Storage durability in rough conditions: 3 years
- Storage durability in normal conditions: 10 years
Compatible artillery
Bold indicates equipment, which is currently in service with the Bulgarian militaryR-046
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