South African defense company Denel is upgrading its Umkhonto surface-to-air missile (SAM) to a more advanced version with enhanced intercept capabilities. The upgrade aims to provide better protection for Denel’s customers, including the South African Navy (SAN), the Finnish Navy, and the Algerian Navy. Additionally, the South African Army has expressed interest in the ground-based version to complement its current Ground-Based Air Defence System (GBADS).
According to defenceWeb, Denel’s Project/Programme Manager, Willem Maré, explained that the upgrades to the Umkhonto SAM include an extended range and a new radar seeker. The upgraded version will feature a new rocket motor that extends the missile’s range to between 25 and 30 kilometers. The current infra-red (IR) seeker, which can be affected by bad weather, will be replaced by a radar seeker, enhancing the missile’s effectiveness in all weather conditions. This upgrade is particularly relevant for the Finnish Navy, as radar can operate through clouds, unlike IR systems.
The Umkhonto SAM, originally designed for the SA Navy’s Valour Class frigates, was derived from the cancelled South African High Velocity missile program. The missile initially had a range of 12 kilometers, which was later increased to 15 kilometers. Denel has demonstrated that the missile can reach up to 20 kilometers, with a ceiling of 8,000 meters and speeds of approximately Mach 2.5. The system was first fired from land in 2013, transitioning from its naval origins.
The 135 kg missile boasts a reaction time of 2.5 seconds, with half-second intervals between missile launches. It utilizes inertial navigation and mid-course guidance from the launch ship or land-based radar, switching to its dual-band thermal imaging seeker for a lock-on after launch capability. The missile maneuvers through tail-mounted control fins and thrust vectoring vanes in the motor nozzle.
The Umkhonto SAM uses a proximity fuse to detonate its 23-kilogram fragmentation warhead, which contains 4,800 titanium blocks. According to Maré, this gives the missile a 95-plus percent kill probability. Tests have shown that the warhead can penetrate 11 mm of steel plate, making it highly effective against both aerial and surface targets.
Operational Deployment
The vertically launched Umkhonto missile is currently installed on the SA Navy’s four Valour class frigates. It is also in service with the Finnish Navy aboard its Hamina fast attack craft and Hämeenmaa class minelayers, as well as the Algerian Navy’s Meko A200 class frigates. Plans are underway to integrate the upgraded Umkhonto into the South African Army’s Ground-Based Air Defence System.
In 2022, South Africa’s Denel Dynamics lost a lucrative Umkhonto surface-to-air missiles deal with Egypt to arm the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems range of warships which includes three Meko A200 frigate operated by the Egyptian Navy.
Unfortunately, Denel failed to secure any bank or insurance guarantees to back up it’s own part of the deal.
Businesses like this (even straightforward ones) usually involves a bank guaranteeing the sales in case Denel fails to deliver according to the contract.
