Missile Shahine
Summary
| Category | Surface-to-Air Missiles |
| Sub-type | Radar-guided surface-to-air missile |
| Origin country | 🇫🇷 France |
| Manufacturer | Thomson-CSF / Matra |
| Status | In service |
| Year of service | 1990 |
| Number built | 6600 units |
| Est. avg unit price | $12 million |
Technical specifications
| Warhead | High Explosive |
| Warhead weight | 13 kg (29 lb) |
| Diameter | 156 mm (6.1 in) |
| Span | 590 mm (23.2 in) |
| Length | 3,150 mm (124.0 in) |
| Flight altitude | 6,100 m (20,013 ft) |
| Weight | 100 kg (220 lb) |
| Range | 12 km (7 mi) |
| Max. speed | 3,457 km/h (Mach 3.5) |
Shahine scale diagram
Operators
Description
The Shahine is a mobile surface-to-air missile system developed as a variant of the Crotale to provide air defense for armored units. It entered service in 1980.
The system is mounted on an AMX-30 armored chassis and features a six-missile firing unit. It utilizes the R.460 missile, which is propelled by a solid-fuel rocket motor. Guidance is provided via automatic command to line-of-sight, using radar and infrared search and track (IRST) to monitor the target and the missile simultaneously. The missile is equipped with a forward-directed blast warhead. Detonation is initiated by an infrared proximity fuse, which was updated to a radio frequency fuse in later models. The system is designed to intercept cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and low-flying fighter aircraft.
Saudi Arabia operates the system. Shahine units were utilized during the 1991 Gulf War, where they participated in the liberation of Kuwait City in February 1991.