What is special about the 'eyes' of the KU VASK-03 missile made in Vietnam?

The VASK-03 KU-band missile seeker is mounted on anti-ship missiles manufactured in Vietnam. It has the function of automatically searching and detecting targets at sea, selecting targets to follow and measure guidance parameters, and controlling the missile to hit the target.

In the field of high-tech weapons, the seeker is always considered the most complex part, determining the combat effectiveness and value of the missile. If the missile is considered a complete organism, the seeker is the "eyes" that help it detect, select and follow the target, regardless of the harsh combat environment.

VASK-03 KU-band missile seeker

PHOTO: DINH HUY

Recently, the Military Industry - Telecommunications Group ( Viettel ) announced the KU-band missile guidance product VASK-03 at the exhibition of national achievements 80 years "Journey of Independence - Freedom - Happiness" (Dong Anh commune, Hanoi).

This is a product completely mastered, researched, designed, manufactured and produced by Vietnam for cruise missiles, marking an important step forward for Vietnam's defense industry in mastering key technology.

According to published specifications, the homing head has the function of automatically searching and detecting targets at sea, selecting targets to follow and measure guidance parameters, and controlling the missile to hit the target.

KU VASK-03 has the largest mass of 24.5 kg, the highest height of 562 mm, diameter of 272 mm, uses KU frequency band, the ability to detect targets up to 20 km. In particular, KU VASK-03 can resist electronic warfare, has the ability to configure and change features by software.

According to Viettel's instructor, the VASK-03 KU-band missile seeker is considered the "eyes" of the anti-ship missile. In addition to basic features, the seeker helps the missile overcome the enemy's interference environment to find and destroy the target.

"Currently, Vietnam has mastered, researched, designed, and manufactured many lines of self-seeking heads, each line of self-seeking heads can be mounted on different types of missiles depending on combat requirements," said the officer.

According to Lieutenant Colonel, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Le Thi Hang, Director of Center C4, Viettel Aerospace Institute, the missile homing head was researched by 7 engineers. All of them had never stepped into the missile field, had no complete documents, no research infrastructure, no international support. Many members of the group could not even imagine the concept of "homing head".

However, with perseverance and a sense of responsibility to the army and the Fatherland, Lieutenant Colonel Le Thi Hang and her teammates were urged to persevere to the end. In 2020, the product was accepted by the Ministry of National Defense , marking the first success in the research and development of medium-range subsonic anti-ship missiles of our army.

Seeker mounted on Red River anti-ship missile

PHOTO: DINH HUY

This success has affirmed the ability of Vietnamese engineers to master high technology, marking a historical milestone when for the first time Vietnamese people were independent in researching, designing and successfully manufacturing "self-guided heads", a complex component that many developed countries have not yet been able to do.

The VASK-03 KU band missile seeker is currently mounted on the Red River anti-ship missile (VSM-01A, VSM stands for Vietnamese Cruise Missile).

This coastal defense missile has a diameter of 315 mm, a length of no more than 5 m, and a mass of less than 600 kg. The missile has a subsonic flight speed (nearly equal to the speed of sound), and a range of up to 80 km.

The missile is equipped with an advanced guidance system, has high anti-jamming ability, helping to increase accuracy. The missile's targets are mainly surface ships.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-mat-cua-ten-lua-ku-vask-03-do-viet-nam-san-xuat-co-gi-dac-biet-185250927175032711.htm