Sarab Active Protection System
{{Infobox weapon
|name= Sarab Active Protection System
سراب
|image=
|image_size=
|caption=
|origin= Syria
|type= Active protection system
|used_by= {{SYR}}
| wars = Syrian Civil War
|designer= Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS)
|design_date= 2015–2017
| production_date = 2016–present
| service = 2016–present
|unit_cost=
|variants=Sarab-1
Sarab-2
Sarab-3
|weight= 1100kg
|guidance= Doppler radar
}}
The Sarab Active Protection System (Mirage) is an active protection system, developed by the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS) and designed to help the Syrian Army’s T-55, T-62, T-72 and T-72 Adra tanks counter line of sight anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs).{{cite news |last=Eshel |first=Tamir |date=1 March 2017 |url=http://defense-update.com/20170301_sarab-aps.html |title=Home Grown Syrian Soft Kill System Successfully Defeated TOW Missiles |work=Defense Update}}
Design
Syrian intelligence acquired 18 Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles from the Free Syrian Army; these missiles were used by the CERS to develop a countermeasure.{{cite web |url=http://www.gazeta.ru/army/2016/02/29/8101481.shtml |title=Т90 в Сирии: "Экипаж танка был слабо подготовлен" |last=Murakhovsky |first=Viktor |date=1 March 2016 |website=gazeta.ru |access-date=6 April 2023}} The resulting soft-kill system incorporated powerful infrared (IR) jamming lights which were 80% effective against ATGMs.{{cite news |last=Villasanta |first=Arthur Dominic |date=2 March 2017 |url=http://www.chinatopix.com/articles/112061/20170302/new-syrian-army-infrared-jammer-protects-tanks-vs-tow-atgms.htm |title=New Syrian Army Infrared Jammer Protects Tanks vs TOW and other ATGMs |work=Chinatopix}} This has significantly reduced Syrian tank losses during the Syrian civil war.
Sarab can effectively jam SACLOS missiles such as the TOW (also TOW 2), HOT, MILAN, Dragon, 9K115-2 Metis-M, 9M113 Konkurs and Malyutka and laser guided weapons such as the Copperhead and some variants of the Maverick and Hellfire.
Versions
{{As of|2017}}, the Sarab (Mirage) system has three versions:
- Sarab-1 was introduced in early 2016. Using multiple IR emitters mounted on a tank turret, it covers the 180° frontal arc of the tank and can operate for 6 hours.
- Sarab-2 entered service at the end of 2016. It includes a protective casing and uses less power, letting it operate continuously for up to 10 hours.{{Cite web |date=6 November 2016 |title=In Syria, new anti-missile "birdhouses" were spotted on the T-72 |url=https://vestnik-rm.ru/news/oborona-i-bezopasnost/v-sirii-na-t-72-zamecheny-novye-protivoraketnye-skvorechniki |website=Vestnik}}
- Sarab-3 was introduced in 2017. Unlike the prior variants, it provides full 360 degree protection by using more IR emitters.{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201043655/http://within-syria.blogspot.ca/2017/02/sarab-1-2-aps.html|title=Sarab 1 ,2 &3 Active Protection System|website=within-syria.blogspot.ca}}