Sarab Active Protection System

<h2 id="design">Design</h2>
Syrian intelligence acquired 18 <a href="/facts/BGM-71_TOW/90uNdkCr">Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided</a> (TOW) missiles from the <a href="/facts/Free_Syrian_Army/eUYQEwra">Free Syrian Army</a>; these missiles were used by the CERS to develop a countermeasure.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a> The resulting soft-kill system incorporated powerful <a href="/facts/Infrared/44XdJNcc">infrared</a> (IR) <a href="/facts/Infrared_countermeasure/qlVHdSL3">jamming lights</a> which were 80% effective against ATGMs.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a> This has significantly reduced Syrian tank losses during the <a href="/facts/Syrian_civil_war/UD2gymjC">Syrian civil war</a>.
Sarab can effectively jam <a href="/facts/Semi-automatic_command_to_line_of_sight/mEVYsI0V">SACLOS</a> missiles such as the <a href="/facts/BGM-71_TOW/90uNdkCr">TOW</a> (also TOW 2), <a href="/facts/HOT_(missile)/SRCgNKA1">HOT</a>, <a href="/facts/MILAN/KfXa9hca">MILAN</a>, <a href="/facts/M47_Dragon/us41DFIo">Dragon</a>, <a href="/facts/9K115-2_Metis-M/VsDzyTff">9K115-2 Metis-M</a>, <a href="/facts/9M113_Konkurs/FX00GUKt">9M113 Konkurs</a> and <a href="/facts/9M14_Malyutka/BmKsGV3h">Malyutka</a> and laser guided weapons such as the <a href="/facts/M712_Copperhead/o2u6U4zq">Copperhead</a> and some variants of the <a href="/facts/AGM-65_Maverick/vvJwfPQJ">Maverick</a> and <a href="/facts/AGM-114_Hellfire/ywePd87y">Hellfire</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a>

<h2 id="versions">Versions</h2>
As of 2017, the Sarab (Mirage) system has three versions:

<ul><li>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.</li>
<li>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.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a></li>
<li>Sarab-3 was introduced in 2017. Unlike the prior variants, it provides full 360 degree protection by using more IR emitters.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a></li></ul>
<h2 id="operators">Operators</h2>
<ul><li> <a href="/facts/Syria/7pDXGzq8">Syria</a> – <a href="/facts/Syrian_Armed_Forces/a5lKFDt4">Syrian Armed Forces</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">Eshel, Tamir (1 March 2017). "Home Grown Syrian Soft Kill System Successfully Defeated TOW Missiles". Defense Update. <a href="http://defense-update.com/20170301_sarab-aps.html" target="_blank">http://defense-update.com/20170301_sarab-aps.html</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Murakhovsky, Viktor (1 March 2016). "Т90 в Сирии: "Экипаж танка был слабо подготовлен"". gazeta.ru. Retrieved 6 April 2023. <a href="http://www.gazeta.ru/army/2016/02/29/8101481.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.gazeta.ru/army/2016/02/29/8101481.shtml</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">Eshel, Tamir (1 March 2017). "Home Grown Syrian Soft Kill System Successfully Defeated TOW Missiles". Defense Update. <a href="http://defense-update.com/20170301_sarab-aps.html" target="_blank">http://defense-update.com/20170301_sarab-aps.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">Villasanta, Arthur Dominic (2 March 2017). "New Syrian Army Infrared Jammer Protects Tanks vs TOW and other ATGMs". Chinatopix. <a href="http://www.chinatopix.com/articles/112061/20170302/new-syrian-army-infrared-jammer-protects-tanks-vs-tow-atgms.htm" target="_blank">http://www.chinatopix.com/articles/112061/20170302/new-syrian-army-infrared-jammer-protects-tanks-vs-tow-atgms.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Eshel, Tamir (1 March 2017). "Home Grown Syrian Soft Kill System Successfully Defeated TOW Missiles". Defense Update. <a href="http://defense-update.com/20170301_sarab-aps.html" target="_blank">http://defense-update.com/20170301_sarab-aps.html</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">"In Syria, new anti-missile "birdhouses" were spotted on the T-72". Vestnik. 6 November 2016. <a href="https://vestnik-rm.ru/news/oborona-i-bezopasnost/v-sirii-na-t-72-zamecheny-novye-protivoraketnye-skvorechniki" target="_blank">https://vestnik-rm.ru/news/oborona-i-bezopasnost/v-sirii-na-t-72-zamecheny-novye-protivoraketnye-skvorechniki</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">Eshel, Tamir (1 March 2017). "Home Grown Syrian Soft Kill System Successfully Defeated TOW Missiles". Defense Update. <a href="http://defense-update.com/20170301_sarab-aps.html" target="_blank">http://defense-update.com/20170301_sarab-aps.html</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">"Sarab 1 ,2 &3 Active Protection System". within-syria.blogspot.ca. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20171201043655/http://within-syria.blogspot.ca/2017/02/sarab-1-2-aps.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20171201043655/http://within-syria.blogspot.ca/2017/02/sarab-1-2-aps.html</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2018/05/04/seven-years-war-documenting-syrian-rebel-use-anti-tank-guided-missiles/ <a href="https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2018/05/04/seven-years-war-documenting-syrian-rebel-use-anti-tank-guided-missiles/" target="_blank">https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2018/05/04/seven-years-war-documenting-syrian-rebel-use-anti-tank-guided-missiles/</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Sarab Active Protection System open-in-new

Sarab Active Protection System