he Brazilian football team – champion of world cup – is known as the samba team; with its

beautiful ball handling yet lethal. When it comes to artillery, Brazil has ASTROS as its main
weapon which is also lethal.

Rocket as an alternative for artillery weapon system has surfaced since World War II. In the
hands of the Red Army, the power of Katyusha rocket was able to saturate more area, faster than
the howitzer cannon; even though it had less accuracy. In modern warfare, doctrine is split into
two; between the US that uses modern yet expensive MLRS, or eastern doctrine that relies on old
fashioned yet cheap Grad.

This is where Brazil showed its ability to fill in the gap; just like a Samba dancer. Realizing that
there was a gap between the two rivals, Avibras manufacturer tried to offer an affordable artillery
rocket system such as Grad; with more accuracy and good crew protection like the MLRS. The
project which was started using personal fund under code name ASTROS II T-O Brucutu in
1981 was using truck chassis as a carrier vehicle for the rocket. Other than cost consideration, the
ability to go through heavy obstacles and to be carried using aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules
became the main consideration.

In the beginning, Mercedes-Benz L-2013 chassis was chosen. However because it only used 6×2
as its torque, its ability in heavy terrain was considered to be less effective. The solution came
from the chassis of commercial truck; Tectran VBT-2028, which was a local license from
Mercedes-Benz truck. Other than its 6×6 torque, the chassis which was manufactured by Tectran
S/A local factory which was another branch of Avibras. This ensured that ASTROS would have
its spare parts supply. Because it was built using military specs, it was obvious that few changes
had to be made. The cabin which was originally square was reshaped with pointed edge; inspired
by the 10 ton M-26 Pacific truck that belonged to the US Army. ASTROS II cabin was protected
using steel plate that could withhold an impact of a 7.62mm bullet.

ASTROS self defense system consists of 12,7mm heavy machine gun and smoke screen; enough
for ASTROS to escape from the battlefield. To stop the impact from the rocket launcher and
prevent the truck from moving, 4 hydraulic outriggers are ready to stabilize the vehicle during
launch. When it moves, the outriggers need to be pulled so it will not get in the way.

Rocket Away

Other than using reliable platform, ASTROS II has advantage in the rocket it carries. Avibras has
designed ASTROS rocket system modularly; make it easy to configure in the battlefield
according to requirements. Available rockets are placed into rocket containers which in turn will
be loaded into launching pod up on ASTROS II chassis; which makes it easier to store rockets
and safer from shaking. There are 4 rockets prepared by Avibras, all of the motor are powered by
double-base propellant. The smallest caliber is 127mm SS-30, which consists of 32 pods in every
launch container.

High Explosive (HE) rockets with 3.9m in length and 68 kg in weight can reach 30 km target.
The second rocket, SS-40, has maximum capacity of 16 rockets in a single rocket launcher. The
rocket shell has 4 fins with 4.2 m in length and 152 kg in weight. From the core, the SS-40 has
enough flexibility.

High Explosive can be made available along with anti-material Dual Purpose cluster/bomblet
and personnel. Specifically for bomblet ammunition, the dimension is 39×13 cm with mechanic
impact core. Each bomblet is equipped with parachute-ribbon that is used to withhold and
stabilize the direction where it is dropped. The third category is SS-60, which is a result from
development of SS-40. It has larger figure with 5.6m in length and 595kg in weight; as a result
the SS-60 can carry up to 65 bomblets. Its range, which is between 20 to 60 km, is able to reach
maximum distance of 60 km in 117 seconds. Therefore it can be placed out of the sight of 105-
120mm artillery cannon.

The last rocket, SS-80, was born in 1995, with figure that did not have many differences with
SS-60. Its range can reach 90 km because of its new propellant. Besides, the SS-80 can be loaded
with deadly chemical weapon, although it has never been used in an actual combat.

The Battery

Basically, Avibras designed the ASTROS II as a complete system. Other than its launching
vehicle which was designed using the AV-LMU (Universal Multiple Launcher), there are some
other supporting vehicles just like rocket ammunition carrier or re-supplier AV-RMD with
double payload capacity for every AV-LMU. For Command & Control (C&C) there are some
command post variants AV-VCC equipped with communication device to coordinate up to three
ASTROS II units.

The package is getting more and more complete if the firing control unit AV-UCF is also placed
alongside. Equipped with radar and firing computer, AV-UCF plays the part as FDC (Fire
Direction Center) for AV-LMU unit. The presence of AV-UCF can increase the direct hit
percentage significantly and decrease the assault duration. In urgent situation, another AV-LMU
unit can be made available; with the consequence that the artillery must provide another forward
observer unit to correct the rocket. According to Avibras, the ideal battery team for ASTROS II
is 6 units of AV-LMU supported with 6 units of AV-RMD and one AV-UCF. One AV-VCC can
be placed in battalion level, with the support of 2 recovery/repair units to fix the damage. Each
battery can launch up to 200 km2 of rocket range; including all ammunitions launched.
A Brazilian Avibras ASTROS-II SS-30 rocket is launched from an ASTROS SS-30 multiple rocket system mounted on the back of a Tectran 6×6
AV-LMU truck. The display is part of a demonstration of Saudi Arabian equipment taking place during Operation Desert Shield.

Battle Proven

There is no more sweet success for a manufacturer unless its merchandise is sold and used in
many combats. For Avibras, these two targets have been achieved. ASTROS II has been sold in
many parts of the world, and used in many battlefields. The Gulf War in 1991 became the
witness of how Iraq and Saudi Arabia exchanged fires using their ASTROSs; with Iraq using
local variant of the SS-60 called Sajeel-60. Because of its fame, the US used the images of a
destroyed ASTROS II hit by the F-15E Strike Eagle in their propaganda pamphlet requesting
Iraqi troops to surrender without any condition or resistance.

Although they suffered bankruptcy during the 1990s, Avibras business has been growing ever
since. Not just developing new ammunition such as the runway denial, Avibras also developed
AVT-300 missile; economic cruise missile that could be launched from ASTROS II. It was
surely great news for third world countries with tight defense budget. The more exciting news is
that Avibras is ready to release ASTROS III system with bigger dimension and ammunition
capacity. Let’s just wait and see.

Avibras ASTROS II Spec

Official Name : Area SaTuration Rocket System (ASTROS) II

Model : 6×6 Tectran truck S/A VBT-2028/ 6×2 Mercedes Benz L-2013 (prototype)
Engine : Mercedes Benz OM422 diesel with 280hp
Maximum Speed : 90 km/h
Operational Range : 480 km
Crews : 3
Weapons : 1×12, 7mm M2HB; 8x76mm Smoke Discharger
Users : Iraq (66 units), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Malaysia (36 units)

Weaponry

- Rocket SS-30; Caliber 127mm; Range 9-30 km; Launching Capacity 32