The Shtora-1 armoured fighting vehicle defence system has been developed by the Zenit Research and Production Corporation to increase the battlefield survivability of vehicles against attack from Anti-Tank Guided Weapons (ATGWs) with a Semi-Automatic Command to Line Of Sight (SACLOS) guidance system as well as missiles and artillery projectiles that use laser illumination.

The Shtora-1 armoured fighting vehicle defence system can be installed on vehicles as they are built or retrofitted. The first known application of the system is the T-90 MBT which entered service with the then Russian Army in 1993.

During a defence equipment exhibition held in the Middle East in 1995 the system was shown fitted to a Russian T-80U and a Ukranian T-84 MBT.

The complete Shtora-1 system comprises four key components:

(1) electro-optical interference station comprising jammer, modulator and control panel with a total

weight of 80 kg. Typically an MBT would have two of these with one jammer being mounted either side of the main armament pointing forwards

(2) bank of grenade dischargers mounted either side of the turret firing forwards capable of firing grenades dispensing an aerosol screen, weight 115 kg

(3) laser warning system with precision and coarse heads weighing 20 kg each

(4) control system with a total weight of 15 kg comprising control panel, microprocessor and manual screen laying panel; this processes the information from the sensors and activates the aerosol screen laying system.

The laser warning system detects the threat laser system and automatically orientates the turret in the direction of the threat. It then triggers the grenade launchers creating an offboard aerosol screen. The composition of this cloud is claimed to screen the tank against laser range-finders and designators and is also claimed to be sufficiently hot to seduce infra-red homing weapons away from the MBT.

The jammer, which is designated the TShU1-7, introduces a spurious signal into the guidance circuitry of the incoming ATGW through the use of coded pulsed infra-red jamming signals continuously generated. It is claimed to be effective against Western ATGWs such as the TOW, HOT, MILAN and Dragon as well as Eastern ATGWs such as the AT-3 'Sagger'.

The TShU1-7 has a specified life of 1,000 hours, a Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) of 250 hours and a radiation source life of 50 hours. It operates from a 27 V DC power supply with the infra-red jamming source consuming 1 kW of power.

In addition to being used to jam incoming ATGWs, the manufacturer claims that the TShU1-7 system has a target illuminating capability, including for night vision devices.

Shtora-1 has three methods of operation:

(1) fully automatic

(2) semi-automatic, target designation

(3) manual and emergency mode.

According to the manufacturer, the installation of the Shtora-1 system on an MBT reduces the target hit probability by the following factors:

(1) TOW and Dragon ATGWs, Maverick, Hellfire and Copperhead laser seeker systems by 4 to 5 times

(2) MILAN and HOT ATGWs by about 3 times

(3) artillery and tank projectiles fired from systems with laser range-finders by about three times.