Crotale ( missile ) The Crotale EDIR ( " Ecartométrie Différentielle InfraRouge " , " InfraRed Differential Ecartometry " ) is an all - weather short - range anti - air missile , which can be used to intercept low - flight anti - ship missile s and aircraft . It has been developed by Thomson CSF Matra and exists in two versions , a mobile land - based version and a ship - launched one . Development . Originally the Crotale R440 system was developed by North American Rockwell and Thomson - Houston ( and Mistral ) in France for South Africa , where it got the name Cactus . However , the achievements of the system impressed the French Armed Forces , who purchased the system both for the air force and for the navy . The firing system includes the main sensors of the ship , the firing system of the turret , and a central coordination system . The turret holds eight missiles ready for launch in watertight containers . The magazine behind the turret holds 18 missiles . The French army first utilised a 4x4 wheeled , armed with four launchers . In order to ensure a higher mobility , it was decided to mount the system on the chassis of the French AMX - 30 main battle tank . At the same time , the number of launchers were increased to six . In Finnish Army service , the Crotale NG system has been mounted on Sisu Pasi vehicles . Here the numbers of launchers is eight . The Crotale system has also been installed on various military ships . For instance the French Navy " La Fayette " class frigates have a Crotale 8 - tubed launcher near the helicopter flight deck . Crotale NG . A modernized version , the Crotale NG ( New Generation ) , entered production in 1990 . This version used the new VT - 1 missile with Mach 3 . 5 speed , load factor to 35G , 11 km range , 13 kg warhead ( 8m kill - zone ) and 6 , 000 m ceiling . The system includes a S - band Pulse Doppler radar ( 20 km ) , Ku - band TWT tracking radar ( 30 km ) , Thermal camera ( 19 km ) , Daylight CCD camera ( 15 km ) , and an IR localiser . K - SAM Pegasus . In 1999 , the Republic of Korea Armed Forces awarded a contract to Samsung Thales to jointly develop a South Korean - augmented Crotale NG system for the K - SAM Pegasus short range air defense system . A new sensor system was jointly developed by Samsung and Thales to meet the required operational capability of the upcoming K - SAM Pegasus , as well as a new indigenous missile by LIG Nex1 . The electronics and radars were developed by Samsung Electronics . Doosan DST integrated this modified Crotale NG system with a K200 vehicle . 48 units were initially produced for a price - tag of 330 million Euros . A second batch of 66 units was ordered in 2003 , valued at 470 million Euros . Multi - Shield 100 . Thales revealed an updated Crotale NG system with Shikra radar at the Paris Air Show in 2007 . The system combines Crotale Mk3 VT - 1 missile and Shikra multi - beam search radar , with 150 km ( detection range ) . Thales has demonstrated that the system ' s VT - 1 missile has extended range to 15 km . Technology . The Crotale missile system consists of two components ; a vehicle for transport , equipped with 2 - 8 launchers , a tracking radar is located between the launchers . A second vehicle carries the surveillance radar . The radar surveillance vehicle can be connected to several launcher vehicles , in order to achieve an effective air - defence system . The Crotale NG has incorporated both the launcher and the surveillance radar in one vehicle . The missile is driven by solid - propellant fuel . It can reach its maximum speed of Mach 2 . 3 within only two seconds and then follows the radar beam , until its infrared fuze senses that it is near its target and explodes . The surveillance radar and fire direction radar has a range of 20 km and the TV - link works up to 15 km . The TV - guidance system uses both regular and infrared cameras . The system can follow 8 targets simultaneously , and the guidance radar can follow both hovering helicopters as well as fighters exceeding speeds over Mach 2 . The weapon system can also use surveillance data from other systems , data from optical surveillance and from the general aerial picture from the national air defence communications system . The Ya Zahra air defense system was introduced in 2012 . Operators . There are several countries that operate the Crotale or Crotale NG missile . Former operators :