The long arm of the Russian Aerospace Forces is long-range aviation cruise missiles. Cruise missiles Modern cruise missiles

The cruise missiles of Russia and the United States, which are compared below, occupy the most important place in the arsenal of both armies and are actively used in modern military campaigns. Great attention is paid to the development of this type of weapon, both in the Russian Federation and on the American continent. And, of course, there is a certain struggle for leadership.

A brief excursion into history

The first samples of cruise missiles were called flying bombs, which, in fact, is true, since the device has a one-time use and unmanned control. The history of the development of cruise missiles goes back to the "zero" of the 20th century. But before the First World War, mankind did not manage to create anything worthwhile in this regard. The level of technical development did not allow. But by the end of World War II, there was already something to talk about.

Anticipating its doom, fascism furiously tried to fight back and applied new apparatus"V-1", developed by German scientists. The rocket was equipped with an air-jet engine and was capable of flying at a distance of 250 to 400 km.

After the war, the development of the “defeated Teutons” fell into the hands of the Allies and spurred the development of the industry. The first cruise missiles Soviet army acquired in the 60s. These were such models as "Granite", "Onyx", "Mosquito", "Malachite".

The United States, meanwhile, has developed the SM-62 Snark, capable of overcoming intercontinental distances. And in the seventies, the Americans began to create a rocket that could take off from a submarine and outwardly resembled the German V-1. The device was named "Tomahawk" and outwardly very much like the German "V-1". The first launch took place in the 80th.

The Soviet X-90 became a worthy competitor to the Tomahawk. Modifications of these two cruise missiles continue to be improved and are used for their intended purpose by both sides.

Basic arsenal

To date, in the arsenal of Russian army such devices as X-20, X-22, X-55, X-101, X-102; KS-1, KS-2, KS-5; various modifications of "Termites", "Basalts", "Granites", "Yakhonts", "Onyxes", "Amethysts", "Mosquitoes", as well as the notorious "Caliber" and others.

In addition to the Tomahawk, the Americans have the AGM-158B, Matador MGM-1, Harpoon, Greyhound AGM-28, Fast Hawk, etc.

Characteristic parameters

Here are some parameters of representatives of American missiles.

1. AGM-129. Weight - 1334 kg, warhead- 123 kg, nuclear warhead - 150 kg, speed - 800 km / h, range - from 5 to 10 thousand km, accuracy - 30-90 m, based - Air Force.

2.AGM-86. Weight - 1450-1950 kg, warhead - 540-1450 kg, nuclear warhead - 200 kg, speed - 775-1000 km / h, range - 2400-2800 km, accuracy - 3-80 m, based - Air Force;

3. JASSM-ER. Weight - 1020 kg, warhead - 450 kg, no nuclear warhead, speed - 775-1000 km / h; range - 350-980 km, accuracy - 3, basing - Air Force;

4. BGM-109 Tomahawk. Weight - 1500 kg, warhead - 450 kg, nuclear warhead - 150 kg, speed - 880 km / h, range - 2500 km, accuracy - 5-80 m, basing type - any.

And these are the characteristics of Russian "flying bombs":

1. Caliber. Weight - 1450-1770 kg, warhead - 450 kg, no nuclear warhead, speed - 2900 km / h, range - 2650 km, accuracy - 1-2 m, basing type - any;

2.X-555. Weight - 1280-1500 kg, warhead - 410 kg, no nuclear warhead, speed - 720-936 km / h, range - 2000-5000 km, accuracy - 6-35 m, basing type - Air Force.

3. X-55SM. Weight - 1465 kg, warhead - 410 kg, nuclear warhead - 200 kg, speed - 720-830 km / h, range - 2000-3500 km, accuracy - 20 m, basing type - Air Force.

4.X-101/102. Weight - 2400 kg, warhead - 400 kg, nuclear warhead - 200 kg, speed - 720-970 km / h, range - 5000-10000 km, accuracy - 2-10 m, basing type - Air Force.

The fourth generation Tomahawks are widely represented in the arsenal of the American Navy today. The Russians are now actively testing a novelty - the Caliber cruise missile. She is participating in the fighting in Syria.

The device is capable of flying both at subsonic speeds and exceeding the speed of sound by 3 times, which, in particular, the Tomahawk cannot boast of. In addition, "Caliber" is not afraid of any defense - neither air defense nor missile defense. The hit accuracy does not depend on the distance, and in order to destroy a huge aircraft carrier, it is enough to launch only three missiles of this model. According to many experts, this high-tech device is in many ways superior to the Tomahawk.

Readers are presented fastest rockets in the world throughout the history of creation.

Speed ​​3.8 km/s

The fastest medium-range ballistic missile with a maximum speed of 3.8 km per second opens the ranking of the most fast rockets in the world. The R-12U was a modified version of the R-12. The rocket differed from the prototype in the absence of an intermediate bottom in the oxidizer tank and some minor design changes - there are no wind loads in the mine, which made it possible to lighten the tanks and dry compartments of the rocket and abandon the stabilizers. Since 1976, the R-12 and R-12U missiles began to be withdrawn from service and replaced by Pioneer mobile ground systems. They were decommissioned in June 1989, and between May 21, 1990, 149 missiles were destroyed at the Lesnaya base in Belarus.

Speed ​​5.8 km/s

One of the fastest American launch vehicles with a maximum speed of 5.8 km per second. It is the first developed intercontinental ballistic missile adopted by the United States. Developed under the MX-1593 program since 1951. It formed the basis of the US Air Force nuclear arsenal in 1959-1964, but then was quickly withdrawn from service in connection with the advent of the more advanced Minuteman missile. It served as the basis for the creation of the Atlas family of space launch vehicles, which has been in operation since 1959 to the present day.

Speed ​​6 km/s

UGM-133 A Trident II- American three-stage ballistic missile, one of the fastest in the world. Her maximum speed is 6 km per second. Trident-2 has been developed since 1977 in parallel with the lighter Trident-1. Adopted in 1990. Starting weight - 59 tons. Max. throw weight - 2.8 tons with a launch range of 7800 km. The maximum flight range with a reduced number of warheads is 11,300 km.

Speed ​​6 km/s

One of the fastest solid-propellant ballistic missiles in the world, which is in service with Russia. It has a minimum radius of destruction of 8000 km, an approximate speed of 6 km / s. The development of the rocket has been carried out since 1998 by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, which developed in 1989-1997. ground-based missile "Topol-M". To date, 24 test launches of the Bulava have been carried out, fifteen of them were recognized as successful (during the first launch, a mass-size model of the rocket was launched), two (the seventh and eighth) were partially successful. The last test launch of the rocket took place on September 27, 2016.

Speed ​​6.7 km/s

Minuteman LGM-30 G- one of the fastest land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles in the world. Its speed is 6.7 km per second. The LGM-30G Minuteman III has an estimated range of 6,000 kilometers to 10,000 kilometers, depending on the type of warhead. The Minuteman 3 has been in service with the US since 1970. It is the only silo-based missile in the United States. The first rocket launch took place in February 1961, modifications II and III were launched in 1964 and 1968, respectively. The rocket weighs about 34,473 kilograms and is equipped with three solid propellant engines. It is planned that the missile will be in service until 2020.

Speed ​​7 km/s

The fastest anti-missile in the world, designed to destroy highly maneuverable targets and high-altitude hypersonic missiles. Tests of the 53T6 series of the Amur complex began in 1989. Its speed is 5 km per second. The rocket is a 12-meter pointed cone with no protruding parts. Its body is made of high-strength steels using composite windings. The design of the rocket allows it to withstand large overloads. The interceptor starts at 100x acceleration and is capable of intercepting targets flying at speeds up to 7 km per second.

Speed ​​7.3 km/s

The most powerful and fastest nuclear rocket in the world at a speed of 7.3 km per second. It is intended, first of all, to destroy the most fortified command posts, ballistic missile silos and air bases. The nuclear explosive of one missile can destroy Big city, a very large part of the US. Hit accuracy is about 200-250 meters. The missile is housed in the world's most durable mines. The SS-18 carries 16 platforms, one of which is loaded with decoys. Entering a high orbit, all the heads of the "Satan" go "in a cloud" of decoys and are practically not identified by radars.

Speed ​​7.9 km/s

An intercontinental ballistic missile (DF-5A) with a maximum speed of 7.9 km per second opens the top three fastest in the world. The Chinese DF-5 ICBM entered service in 1981. It can carry a huge 5 mt warhead and has a range of over 12,000 km. The DF-5 has a deviation of approximately 1 km, which means that the missile has one goal - to destroy cities. The size of the warhead, the deflection, and the fact that it only takes an hour to fully prepare for launch all mean that the DF-5 is a punitive weapon designed to punish any would-be attackers. The 5A version has increased range, improved 300m deflection, and the ability to carry multiple warheads.

R-7 Speed ​​7.9 km/s

R-7- Soviet, the first intercontinental ballistic missile, one of the fastest in the world. Its top speed is 7.9 km per second. The development and production of the first copies of the rocket was carried out in 1956-1957 by the OKB-1 enterprise near Moscow. After successful launches, it was used in 1957 to launch the world's first artificial earth satellites. Since then, launch vehicles of the R-7 family have been actively used to launch spacecraft for various purposes, and since 1961 these launch vehicles have been widely used in manned astronautics. Based on the R-7, a whole family of launch vehicles was created. From 1957 to 2000, more than 1,800 launch vehicles based on the R-7 were launched, of which more than 97% were successful.

Speed ​​7.9 km/s

RT-2PM2 "Topol-M" (15Zh65)- the fastest intercontinental ballistic missile in the world with a maximum speed of 7.9 km per second. The maximum range is 11,000 km. Carries one thermonuclear warhead with a capacity of 550 kt. In the mine-based variant, it was put into service in 2000. The launch method is mortar. The rocket's solid propellant main engine allows it to pick up speed much faster than previous types of rockets of a similar class, created in Russia and the Soviet Union. This greatly complicates its interception by missile defense systems in the active phase of the flight.

CRUISE ROCKET (CR), an atmospheric unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with wings, an engine (jet or rocket), and a targeting system; designed for high-precision destruction of land and sea targets. KR can be placed both on stationary and mobile launchers (land, air and sea-based). Main distinctive features KR: high aerodynamic characteristics; maneuverability; the ability to set an arbitrary course and movement at low altitude along the bends in the terrain, which makes it difficult to detect them by enemy air defense systems; high-precision target destruction [circular probable deviation (CEP) of modern CR does not exceed 10 m]; the ability, if necessary, to correct the programmed flight trajectory using the on-board computer and automatic control system (BSAU). Depending on the relative position of the bearing and control surfaces, the CR can have an aircraft or rocket aerodynamic configuration. Therefore, in a broad sense, almost all types of guided missiles (aircraft, anti-aircraft, anti-ship and anti-tank) are referred to as missiles. In a narrow sense, CR is understood as missiles made according to an aircraft scheme (Fig. 1). KR are subdivided: according to the firing range and the nature of the tasks being solved - into tactical (up to 150 km), operational-tactical (150-1500 km) and strategic (over 1500 km); by flight speed - into sonic and supersonic; by type of basing - ground, air, sea (surface and underwater); by type of warhead (warhead) - nuclear and conventional (high-explosive, cluster, etc.); on combat mission- classes "air - surface" (Fig. 2) and "surface - surface".

The CR consists of a body (fuselage) with bearing and control surfaces (wing, rudders, stabilizers, etc.), an engine, installation, onboard control equipment and warheads. The CR has a welded metal or composite housing, most of the internal volume of which is a fuel tank. Prior to the launch of the rocket, the wings are in the folded state and open after the ejection launcher is triggered. The propulsion system of the land- and sea-based cruise missile consists of a launch booster and a propulsion engine. As the latter, both a rocket (liquid or solid propellant) and an air-jet engine can be used. The launch booster is, as a rule, a solid-propellant jet engine (there is no air-based missile launcher). The engine has an automatic electronic-hydraulic control system that provides a change in its modes and thrust adjustment during the rocket flight. The basic composition of the equipment of a modern CR includes: an inertial navigation system; altimeters; route correction systems (including with the help of the global satellite navigation system); homing head; automatic self-destruction system; a system for exchanging information between salvo missiles; on-board computer; in addition to the autopilot function, the BSAU also has the ability to perform missile maneuvers to counter interception. A typical RC scheme is shown in Figure 3.

The prospects of this weapon drew the attention of S. P. Korolev, who developed in 1932-38 a series of experimental KR (217 / I, 217 / II, etc.); ground and flight tests were carried out, which confirmed the design characteristics, but the autopilot was unable to provide proper flight stabilization. The first KR (they were called unmanned projectiles) V-1 were developed and used by Germany at the end of World War II (a prototype was tested in December 1942, the first combat use- in June 1944). In the USSR, since 1943, the KR 10X was tested on Pe-8 bombers, and then Tu-2, but it did not receive combat use in the war. In the 1950s and 1960s, the USSR (the term "KR" was introduced in the USSR in 1959) and the United States created a number of KRs. Among them: in the USSR - KS-1 "Kometa" (the first guided missile in the USSR; launched in 1952), P-15, Kh-20, KSR-11, Kh-66, etc.; in the USA - "Matador", "Regulus-1", "Hound-Dog" and others. KR of this generation were not widely used, as they were heavy and bulky (starting weight 5.5-27 tons, length 10-20 m , body diameter 1.3-1.5 m), in addition, there was no efficient system guidance. The first KR with an underwater launch was the Soviet homing KR "Amethyst" (1968). The revival of interest in CR in the 1970s and the creation of a new generation of CR is due to technical advances that have made it possible to significantly increase the guidance accuracy, reduce dimensions and place them on mobile launch platforms. One of the most massive foreign CDs is the Tomahawk (USA). This missile began to enter service in 1981 in several versions: strategic ground (BGM-109 G) and sea (BGM-109 A) based with a nuclear warhead (there is a similar aviation KR AGM-86 B); operational-tactical sea-based BGM-109 C and BGM-109 D, respectively, with semi-armor-piercing and cluster warheads; tactical sea-based BGM-109 V with a high-explosive warhead. Modern domestic strategic missile launchers include the X-55 (air-based) and Granit (sea-based).

The main flight performance of some KR Russian Federation and the US are presented in the table.

When developing a new generation of CR, much attention is paid to the creation of CR management systems long range, providing a CVO of 3-10 m with a mass of equipment up to 100 kg. Reducing the visibility of the RR is provided by the choice of low-reflective geometric shapes, the use of radar-absorbing materials and coatings, special devices for reducing the effective scattering surface, antenna devices and air intakes. Of the conventional warheads that are used on high-precision missiles to hit various targets, multifactorial warheads (high-explosive-cumulative with a penetrating effect) with a mass of 250-350 kg are widely used. The latest achievements in the field of microelectronics, propulsion systems, high-performance fuels and structural materials ensure the development of supersonic high-precision, low-profile missiles with a range of up to 3,500 km and a mass of no more than 1,500 kg.

Lit .: The creative heritage of Academician S.P. Korolev. Selected Works and Documents / Edited by M. V. Keldysh. M., 1980; Prospects and ways to improve weapons systems with sea-based cruise missiles. SPb., 1999; Salunin V., Burenok V. High-precision long-range weapons: military and technical aspects of creation // Military Parade. 2003. No. 1.

For two recent decades all relatively large-scale military conflicts involving the United States and NATO countries included the massive use of sea- and air-based cruise missiles (CR) as an obligatory element.

The US leadership is actively promoting and constantly improving the concept of "contactless" warfare using long-range precision weapons (WTO). This idea assumes, firstly, the absence (or reduction to a minimum) of human losses on the part of the attacker and, secondly, the effective solution of the most important task characteristic of initial stage any armed conflict, gaining unconditional air supremacy and suppressing the enemy's air defense system.

The application of "non-contact" strikes suppresses the morale of the defenders, creates a feeling of helplessness and inability to fight the aggressor, and has a depressing effect on the highest governing bodies of the defending side and subordinate troops.

In addition to "operational-tactical" results, the feasibility of which the Americans have repeatedly demonstrated in the course of anti-Iraq campaigns, attacks on Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, and others, the accumulation of CD also pursues a "strategic" goal. The press is increasingly discussing the scenario, according to which the most important components of the Strategic Nuclear Forces (SNF) of the Russian Federation are supposed to be simultaneously destroyed by conventional warheads of the Kyrgyz Republic, mainly sea-based, during the first "disarming strike". After delivering such a strike, command posts, mine and mobile launchers Strategic Missile Forces, air defense facilities, airfields, submarines in bases, control and communication systems, etc.

Achieving the desired effect, according to the American military leadership, can be achieved through:
— reduction combat strength strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation in accordance with bilateral agreements;
- an increase in the number of WTO weapons used in the first strike (primarily CR);
— creation of effective missile defense Europe and the United States, capable of "finishing off" the Russian strategic nuclear forces that were not destroyed during a disarming strike.

For any unbiased researcher, it is obvious that the US government (regardless of the name and color of the president) is persistently and persistently seeking a situation where Russia will be cornered, like Libya and Syria, and its leadership will have to make the last choice: to agree to full and unconditional surrender in terms of making the most important foreign policy decisions, or still try out another version of “decisive force” or “indestructible freedom”.

In the described situation, Russia needs no less energetic and, most importantly, effective measures that can, if not prevent, then at least postpone “D-day” (perhaps the situation will change, the severity of the threat can be reduced, new arguments will appear against the implementation of the “power option” ", the Martians will land, the American "tops" will become more sane - in descending order of probability).

Having huge resources and stocks of constantly improved models of the WTO, the US military and political leadership rightly believes that repelling a massive strike by the Kyrgyz Republic is an extremely expensive and difficult task, which today is beyond the capacity of any of the potential opponents of the United States.

Today, the capabilities of the Russian Federation to repel such an attack are clearly insufficient. The high cost of modern air defense systems, whether anti-aircraft missile systems(ZRS) or manned aviation complexes(PAK) interception does not allow deploying them in the required number, taking into account the vast length of the borders of the Russian Federation and the uncertainty with the directions from which strikes using the CR can be launched.

Meanwhile, having undoubted advantages, CRs are not without significant drawbacks:

- firstly, on modern models of "lionfish" there are no means of detecting the fact of an attack by a fighter missile;

- Secondly, on relatively long sections of the route, cruise missiles fly at a constant course, speed and height, which facilitates the interception;

- third, as a rule, missiles fly to the target in a compact group, which makes it easier for the attacker to plan a strike and theoretically helps to increase the survivability of missiles; however, the latter is carried out only if the target channels of air defense systems are saturated, otherwise the indicated tactics play a negative role, facilitating the organization of interception;

- fourthly, the flight speed of modern cruise missiles is still subsonic, of the order of 800 ... 900 km / h, therefore, there is usually a significant time resource (tens of minutes) to intercept the CD

The analysis carried out shows that to combat cruise missiles, a system capable of:
- to intercept a large number of small-sized subsonic non-maneuvering air targets at an extremely low altitude in a limited area in a limited time;
- cover with one element of this subsystem a section (line) with a width much greater than that of existing air defense systems at low altitudes (approximately 500 ... 1000 km);
- have a high probability of performing a combat mission in any weather conditions day and night;
- provide a significantly higher value of the complex criterion "efficiency / cost" in the interception of CR in comparison with the classical air defense systems and interception PAK.

This system must be interfaced with other air defense / missile defense systems and means in terms of control, reconnaissance of an air enemy, communications, etc.

Experience in combating the Kyrgyz Republic in military conflicts

The scale of the use of CR in armed conflicts is characterized by the following indicators. During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, US Navy surface ships and submarines deployed in positions in the Mediterranean and Red Seas, as well as in the Persian Gulf, carried out 297 launches of Tomahawk-type SLCMs.

In 1998, during Operation Desert Fox, a contingent of the US armed forces used more than 370 sea- and air-based cruise missiles in Iraq.

In 1999, during the NATO aggression against Yugoslavia as part of Operation Decisive Force, cruise missiles were used in three massive air and missile strikes during the first two days of the conflict. Then the US and its allies moved on to systematic combat operations, during which cruise missiles were also used. In total, during the period of active operations, more than 700 launches of sea and air-based missiles were carried out.

In the process of systematic military operations in Afghanistan, the US armed forces used more than 600 cruise missiles, and during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, at least 800 KR.

In the open press, as a rule, the results of the use of cruise missiles are embellished, creating the impression of the "inevitability" of strikes and their highest accuracy. Thus, a video clip was repeatedly shown on television, in which a case of a direct hit of a cruise missile in the window of a target building, etc. was shown. However, no information was given about the conditions under which this experiment was carried out, nor about the date and place of its conduct.

However, there are other estimates in which cruise missiles are characterized by noticeably less impressive efficiency. We are talking, in particular, about the report of the commission of the US Congress and about the materials published by an officer of the Iraqi army, in which the share of American cruise missiles hit in 1991 by means of Iraqi air defense is estimated at approximately 50%. Somewhat smaller, but also significant, are the losses of cruise missiles from Yugoslav air defense systems in 1999.

In both cases, cruise missiles were shot down mainly by portable air defense systems of the Strela and Igla types. The most important condition for the interception was the concentration of MANPADS crews on missile-hazardous directions and timely warning of the approach of cruise missiles. Attempts to use "more serious" air defense systems to combat cruise missiles were hampered, since the inclusion of a target detection radar from the air defense system almost immediately caused strikes against them using anti-radar aviation assets defeat.

Under these conditions, the Iraqi army, for example, returned to the practice of organizing air surveillance posts that detected cruise missiles visually and reported their appearance by telephone. During the fighting in Yugoslavia, highly mobile Osa-AK air defense systems were used to counter cruise missiles, which turned on the radar for a short time with an immediate change of position after that.

So, one of the most important tasks is to exclude the possibility of "total" blinding of the air defense / missile defense system with the loss of the ability to adequately illuminate the air situation.

The second task is the rapid concentration of active means on the directions of strikes. Modern air defense systems are not quite suitable for solving these problems.

Americans are also afraid of cruise missiles

Long before September 11, 2001, when kamikaze planes with passengers on board hit United States facilities, American analysts identified another hypothetical threat to the country, which, in their opinion, could be created by "rogue states" and even individual terrorist groups.

Imagine the following scenario. Two hundred or three hundred kilometers from the coast of the state, where the "happy nation" lives, a nondescript cargo ship with containers on the upper deck appears. In the early morning, in order to use the haze, which makes it difficult to visually detect air targets, cruise missiles, of course, Soviet-made or their copies, “bungled” by craftsmen from an unnamed country, are suddenly launched from several containers on board this vessel. Further, the containers are thrown overboard and flooded, and the missile carrier pretends to be an "innocent merchant" who happened to be here by accident.

Cruise missiles fly low, their launch is not easy to detect. And their combat units are stuffed not with ordinary explosives, not with toy bear cubs with calls for democracy in their paws, but, of course, with the most powerful toxic substances or, at worst, with anthrax spores. Ten to fifteen minutes later, rockets appear over an unsuspecting coastal town... Needless to say, the picture is drawn by the hand of a master who has seen enough of American horror films.

But in order to convince the US Congress to fork out, a "direct and clear threat" is needed. The main problem: to intercept such missiles, there is practically no time left to alert active interceptors - missiles or manned fighters, because a ground-based radar will be able to "see" a cruise missile rushing at a ten-meter height at a distance not exceeding several tens of kilometers.

In 1998, the United States was the first to receive money from the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) program to develop a defense against the nightmare of cruise missiles arriving "from nowhere". In October 2005, R&D and feasibility testing work was completed and Raytheon got the go-ahead to prototype the JLENS system. Now we are no longer talking about some unfortunate tens of millions of dollars, but about a solid amount - 1.4 billion dollars.

In 2009, elements of the system were demonstrated: a 71M helium balloon with a ground station for lifting / lowering and maintenance, and Science Applications International Corp. from St. Petersburg received an order for the design and manufacture of an antenna for a radar, which is the payload of a balloon.

A year later, a seventy-meter balloon for the first time took to the skies with a radar on board, and in 2011 the system was checked almost by full program: first they simulated electronic targets, then they launched a low-flying aircraft, after which the turn of a drone with a very small EPR came.

Actually, there are two antennas under the balloon: one for detecting small targets at a relatively long range, and the other for accurate target designation at a shorter range. Power is supplied to the antennas from the ground, the reflected signal is “lowered” through an optical fiber cable. The performance of the system was tested up to an altitude of 4500 m. ground station there is a winch that provides lifting the balloon to the desired height, a power source, as well as a control cabin with jobs for the dispatcher, meteorologist and balloon control operator.

It is reported that the equipment of the JLENS system is interfaced with the Aegis ship air defense system, Patriot ground air defense systems, as well as with SLAMRAAM systems (a new self-defense air defense system in which converted AIM-120 missiles are used as active means, previously positioned as air-to-air missiles). air").

However, in the spring of 2012, the JLENS program began to experience difficulties: the Pentagon, as part of the planned budget cuts, announced that it was refusing to deploy the first batch of 12 serial stations with 71M balloons, leaving only two already manufactured stations for fine-tuning the radar, eliminating identified shortcomings in hardware and software .

On April 30, 2012, during practical launches of missiles at a training and test site in Utah, using target designation from the JLENS system, an unmanned aircraft was shot down using electronic warfare equipment. A Raytheon representative noted: “The point is not only that the UAV was intercepted, but also that it was possible to fulfill all the requirements of the terms of reference to ensure reliable interaction between the JLENS system and the Patriot air defense system. The firm is hoping for renewed military interest in the JLENS system, as it was previously planned that the Pentagon would purchase hundreds of kits between 2012 and 2022.

It can be considered symptomatic that even the richest country in the world, apparently, still considers unacceptable the price that would have to be paid for the construction of a "great American missile wall" based on the use of traditional means of intercepting the Kyrgyz Republic, even if in cooperation with the latest systems for detecting low-flying air targets.

Proposals on the shape and organization of countering cruise missiles with the help of unmanned fighters

The analysis carried out shows that it is expedient to build a system for combating cruise missiles on the basis of the use of relatively mobile units armed with guided missiles with thermal seekers, which should be focused in a timely manner on the threatened direction. Such units should not include stationary or low-mobility ground radars, which immediately become the targets of enemy strikes using anti-radar missiles.

Ground-based air defense systems with surface-to-air missiles with thermal seekers are characterized by a small heading parameter of a few kilometers. Dozens of systems will be required to reliably cover a 500 km long line.

A significant part of the forces and means of ground defense in the event of the flight of enemy cruise missiles along one or two routes will be "out of work." There will be problems with the placement of positions, the organization of timely warning and target distribution, the possibility of "saturating" the fire capabilities of air defense systems in a limited area. In addition, the mobility of such a system is quite difficult to provide.

An alternative could be the use of relatively small unmanned interceptor fighters armed with short-range guided missiles with thermal seekers.

A unit of such aircraft can be based at one aerodrome (aerodrome takeoff and landing) or at several points (non-aerodrome start, aerodrome landing).

The main advantage of aviation unmanned means of intercepting cruise missiles is the ability to quickly concentrate efforts in a limited flight corridor of enemy missiles. The expediency of using BIKR against cruise missiles is also due to the fact that the "intelligence" of such a fighter, currently implemented on the basis of existing information sensors and computers, is sufficient to hit targets that do not actively counteract (with the exception of the counter detonation system for nuclear-powered cruise missiles). warhead).

A small-sized unmanned cruise missile fighter (BIKR) must carry an airborne radar with a detection range of an air target of the "cruise missile" class against the background of the earth of about 100 km (Irbis class), several air-to-air missiles (R-60, R-73 class or MANPADS "Igla"), and also, possibly, an aircraft gun.

The relatively small mass and dimensions of the BIKR should help reduce the cost of vehicles compared to manned fighter-interceptors, as well as reduce the total fuel consumption, which is important given the need for mass use of the BIKR (the maximum required engine thrust can be estimated at 2.5 ... 3 tf, t .e. approximately like the serial AI-222-25). For effective fight with cruise missiles, the maximum flight speed of the BIKR should be transonic or low supersonic, and the ceiling should be relatively small, no more than 10 km.

BIKR control at all stages of flight should be provided by an “electronic pilot”, the functions of which should be significantly expanded compared to typical automatic control systems aircraft. In addition to autonomous control, it is advisable to provide for the possibility remote control BIKR and its systems, for example, during the takeoff and landing stages, as well as, possibly, the combat use of weapons or the decision to use weapons.

The process of combat use of the BIKR unit can be briefly described as follows. After the detection by the senior commander’s means (it is impossible to introduce a low-mobility ground-based surveillance radar into the subunit!) of the fact that enemy cruise missiles are approaching into the air, several BIKRs are raised in such a way that, after entering the settlement areas, the detection zone of airborne radars of unmanned interceptors completely overlaps in width the entire covered plot.

Initially, the maneuvering area of ​​a particular BIKR is set before the flight in the flight mission. If necessary, the area can be clarified in flight by transmitting the appropriate data over a secure radio link. In the absence of communication with the ground command post (radio link suppression), one of the BIKR acquires the properties of a "command apparatus" with certain powers.

As part of the "electronic pilot" of the BIKR, it is necessary to provide for an air situation analysis unit, which should ensure the massing of the BIKR forces in the air in the direction of approach of the tactical group of enemy cruise missiles, as well as organize the call of additional BIKR duty forces if all cruise missiles are not manages to intercept "active" BIKR. Thus, the BIKRs on duty in the air will, to a certain extent, play the role of a kind of "surveillance radar", practically invulnerable to enemy anti-radar missiles. They can also fight streams of relatively low-density cruise missiles.

In the event that the BIKR on duty in the air is distracted in one direction, additional devices must be immediately raised from the airfield, which should exclude the formation of uncovered zones in the area of ​​​​responsibility of the unit.

During a threatened period, it is possible to organize continuous combat duty of several BIKRs. If it becomes necessary to transfer the unit to a new direction, the BIKR can fly to the new airfield "on its own". To ensure landing, a control cabin and a crew must first be delivered to this airfield by a transport aircraft to ensure the performance of the necessary operations (more than one “transporter” may be required, but still the problem of transferring over a long distance is potentially solved easier than in the case of air defense systems, and in a much shorter time).

During the flight phase to the new airfield, the BIKR must be controlled by an "electronic pilot". Obviously, in addition to the “combat” minimum of equipment to ensure flight safety in Peaceful time BIKR automation should include a subsystem for avoiding collisions in the air with other aircraft.

Only flight experiments will be able to confirm or deny the possibility of destroying a KR or another enemy unmanned aerial vehicle by fire from the BIKR airborne cannon.

If the probability of destroying the missile defense system by cannon fire turns out to be high enough, then according to the "effectiveness - cost" criterion, this method of destroying enemy cruise missiles will be beyond any competition.

The central problem in the creation of the BIKR is not so much the development of the aircraft itself with the appropriate flight data, equipment and weapons, but the creation of an effective artificial intelligence(II), ensuring the effective use of BIKR units.

It appears that AI tasks in this case can be divided into three groups:
- a group of tasks that provides rational control of a single BIKR at all stages of flight;
- a group of tasks that ensures the rational management of the BIKR group, which overlaps the established boundary of the airspace;
- a group of tasks that ensures the rational management of the BIKR unit on the ground and in the air, taking into account the need for periodic change of aircraft, building up forces taking into account the scale of the enemy raid, interaction with reconnaissance and active means of the senior commander.

The problem, to a certain extent, is that the development of AI for BIKR is not a profile either for the creators of the actual aircraft, or for the developers of airborne self-propelled guns or radars. Without perfect AI, an unmanned fighter aircraft becomes an inefficient, expensive toy that can discredit the idea. The creation of a BIKR with a sufficiently developed AI can be a necessary step towards a multifunctional unmanned fighter capable of fighting not only unmanned, but also manned enemy aircraft.

/AlexanderMedved, associate professor of MFPU "Synergy", Ph.D., engine.aviaport.ru/

1) Family of guided missiles "Caliber" Cruise missiles have become widely known after they were used to strike terrorist positions in Syria. Work on this project was carried out in the 1980s on the basis of two products: the 3M10 strategic nuclear cruise missile with a combat radius of 2500 km and the Alpha anti-ship missile complex (R&D Turquoise). For the first time, Caliber missiles were presented at the MAKS-1993 air show. NATO received the codification Sizzler ("Incinerator"). The range for sea targets is up to 350 km, for coastal targets - up to 2600 km. 2) Kh-101 air-to-ground strategic cruise missile The X-101 air-to-ground strategic cruise missile (X-102 in the version with a nuclear warhead) using technologies to reduce radar visibility also received the first combat use in Syria, where they were used to strike at terrorist positions. The main carriers are Tu-22 and Tu-160 bombers. The development of the product was carried out by the design bureau "Rainbow" (1995-2013). The exact characteristics were not disclosed. According to some reports, the launch range reaches 9000 km, and the circular probable deviation is 5 m at a distance of 5500 km. 3) Anti-ship missile P-270 "Mosquito" P-270 "Mosquito" (according to NATO codification SS-N-22 Sunburn, literally " Sunburn”) is an anti-ship missile developed in the 1970s in the USSR. It is capable of destroying ships with a displacement of up to 20 thousand tons, in particular, from the composition of naval strike groups, landing formations, convoys and single ships. The firing range is from 10 to 120 km along a low-altitude trajectory, 250 km - with a high-altitude flight profile. When approaching the target, the Mosquito goes at a height of 7 m, moving “above the crest of the waves”, and in order to break through the air defense, the missile is capable of performing the “snake” anti-aircraft maneuver with turning angles of up to 60 degrees and an overload of more than 10 g. 4) Strategic aviation cruise missile Kh-55 Rocket X-55 - cruise missile for strategic bombers. After launch, it goes at subsonic speed with enveloping the terrain, which makes it extremely difficult to intercept it. The carriers of the X-55 are strategic bombers Tu-95, Tu-160, while the latter can carry up to 12 such missiles. The mass of the warhead of each of them is 200 kt, which is more than 20 times the power of the Little Boy bomb that the United States dropped on Hiromima in 1945. 5) P-700 "Granit" - long-range cruise anti-ship missile P-700 "Granit" was created primarily to deal with powerful ship groups, including aviation. When creating the complex, for the first time, an approach was used, the basis of which is the mutual coordination of three elements: target designation means (in the form of spacecraft), carrier and anti-ship missiles. The radius of action is 550 km along the combined trajectory. These missiles are in service, including heavy aircraft carrier cruiser"Admiral Kuznetsov".