The best air defense system. Virtual achievements: how an Israeli defense company "overcame" the Russian air defense system

In the second half of April 2000, Russia ratified an agreement on an absolute ban on all kinds of tests of V modern world cold war is no longer of great importance, and therefore there is no special need for the presence of strategic weapons. But nevertheless, they were not completely abandoned, and Russia has the most powerful surface-to-air missile in the world, the R-36M, which was given in the West scary name"Satan".

Description of a ballistic missile

The world's most powerful R-36M missile was put into service in 1975. In 1983, a modernized version of the rocket, the R-36M2, was launched into development, which was called the Voevoda. New model R-36M2 is considered the most powerful in the world. Its weight reaches two hundred tons, and this is comparable only to the Statue of Liberty. The missile has incredible destructive power: the launch of one missile division will have the same consequences as thirteen thousand atomic bombs similar to the one dropped on Hiroshima. Moreover, the most powerful nuclear rocket will be ready for launch in just a few seconds, even after many years of conservation of the complex.

Characteristics of R-36M2

The R-36M2 missile has a total of ten homing warheads, each with a yield of 750 kt. To make it clearer how powerful the destructive power of this weapon is, you can compare it with the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Its power was only 13-18 kt. Russia's most powerful missile has a range of 11,000 kilometers. The R-36M2 is a silo-based missile that is still in service with Russia.

The intercontinental rocket "Satan" has a weight of 211 tons. It starts with a mortar launch and has a two-stage ignition. Solid fuel in the first stage and liquid fuel in the second. Taking into account this feature of the rocket, the designers made some changes, as a result of which the mass of the launch rocket remained the same, the vibration loads that occurred at the start decreased, and the energy capabilities increased. Ballistic missile "Satan" has the following dimensions: length - 34.6 meters, diameter - 3 meters. This is a very powerful weapon, the combat load of the rocket is from 8.8 to 10 tons, the launch capability has a range of up to 16,000 kilometers.

This is the most perfect complex anti-missile defense, which has independently guided warheads and a decoy system. "Satan" R-36M as the most powerful ground-to-air missile in the world, is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Creator powerful weapon is M. Yangel. The main goal of the design bureau under his leadership was the development of a multi-faceted rocket that would be capable of performing many functions and having great destructive power. Judging by the characteristics of the rocket, they coped with their task.

Why "Satan"

The missile system, created by Soviet designers and in service with Russia, was called "Satan" by the Americans. In 1973, at the time of the first test, this missile became the most powerful ballistic system, incomparable with any nuclear weapon of that time. After the creation of "Satan" Soviet Union I didn't have to worry about weapons anymore. The first version of the rocket was marked SS-18, only in the 80s a modified version of the R-36M2 "Voevoda" was developed. Even America's modern missile defense systems cannot do anything against these weapons. In 1991, even before the collapse of the USSR, a project was developed in Yuzhnoye Design Bureau missile system fifth generation "Icarus" R-36M3, but it was not created.

Now heavy rockets of the fifth generation are being created in Russia. The most innovative scientific and technological achievements will be invested in these weapons. But it is necessary to be in time before the end of 2014, since at this time the inevitable write-off of the still reliable, but already outdated Voevods will begin. According to the tactical and technical specifications agreed by the Ministry of Defense and the manufacturer of the future ballistic intercontinental missile, the new complex will be put into service in 2018. The creation of the rocket will be carried out at the Makeev rocket center in the Chelyabinsk region. Experts say that the new missile system will be able to overcome any missile defense, including the space strike echelon.

Falcon Heavy launch vehicle

The main task of the two-stage Falcon Heavy launch vehicle is to launch satellites and interplanetary vehicles weighing over 53 tons into orbit. That is, in fact, this carrier can lift a fully loaded Boeing liner with crew, luggage, passengers and full tanks fuel. The first stage of the rocket includes three blocks, each of which has nine engines. The US Congress is also discussing the possibility of creating an even more powerful rocket that can put 70-130 tons of payload into orbit. Representatives of SpaceX agreed with the need to develop and create such a rocket to be able to perform a large number manned flights to Mars.

Conclusion

Speaking generally about modern nuclear weapons, then it can rightly be called the peak strategic weapons. Modified nuclear complexes, in particular the most powerful missile in the world, are capable of hitting targets at great distances, and at the same time, missile defense cannot seriously affect the course of events. If the US or Russia decides to use their nuclear arsenal for its intended purpose, then this will lead to the absolute destruction of these countries, or perhaps even the entire civilized world.

In the suburbs of the Romanian city of Constanta, a training camp was opened, in which Romanian troops now they will master the American Patriot air defense systems. And the Americans themselves volunteered to train them.

And in Romanian Deveselu, a solemn ceremony was held to open another NATO missile defense base. Among the guests of the event were general secretary NATO Jens Stoltenberg. But the main participants in the ceremony were generals from the United States. After all, America is main member NATO has deployed its new missile defense system here.

Another similar event was held this spring in Poland, in the village of Redzikowo. And there are more than 400 similar military bases of the Alliance around Russia today. The United States explains the constant approach of its missile defense systems to our borders by the alleged need to protect the European continent. And at the same time they assure that these systems are only defensive and in no way offensive. For example, newest complex missile defense that the United States installed in Romania. It is called Aegis Ashor. This steel ground structure, four stories high and weighing about 900 tons, is capable of detecting and attacking 20 targets at once at a distance of up to two hundred kilometers.

Other weapons of attack can be combat aircraft, which more and more began to appear at air bases right at our western borders. For example, the Emari air base in Estonia is literally teeming with combat aircraft: on the runway there are dozens of A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft designed to fight tanks and ground targets, air tankers, stealth fighters F-22 Raptor, which are capable of breaking through any system air defense. All this allows us to consider "Emari" one of the most serious threats to Russia, because NATO combat aircraft from here to St. Petersburg - a little more than five minutes of flight, and to Moscow - no more than half an hour.

And precisely in order to prevent an air blitzkrieg, a unique three-tier air defense system has been created in Russia. It includes long-range, medium-range and short-range air defense systems. The first line of defense is the long-range S-300, S-400 and S-500 systems, as well as the interceptor missiles of the Russian missile defense system, capable of reaching targets outside the atmosphere.

In a fraction of a second, the Russian A-135 Dnepr, which received the name Gazelle in NATO, will take off from the mine to intercept the target. At an altitude of 370 kilometers and a range of up to 800 hundred kilometers, it is capable of destroying any aircrafts: from aircraft to maneuvering American warheads ballistic missiles. Such missiles form the basis of Moscow's anti-missile defense system and are capable of shooting down more than 50 warheads on approach to the capital in the event of a nuclear attack.

But even if we imagine that some enemy missile remains unshot down by the Gazelle, it will be met and destroyed by the S-400 Triumph long-range complex. It is capable of simultaneously attacking 36 enemy aircraft at once. That's 4 times more features American systems Air defense of this class. The flight range of the Patriot missiles is only 170 kilometers, while that of the S-400 is 400 km. In addition, the Patriot has a process for transmitting target data whole 90 seconds, which is almost 10 times more than the S-400. This means that the Patriot simply will not have time to react to the danger. Patriot also has big problems with intercepting low-flying targets - minimum height defeat 60 meters. This is 6 times more than the Russian S-400, which can simultaneously destroy 12 aircraft even in the stratosphere.

But most importantly, the Russian missile defense system is built in such a way that the zones of destruction of anti-aircraft missile systems overlap each other, leaving the target not the slightest chance. For example, distant complex S-400 - complement the complexes medium range"Buk" and short-range air defense systems "Tor", capable of destroying the most difficult targets - those that fly at extremely low altitude. At the same time, Thor is able to fire from the march, moving at a speed of 45 kilometers per hour - this makes him indispensable when escorting transport convoys and protecting them from enemy aircraft.

The Americans simply do not have such medium-range air defense systems - the Pentagon decided to take a different path - creating laser weapons. The project was predicted to have a bright future - exceptional accuracy, efficiency and, most importantly, low cost. Since 1989, the United States has invested more than two billion dollars annually in laser development. The United States spent 26 years and about sixty billion dollars on the development of the laser, but it suddenly turned out that the laser hits only one and a half kilometers.

Today, Russian air defense systems - Pantsir, S-400 Triumph and latest modifications S-300 Antey are on combat duty in Syria. And it was precisely the fear of them that prevented the US Air Force from carrying out the scenario according to which the events in Yugoslavia developed.

Thanks to huge profits from the sale of oil and gas, a large-scale modernization of the Russian military is in full swing, and as Vladimir Putin promises, military spending will be increased by $ 770 billion from 2014 to 2020.

At first glance, this is a huge amount, and it is true, the Russian military budget doubled from 2006 to 2009 from $25 billion to $50 billion, but this is only a tenth of the budget of the United States military, which is about $600 billion. in a year.

An interesting feature of Russian military production and possible cause its lagging behind the American is that it is more dependent on the conditions of capitalism and less supported by the state.

Private enterprises export weapons and enter into contracts with foreign powers to further improve the weapons program.

Thus, it is unlikely that Russia and the United States will enter a new cold war, as some experts suggest, but the modernization of the Russian military will remind America that it is not the only player in the military market, and, in the end, this is only for the best.

ZRK S-400 "Triumph"

So, the Russian S-400 can become the best air defense system in the world.

The S-400 is a highly modernized version of the highly successful S-300 anti-aircraft missile system.

While the use of the S-400 is limited and its predecessor remains the leading Russian complex air defense.

A very successful S-300 air defense system

The S-400 has a detection range of 250 miles (about 600 km), which is at least twice that of the US Patriot MIM-104.

Three different missiles are used for different ranges, maximum speed exceeds the speed of sound twelve times. The radar can track 100 targets at the same time.

This complex poses a threat to even the most elite attack aircraft.

S-500 is the best air defense system in the world

The S-500 will definitely be the best air defense system in the world. The S-500 is a more advanced version of the S-400, designed to intercept ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles), among other uses.

It will be based on the S-400 but reduced in size. The radar systems have been improved over the S-400, and most of equipment will be borrowed from the S-300 series. It is assumed that this will be a highly mobile complex. All the details are not yet known, but it is already clear that the S-500 will be an important player in the global arms market.

Most interestingly, it is not designed to protect against US ballistic missile attack. Since China produces its own ICBMs, the S-500 anti-aircraft missile system is most likely designed to hedge against any deterioration in relations between Moscow and Beijing, or in case Chinese ICBMs are acquired by less predictable countries.

System S-300 "Favorite".
Photo courtesy of Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern

In early February, Air Power Australia, a well-known analytical center in expert circles, presented an in-depth study on the combat capabilities of modern military aviation and current air defense systems. Based on the American "air sword" and the Russian "shield".

ETERNAL COMPETITION

The choice of hypothetical opponents seems to be non-random. USA has the highest potential air force and, in addition, they hold the lead in the supply of aviation military equipment abroad. Russia is the leader in the production and export of air defense equipment. Suffice it to say that only one of its air defense concerns, Almaz-Antey, supplies products manufactured at its enterprises to more than fifty countries of the world (see map).

The arms market itself suggests who is the leader in what area. There is no need for experts who, for various reasons, are inclined to subjective assessments. For in the market they vote with funds from budgetary appropriations. Thousands and thousands of specialists, officials, and high-ranking military personnel are involved in operations to determine the best and most advantageous "cost-effectiveness" ratio of a particular type of weapon. Subjectivism is kept to a minimum.

In fact, Russian air defense systems are classified as a premium class. This assessment of researchers from Air Power Australia is supported by their high combat reliability, destruction efficiency and relatively low price by the standards of the arms market. For example, Americans of this class have systems that are much more expensive, despite the fact that the same reliability, efficiency and combat capabilities their products are significantly lower than Russian ones.

The conclusion of foreign experts is interesting: modern Russian anti-aircraft missile systems and radar systems have reached a level that virtually excludes the possibility of the survival of US combat aircraft in the event of a military clash.

According to an Australian study, not only the American F-15, F-16 and F / A-18 aircraft, but even the promising fifth-generation Joint Strike Fighter, also known as the F-35 Lightning II, are not capable of resisting Russian air defense. And in order to achieve superiority, which military aviation United States had at the time of graduation cold war The Pentagon needs at least 400 more F-22 Raptor aircraft to enter service. Otherwise, American aviation will finally lose its strategic superiority over Russian air defense.

According to analysts, this circumstance may also affect the position of the United States in the world. Countries such as China, Iran and Venezuela will be well aware that the Americans will not go to an open military confrontation, realizing that as a result of this, the US Air Force and Navy will lose hundreds of combat aircraft and pilots. That is, the United States military is at risk of unacceptable damage. Of course, unacceptable, from the point of view of American politicians, whose career in such a development of events will end in national disgrace.

Air Power Australia recalls that its expert, Dr. Carlo Call, who defended his thesis in the field of radar technology, compared the capabilities of modern Russian anti-aircraft missiles systems and American F-35 fighters and came to the conclusion that these aircraft would be an easy target. The manufacturer of the latest winged vehicles, the American corporation Lockheed Martin, has never tried to publicly challenge the expert's statement.

The researchers also came to the conclusion that since the end of the Cold War, Russian designers have managed to achieve significant results in the modernization of air defense systems. Moreover, the opportunity to comprehensively and objectively assess the potential of a potential adversary for Russian engineers and scientists appeared due to military conflicts in Iran in 1991 and in Serbia in 1999. This process, as noted in the report, is in many ways reminiscent of a chess game. As a result, the Russians were able to figure out how to checkmate American combat aircraft.

Comparing the capabilities of modern air defense systems and aircraft, analysts also note that the Russian S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system, produced by the enterprises of the Almaz-Antey air defense concern and already put into service Russian army, today actually has no analogues in the world. The technical capabilities of the Triumph are significantly higher than those of the American Patriot, and are twice as superior in terms of combat performance as the well-known predecessor of the S-400, the S-300 Favorit system, which was supplied to China, Slovakia, Vietnam and Cyprus. In the future, "Triumph" may become a pivotal project in the military-technical cooperation of the Russian Federation with the Arab countries, in particular with the Arab Emirates.

And what is characteristic, the study emphasizes, is that Russia is building a deeply echeloned air defense system. If the S-300 and S-400 complexes are long-range, then they tenaciously interact with short-range and medium-range complexes. They complement each other and at the same time insure, creating an insurmountable and solid wall for the air aggressor. Anti-aircraft missile systems of short and medium ranges of the "Tor", "Buk", "Tunguska" types were supplied, in particular, to China, Iran, India, Greece, Syria, Egypt, Finland, Morocco.

In addition to traditional customers of Russian military products, countries such as Singapore and Brazil, which have purchased man-portable air defense systems, are also interested in domestic air defense systems.

Russia's positions are also very strong in the market for sea-based anti-aircraft missile systems. For example, air defense systems "Shtil", "Reef", "Blade" are successfully operated on warships.

FROM AIR DEFENSE TO PRO

Anti-aircraft missile systems of the S-300 family are considered one of the most powerful air defense systems in the world. The development of this system began in the 1960s, when the USSR Armed Forces demanded the creation of a mobile multi-channel medium-range air defense system capable of protecting the country's sky from massive air raids. modern aviation using guided weapons.

Tests of the future S-300 took place in the 1970s. In order to misinform a potential adversary, according to the documents, the new air defense system was passed as the S-75M6 - another modernization of the “veteran” complex, widely known by that time all over the world, which had taken up combat duty in the late 1950s. The terms of reference provided for the development of three versions of the air defense system - S-300P for air defense, S-300V - for ground forces and S-300F - a ship-based complex for the Navy.

Systems for the air defense forces and for the fleet were mainly focused on destroying aircraft and cruise missiles, the military complex was supposed to have great opportunities to intercept ballistic targets in order to provide missile defense. Today, the S-300 systems form the basis of the air defense of our country and the Russian Ground Forces, and are also successfully sold on the world market.

On the basis of the S-300 air defense system, the latest S-400 system has been developed, capable of firing both new missiles and using the ammunition of its predecessor. The S-400 air defense system has the combat capabilities, mobility and noise immunity of the latest versions of the S-300 complex, combined with a longer firing range.

The S-400 system is designed to destroy all types of aircraft - aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles. An important difference between the S-400 and the S-300 is the new anti-aircraft missiles with active heads homing and increased firing range. "Triumph" is capable of destroying a target at a distance of up to 400 km and at an altitude of 30 km. These indicators make it possible to consider the complex not only as an air defense weapon, but also partially as an anti-missile weapon.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel General Alexander Zelin, reveals the secrets of the S-400 Triumph complex: it can hit "a super-maneuverable small target with an effective reflective surface, which a five-ruble coin has." He is able to cope with air targets that are made using stealth technology, that is, stealth aircraft with a low effective reflective surface.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force is extremely proud that the anti-aircraft missile system The new generation S-400 is supposed to be used to ensure the safety of participants and guests of the 2014 Winter Olympics. “Builders will build facilities in Sochi for the Olympics, and we will prepare an air defense system that will ensure reliable conduct Olympic Games“, the general said in a recent interview.

Of course, reliable protection of both the people who arrived at the Olympics and the people of Sochi themselves is the most important thing, no one is going to argue about the need for this. And the margin of safety here does not hurt. Moreover, in the immediate vicinity is Georgia, against which Russian troops not so long ago fighting. And the frenzy of anti-Russian sentiments has not yet disappeared there.

However, life does not stand still. Two years ago Military Industrial Commission under the government of the Russian Federation, set the task, in particular, for the Almaz-Antey air defense concern to develop a promising fifth-generation air defense and missile defense weapon. His distinguishing feature will consist in the fact that firing, information and command systems and complexes will merge together.

This is the next step in the fight for clear and peaceful skies. The Russian backlog is high, but the closest competitor - the United States - also does not want to see itself as an outsider. The competition between technical schools and simply military potentials is intensifying.

One and a half meter khaki tube, compact sighting mechanism and shoulder strap. This, at first glance, a simple device behind the back of an infantryman is fraught with a deadly threat to pilots of aircraft and helicopters operating at altitudes below 4.5 thousand meters. It is almost impossible to get away from the missile of the 9K333 Verba portable anti-aircraft missile system (MANPADS) - it does not respond to heat traps and other tricks.

Pocket air defense

The first MANPADS appeared in the 1960s and immediately became enemy number one for pilots who adapted to take cover from long-range anti-aircraft missiles at low altitudes. It is almost impossible to notice a "man with a pipe" disguised in the folds of the terrain from the cockpit of an aircraft or helicopter, while, unlike machine guns and cannons, the only successful hit of a small rocket can "land" even a large aircraft in one fell swoop. In the case of MANPADS, there is no need to spend precious time deploying, loading and installing. Pointed, shot, forgot.

Particular success in the development of a fundamentally new at that time air defense weapons was achieved Soviet designers. The command instructed in the shortest possible time to create the most inexpensive and compact complex, suitable for effective cover of ground units and subunits from the air without too much fuss. The task was not trivial: to make a system suitable for combating all types of air targets at altitudes up to 1.5 kilometers and at a distance of up to three. The missile was supposed to be guaranteed to hit aircraft towards and in pursuit. A prerequisite is the possibility of firing by one person, and from an unprepared position.

This is how the first Soviet MANPADS 9K32 "Strela-2" was born, which made a real revolution in the development of air defense systems. The complex, put into service in 1967, included a launch tube, a rocket with a duck glider and a propulsion system, a ground power unit, a portable passive radio direction finder and a ground-based radio interrogator, as well as maintenance equipment.

Shock, horror and complete incomprehension of what is happening - this is how you can characterize the emotions of Israeli pilots who were "lucky" to be the first to fall under the hail of Russian "Arrows" during the Arab-Israeli conflict. In the first air attack, 30 percent of the planes were shot down, after which the Israeli Air Force decided to suspend the raids for several days.

From Arrow to Willow

Then there was the improved and more noise-immune Strela-3, then the 9K38 Igla, which was also upgraded several times, and now it has been replaced by the Verba. Accurate, sensitive and resistant to interference, the complex clearly separates aircraft into "friends" and "foes" and strikes without a miss, not reacting to heat traps and other interference. With the help of "Verba", an infantryman can single-handedly "remove" a variety of aircraft from the sky, starting with attack helicopters and aircraft and ending with cruise missiles. The range of distances and heights is no longer the same as that of the first "Arrows", but is commensurate with the indicators of more serious military air defense systems.

The solid-propellant missile of the new MANPADS effortlessly reaches targets at altitudes up to 4.5 thousand meters and at a distance of up to 6.5 kilometers. In fact, this completely covers the high-altitude range of work front-line aviation- attack aircraft, tactical bombers and helicopters can be "laid" directly from the trench. In this sense, "Verba" is significantly superior not only to "Igloo-S", but also foreign analogues, including the famous American FIM-92 Stinger. For comparison: "Igla-S" takes air targets at altitudes up to 3.5 kilometers, and "Stinger" - up to 3.8. In addition, the lower limit of the target acquisition height for the Stinger is 180 meters, while the Verba starts working from ten. The kit comes with a compact radar that is resistant to interference. The station "sees" air targets at a distance of up to 80 kilometers.

The automated control system takes into account the speed and direction of flight of aircraft or cruise missiles and distributes them among anti-aircraft gunners, the location of each of which on the ground is determined by GLONASS. Fighters have precise vectors for shooting. Interestingly, "Verba" through tactical complex"Barnaul-T" is being integrated into common system air defense and can receive information about air targets that are "guided" by large radars.

Picky Bride

The Verba rocket owes its high sensitivity and "selectivity" to the types of targets to the proprietary three-spectral homing head, the "vision" of which operates in the ultraviolet, near and mid-infrared ranges. A missile, even on approach, is able to distinguish an airplane or helicopter from a thermal "trap" fired by it and make the right choice.

Like many other similar air defense systems, "Verba" can not only work "from the shoulder", but is also installed on ships and attack helicopters as an auxiliary anti-aircraft weapon. An important innovation is that the complex is much easier to maintain than the Igla. It no longer needs to be "frozen" - the new design of the homing head does not require cooling it with nitrogen. Ready to fire takes a matter of seconds from the moment the target is detected.

"Verba" began to be delivered to the troops relatively recently, in kits and batches. So, just the other day, another brigade set of the latest MANPADS entered the motorized rifle unit of the Central Military District (TsVO), stationed in the Altai Territory. According to the military, the new complexes will provide reliable cover for military units not only from air attacks, but also from massive cruise missile attacks. In addition, now anti-aircraft squads, anti-aircraft missile platoons and batteries as part of anti-aircraft divisions, as well as other units of the Russian Armed Forces, are armed with thousands of complexes of the Igla family, among which there are both early modifications and advanced ones with the "C" index.