Journalists from some news and military-analytical publications on the Russian segment of the Internet drew attention to very important information, received from the fields of the international military-technical exhibition “MSPO 2019”, held in the Polish city of Kielce with 3 by 6 September 2019 of the year.
We are talking about the details of the implementation of the ambitious Narew and Wisla programs., providing for the re-equipment of Polish air defense forces with promising multi-channel short/medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems, providing comprehensive area-based air defense and missile defense of strategically important objects of the Polish Armed Forces, as well as the US Armed Forces, located in close proximity to the Kaliningrad zone A2/AD, and also near the Polish-Belarusian border (in the most missile-dangerous eastern air direction for NATO forces).
“Tender intricacy” of the “Narew” and “Wisla” programs. What caused the choice in favor of the LandCeptor air defense system and the CAMM family of anti-missile missiles??
Based on the latest data, published on the pages of the Polish military news publication zbiam.pl, as well as the Western portal armyrecognition.com, one can come to the conclusion that, what, in addition to concluding a contract for the purchase of the first two batteries of Patriot PAC-3 MSE anti-missile systems and IBCS combat control points through Foreign Military Sales as part of the Wisla program, The Polish Ministry of National Defense and the headquarters of the Polish arms production group PGZ SA turned the Narew program for the purchase of modern short-range air defense systems into a real “secret tender”.
Its participants were: British-Italian division of the military-industrial concern MBDA, promoting the advanced multi-channel air defense system "Land Ceptor" to the European arms market, as well as the Raytheon Land Warfare Systems division, which provided specialists of the Polish defense department with information on the export modification of the Stunner interceptor missile, dubbed "SkyCeptor" and developed jointly with the Israeli company "Rafael".
Despite the fact, that the brainchild of Raytheon and Rafael has a significantly higher marching speed (5M), as well as a more noise-resistant three-channel seeker based on an active radar sensor and a dual-band infrared matrix photodetector, allowing for more effective selection of targets against the background of organized electronic interference and shooting of dipole reflectors, specialists of the Polish group "PGS SA", apparently, decided to give preference to the British-Italian LandCeptor air defense system. The reasons for this choice are as follows.
At first, MBDA Corporation management is ready to provide the Polish side with not only the main “optional package” in accordance with contractual obligations (supply of mobile vertical launchers “iLauncher” and a batch of several tens/hundreds of CAMM interceptor missiles), but also the transfer of a wide range of critical technologies, embodied in CAMM interceptor missiles and the element base of the LandCeptor air defense missile control points. In the foreseeable future, these technologies will allow divisions of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa to establish mass production of numerous units of this complex.
Secondly, in contrast to the SkyCeptor/Stunner missile defense missiles, having less maneuverability due to the presence of only aerodynamic controls, CAMM missile interceptors, apparently, equipped with an interceptor-type gas-jet thrust deflection system, and gas-dynamic rudders to deflect missiles towards the target, represented by several symmetrically located and oppositely directed gas distribution blocks. This conclusion can be made based on the video footage of the CAMM test launch, held in 2008 year. These gas-dynamic units allow interceptors not only to intercept enemy maneuvering objects with their own available overloads of the order of 55-65G, but also to significantly reduce the “dead zone” of the LandCeptor air defense system, c 1.5-2 km to 500-750 meters.
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In the event of a massive anti-radar strike or artillery strike involving long-range high-precision multiple launch rocket systems, this quality of CAMM interceptor missiles can provide exceptional combat stability of the battery of the LandCeptor complex. Moreover, the presence in the CAMM missile guidance system of a delicately accurate centimeter-scale active radar seeker (X/Ku) or millimeter (Ka) ranges will allow you to increase the target channel of this air defense system to 8-12 or more simultaneously intercepted objects, after all, at the terminal section of the missile defense trajectory they will independently “capture” targets, freeing up the radio correction channels of the X-TAR 3D and Giraffe-AMB radars attached to the LandCeptor anti-aircraft missile battery.
The antenna post of the multifunctional radar "Giraffe-AMB" is located on the "elbow" boom, raised by hydraulic drive to a height 13 m. This feature will allow the LandCeptor air defense system to operate more effectively against ultra-low-altitude targets in difficult terrain conditions, and will also expand the radio horizon for detecting low-altitude high-altitude objects
Impressive target data channel of anti-aircraft missile systems (at 2-3 and more times higher, than that of the Tor-M2U air defense missile system, at the level of the latest S-350 Vityaz air defense systems), as well as the high maneuverability of CAMM missiles will become a “weighty stone in the garden” of the rocket artillery units of the Russian missile forces and artillery, as well as the ground forces of Belarus, stationed in the areas bordering Poland and possessing high-precision long-range MLRS "Polonaise" and "Tornado-S". Despite the fact, what 301- and 300-mm rockets of these systems are adjustable, their low-power gas-dynamic correction rudders do not allow these projectiles to perform vigorous anti-aircraft maneuvers. A similar situation arises with low-maneuverability subsonic cruise missiles 9M728 (R-500), included in the ammunition kits of the Iskander-M OTRK.
Later, the arsenals of Polish LandCeptor air defense systems can be supplemented with longer-range CAMM-ER anti-missile missiles, developed by the Italian division of MBDA, and having large weight and dimensions. The effective range of these products reaches 40 km, which makes it possible to work on goals, located beyond the radio horizon (through target designation from third-party radar and optical-electronic reconnaissance equipment). meanwhile, despite all the above advantages of the LandCeptor complexes and CAMM/-ER interceptor missiles, “window of opportunity” for their suppression at the VKS, as well as missile forces and artillery of the Russian Federation there are.
9M723-1 operational-tactical ballistic missiles and Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, capable of operating against stationary ground targets and performing anti-missile maneuvers with overloads of 30-35G, They may well be able to “twist” CAMM interceptors directly on the approach section of the trajectory, since the OVT gas jet system is used to destroy such “nimble” objects, usually, insufficiently. In this case, only the MIM-104F PAC-3MSE and Aster-30 missile interceptors can pose a certain degree of threat, equipped with gas-dynamic lateral control units.
Eugene Damantsev
