An interesting demonstration video provided Russian and foreign expert circles and informed observers with extremely serious food for thought., published on Youtube 7 October 2019 of the year as part of the international exhibition of defense products DSEI-2019 taking place in London. In this video, announced by BAE Systems test pilot Paul Smith, illustrated the ability of the multifunctional fighter "Typhoon Tranche 1" in the modification of electronic warfare to overcome anti-aircraft / anti-missile "curtains", built by anti-aircraft missile and artillery systems "Pantsir-S1".
The potential of Ariel towed decoys and BriteCloud 55 microwave transmitters is great, but not limitless
In particular, based on one of the episodes, appearing in this video, one can come to the conclusion that, that only towed false targets emitters of electronic interference X / Ku-bands of the Ariel type from Marconi Defense Systms, as well as fired jamming microwave transmitters "Brite Cloud 55", equipped with individual modules for electronic intelligence and analysis of the frequency parameters of active radar homing heads of enemy interceptor missiles, will be quite enough to effectively counteract the guidance system of the Pantsir-S1 air defense missile system. In reality, the above conclusion hardly corresponds to the real state of affairs.. Why?
The above means of electronic countermeasures have a high suppression efficiency of only such radar means., as airborne tactical aircraft radars and air defense radars (based on obsolete slotted antenna arrays, Cassegrain antennas, as well as passive phased antenna arrays) and active radar seeker based on slotted antenna arrays (SHAR). Besides, multifunctional radars, radar detectors and advanced homing heads based on multi-element active phased arrays with transceiver modules, represented by gallium nitride or low temperature co-fired ceramic substrates, quite capable of selecting "Typhoons" against the background of actively used interference microwave transmitters "BriteCloud 55" and towed decoys "Ariel", equipped with multi-band ultra-high-frequency radiators of the centimeter range.
This possibility is realized by equipping several hundred transceiver modules with individual low-noise microwave transistors/amplifiers and attenuators., which ultimately provide the formation of "dips" in the radar radiation pattern in the sectors of the action of sources of electronic interference. It is with such AFAR-radar detection and guidance that the promising anti-aircraft missile and gun systems "Pantsir-SM" will be equipped. As for countering the standard ZRPK 96K6 "Pantsir-S1", then this task is unlikely to be feasible even with the use of the above-mentioned electronic warfare equipment by the Typhoon pilots, appearing in the BAE Systems promotional video.
The thing is, that the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and artillery systems have a full-fledged radio command system for guiding anti-aircraft guided missiles 57E6E, not only according to the radar with passive HEADLIGHTS 1RS2-1E "Helm", which may well fail in the "electronic battle" with towed false targets "Ariel" and microwave transmitters "BriteCloud 55", but also for target designation of the attached multispectral optical-electronic sighting system 10ES1-E, working in TV- and medium-wave infrared wavelengths, moreover, the latter is distinguished by the ability to detect and “capture” low-contrast targets even against the background of the use of optoelectronic interference and infrared traps. It is logical to assume, that another colorful and technical PR video from the advertising department of BAE Systems, is simply the fruit of the Russophobic fantasies of the British military-technical establishment.
Eugene Damantsev
