First week of October 2019 of the year was marked by a very interesting event for expert assessment, marked the beginning of a new stage in the preparation of anti-aircraft missile regiments of the Russian Aerospace Forces to counter promising hypersonic means of an enemy's aerospace attack, possessing complex quasi-ballistic flight paths and carrying out intensive anti-zenith maneuvers with overloads of more 20 units. We are talking about recently carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site. (Astrakhan region) unique tests of the S-400 Triumph long-range anti-aircraft missile system, during which several hypersonic target missiles "Favorit-RM" were successfully intercepted using 48N6DM SAM interceptors.
What is the uniqueness of the above-mentioned shooting tests of the "four hundred" in comparison with earlier field tests?, providing for the interception of target missiles of the 96M6 "Kaban" family (in modification 96M6M with increased to 107 km with a range and in the 96M6-03 version with an integrated electronic warfare system), RM-75V / MV "Armavir" and 3M20M3 "Penie"? It is well known, what, for example, target missiles of the "Kaban" family boast an ultra-small effective reflective surface (EOP), component 0,015 quarter. m, flight speed 4680 km / h on the final segment of the active part of the trajectory and a quasi-ballistic flight trajectory with an apogee of order 46 km.
Hypersonic target missiles of the Favorit-RM family will prepare calculations for the Buk-M3 air defense system, S-350 "Vityaz" and S-400 "Triumph" to repel massive strikes by operational-tactical ballistic missiles "Deep Strike" and aeroballistic missiles AGM-183A
The answer to this question is more than obvious.: being a modification of the 5V55R anti-aircraft missile of the S-300PS anti-aircraft missile system, target missile "Favorit-RM" retained the entire range of flight technical qualities of the first. In particular, the maximum flight speed of this product at the moment of burnout of the solid-propellant rocket engine charge reaches hypersonic indicators of 6650-7200 km / h (6,25—6.75M), while on the descending branch of the trajectory (during diving at angles of 70-80) speed "Favorite-RM" can reach up to 4.5-4M in the stratospheric and up to 3.5-2.5M in the tropospheric sections of the trajectory. Such high-speed parameters turn Favorit-RM into an extremely difficult target as for early modifications of military air defense systems of the Buk family. ("Buk-M1" and "Buk-M1-2"), and for the more advanced version of the Buk-M2, the maximum speed of targets hit, which is about 1200 m / s.
Against this background, simulator missiles of air targets 3M20M3 target complex "Singing" and RM-75V / MV target complex "Armavir", designed on the basis of anti-aircraft missiles 3M9 and 5Ya23 / 24 complexes "Cube" and S-75, have flight speeds from 600 to 1200 m / s, which does not allow them to be included in the list of advanced target missiles, capable of simulating promising air attack weapons of a potential enemy.
As for the maneuverability of "Favorite-RM", then high angular rate of turn and the range of available overloads (25—30 units. in the troposphere and lower stratosphere and 8-12 units. in the upper stratosphere), typical for the standard 5V55R missile defense system, allow these target missiles to successfully overcome the most powerful anti-missile "umbrellas", formed by most modifications of the Buk anti-aircraft missile systems, C-300 (including PM1 and VM "Antey-2500" and B4) and even the S-400 "Triumph". It is well known, what to intercept an airborne object, maneuvering with overload 25-30G, an interceptor missile should have an available overload of about 55-60 units., while SAM types 9M38M1, 9M317, 48N6DM and 9M82MV are capable of maneuvers with overloads of 25-35 units. Consequently, successful reflection of the strike of a conventional enemy, carried out by highly maneuverable target missiles "Favorit-RM", could take place only if the flight mission simulator missiles were loaded into the inertial navigation system, providing for maneuvering with overloads of no more than 12-15 units. (with the implementation of 50% of the new potential), what, obviously, and happened during the last tests of the standard modification of the S-400, equipped with 48N6DM SAM.
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In the event that Favorite-RM implements anti-aircraft maneuvers with overloads of 25-30G and complex quasi-ballistic flight trajectories with large dive angles at the terminal section, their interception can only be performed by means of promising Buk-M3 air defense systems., S-350 "Vityaz" and modernized S-400, which ammunition is represented by anti-aircraft guided missiles 9М317МА and 9М96ДМ.
Thanks to the equipment of these missiles with active radar homing heads of the "Slate" family with terminals of a two-way asynchronous data exchange line, for the first time in the history of the Air Defense Forces and Air Defense Forces of the Russian Aerospace Forces, it became possible to intercept "Favorite-RM" and similar high-speed air attack weapons of a potential enemy, attacking into the "dead funnel". The latter is located above the position of the anti-aircraft missile battalion and is a cone-shaped sector of the airspace outside the elevation sector of the radar illumination and guidance. Target designation of 9M317MA and 9M96DM anti-aircraft missiles in this case will be able to provide third-party radar and optical-electronic reconnaissance means.
Unique flight performance of the 9M317MA and 9M96DM SAMs (performing maneuvers with overloads 60-70G), due to the presence of a gas-jet system, deviations of the thrust vector at the first and gas-dynamic "belts" of transverse control engines at the second, will open before the calculations "Bukov-M3", "Knights" and the updated "four hundred" unprecedented horizons in the field of countering the promising American operational-tactical ballistic missiles "Deep Strike" and aeroballistic missiles AGM-183A. Imitation of precisely these elements of high-precision weapons, generated by the outbreak of an arms race against the background of the Pentagon's denunciation of the INF Treaty, is the primary vocation of the Favorit-RM hypersonic target missiles.
Eugene Damantsev
