No matter how unpleasant it may sound for the jingoistically minded audience of the Russian segment of the Internet and some expert circles, but detailed monitoring of Western European military-analytical and news publications once again strengthens our opinion about the fallacy of the "cultivation" by the defense enterprises of the Almaz-Antey VKO concern and the Rostec state corporation only radio command guidance systems to equip military air defense systems of the Tor-M2U families and Pantsir-S1, as well as "blinkers" on equipping anti-aircraft missiles 9M331 and 57E76 with only aerodynamic controls.
The acquisition of operational combat readiness by the Kampluftvern anti-aircraft missile system will change the balance of power in the North European conditional theater of operations
In particular, according to the eminent British military-analytical publication janes.com, citing informed sources at the headquarters of the Norwegian military-industrial company Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace», high-ranking representatives of the enterprise announced the start of research and development work (NIOKR) as part of the implementation of the ambitious project "Project 7628 Combat air defense». The latter provides for the development of a promising short-range military self-propelled air defense system, designed both for integration into a network-centric layered air defense-missile defense system in conjunction with NASAMS II / III medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as for independent actions, aimed at the formation of zone-object anti-missile "umbrellas" over strategically important stationary objects, as well as cover for friendly mechanized units on the march. Bringing the first pre-production copies of "Kampluftvern" to the level of operational combat readiness is scheduled for the end 2022 - Start 2023 of the year.
Estimated appearance of the air defense system "Kampluftvern"
In the first case (in network-centric linkage with NASAMS II / III air defense systems) compact combat vehicles of advanced air defense systems "Kampluftvern", equipped with quadruple inclined launchers with IRIS-T anti-aircraft interceptor missiles, will be used to cover the 2.5-kilometer "dead zones" NASAMS, as well as the interception of enemy high-speed tactical cruise missiles, carrying out intensive anti-aircraft maneuvers. The above range of tasks performed is due to the highest flight performance of the IRIS-T SAM, achieved due to the presence in its control system of a gas-jet system for deflecting the thrust vector.
This system, represented by four heat-resistant rotary planes in the nozzle channel, allows the IRIS-T rocket to maneuver with overloads up to 65 meals. up to complete burnout of solid propellant solid propellant charge, providing effective interception of elements of high-precision weapons maneuvering with overloads up to 30-32G. Anti-aircraft modifications of AIM-120C-7 interceptor missiles, included in the ammunition of the NASAMS II / III air defense systems and equipped only with aerodynamic controls, have available overloads of 30G, in connection with which they can only resist those means of air attack, which carry out anti-aircraft maneuvers with overloads of no more than 15G.
AIM-9X rocket launch by NASAMS II / III anti-aircraft missile system
As for the maneuverability of the 9M330 and 57E6 anti-aircraft guided missiles of the Tor-M2U / MKM and Pantsir-S1 complexes, then their turn rates correspond to those of AIM-120C-7, not allowing to destroy such "nimble" air objects, which are successfully intercepted by IRIS-T missiles. The recently announced re-equipment of combatant "Torov-M2U" with promising ammunition can brighten up the situation a little., having more maneuverable missiles RZV-MD (9M338K) with advanced tail aerodynamic rudders and more accurate radio fuses, which, together with the upgraded element base of PFAR guidance radars of the Tor-M2U air defense system, made it possible to intercept three of the five air targets of the Saman type using the kinetic destruction method / direct hit («hit-to-kill»), which was confirmed during field tests, conducted in 2013 year. In relation to missiles with a radio command guidance principle, the above ability is a unique phenomenon..
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The radio command guidance system for self-propelled air defense systems "Tor-M2U" and air defense missile systems "Pantsir-S1" excludes operational and tactical flexibility in the formation of zonal-objective air defense over areas with difficult terrain
Despite the above arrangement, like the devil from a snuffbox, another extremely serious misfortune materializes - the acute dependence of the process of intercepting targets on the radio command system for guiding anti-aircraft missiles 9M330, 9M338K and 57E6, what, Unfortunately, is a "genetic disease" of all modifications of "Thor" and "Shell". The need for constant accurate auto-tracking of targets by guidance radars and optoelectronic sights (with simultaneous transmission of control commands to 9M338K and 57E6 missiles located on the trajectory) not only excludes the possibility of firing at objects, hiding behind the natural elements of the terrain (hills, mountain ranges and gorges), but also turns the Tor-M2U and Pantsir-S1 complexes into radio-emitting objects, easily found by means of, for example, strategic electronic and electronic reconnaissance aircraft RC-135V / W "Rivet Joint" from a distance of 350-450 km.
As for the promising Norwegian-German mobile air defense systems Kampluftvern being developed, then these products will not have the above list of shortcomings. IRIS-T interceptor missiles in the SLM anti-aircraft modification, equipped with an infrared seeker with a matrix photodetector based on indium antimonide (with a medium-wave working IR range from 3 to 5 m), are fully autonomous short-range interception tools, capable of destroying targets outside the sectors of view of the target designation radar, deployed on combat vehicles SAM "Kampluftvern".
Anti-aircraft guided missiles IRIS-T SLM
In addition to hitting targets, "diving" into the gorges and hiding behind the hills of the terrain and the radio horizon, IRIS-T SLM missiles are capable of operating on anti-radar and operational-tactical ballistic and cruise missiles, attacking air defense systems into the "dead funnel" (at angles from 70 to 90 degrees). At the same time, target designation in the inertial navigation system of the IRIS-T SLM missile can come from numerous third-party radar equipment., optical-electronic or electronic intelligence over the radio channel of a two-way asynchronous data exchange line "INTRACOM Data Link". Not "Pantsiri", neither "Tory-M2U" can boast of such a potential. Are these not the most significant arguments in favor of resuming the once shelved and eventually forgotten program for the development of a promising self-propelled air defense system based on the RVV-AE-ZRK anti-aircraft missile?
Eugene Damantsev
