A large number of artillery systems with a caliber of 30 mm are used in various branches of the Russian army. Currently, work is underway to improve the main characteristics of such weapons - through the use of promising ammunition. A new type of 30-mm unitary round has been developed, equipped with a projectile with a guided fuse. In the near future, such products will go to state tests.
Shell news
On May 20, the TASS news agency quoted the deputy general director of the Tekhmash concern, Alexander Kochkin. He said that his company is currently fulfilling a new order from the Ministry of Defense. The military department ordered the first experimental-industrial batch of promising 30-mm projectiles with controlled detonation.
BMP-2 with combat module "Berezhok" - the main weapon is a 30-mm cannon 2A42
The release of the ordered batch transfers the current project to the state testing stage. According to A. Kochkin, this stage will be completed as early as next year. It follows from this that in 2020 the Russian army will be able to adopt new ammunition and thereby increase the effectiveness of artillery.
The deputy general director of Tekhmash, commenting on the latest events, recalled that 30 mm caliber systems are used in different areas - in aviation and land equipment, as well as on ships. To ensure compatibility with new ammunition, carriers of 30 mm cannons will need some modernization. They should be equipped with specific control equipment.
Promising direction
Work on the creation of projectiles with a programmable or controlled fuse has been going on for several years. The leading role in this direction is played by NPO Pribor, which is part of Tekhmash. The first real results were obtained several years ago, and in the intervening time new models of ammunition have been developed at Pribor.
According to known data, the first sample of this kind was a 57 mm projectile. In the fall of 2016, it became known about the start of testing such a product. 57-mm ammunition was considered in the context of the future rearmament of ground vehicles using increased caliber systems.
At the same time, NPO Pribor told about their plans for the further development of the direction. The company planned to create a new projectile with a guided fuse in the caliber of 30 mm. Subsequently, new messages about such projects appeared repeatedly, and some technical details were also mentioned.
Features of the project
From the point of view of the general concept, the new domestic shells are similar to the already known foreign samples. The fragmentation ammunition is equipped with an electronic fuse capable of receiving commands from control devices. The task of such a fuse is to detonate a projectile at a given moment in time - when it is near the target. This allows you to enhance the fragmentation effect on the target, as well as hit difficult targets that are inaccessible to "conventional" ammunition.
BMP-3 - 2A72 gun carrier
Last year, the management of NPO Pribor revealed the basic principles of the proposed shells. It turned out that the Russian project is based on its own ideas and developments, and it does not repeat foreign ones. First of all, this is due to the architecture of the control systems and, as a result, to the requirements for the gun carrier.
To use foreign shells, the gun needs to install some new control systems and an electromagnetic programmer. Installation of the latter can be associated with significant layout and design difficulties. The NPO Pribor project provides for the use of a simpler and cheaper laser control system.
From the available data, it follows that the Russian fuse is not programmable, like that of foreign developers. The projectile receives an optical receiver to receive signals from the control laser. The fuse does not have the ability to independently determine the flight range, for it is done by the OMS of the combat vehicle. When the projectile exits to the desired point, a command to detonate is sent along the laser channel.
This approach greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of the design of the fuse, projectile and shot as a whole. In addition, the introduction of ammunition in the troops is simplified. If the "traditional" designs require significant processing of the weapon, the ammunition path and control systems, then the complex from NPO Pribor allows you to do with minimal alterations of the carrier.
It is argued that you can take any combat vehicle with a 30-mm gun, install the necessary components of the FCS on it in the shortest possible time and return it to service.
The advantages of this architecture are obvious. It allows you to give technology new opportunities with a minimum waste of time and money. At the same time, savings take place both during the modernization of equipment and during its operation. A remote-controlled projectile is significantly cheaper than a product with a full-fledged programmable fuse.
Implementation issues
The Russian army has several artillery systems with a caliber of 30 mm. The ground forces use the 2A42 and 2A72 automatic cannons. Aviation uses systems of the GSh-30 and 2A42 family. The fleet uses several multi-barreled anti-aircraft guns. All these systems and their carriers, in theory, can use advanced guided munitions.
BTR-82A (M) - another modern armored vehicle, armed with a 30-mm cannon
Last year, it was reported that ground combat armored vehicles would be the first to receive new projectiles and controls. In particular, in 2019, it was planned to test shells on the 2A42 cannons of the Terminator tank support combat vehicle. Also, we should expect tests with the participation of armored vehicles of different types - BTR-82A (M), BMP-2 and BMP-3, as well as the entire BMD family.
In the near future, it is expected to adopt several new types of armored vehicles armed with 30-mm automatic cannons. It is quite possible that these versions of the Kurganets-25, Boomerang and Armata will also receive controls for new fuses. Perhaps, in the future, the Air Force and the Navy will be involved in the tests.
Concern "Techmash" plans to complete state tests of 30-mm guided missiles next year. Around the same time, the first order for a full-fledged mass production of ammunition may appear, and at the same time a contract for the modernization of combat armored vehicles. Depending on various factors and circumstances, the first vehicles with updated ammunition may enter service in the early twenties. It is not yet entirely clear which machines will be the first - modernized or completely new.
It should be noted that Soviet / Russian-developed 30-mm automatic cannons are actively used abroad as well. Thus, the shells from NPO Pribor have certain export prospects. Obviously, before fulfilling the orders of foreign armies, you should re-equip your own, but this is unlikely to become an obstacle to obtaining lucrative contracts.
However, the rearmament of the Russian and foreign armies will begin only after the completion of tests and the last stages of development of the design. Industry optimistic forecasts indicate that this process will end next year.
