At the end of January 2020, the publication “Why do we need so many air defense systems?” Was published on Voennoye Obozreniye, which briefly reviewed the anti-aircraft artillery, anti-aircraft missile-cannon and anti-aircraft missile systems available in the Ground Forces of the Russian Army and the Aerospace Forces. In the comments, readers expressed a desire to learn more about the state of our air defense and the prospects for its development. In this series, we will take a closer look at anti-aircraft systems in the order in which they went in the above publication.
ZU-23
Some readers consider the twin 23-mm anti-aircraft artillery installation archaic, but, despite this, it still occupies a strong position in our armed forces and is practically irreplaceable when performing a number of tasks. Although the days when towed ZU-23s were one of the main means of military air defense and currently the tasks of covering troops from an air enemy are assigned to complexes with radar and optoelectronic detection equipment, outdated, seemingly, anti-aircraft guns are still in demand. …
This is due to the fact that 23-mm rapid-fire anti-aircraft guns have a very large margin of safety and reliability, and there are still many spare parts and barrels in warehouses. In addition, the twin anti-aircraft gun combines high firepower with compactness and relatively low weight. The ZU-23 uses very successful and compact manual vertical and horizontal guidance drives with a spring-type balancing mechanism, which allows the barrels to be thrown to the opposite side in 3 seconds. A trained crew can guide the target in just 5-10 seconds. With a mass of about 950 kg, the unit can be mounted on various vehicles.
Installations ZU-23 are easy to use, not subject to organized radio-electronic interference and heat traps. In addition to fighting air targets, they can be successfully used against enemy personnel and light armored vehicles. In both cases, the ZAP-23 sight is used, the data into which is entered manually and, as a rule, is determined by eye. In this regard, the probability of hitting a target flying at a speed of 300 m / s does not exceed 0.02 retrofitting of MANPADS missiles. But at the same time, the cost of both the installations themselves and their maintenance increased many times over. For this reason, the upgraded versions are not widely used.
A reader inclined to analysis can rightly ask: why, then, does our army need relatively ineffective ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns, when the more modern Tunguska and Pantsir are in service?
The answer to this question lies in the versatility of "zushki" and the high flexibility of their use. Although there are practically no towed ZU-23 in the air defense units of the Russian Ground Forces, a significant number of installations are still in storage and they can be quickly delivered to the troops. In a number of Russian civilian higher educational institutions, military departments are still training specialists capable of operating anti-aircraft guns, the production of which began almost 60 years ago.
However, one should not assume that the ZU-23 in the Russian army are only in warehouses. In the fall of last year, the author observed a military convoy, which included several KamAZ trucks, similar to the one shown in the photo. I will not dwell on where it was and what kind of column it is, I am sure that knowledgeable readers will understand me. However, I can say that in addition to the ZU-23, the convoy also included modern MANPADS. The anti-aircraft gun crews were in combat readiness at workplaces and were dressed in modern helmets and body armor. Rapid-fire 23-mm anti-aircraft guns also, in addition to repelling air attacks, are able to turn an enemy sabotage group into bloody scraps in a short time and are quite justifiably considered as an effective means of engaging ground targets when delivering goods that require special treatment.
In addition to covering transport convoys carrying "special" products, ZU-23 were installed on tracked lightly armored MT-LB transporters, which was associated with the desire to increase the mobility of anti-aircraft installations. It is known that in a number of units, due to the development of the resource of the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" anti-aircraft self-propelled guns, they were temporarily replaced with 23-mm installations based on the MT-LB, further strengthening the number of MANPADS in the anti-aircraft missile and artillery battery.
During the hostilities in Afghanistan and on the territory of the former USSR, 23-mm ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns were installed on the BTR-D amphibious armored personnel carriers. A significant drawback of such improvised ZSU was the high vulnerability of the openly located crew of the paired anti-aircraft gun. In this regard, self-made armored shields were sometimes mounted on anti-aircraft installations.
The successful experience of the combat use of the BTR-D with the ZU-23 installed on it became the reason for the creation of the factory version of the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, which received the designation BMD-ZD "Grinding". On modification of the ZSU, the two-man crew is now protected by light anti-fragmentation armor. To increase the effectiveness of fire against air attack means, optoelectronic equipment with a laser rangefinder and a television channel, a digital ballistic computer, an automatic target tracking, a new collimator sight, and electromechanical guidance drives were introduced into the aiming equipment. This allows you to increase the likelihood of defeat and ensure all-day and all-weather use against low-flying targets. The option of modernizing the sighting equipment, which did not take root on towed installations, turned out to be in demand in anti-aircraft self-propelled guns of the landing force, which can be dropped on a parachute platform.
Thus, it is premature to talk about the archaism of 23-mm anti-aircraft guns. According to some reports, up to 300 ZU-23 units installed on various vehicles can be in active operation in Russia. Several dozen towed installations are available in military educational institutions and personnel training centers. Several hundred more are mothballed at storage bases for equipment and weapons.
ZSU-23-4 "Shilka"
It is not clear why in the article "Why do we need so many air defense systems?" only the ZSU-23-4M4 "Shilka-M4" is mentioned, although the air defense forces of the ground forces and anti-aircraft units of the marines have not only modernized ZSUs, but also overhauled self-propelled units of early modifications. On some of them, during the repair, communication equipment was replaced, changes were made to the radio device complex and the system of state identification of air targets, aimed at increasing reliability and reducing the cost of operation. But at the same time, the main characteristics of the ZSU have not changed. It is clear that the non-modernized self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, in the electronic units of which electrovacuum devices are still partially used, are obsolete and are much inferior to the new and radically modernized military air defense systems.
In the course of modernization, the ZSU-23-4M4 received a new radar fire control system on a solid-state element base with the ability to install the Strelets air defense system. The upgrade of the OMS is accompanied by the replacement of the existing radar with a newly created station of the same frequency range with an improved set of characteristics. As part of the "Strelets" air defense system, the "Igla" -type SAM is used.
According to information available in open sources, the Russian armed forces have about 200 ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" of all modifications. How many of them have undergone modernization is not known. However, it is clear that it is infinitely impossible to repair and modernize installations, most of which have already crossed the forty-year mark. It is safe to say that in the coming years the number of "Shilok" in the troops will be greatly reduced.
MANPADS
And now we will consider the MANPADS we have. Until the mid-1980s, the main MANPADS of the Soviet army was the Strela-2M, which was put into service in 1970. The production of this complex in the USSR was carried out at least until 1980, and it became very widespread. For example, according to the states of 1980, the motorized rifle regiment had 27 portable complexes. A detachment of anti-aircraft gunners armed with MANPADS was in the state of motorized rifle companies. Launch pipes and spare anti-aircraft missiles could be included in the BMP-1 ammunition rack. The complex in the combat position weighed 15 kg, in the stowed position - 16, 5 kg. The relatively light weight made it possible to carry one fighter.
The Strela-2M portable system has significantly increased the anti-aircraft potential of the battalion and company units of the ground forces. If necessary, shooting could be carried out from the body of a car, from the armor of an infantry fighting vehicle or armored personnel carrier moving at a speed of up to 20 km / h. At the same time, the first mass portable complex had a number of significant drawbacks. Due to the low sensitivity of the seeker, a head-on attack by enemy jet combat aircraft was impossible. The probability of hitting a target in the presence of low cumulus clouds highlighted by the sun was sharply reduced. When firing at a target flying at an altitude of less than 50 m, it was not ruled out that the missile was aimed at heat sources on the ground. The minimum angle in the sun, at which it was possible to track air targets with the homing head, was 25-40 °. The complex was not protected from heat traps fired by airplanes and helicopters.
In the past, I had the opportunity to study the Strela-2M MANPADS and teach others how to use it. In feature films, you can see that MANPADS launches are carried out without any preparation, almost offhand. In practice, this is not such an easy-to-use weapon as is commonly believed among ordinary people. The shooter must assess the flight speed, range, elevation angle of the target, perform prelaunch preparation and turn on the disposable starting power supply. Approximately 5 seconds after turning on the power, the rocket was ready for launch and it was required to lock the target, about which the shooter was notified by a sound signal. After the seeker began to steadily track the target, the control light came on, and the trigger could be pulled. In 1-1, 5 seconds after receiving the command, the rocket was launched. During all this time, the shooter had to accompany the target and not make sudden movements. At the same time, the time to turn on the power source is very limited, and this procedure could be performed no more than two times. If, after restarting, the launch did not occur, it was necessary to replace the power source, and send the unused rocket for maintenance. In the event of a miss, the rocket self-destructed 15-17 seconds after the launch.
By and large, the methodology for using Strela-2M and more modern MANPADS is not very different, and I am talking about this so that readers understand that effective use of portable anti-aircraft systems requires a fairly long training and the use of special simulators.
In my memory, experienced shooters who were trained on simulators and flawlessly passed all the tests were allowed to real training launches. Before the shooting, in order to increase attentiveness and responsibility, the personnel were informed orally that the cost of one anti-aircraft missile was equivalent to the price of a Zhiguli passenger car. M-13 rockets launched from a BM-13NMM rocket artillery combat vehicle on the ZIL-131 chassis, or parachute targets, were used as training targets. In the second case, it was much easier for the shooter to aim and lock the target. In ideal conditions of the test site, the probability of being hit by one missile was higher than 0.5.
From the experience of combat use in local conflicts, it is known that even well-trained shooters, when repelling air raids, launching 10 missiles, on average shot down 1-2 enemy aircraft or helicopters. If the enemy used heat traps, then the effectiveness of the shooting was reduced by about three times.
Taking into account the fact that new types of MANPADS were mainly sent to troops stationed in the western military districts, in units stationed in Siberia, Transbaikalia and the Far East, Strela-2M remained the main portable anti-aircraft system until the second half of the 1990s. … Although the probability of hitting air targets for this missile was relatively low, the Strela-2M MANPADS were taken on a large scale, and they were well mastered by the troops.
Soon after the massive deliveries of Strela-2M, work began to create a modification with better noise immunity. In 1974, the Strela-3 MANPADS was put into service, but the troops received this complex in significant quantities sometime in 1980.
The mass of the Strela-3 MANPADS increased by 1 kg compared to the Strela-2M in the combat position, but at the same time the combat characteristics have significantly improved. The launch range has increased from 4200 to 4500 m. The altitude reach from 2200 to 2500 m. The portable system can hit targets flying at an altitude of 15 m. Now it is possible to attack jet aircraft on a collision course. A significant improvement in the combat characteristics of the Strela-3 MANPADS with maximum unification with the Strela-2M was achieved mainly due to the use of a fundamentally new seeker with cooling to a temperature of -200 °. A trigger was also introduced, which made it possible to automatically launch a rocket at a target located in the launch zone when firing on a collision course.
Currently, the Strela-2M and Strela-3 MANPADS are considered obsolete in Russia, but they have not been officially removed from service and are in storage. Taking into account the fact that these complexes were produced several decades ago, the coefficient of their technical reliability leaves much to be desired. The most critical elements are disposable electric batteries, and degradation of fuel charges in engines is also possible. The modernization of morally and physically obsolete portable complexes does not make sense, and they must be disposed of.
Even before the adoption of the Strela-3 MANPADS, the development of a longer-range portable complex began. In order to speed up the creation of a new complex in the anti-aircraft missile, a seeker from Strela-3 was used, but at the same time a new missile and a launching device were developed. The mass of the complex has increased, in the combat position the Igla-1 MANPADS weighs 17, 8 kg, in the marching 19, 7 kg.
The maximum firing range of the Igla-1 MANPADS, which was put into service in 1981, is 5000 m. The upper limit of the affected area is 3000 m. The minimum target flight altitude is 10 m. The maximum speed of fired targets and the likelihood of destruction have increased. This was achieved due to the introduction of an additional scheme and miniature jet engines, which ensure the turn of the missile defense system to a pre-determined meeting point with a target in the initial phase of the flight. Also on the launcher there was an electronic switch of modes "in pursuit - towards". The warhead of the rocket was equipped with an additional proximity fuse, which ensures target destruction with a small miss. The trigger has a built-in switchable radar interrogator, which identifies targets and automatically blocks the launch of missiles on its aircraft. The commander of the anti-aircraft gunner squad received at his disposal a portable electronic tablet, on which he received data on the air situation in a 25 x 25 km square. The tablet reflected up to four targets with marks about their nationality and about the target's flight course relative to the position of the anti-aircraft gunners.
In 1983, the Igla MANPADS entered service, which in our armed forces is still the main air defense system of the company and battalion level. As in the case of earlier MANPADS models, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers provide space for transporting launchers and spare missiles. At the same time, launches of missiles from combat vehicles are regularly practiced during the exercises.
The main advantage of the Igla MANPADS in comparison with the previous portable systems is the improved sensitivity of the seeker and the ability to work in conditions of artificial thermal interference.
In 2002, the improved Igla-S MANPADS with an increased probability of defeat to 6000 m was officially entered into service with the Russian army. Reach in height - more than 3500 m. However, most of the new MANPADS of the Igla family were exported after the collapse of the USSR and the beginning of "economic reforms". Taking into account the fact that the guaranteed storage period for Igla missiles in equipped rooms is 10 years, a significant part of the existing missiles requires an extension of the resource in the factory, which, however, is much cheaper than the production of new anti-aircraft missiles.
In 2015, the Verba MANPADS entered service with the Russian army, which is a further development of the domestic line of portable systems. According to information from the official website of the developer of the complex, the new Verba MANPADS is 1.5-2 times more effective than the complexes of the previous generation, especially at a distance of more than 3 km. The firing zone of targets with low thermal radiation was increased 2, 5 times, this was achieved by increasing the sensitivity of the seeker of the anti-aircraft missile. The protection of the complex from powerful pyrotechnic interference has significantly increased. Also, the designers managed to reduce the mass of the complex's combat assets relative to the Igla-S MANPADS from 18, 25 kg to 17, 25 kg. To use the "Verba" MANPADS in the dark, a removable night vision sight can be added to the complex. The firing range has been increased to 6500 m, the height reach is 4000 m. The combat work of the anti-aircraft gunners is automated, as part of the platoon, it is possible to control the actions of a separate anti-aircraft gunner, with the issuance of individual target designation. The portable fire control module provides the simultaneous solution of fire missions for 15 different air targets.
Assessing the situation with the equipment of our army with modern portable anti-aircraft missile systems, we can assume that there are enough of them in our army now. In terms of the number of MANPADS, our armed forces occupy a leading position in the world. So, the American army has about 1000 launch tubes for FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS, the Russian army has about 3 times more portable systems at its disposal: Igla-1, Igla, Igla-S and Verba. This is largely due to the huge stocks of weapons left over from the times of the USSR. After the reduction of the armed forces, a significant number of launchers and anti-aircraft missiles are still stored in warehouses, with which existing army units can be equipped in abundance. However, it should be understood that the storage periods of anti-aircraft missiles are not infinite; they require timely maintenance and replacement of a number of elements at the factory. Simultaneously with maintaining the combat readiness of previously produced MANPADS, it is necessary to develop and manufacture new compact complexes designed to provide air defense for small units.
In the next part of the review, we will talk about short and medium-range mobile military complexes on wheeled and tracked chassis available in the Russian army. Consider their number, technical condition and prospects.
