In the news and military-analytical segments of the Russian and Ukrainian media, the "epic" around the announced by Ukroboronprom and the Polish company WB "Electronics" a joint program for the development of a promising medium-range anti-aircraft missile system based on the R-27R1 / T1 air combat missiles is flaring up with renewed vigor. and R-27ER1 / ET1, the serial production of which was mastered by the Kiev Machine-Building Plant named after Artyom (now the state joint stock holding company "Artyom") back in 1985. So, on January 9, 2018, after the pretentious statement of the Ukrainian media about the availability of full-fledged "element base" and scientific and technical groundwork for the design of a new air defense system at Kiev's disposal, comments on the news on "Military Review", "Military Parity" and other resources were filled with lively predictive discussions about the possible effectiveness of the new air defense system, taking into account the successful experience of the combat use by the Yemeni Houthis of the "energy" air combat missile R-27ET as part of a homemade anti-aircraft missile system in March 2018, as a result of which the F-15S tactical fighter of the Royal Saudi Air Force was intercepted Arabia.
At the same time, the increased interest in this topic on the part of observers and experts is not so much due to the remoteness of the plan of the State Joint-Stock Holding Company "Artyom" to promote anti-aircraft modifications of the URVB of the R-27 family on the arms market in Eastern Europe (this fact was recorded by the media of the "Nezalezhnaya" during the first attempts of "Ukrobonprom" to push the R-27 as the main contender for integration into the promising Polish air defense / missile defense system "Narew"), how many existing capabilities of the Zhulyansky machine-building plant "Vizar", State Holding Company "Artyom", KB "Luch", as well as Polish company WB "Electronics" to provide anti-aircraft missiles of the "Alamo" family with options that allow intercepting a much wider range of high-precision weapons of the enemy than those available to the Houthis R-27ET.
For example, if the craftsmen-gunsmiths from the Shiite-Zaidite detachments "Ansar Allah", deprived of proper military-technical support from the outside, were forced to go a simpler way, placing an inclined launcher (together with the R-27ET missile, a simple telescopic sight combined with the sector review of the IR GOS and a bottle with liquefied nitrogen for cooling the infrared photodetector) on an ordinary truck, then receiving comprehensive support from the Polish WB "Electronics" (not without the help of specialists "Raytheon" and the British division of MBDA) Ukrainian companies "Radionix" and "Radar ", Apparently, were able to develop the first prototype of a new active radar homing head for" radio "R-27R1 / ER1 on the basis of semi-active RGSN 9B-1101, inherited by" Ukroboronprom "from the USSR. This fact is indirectly indicated by both the demonstrator of the advanced ARGSN presented to the public during the Aviasvit-2013 exhibition, and the day before yesterday statement by the representative of WB "Electronics" Roman Mushal about the already created several prototypes of the GOS for the anti-aircraft versions of the R-27. What does this mean?
First of all, the fact that the Ukrainian anti-aircraft versions of the R-27, unlike the only Houthi version, will be able to destroy not only heat-contrast objects with a certain infrared signature, but also any small-sized radio-contrast objects, including UAVs, rocket and 152-mm artillery shells. Such a conclusion can be made on the basis of a stand published on Ukrainian resources with some parameters of ARGSN "Onyx", among which there is a millimeter Ka-band of work. It is this range that is designed to effectively destroy ultra-small air targets. Naturally, in order to maintain the proper noise immunity of the future complex, anti-aircraft guided missiles based on the R-27ET air combat missiles are planned not only to be retained, but also to be modernized with a new 2-band infrared homing head operating both in the medium wavelength (3-5 microns) and in the long wavelength range. (7-14 microns).
The controls for interceptor missiles of the R-27R / ER family are represented by developed "butterfly-shaped" aerodynamic rudders of high aspect ratio, shifted to the aerodynamic focus of the missiles. In accordance with the laws of aerodynamics, this scheme allows not only to get rid of the phenomenon of "reverse" due to the "carryover" of the air flow disturbed by the aerodynamic control surfaces from the bearing surfaces of the hull and rear stabilizers, but also to provide decent flight performance due to the application of the lifting force of the aerodynamic control surfaces in the center area the mass of the product, which allows the R-27 family to realize vigorous maneuvers in space at the time of interception. As a result, these missiles have a good potential for destroying maneuvering targets.
With regard to the concept of vertical launch of missiles from a modular transport and launcher (provided for by the current Ukrainian-Polish project), the former aerodynamic scheme of the R-27ER1 / ET1 anti-aircraft missiles has practically no future. The huge 972-mm span of the aerodynamic rudders, as well as the counterproductiveness of the introduction of the design of folding "butterfly" planes (due to the impossibility of squeezing the TPK caliber even up to 350-400 mm) will put the specialists of the Artyom State Holding Company and the Luch Design Bureau in front of a difficult dilemma: to stop either on the open architecture of the placement of the R-27 on the guides (a la SLAMRAAM), or on the design of a new aerodynamic structure of the R-27 with the same hull diameter of 230 mm, but with a decrease in the span of the aerodynamic rudders and tail fins.
In the latter case (due to a decrease in the area of the rudders and wings), the maneuverability of the missile defense system will noticeably decrease, which will require the introduction of either gas-dynamic engines of transverse control, or a nozzle gas-jet system of deflection of the thrust vector. The first control element (the gas-dynamic DPU module) can be borrowed from the 300-mm guided projectile "Alder", the second - from the R-73 close air combat missiles. Judging by the photo of the new control module (Product PR-611) for the radically modernized version of the R-27 developed by the Luch design bureau, the specialists from Nezalezhnaya have already plunged into the jungle of designing an interceptor-type OVT gas-jet system, but the first sample turned out to be extremely cumbersome, which will not in the best way affect the flight and technical qualities of the updated version of the R-27.
The integration of transverse control engines into the new interceptor missile, as well as the refinement of the OVT gas-jet system, will stretch the implementation of the program for an indefinite period of time. And therefore, the only thing that we will be able to observe in the coming years is the banal bringing of the Ukrainian R-27ER1 / ET1 to the level of the AP (ZR) -260T product presented at the Aviasvit-2014 exhibition and providing for equipping the standard modifications of the R-27 with accelerating solid-fuel boosters to maintain the range of the new air defense system at least within 50-70 km. We will not deny that the presence of a millimeter active RGSN (when the new complex is coupled with the Pelican or Firefinder radars) can indeed enable the R-27R1 / ER1 “radium” to “hunt” for shells of cannon and rocket artillery, as well as strategic KR family "Caliber", but to intercept the maneuvering OTRK 9M723-1 "Iskander-M" and other hypersonic air attack weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces, these homemade aggressors will obviously be too tough.
