2nd Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - 75 years
In the first days of autumn on this occasion, solemn events are organized with the participation of representatives of the leadership of the federal and local authorities, organizations and institutions of the Ministry of Defense, defense industries, as well as veterans of the institute.
This representation is due to the recognition of the merits of the 2nd Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - a scientific center widely known in Russia and the CIS countries for the development of theoretical and applied issues of organizing air defense (aerospace) of the country and the Armed Forces. The Institute conducts scientific research on a wide range of both operational-strategic and military-technical problems of building an air defense system (VKO) in Russia and the CIS countries.
The progenitor of the institute - the Red Army Artillery Rifle Committee was formed on September 1, 1935 in accordance with the order of the USSR People's Commissar of Defense No. 080. It became the source of the 2nd Central Research Institute of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
FROM GUNS TO ROCKETS
Many significant events in the history of our country and the history of the institute have taken place over the past 75 years. The dashing pre-war and war years, the harsh 50-60s of the creation and formation of the air defense system of the territory of the state on the basis of the latest models of jet aircraft, anti-aircraft missile weapons and radar technology. The tense 70-80s of the Cold War - a fierce arms race, "star wars", a tense struggle for superiority in aerospace - active participation in the creation of a missile attack warning system, anti-missile and anti-space defense systems. The most difficult 90s - work in fundamentally new conditions of the country's economic development and the implementation of a large-scale military reform.
The history of the formation and development of scientific research in the 2nd Central Research Institute is an example of an adequate response to the problems of improving the air and aerospace defense of the country and the Armed Forces in response to changing external military threats.
In the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War, full of drama, taking into account the bitter experience of numerous losses from the strikes of fascist aviation, the huge role of organized air defense of important objects of the country's economic potential and state administration, as well as strategic facilities of the Armed Forces, was revealed. Therefore, a special type of troops was created - the Air Defense Forces. In the war and the first post-war years, the air defense of objects was built on the basis of anti-aircraft artillery. The staff of the institute did a lot to improve the anti-aircraft artillery. As a result, its domestic samples began to surpass the best foreign counterparts.
However, as a result of the improvement of the aviation of potential adversaries, the speed and altitude of combat aircraft have increased significantly. The anti-aircraft guns that existed by that time could no longer effectively perform the tasks of air defense. At this critical time, the institute put forward the idea of re-equipping the Air Defense Forces with a new progressive type of weapons - anti-aircraft missile systems and systems. Now it is hard to believe in it, but it was necessary to persistently prove the superiority of the new type of weapon. In a short time, with the direct participation of the Institute, a number of anti-aircraft missile systems were developed and adopted by the Air Defense Forces - medium-range air defense systems C-25 "Berkut", C-75A "Dvina", C-75M "Desna", short-range air defense systems C -125 "Neva", long-range air defense missile systems S-200 "Angara" and "Vega".
At the same time, the institute rapidly developed the theoretical foundations of tactics for the combat use of new anti-aircraft missile weapons, the principles of building mixed air defense groups to cover industrial regions of the country and large administrative and political centers from attacks by aircraft of potential enemies. The Institute has developed a concept for the construction of anti-aircraft missile defense of the country as a whole, which was approved by the government and accepted for implementation.
It was the forces and means of this air defense system that made it possible to stop the flight of the US reconnaissance aircraft near Sverdlovsk, piloted by the pilot F. Powers, which convinced the opponents of our country of the inaccessibility of the Soviet air borders and stopped their regular provocations. It was this anti-aircraft missile weapon that participated in repelling massive air strikes in local conflicts of the 20th century in Vietnam, Syria and Egypt and showed its high tactical and technical characteristics.
TO ALL POSSIBLE THREATS - WORTHY ANSWERS
In the mid-60s of the last century, information appeared about the creation in the United States of a new formidable weapon - long-range strategic cruise missiles. They were to be launched from air and sea carriers far beyond the borders of the country and then be guided with high accuracy with the help of new effective navigation systems at the facilities of the country and the Armed Forces. The assessments carried out at the institute showed that due to the flight of cruise missiles at extremely low altitudes with rounding the terrain, the effectiveness of their destruction by the anti-aircraft missile weapons that existed at that time turned out to be very low.
The emerging problem of combating cruise missiles was successfully solved, including with the participation of scientists from the institute. The ideology of creating an echeloned defense of the country against this type of weapon was substantiated and implemented. The Shield aviation system, which was based on long-range fighters MiG-31 and AK RLDN A-50, was proposed as an advanced echelon of defense, ensuring the defeat of cruise missile carriers. This made it possible to ensure an effective fight against strategic aircraft at borders up to 1200-2000 km from the country's borders. As the second echelon of defense, systems of anti-aircraft missile cover for the most important objects and regions of the country were proposed, built on the basis of the new-generation S-300 anti-aircraft missile system (SAM). Scientists of the institute have developed the basic military-technical principles of building the specified system, ensuring its high efficiency when hitting targets at extremely low altitudes. The S-300, with the direct participation of the institute, was developed and put into service in record time, ahead of the adoption of a similar American Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. For the creation of the S-300 air defense system and its modifications, a number of scientists of the institute were awarded the State Prize, many were awarded orders and medals.
For the direct protection of the country's largest administrative and industrial centers on the basis of the new anti-aircraft missile weapons, an operational-strategic and military-economic justification was carried out for the development of integrated defense systems that ensure the repulsion of massive strikes of a wide range of air defense systems, including manned and unmanned air attack weapons. When carrying out these works in the 2nd Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, for the first time, they created a mathematical apparatus implemented on a computer, which makes it possible to carry out military design of integrated systems of zonal anti-aircraft missile defense, to select the required number and rational arrangement of positions of information and fire weapons that ensure their maximum visibility zones and defeat, taking into account the complex real terrain, as well as assess the effectiveness of the reflection of massive missile and air strikes with predictable characteristics.
A comprehensive effective methodology for testing complex defense systems was developed and implemented in practice.
At present, the danger of the use of ballistic missiles of various classes by a number of countries has increased. In the interests of ensuring effective anti-missile defense of the facilities of our state and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the institute justified the creation of a new generation S-400 "Triumph" air defense system, which has been successfully developed, tested and adopted by the troops. Its combat use in the country's zonal defense systems will ensure their reliable anti-aircraft missile cover in the face of new threats.
The creation of new types of anti-aircraft missile weapons required the development of correct initial data on the characteristics of vulnerability and radar signature of the predicted means of aerospace attack. In the early 60s, by the decision of the government of the USSR, the institute for the first time in the country began the formation of a unique laboratory base for the study of trends in the development of characteristics of air and missile attack weapons of leading foreign states, forms and methods of their combat use. A unique laboratory base was created for a comprehensive study of the characteristics of the vulnerability of aircraft, their radar and optical signature. As a result of these studies, in 1962, for the first time in our country, a regulatory and technical document approved by the government was developed, containing a scientifically grounded system of initial data on the characteristics of aerospace attack weapons. At the same time, the institute began to create scientific units and an experimental laboratory base containing specialized complexes for studying the characteristics of radar and optical signature of aircraft. Each of the complexes has passed the State Metrological Expertise and has a corresponding certificate.
The ERIK-1 reference radar measuring complex has no analogues in Russia and Europe. Its creators, scientists from the 2nd Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, were awarded the USSR State Prize. "ERIK-1" is intended for conducting high-precision precessional experimental studies of radar characteristics of aircraft, including those made using the "Stealth" technology.
All highly effective domestic samples of missile and aircraft weapons and aviation equipment, created earlier and being adopted by the RF Armed Forces at the present time, undergo examination, analysis and synthesis of the required radar signature on the ERIK-1 complex within the walls of the 2nd Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of Russia. Among them are strategic bombers, amphibious aircraft, tactical missile systems, anti-ship missiles, as well as advanced aircraft, missile and space weapons being developed.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a tense international situation developed. The country was threatened by ground and sea-based missile systems of intercontinental range. The task was put on the agenda - to create, as soon as possible, a domestic missile attack warning system (EWS). The Institute not only substantiated the tactical and technical requirements for the early warning system, but also became the direct developer of the first combat algorithms for early warning radar systems, and the system was put into service as soon as possible.
In the 60s and 70s, the Institute substantiated the tactical and technical requirements for the space echelon of an early warning system, carried out (as a head organization) a number of unique military applied experiments on board manned spacecraft and long-term orbital stations to measure the characteristics of infrared and ultraviolet radiation from rocket torches and natural background of the earth, transparency of the atmosphere. In the 70s and 80s, the institute took an active part in the development and testing of several types of onboard detection equipment and the space echelon of the early warning system as a whole, which was put on alert in 1978.
The development of air defense aviation weapons, the greatest intensity of which falls on the period from the mid-60s to the mid-80s, is characterized by a number of important stages. Each of them changed the generation of aircraft, ACS, ground infrastructure. During this period, aviation of the 3rd and 4th generations was created, and by the end of the 80s they formed the basis of air defense fighter aviation regiments. The foundation was laid for the creation of the 5th generation fighter. The ideologist of the substantiation of the role and place of the country's air defense aviation, the methods of its combat use, the development of aviation technology and weapons at that time was and remains to this day the 2nd Central Research Institute.
An analysis of the development of enemy weapons in the period from 1979 to 1986 and the changes in the military-political situation that followed in the 90s, as well as the possible prospects for the development of domestic weapons, carried out at the institute, showed that the problem of long-range interception should be solved at the level of the combat capabilities of modernized fighters type MiG-31 and Su-27. The operational and tactical mobility of aviation groupings should be ensured by air reconnaissance and control systems, space reconnaissance and navigation facilities and long-range ground reconnaissance facilities, including over-the-horizon radars, which was adopted for practical implementation in the early 90s.
The idea of multifunctionality, substantiated in the 2nd Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of Russia and is currently being implemented in modernized fighters and the advanced aviation complex of frontline aviation (PAK FA) being developed, is especially relevant after the unification of the Air Defense Forces and the Air Force into a single type of the Armed Forces in terms of increasing the efficiency and degree of unification of weapons.
For the immediate protection of the country's largest administrative and industrial centers, an operational-strategic and military-economic substantiation of the principles of building integrated defense systems based on information and anti-aircraft missile weapons was carried out, ensuring the repulsion of massive strikes of a wide range of types of air defense systems.
The mastery of a wide range of flight altitudes (from ultra-low to space) and the expansion of the range of flight speeds to hypersonic ones by means of aerospace attack presented new requirements for information systems and air defense equipment. Over-the-horizon radars are capable of providing the necessary depth of reconnaissance for airborne weapons in the entire coverage of the heights of their combat use. The creation of requirements for such radars, an assessment of the effectiveness of their combat use, as well as the development of algorithms for revealing reconnaissance signs and recognizing operational situations based on information from over-the-horizon means are carried out with the lead participation of the 2nd Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of Russia. Currently, work is underway to deploy a prototype ZGO radar and results have been obtained on the detection of air targets and the opening of operational situations at a distance of up to several thousand kilometers from the borders of the Russian Federation.
At the initiative of the institute, in connection with a sharp increase in the speed and maneuvering characteristics of air defense systems, high-performance radio-technical weapons, such as three-coordinate radars with automatic reading of coordinates and complexes of automation equipment for units and subunits of RTV with a capacity of up to several hundred targets, were assigned to the development.
One of the important areas of research is the participation of the institute in the formation of the Federal system of reconnaissance and airspace control.
In parallel with the creation of new types of weapons, the institute carried out activities to ensure the preparation of combat crews to work on them.
In 1962, based on the generalization of the experience of organizing and conducting combat training of air defense missile defense units, the appearance was justified, TTTs were formed, principles for constructing the main elements of the simulator for the preparation of combat crews of the S-75 air defense missile system were developed and a prototype simulator was created. In 1965, a prototype of the "Akkord-75" simulator was developed, in 1968 - "Akkord-200" for training calculations of the S-200 air defense missile system in conjunction with the command post of the ZRBR equipped with the Senezh automated control system. In 1971, the "Accord-75" was unified for the S-125 air defense system. For the creation of a complex of means for preparing combat crews of the S-25, S-75 and S-125 air defense systems, the employees of the institute were awarded the State Prize of the USSR.
In 1985, a prototype simulator was created for the preparation of combat crews of multichannel air defense systems, on which more than 100 combat crews of subunits from six air defense associations were trained at the institute, which confirmed its high efficiency and the need for use.
An important milestone in the history of the 2nd Central Research Institute was the deployment of work and research in the interests of creating weapons based on new principles of destruction. These works, carried out in response to the US SDI program in accordance with government decrees, included the Lotus, Gagor, Maple, Acceleration, and Impact programs. A special subdivision was formed at the institute, a unique experimental base for conducting research on this topic was created and is functioning. The results obtained on this basis are implemented in the Interdepartmental initial data on the vulnerability of the ICS to the effects of special weapons and are the basis for the design of special weapons complexes.
The 2nd Central Research Institute is the leading research organization in the RF Ministry of Defense in the field of research into the problems of aerospace defense. The operational and strategic studies deployed at the institute since 1980, carried out jointly with the research and development organization of the Ministry of Defense and other ministries and departments, made it possible to determine the system requirements for the Aerospace Defense of the Russian Federation, its promising appearance by stages of development, taking into account the economic capabilities of the state and the expected threats to the country's security in the air. space sphere.
GOALS FAR AND CLOSE
The last fundamental document in the field of aerospace defense is the Concept of Aerospace Defense of the Russian Federation until 2016 and the subsequent period, approved by the President of the Russian Federation in April 2006.
As part of its implementation, the institute in the period 2006-2010 developed a set of necessary organizational and military-technical measures that ensure, at the first stage, the improvement of the capabilities of the existing air and missile-space defense systems and the creation at the second stage of an integrated aerospace defense system of the country. The integration of aerospace defense forces presupposes the formation of new subsystems: reconnaissance and warning of an aerospace attack, defeat and suppression of forces and means of aerospace attack, comprehensive support and control.
By the decision of the Council of Heads of Government of the CIS member states on April 16, 2004, the 2nd Central Research Institute of the Russian Ministry of Defense was given the status of the basic organization of the CIS countries in the field of research on air defense problems. Over the past period, the Institute has carried out scientific research in this direction. In 2004-2005, a Target Program was developed to ensure comprehensive counteraction of the armed forces of the CIS member states to the forces and means of air attack, which was approved by the Council of Defense Ministers of the Commonwealth countries. Practically at all joint exercises of air defense troops (forces) of the CIS states, the institute's employees solved research tasks aimed at developing a set of measures to improve the efficiency of command and control and interaction of forces and assets that are part of the united air defense system of the CIS.
The most important result was the justification of the feasibility of creating unified regional air defense systems in collective security zones, their structure, composition and tasks to be solved. The result of this work is the signing on February 3, 2009 by the presidents of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus of the Agreement on the joint protection of the external border of the Union State in the airspace and the creation of the Unified Regional Air Defense System of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in the Eastern European region of collective security. Drafts of similar agreements have been developed for the Caucasus and Central Asian regions.
There are dozens of such episodes in the history of the institute. He was always given complex science-intensive tasks.
For the development, testing and introduction of advanced air defense systems and weapons into the troops of the 2nd Central Research Institute, he was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner (1968) and the October Revolution (1985), the pennant of the Minister of Defense (2005), 45 scientists of the institute for the development and testing of new weapons and military technology was awarded the State Prize, and nine were awarded the honorary title "Honored Worker of Science (Science and Technology) of the Russian Federation", over 400 employees were awarded government awards.
At present, the institute is working fruitfully under the conditions of the transition of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to a new look.
The main tasks solved by the 2nd Central Research Institute are the operational-strategic and military-economic substantiation of the promising appearance of the aerospace defense system of the Russian Federation and the subsystems included in it, the development of a set of practical measures for their creation and development, the determination of tactical and technical requirements for promising weapons of the aerospace defense and military-scientific support of their creation, development of proposals on the composition of air defense troops (forces) of the Air Force, equipping them with modern air defense means. At the same time, priority is given to research aimed at finding the most effective countermeasures against the enemy's air defense missile systems in the face of financial constraints: the formation of a single information space for aerospace defense, increasing the mobility and stability of the air defense system, creating air defense systems based on new physical principles, expanding the capabilities of the reconnaissance system to detect and support modern means of aerospace attack.
Summing up the results of the 75-year activity of the institute, we can say with confidence that the 2nd Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of Russia has extensive practical experience in conducting research in the field of aerospace defense, has sufficient scientific potential and the necessary material and technical base to successfully solve problems in the interests of reliable ensuring the security of the Russian Federation in the aerospace sphere.
