We remember the last few days of updating the news feeds of the leading Russian media as a real information explosion, which, with their usual speed, notified observers about the development of a unique tactical missile under the Alabuga program, equipped with an microwave electromagnetic warhead. According to the statement of the general director of the developer company JSC Concern Radioelectronic Technologies, Vladimir Mikheev, made back in 2014, Alabuga is a development work to create a microwave EMP generator capable, in the literal sense of the word, to burn out the onboard radio-electronic equipment of surface ships, ground units, as well as enemy aircraft at a distance of 3.5 km. Based on this, one can easily assess the highest combat potential of the new product, capable of disrupting the operation of the avionics of enemy units at a distance of about 10-15 km and incapacitating it at a distance of 5-7 km. It should be noted that the new high-frequency electromagnetic suppression module should be easily unified with the majority of tactical and strategic cruise missiles existing and being developed in Russia for the most flexible use in theaters of war of the 21st century.
The latest information surge occurred with the filing of the British resource "Daily Star", which quite justifiably raised the panic and equated the effectiveness of "EMP equipment" with the potential of nuclear weapons. Naturally, the famous English tabloid, according to the old tradition, went too far, but the essence remains the essence: the level of damage inflicted on the enemy's electronics, with the exception of the destructive force of thermal and radiant energy, is extremely serious. The hype spread to our media, "waking up" thousands of jingoistic patriots, who overnight began to assert that the West had no trace of anything like this, and that we would win a conflict in any theater of operations with 100% probability. This opinion has not gone so far from the truth, but there are some details that force us to express a more objective point of view.
If regarding the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and artillery complex, which intercepted a couple of 9M22U Grad NURSs the day before, we can say for sure that it has no analogues among foreign self-propelled air defense systems, then it is still too early to assert the same about Alabuga, because a similar program called CHAMP ("Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project") has been running in the United States for several years now. So, on October 16, 2012, the specialists of the Boeing corporation, together with representatives of the US Air Force, successfully tested the CHAMP tactical missile, which was able to completely suppress the work of computer equipment and other electronics in 7 target buildings. The electromagnetic pulses of the EMP generator were so powerful that in addition to the electronics, even the standard lighting system failed, not to mention the video surveillance system. Recently, they rarely talk about the CHAMP project, and this is not at all accidental, because the project is at the stage of fine-tuning, and possibly the integration of EMP generators on board such long-range cruise missiles as the AGM-158B or RGM / UGM-109E. It is in the variety of cruise carrier rockets of EMP generators, as well as in the impressive list of aircraft for their basing, that the main threat to our RTR and air defense systems, which are in service with the Aerospace Forces, lies.
If AGM-158 JASSM-ER acts as the future carrier of CHAMP, then the American Air Force will receive noticeable advantages over the Alabuga project directly in the flexibility of use. Everything here lies in a huge number of carriers for JASSM-ER: they are both strategic bombers-missile carriers B-1B and B-52H, and tactical fighters of the F-15E "Strike Eagle", F-16C Block 52+ types, including deck F / A-18E / F "Super Hornet". The latter have an order of magnitude better possibilities of operating in the complex air theater of the 21st century. In particular, due to the 2 times higher speed, the ability to fly in ultra-low-altitude mode and lower EPR, tactical strike aircraft can present sudden and very unpleasant "surprises" in comparison with strategic aircraft. Placing JASSM-ER missiles with EMP-"equipment" on the suspensions will further increase the degree of danger.
As for our "Alabuga", here we see a many times more powerful ultra-high-frequency electromagnetic generator, which is capable of completely destroying the avionics of surface, ground and air assets of the enemy within a radius of 1700 - 2000 m. This is a significant advantage over the Boeing product. At the same time, the problem of the Alabuga project is that only such carriers as the SKR 3M14T Caliber, Kh-555 or Kh-101 have an acceptable range for the domestic EMP module. The former are adapted for use from universal built-in launchers of the vertical type 3S-14E / KE and inclined 3S-14PE (ship-based), as well as underwater-based mine UVPU (diesel-electric submarines pr. 677 "Lada"), the second and third - from strategic suspension nodes missile bombers Tu-160M / 2 and Tu-95MS. Consequently, only tactical launch vehicles such as the Kh-59MK2, Kh-31AD or P-800 with a modernized fighting compartment can be used to launch Alabuga from the suspensions of the Su-30SM, Su-35S and Su-34 multipurpose fighters. As you know, their range does not exceed 280 - 300 km, and therefore there will be an almost fourfold loss in comparison with the US JASSM-ER - carriers of the CHAMP module.
Against this background, instead of jingoistic demagoguery in the comments to news reports, it would be time to think about developing a specialized ultra-long-range cruise missile platform for the Alabuga project, which could be used from the pylons of tactical fighters and subsequently outshine the American JASSM-ER. and also as often as possible to look closely at the course of the overseas CHAMP program, because the enemy does not stand still.
