The further, the more acute the struggle for resources becomes in the world. And, as this struggle intensifies, the significance of the Russian North is changing. From an "icy desert" it turns into a "storehouse of the world." Already today, the Arctic produces 80% of Russian natural gas, oil, phosphorus, nickel, gold, antimony … The North gives Russia 12-15% of GDP and about 25% of exports. And this despite the fact that the potential of the Arctic is used at best by 10%. There are enough applicants for such a tidbit, and after the collapse of the USSR, they became more active.
In particular, NATO countries are actively building up their military presence in the Arctic. Moreover, in recent years, ground forces have been added to traditional naval bases, tracking stations, and anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems - and these are already means of not only defense, but also offensive. The US Army has announced a competition to create equipment and equipment for high latitudes, and is actively training marines in the skills of war in the north. In Norway, in the immediate vicinity of the Russian border, a modern NATO training ground has been created. Canada is reinforcing patrol units traditionally recruited from the Eskimos.
Speaking at the VI Moscow Conference on International Security, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted that Russia views NATO's actions in the Arctic as a demonstration of military advancement in its own interests. Such a demonstration did not remain unanswered, and, according to the presidential decree, on December 1, 2014, the joint strategic command "North", or otherwise the Arctic troops of Russia, was created.
Active work began on the construction and modernization of airfields. At the last Victory Parade, foreign observers saw the Tor-M2DT anti-aircraft missile systems and the Pantsir-SA missile and cannon systems based on the DT-30 two-link tracked carrier specially designed for the Arctic. But if the polar sky is covered reliably, then problems arose with the ground troops.
JACK LONDON AND DIDN'T DREAM
The length of the Arctic coast of Russia is 22,600 km. Most of it has no roads or people. These are huge territories, not even properly mapped. In winter, severe frosts, polar night, winds, snowstorms. In the summer - a slump of thawed permafrost, and how much of it, that summer? If military units are stationed here in the usual manner, the Arctic troops will swallow the entire military budget like a pie, and will not even notice the taste.
True, the enemy will also not let down a serious military contingent - Russia controls both the Northern Sea Route and the airspace. However, we are not talking about any ground war in the usual sense of the word (except for the Kola Peninsula), since the way to the Arctic is forbidden for soldiers without special training. But actions by small groups of well-trained special forces are promising. Not necessarily under the NATO flag - it is much more convenient to operate with the help of mercenaries from private military companies (PMCs), or even under the "roof" of environmental movements.
The adversary is simple: he slowly unloaded the group on the desired section of the Northern Sea Route from a passing ship or threw it off the plane - and the job is done. And what about us? What is the way to drive uninvited guests across the colossal, absolutely deserted expanses? Either keep military units and outposts along the entire coast, or … or solve logistical problems.
Let's say something has entered our territory. This something must be identified and rendered harmless. And for this it would be nice to get to him. Moreover, absolutely everything - not only weapons and equipment, but also fuel, food, a tent and a stove - must be taken with you. And at the same time act quickly, otherwise the enemy will complete the task and leave, and the arctic troops that have arrived in time will only have empty cans.
And there are no roads. That is, not at all. There are some well-groomed trails - but they depend on the season, the routes of the reindeer herders and many other factors. On the other hand, there are a lot of valleys and cliffs not plotted on any maps, plus such lovely landscape surprises as hummocks and openings, which are, in principle, unpredictable. And there are no people either, except for local reindeer herders and inhabitants of rare villages and polar stations.
Reindeer and dog rides, promoted by journalists, are an attraction for the press. The deer runs slowly, needs food and rest, is not very lucky. During one of the campaigns, our paratroopers tested the capabilities of the hoofed-horned ones in practice: a three deer with a musher and two equipped paratroopers (that is, about 300 kg on a sleigh) passed as much as 150 m, after which one of the oleshki simply fell. This question was closed.
A car or an all-terrain vehicle is the other opposite. It is big, it pulls a lot on itself, it is warm to ride in it, but there is a drawback - poor cross-country ability. For him, he has to specially choose a route, and in a blizzard or at zero visibility, stand and drink tea until the weather clears up.
What to do? And then extreme tourists came to the rescue. There are few serious travelers in the North - it's too dangerous an attraction. But in this case, one needed group exists.
"NORTHERN LANDING" COMES TO HELP
Alexander Peterman, an entrepreneur from Nizhnevartovsk, has been walking in the tundra for nine years. His expeditions have long outgrown extreme campaigns, becoming a whole project called "Northern Landing Force" (Peterman himself and most of his people - in the past, servicemen of the Airborne Forces and special forces).
The team made the first trip in 2008, in 2009 it almost died, after which its members got down to business in earnest. First of all, they began to look for and modernize vehicles - snowmobiles. Basic requirements for transport: the car must be reliable, maintainable and preferably lightweight.
A snowmobile is a kind of "Arctic motorcycle": two tracks and a guide ski. The model used by the expedition weighs a little more than 350 kg, the speed is up to 50 km / h, the cross-country ability is excellent: you can just walk in azimuth. Rough terrain, hummocks, even the scourge of the North - the icebreaking trail - is not an obstacle for him. It can pull a sled weighing up to a ton. It would seem an ideal option, but for some reason the Canadian special forces on snowmobiles go into the raid for only a day or two. Maybe that's enough for them, but for our distances this is not a conversation.
The fact is that going to the tundra even in a very good factory snowmobile and with factory equipment is a lottery. Each of the many small factors that cannot be identified in any test can become fatal. The understanding of the direction in which to modernize the equipment gives only many years of experience.
- For example, the legs on a snowmobile are open, - says the mechanic of the group Dmitry Fadeev. - At minus 40 degrees, the side wind penetrates any crack, even an untied lace (the result is frostbite. - E. P.). We make side protection from the wind, put a sheet of frost-resistant high-molecular plastic, because ordinary plastic will break. We raise the windshield to eye level - in the standard configuration the glass is rather low, and no matter how good a hat you have, the headwind still blows out. We put additional tanks so that it takes less time to refuel, with a pump - we just pump fuel on the go. Additional ski extensions, additional front and rear headlights. In a blizzard, in a blizzard, visibility is less than 2 m, and there used to be only parking lights behind.
Dmitry told a whole saga about the trailed sleigh. We remind you: in the Arctic, you need to carry absolutely everything (in practice, it turns out to be up to a ton of cargo per snowmobile). If the sled collapses 500 km from the dwelling, this is a disruption of the expedition. If over 3000 - this is again death. On the last trip for the experiment, the group took with them one sled made of aircraft-grade aluminum. The manufacturer guaranteed 3000 km with a load of 600 kg. They lasted 800 (with a load of 400 kg), and then they just fell apart.
The group suffered with the sled for a very long time. Of what they were not made. Neither metal nor plastic live in the cold - they become brittle, like crackers, and break. Oddly enough, a tree lives. Therefore, runners are made glued from elm, ash and stone birch. The connection to the snowmobile is made of a conveyor belt, which also does not lose flexibility in the cold. On the last trip, this small piece of tape saved the life of one of the participants. In a blizzard, with zero visibility, the driver did not notice the four-meter cliff. The man fell down and the snowmobile hung on the sled mount. If you could not stand the fastening, he would have fallen on the driver: 350 kg from a height of 4 m - guaranteed death.
The group is experimenting not only with technology, but with everything that is possible - with clothes, food, equipment. And everywhere there is a search, everywhere there are some original developments of their own. Plus the skills of walking at night, in a blizzard, on hummocks, on an icebreaking trail, the ability not to lose each other in any situation … three longer. Now in its tourism sector, the Peterman group is the best in the world. And they are ready - moreover, they want and strive to transfer all their experience to the Ministry of Defense.
Usually in such cases it is said with sadness: "However, the ministry does not need this unique experience." But not in this case!
Alexander Peterman is a member of the Supervisory Board of the Union of Russian Paratroopers, which makes the task easier, since he knows how to speak the same language with the military. In addition, he is a full member of the Russian Geographical Society, chaired by Sergei Shoigu. So the contact with the Ministry of Defense was successful. In February 2016, the "Northern Troopers" held a week-long seminar for soldiers of special units on survival in the Far North. One of the participants of the seminar walked the route with the group.
This year, six officers of special forces and airborne troops were already traveling with the "Landing". Their tasks were great and varied. Firstly, each on his return will be able to become an instructor in his part. Not a master, but they received considerable experience in two weeks, there is something to pass on. Secondly, samples of weapons, instruments and equipment designed for operations in high latitudes have been tested. The study of the terrain, the development of tactical tasks have not been forgotten either …
Returning from the tundra "paratroopers" were met not only by relatives, friends and journalists. A member of the Military-Industrial Commission, the first commander of the Special Operations Forces, Oleg Martyanov, who always paid special attention to specialized units, came to meet with them. Moreover, the Arctic troops are being created in Russia for the first time.
Oleg Martyanov highly appreciated the results of the campaign. The basic training received by the officers allowed them to adapt to the harshest northern conditions, no one dropped out. Most of the weapons and equipment were also tested more or less successfully. In any case, the obstacles that developers need to overcome have become visible. By the way, the pace of work is very dashing, comparable to the pre-war. For example, a year ago an officer who participated in the campaign rated the connection as two-plus or three-plus, and this year she received a solid four.
The Defense Ministry's plans are very serious, one might even say ambitious. Now, at the first stage, the main task is to pass through the expedition those officers who can work as instructors in their units. And in the future, it is planned to test regular combat units, numbering 15-20 people.
The Military-Industrial Commission has its own tasks. First of all, to involve manufacturers of weapons and equipment in the work. A representative of the Kalashnikov concern has already visited Nizhnevartovsk. The next step is the creation of a special drone based on solar batteries (conventional batteries cannot withstand cold). And, of course, we need to somehow solve the problem of snowmobiles - extreme people can afford to walk in Canadian cars, but the Russian army cannot.
But for all the intended targets of the "Northern Landing Force" is clearly not enough. And in the end, the military has its own tasks, and the travelers have their own routes and plans. But Alexander Peterman has one idea that will solve these problems. He dreams of creating a training center for the Arctic troops in Nizhnevartovsk. Why not actually? Nizhnevartovsk is convenient from the point of view of all the same logistics: there is an airfield, a highway and a railway. The climate in Siberia is rather harsh. And when it comes to field trials, you can dive into trailers: a few hundred kilometers - and you're in the tundra. It is much cheaper than building a center in the High North.
The project was supported by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and, judging by the text of the letter sent to Nizhnevartovsk, by the Ministry of Defense, too, expressing "interest in creating this center." There is a hope that a decision on its construction will be made in the near future, but now the Northern Landing Force has saved Russia not only a lot of money, but also the most important thing - time. According to Oleg Martyanov, without Nizhnevartovsk residents, the training of the special forces would have dragged on for at least five to six years.
