Work continues on the creation of new weapons and military equipment. In particular, new combat modules are being designed for vehicles of different classes, equipped with different weapons. Recently it became known that in the foreseeable future the fleet of equipment of the domestic armed forces may be replenished with a new artillery anti-aircraft complex. The development of such a system is currently under way at the Central Research Institute "Burevestnik".
On July 15, RIA Novosti published an interview with Georgy Zakamennykh, General Director of the Central Research Institute "Burevestnik". The head of the company spoke about various aspects of work and new projects. Among other things, he mentioned the work on the project of a promising anti-aircraft artillery complex. Such equipment, created in the interests of military air defense, will be equipped with a 57 mm caliber gun. A characteristic feature of this complex will be a combat module, taken out of the body of the vehicle. In this case, the operation of all systems will be controlled remotely.
Unfortunately, the CEO of the development organization did not disclose the details of the new project. Only the caliber of the gun, the purpose and some features of the layout of the new complex for military air defense became known. Nevertheless, previously published information about the projects of the Central Research Institute "Burevestnik" and other related organizations can serve as clues when trying to predict the appearance of a promising anti-aircraft artillery self-propelled gun. The fact is that Burevestnik's specialists are currently developing combat modules intended for use as part of equipment based on the latest unified platforms. In addition, a project of a combat module with a 57-mm automatic cannon was presented a few months ago.
According to G. Zakamennykh, a 57-mm self-propelled rapid-fire anti-aircraft artillery complex is being created within the framework of the new project. This information, as well as previously published information, can be the basis for assumptions about the various features of a promising combat vehicle. Let's try to collect the available data and imagine what a new anti-aircraft complex could be.
Currently, the Russian army is armed with several anti-aircraft systems of military air defense, equipped with artillery pieces. First of all, these are the Tunguska and Pantsir-S1 self-propelled guns. They carry 30mm automatic cannons designed to destroy air targets at short range. In addition to cannons, these complexes are equipped with guided missiles that increase the range and increase the likelihood of destroying targets. Having a certain similarity at the level of the armament concept, the Tunguska and Pantsir-C1 complexes differ in the base chassis. They are based on tracked and wheeled chassis respectively.
At the moment, it is impossible to speak with confidence even about the class of chassis that will be used in the new project. However, the most likely option is to use a tracked chassis. Such equipment surpasses wheeled vehicles in cross-country ability and other characteristics, which should provide the new machine with high mobility. In addition, in this case, it will be possible to work in the same battle formations with tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other equipment.
Information on the use of the 57 mm gun is of the greatest interest. For several decades, such weapons were actually forgotten and were not used on new technology. Now there is a trend towards the return of such weapons. It is believed that 57 mm guns are of great interest, since their power allows you to effectively fight armored vehicles designed to protect against artillery of smaller calibers, mainly up to 30 mm. Thus, in the near future, it is possible that a whole series of guns will appear, surpassing the caliber of the currently widespread samples.
It should be noted that such weapons have already appeared in our country. At the beginning of this year, the Central Research Institute "Burevestnik" for the first time presented a new combat module AU-220M. This system is intended for installation on modernized and new combat vehicles of various types, which is expected to significantly increase their firepower. In addition, according to the developer, the combat module AU-220M can be used to attack air targets, which will lead to an expansion of the scope of combat vehicles.
Attention should be paid to the general architecture of the new combat module. It is made in the form of a system installed on the roof of the base vehicle body, outside the habitable volume. The general director of the Central Research Institute "Burevestnik" spoke about this architecture of promising technology a few days ago. Thus, there are grounds to believe that the AU-220M module or, rather, its modified version can be used as part of a promising anti-aircraft complex.
The combat module AU-220M is a special turret with weapons, completely mounted outside the internal volume of the combat vehicle. All the main equipment of the module is mounted on a support platform installed on the base combat vehicle. On the upper surface of the platform, an armored casing is provided that covers the breech of the gun and automatic loading. The front of the shroud has a window for the implement. The 57 mm cannon has an uncharacteristically long mask that covers not only the breech but also almost half of the barrel. The total length of the combat module reaches 5.82 m, the maximum width is 2.1 m, the height, taking into account all units, is up to 1.3 m.
The body of the combat module is assembled from armor plates of various thicknesses. All-aspect protection of units against bullets of caliber 7, 62 mm is declared. The frontal projection of the module, in turn, is capable of withstanding the impact of a 30 mm caliber projectile. Thus, the combat module AU-220M is protected from most threats arising on the battlefield at the present time, primarily from small arms and small-caliber artillery of the enemy.
To the left of the gun and on the upper surface of its casing, two blocks with optoelectronic equipment are installed to search for targets and target weapons. According to the developer, the sighting system includes optical and thermal imaging channels. The field of view of the equipment is stabilized in two planes. Laser rangefinders are also provided. The combat module is equipped with a fire control system that processes all the necessary information. It is possible to detect and attack targets in any weather conditions and at any time of the day. The same aiming equipment is used to control firing from a cannon and from a machine gun.
The main weapon of the AU-220M combat module is a 57 mm rifled cannon. The gun mount mechanisms provide vertical guidance within the sector from -5 ° to + 75 °. The rotation of the tower allows you to fire in any direction. An automatic cannon can fire at a rate of up to 200 rounds per minute. Transportable ammunition consists of 200 rounds. The gun uses unitary shots with several types of projectiles. Depending on the tactical need, the operator of the combat module can use armor-piercing, high-explosive fragmentation or guided projectiles. The maximum effective range of fire reaches 12 km. To reduce the impact on the units of the combat module and the base vehicle, the gun is equipped with a muzzle brake.
To the right of the main gun on the combat module, in a special armored casing, a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun is installed. The aiming of the machine gun is carried out due to the mechanisms common with the gun. The ammunition supply is produced using a flexible metal sleeve, along which the cartridge belt passes. Boxes for 2,000 rounds are located inside the body of the combat module. The used machine gun allows you to attack manpower and unprotected equipment at distances of up to 1500 m.
According to reports, the project of the AU-220M combat module with a 57 mm cannon was developed specifically for the promising Atom wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, developed within the framework of Russian-French cooperation. After recent events in the international arena, the combat vehicle development project was stopped, but work on the creation of the combat module, apparently, continued. The result was the "premiere" of the new system at the beginning of the year.
The well-known characteristics of the AU-220M system allow us to predict a great future for it. Obviously, a combat vehicle with such weapons will have great advantages over all currently existing armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, etc. A larger caliber cannon will provide a certain gain in effective firing range for all types of projectiles, including armor-piercing ones. In addition, a 57-mm gun with appropriate ammunition will have increased armor penetration rates, which will also affect combat capabilities.
According to the developer, the new combat module is equipped with weapon guidance systems that allow firing with elevation angles of up to + 75 °. Thus, a hypothetical armored vehicle with the AU-220M module will be able to fight not only ground targets, but also attack air targets with some success. For effective destruction of aircraft, however, some modifications may be required.
Domestic and foreign experience shows that for use as part of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, a combat module must have some specific features. So, the maximum possible elevation angle is required at the level of 80-85 °. In addition, radar systems are required to detect and track flying targets, as well as equipment for information processing and automatic weapons control. The presence of optoelectronic systems is also important, but by themselves they are insufficient for solving the assigned tasks.
It also requires some modification of the gun and ammunition for it. The most promising and effective means of engaging air targets are high-explosive fragmentation artillery shells with controlled detonation. Existing systems of this class include a special programmable fuse and a programmer device. During the shot, the programmer enters the necessary data into the projectile, due to which the warhead is detonated at a predetermined distance from the gun. Due to the accurate calculation of the guidance angles and the time of detonation of the projectile, the explosion occurs in the vicinity of the target, as a result of which it receives numerous damage from fragments.
It can be assumed that the use of a 57-mm cannon will significantly increase the combat effectiveness of the anti-aircraft system in comparison with existing systems. Currently, most of these systems are equipped with guns of no more than 30-35 mm caliber, which accordingly affects the power of the projectiles.
Based on the available information, it can be assumed that the promising anti-aircraft self-propelled artillery installation mentioned by G. Zakamennykh will be equipped with a new modification of the AU-220M combat module, modified for use in air defense. As a chassis for such a machine, various domestic tracked vehicles can be used. At the same time, taking into account the latest developments in this area, it cannot be ruled out that the basis for a promising self-propelled gun will be one of the newest unified chassis, for example, "Kurganets-25".
For obvious reasons, you can only speculate so far. Nevertheless, the available information allows us to put forward certain ideas with some certainty. How true all these assumptions will turn out to be - time will tell. However, it is already clear that the use of the new 57-mm cannon will significantly improve the characteristics of the new anti-aircraft complex and provide significant superiority over other similar systems. All that remains is to wait for new messages on an interesting topic and wait for the developer organization to be ready to submit open information about its new project.
