The development of advanced weapons and equipment for the Russian airborne forces continues. To date, several new models for various purposes have been adopted, and in the foreseeable future, the arsenals and the fleet of equipment will be replenished with new domestic developments. According to the latest reports, at the end of this decade, the newest anti-aircraft missile system "Ptitselov", created specifically for the Airborne Forces, should appear.
A few days ago, there were new reports on the progress of creating such an anti-aircraft system. On August 2, on the professional holiday of the landing, the TASS news agency published some information received from an unnamed source in the military-industrial complex. The source disclosed the existing plans, named some of the features of the promising air defense system, and in addition, announced the approximate timing of the appearance of the new development. At the same time, he did not disclose the main technical characteristics of the combat vehicle and its weapons. Combined with already known information, the new information makes it possible to visibly update the existing picture.
A source of the TASS news agency said that at present the project with the code "Birds" is at the stage of development work. This phase of the program should be completed by the end of 2019. Already in 2020, it is planned to put a new air defense system into service with the airborne troops and establish its serial production. The required number of such combat vehicles and other similar plans directly related to the rearmament of units remain unknown.
According to the source, the new Ptitselov complex will be airborne and airborne, for which it is planned to be built on the chassis of the BMD-4M airborne assault vehicle. The combat module of the complex will carry only missile weapons, which will allow attacking air targets at short ranges. At the same time, in terms of its combat capabilities, the promising air defense system will twice surpass the systems already in service.
It should be noted that the information from an unnamed source in the defense industry in the most serious way changes the already established picture, based on previous news about the Birds project. The development of a new air defense system specifically for the Airborne Forces became known a few years ago, and since then some information about this system has become public knowledge. Apparently, over the past time, the designers of military equipment and the customer managed to noticeably revise their plans, as well as change the appearance of the desired anti-aircraft system.
Recall that the first reports on the development of a promising airborne anti-aircraft complex suitable for use in the Airborne Forces appeared in mid-2013. It was reported that the Tula Instrument Design Bureau is engaged in such a project. At that time, the anti-aircraft complex for the landing was planned to be built on the basis of the existing missile-gun "Pantsir-C1". It was assumed that such a machine, having the required mobility, would be able to replace the existing Strela-10 air defense systems and portable systems of the Igla family on the battlefield.
At the beginning of May 2016, the name “Birds” appeared for the first time in media reports. According to press data obtained from unnamed sources in the defense industry, in the foreseeable future, it was planned to create a promising short-range air defense system based on the BMD-4M tracked chassis for arming the airborne troops. The high priority of the project was noted, which is directly related to the peculiarities of the fleet of airborne forces: this branch of the military still operates systems created about 40 years ago, and therefore, despite the repair and modernization of existing equipment, it needs new anti-aircraft complexes, including those with special features and special features.
Soon after the first reports about the ROC "Ptitselov", information appeared about the possible appearance of the promising complex. With reference to an unnamed source in the Ministry of Defense, TASS wrote that defense industry specialists and the customer were considering the possibility of using various combat modules, including existing models. Thus, the short-range air defense system "Birdies" could receive a combat module from the serial system "Strela-10" or "Sosna".
At the end of May last year, the domestic press clarified the current state of affairs in the project. An unnamed source at the headquarters of the airborne forces told reporters about the start of work on the creation of the "Birdman". At the same time, however, at that time the work was at the stage of technical design. Development work had not yet begun. Despite this, the source revealed some details of the future rearmament. According to the plans of that time, the Ptitselov air defense systems were to enter service with the anti-aircraft missile regiments of the Airborne Forces, formed several years ago, and replace the material part of the old types that they had.
At the end of July last year, the first official statements appeared concerning the further fate of the new anti-aircraft systems. Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces, Lieutenant-General Andrei Kholzakov, revealed the existing plans regarding promising technology such as Typhoon and Poultry. According to the general, according to the plan, the new armored personnel carrier and air defense systems should appear in the army in 2017. However, the deputy commander did not rule out the possibility of revising such plans.
Over the next year, no new information was received from officials or unnamed sources about the progress of the Birdcatcher Project. Only a few days ago, at the very beginning of August, some interesting details were published. It should be noted that the latest reports to a certain extent supplement the already known data, and in some moments contradict them. All this suggests that over the past year the "Birds" project has undergone significant changes, apparently aimed at improving the characteristics and obtaining new combat capabilities.
According to available data, the promising air defense system "Ptitselov", intended for the airborne troops, will have the maximum possible unification with the existing serial equipment. First of all, this will be expressed in the use of the tracked chassis of the newest BMD-4M airborne combat vehicle. At the present time, such machines have been adopted and put into series. The use of the existing chassis will to a certain extent simplify the operation of the new technology, and will also allow the anti-aircraft complex to be transported by existing military transport aircraft and, if necessary, parachute it.
For obvious reasons, the volume and methods of processing the base chassis are still unknown, and in this context, one can only make various predictions. Most likely, during the development of the "Birdcatcher", the BMD-4M chassis will lose only the turret and the corresponding equipment of the fighting compartment, while the hull, power plant, chassis, etc. will remain the same. As a result, the anti-aircraft vehicle will retain its anti-bullet armor and a relatively powerful power plant, providing it with high mobility on land and on water.
Requirements in terms of air transportability and the possibility of landing from military transport aircraft allow one to imagine the approximate dimensions and combat weight of a promising vehicle. Obviously, in these parameters, the new "Birdies" will not have to seriously differ from the serial BMD-4M.
Over the past several years, the possibility of building a "Birdcatcher" using existing combat modules has been mentioned. The first "candidate" for the role of the source of the required components was the Pantsir-C1 missile-gun. Later, the possibility of using components and assemblies of the Strela-10 and Sosna air defense systems was mentioned.
According to the latest reports published earlier this month, the "Birdcatcher" complex will carry only missile weapons. Thus, direct borrowing of the Pantsir-C1 type combat module without any modifications is excluded. In addition, a TASS source said that in terms of range and height of target destruction, the promising anti-aircraft complex will be twice as large as the serial systems in service with the Airborne Forces. Such a statement makes it possible to roughly determine the main combat characteristics of the air defense system, as well as to imagine which of the existing missiles can be used to obtain such capabilities.
Currently, the most powerful and effective air defense systems in the airborne troops' fleet are Strela-10 self-propelled vehicles of several modifications. The missiles of these complexes, including the latest models, are capable of hitting targets at ranges up to 5 km and altitudes up to 3.5 km. Thus, from recent news, it follows that the Ptitselov air defense system will be able to shoot at a range of up to 10 km and an altitude of up to 7 km. The combat capabilities of the complex will increase accordingly.
Several years ago, when the first information about the development of a promising anti-aircraft missile (or missile-gun) complex for the airborne forces appeared, the timing of the completion of the design and deployment of mass production was not specified. The first reports on this matter indicated only an indefinite foreseeable future. Only last summer the command of the Airborne Forces indicated the exact date for the first time. According to the statements of the deputy commander, the first samples of the "Ptitselov" were supposed to enter the troops in 2017. Nevertheless, recent reports directly indicate a change in existing plans and a noticeable postponement. So, the stage of development work is now expected to be completed only at the end of 2019.
It can be assumed that during one of the first stages, the project encountered some difficulties, the result of which was the complication and delay of work. In addition, another scenario cannot be ruled out, in which, at a certain stage, the requirements for the project were seriously revised with corresponding consequences for the work schedule. One way or another, now there is every reason to believe that the plans announced last year have not been implemented, and, as a result, the deadlines for completing the main work on the "Birds" theme have noticeably shifted.
What will be the consequences of the change in the work schedule is anyone's guess. However, even such news may be a reason for optimistic forecasts. The postponement of key events to a later date allows us to assume a noticeable reworking of an existing project, implying the most serious increase in characteristics and expansion of opportunities. As a result, the armed forces can get a more advanced anti-aircraft system, even if it is several years later than the previously announced terms.
The main result of the successful completion of the "Birdcatcher" project, scheduled for the end of this decade, will be the rearmament of the anti-aircraft units of the Russian Airborne Forces. In this case, the project will have another interesting feature. The result of the current work will be the appearance of the world's first anti-aircraft missile system, immediately developed for transportation and parachute landing by military transport aircraft. Existing systems of such a purpose can be transported by air and disembarked in the required way, but specialized equipment that initially has such capabilities is not yet available.
According to current plans, by the end of this decade, anti-aircraft gunners of the airborne troops will have to use complexes of existing models. From 2020, deliveries of new equipment for a similar purpose should begin, featuring higher performance and greater flexibility of use. The appearance of such air defense systems will lead to a natural increase in the combat potential of the Airborne Forces and will allow them to more effectively solve assigned combat missions of one kind or another.
