About 35-40 years ago, any reasoning and conclusions on the protection of the positions of friendly military units from cannon shells, and even more so from enemy rocket artillery with the help of air defense systems, could cause complete bewilderment not only in the circles of amateurs and specialists in the field of artillery, but also in officers of the USSR Air Defense Forces, well-versed in the technical details of the work of the then-promising anti-aircraft missile systems of the S-125, "Circle", "Cube" types, as well as the line of long-range complexes of the S-200A / V / D type ("Angara", "Vega" and "Dubna"). This is not surprising, since all of the above anti-aircraft missile systems, firstly, were built on an outdated analog electronic element base, which can be compared with old tube TVs, and therefore there could be no question of the proper level of processing of the signal reflected from a small-sized air target; secondly, the target illumination radars of the above-mentioned Krug, Kub and S-200 complexes were bizarre parabolic antennas that are extremely vulnerable to enemy electronic jamming and are unable to detect targets with a 20 or more times less effective reflecting surface than that of fighter MiG-21.
We can observe the results of the above-described shortcomings of the outdated guidance radars in the chronology of the air war in Vietnam, when American F-4Es smashed the antenna posts of the C-75 anti-aircraft missile systems of the Vietnamese air defense forces with impunity using AGM-45 Shrike anti-radar missiles with an effective reflective surface about 0.2 sq. m (for example: MiG-29SMT has a reflective surface within 2 sq. m. with weapons on pendants). Nevertheless, the trend with the technological unfeasibility of destroying small-sized targets due to the low resolution of the parabolic antennas of the radars of anti-aircraft missile systems and the lack of "digitization" of electronics continued until about the beginning of the 1980s, when the newest anti-aircraft missile systems acquired operational combat readiness. type S-300PT-1 and S-300PS, which for the first time received target illumination radars 5N63 based on a passive phased antenna array.
Consequently, the higher resolution of the illumination radar, together with the advanced methods of processing the electromagnetic signal reflected from the target, allowed the S-30PT / PS complexes to work on the smallest air objects with an effective reflecting surface (EOC / EPR) of about 0.05 sq. m. These complexes were able to intercept anti-radar missiles of the "Shrike", HARM types, operational-tactical ballistic missiles "Lance", as well as numerous types of low-altitude cruise missiles. It is logical to assume that in the absence of powerful electronic interference from the enemy, the S-300PT / PS is capable of intercepting even unguided rockets of the Smerch multiple launch rocket system, their reflective surface reaches 0.1 - 0.15 sq. m. Today, we will consider the development trends of more advanced air defense systems that are capable of defending army units and strategically important objects not only from large-caliber unguided rockets, but also from mortar mines, as well as ordinary high-explosive fragmentation shells.
Without a doubt, one of the most promising projects in this area can be considered the US miniature anti-missile MHTK ("Miniature Hit-to-Kill"). By the designation "hit-to-kill" (eng. "Shock defeat"), we can understand that this high-precision missile to destroy the target uses not an ordinary high-explosive fragmentation warhead with a directed spread of striking elements, but a direct hit on the target with the so-called kinetic damage. The product has been developed by Lockheed Martin since 2012. During this period, several successful field tests were carried out at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The MHTK interceptor missile has a diameter of about 38 mm, a length of 61 cm and a mass of 2.3 kg, due to which up to 9 such missiles can be accommodated in just one transport and launch container of the MML (Multi-Mission Launcher) multipurpose military missile system.
The ability to directly hit such a small target as an 82/120-mm mortar mine or 155-mm howitzer projectile is provided by the MHTK's active or semi-active radar homing head, operating in the most high-precision millimeter wavelength range, while the standard anti-aircraft rockets usually use the centimeter range of operation. It is worth noting an important detail: mortar mines and rockets, unlike modern Iskander-type ballistic missiles, are extremely low-maneuverable air targets, and therefore the specialists of the Lockheed Martin company equipped MHTK missiles with conventional aerodynamic rudders, which are quite enough for reaching the target …
Such a simple design significantly reduces the cost of serial production of the MHTK and does not inflict a big blow on the purse of the US defense department if it is necessary to repel a massive enemy artillery strike. A massive heavy-duty tungsten rod is used as a warhead. The MHTK itself has a range of about 4000 meters. The use of active radar guidance for each missile makes it possible to simultaneously attack several dozen approaching mines and enemy shells during an artillery strike. Prelaunch target designation can be sent directly to each MHTK missile via radio data exchange from various ground-based radar reconnaissance equipment (Firefinder artillery reconnaissance radars or Sentinel multifunctional air target detection radars).
In October 2017, the Russian Pantsir-C1 anti-aircraft missile and gun system deployed at the Khmeimim airbase proved to the whole world that it has the ability to intercept Grad missiles. But, unfortunately, this complex is unlikely to be able to repel a massive strike of the enemy's ordinary cannon artillery due to the presence of a conventional radio command guidance system for 57E6E missiles, while active homing heads are required, allowing to realize a direct hit on the target, as well as increasing target channel of one combat vehicle. It is possible that these abilities will be embodied "in the hardware" of the new modification of the Pantsir-SM air defense missile system with an anti-aircraft missile with a range of 40 km.
