Having gathered together all the available information about the weapons program, the orders and purchases being made, the content of the SDO program, we will practically not see any proposals and solutions for the military air defense.
A place under the sun
Everybody has heard of the priority development of air defense. Everyone who wants and does not want to know about the scale of this development - the rearmament of the S-400 and S-500 air defense systems, is also fully aware of the cost of these solutions.
For some reason, few people are embarrassed that such information is available to anyone. More recently, such information was, at least not for publication. Suggests that this is specially disseminated information to become a deterrent for NATO forces.
Information about the modernization of "Tor-M2" rarely flashes, but what an advertisement for the "Pantsir-S" air defense missile systems, which will be delivered to the units of the Ground Forces.
And where is the modernization, modification or financing of the military air defense - S-300V, Buk - M2 and M3, Tunguska?
Let's take the created VKO troops and see the main tasks performed by the air defense, and see that one of the main tasks of the air defense is performed by the military air defense - neutralizing the enemy's attempts to achieve air dominance over the place of hostilities, protecting strategic objects.
How it was
At the end of the 80s, the newest air defense systems and air defense systems were supplied to the troops with a periodicity of 2-3 years, not to mention control systems, radio engineering systems and modernizations.
The military air defense had a clear structure, its own systems for training military specialists.
The ground forces possessed a unified air defense system, which included the air defense troops of the district (front), army, division, and regiment. Coastal units of the navy, airborne units were also armed with various weapons of military air defense.
By the way, today the airborne units have preserved the military air defense best of all, which is still developing in our time.
It makes no sense to talk about the capabilities of the military air defense, just to mention that it was capable of destroying all combat helicopters of NATO countries, the number of which is approximately 2,000 units.
The main task today is to survive
No, military air defense will not disappear without a trace, like army aviation, and will not be radically reduced.
Yes, the former air defense forces of the Soviet Union are going through hard times. The reassignment, relocation and reduction, begun in the USSR, continues to this day.
Now there is a so-called "phased" reduction.
This will lead to a crumpled transition from multiple coverage of the entire territory of Russia to local coverage over important and strategic facilities.
The low-altitude field is practically not guarded in all operational and strategic directions. Anti-aircraft units with fully combat weapons (S-300PT, S-200, S-125, S-75) are massively reduced and disbanded. This, of course, is not bad, but what has come to replace it? Where is the latest and most advanced weapons?
As you know, over the past few years, a very small number of S-400 air defense systems have entered service. And they will not cope with the task that dozens of disbanded units performed, and their tasks are different.
It is also known that the ratio of the air force to air defense officers is 7: 1. The loss of the Tver Academy of the East Kazakhstan region is possible, there is no one and no one to train officers for. The fact that there are enough officers in the Air Force only makes us happy as patriots of the Fatherland. And we are solving the same problem - we are protecting the Russian sky.
What do we have
Of all the army radio engineering units (about 30 separate battalions), only two remained, and those remained only due to the entry into the ZRB. The district radio engineering divisions were disbanded. The training of military specialists has been discontinued. And the loss of the last specialists for many years will leave the troops without reconnaissance of air targets.
The newly created districts did not remain without air defense troops and include:
- command posts of air defense;
- ZRB S-300V (VM), Buk-M2 and M3;
- ZRD combined arms formations armed with:
• Strela-10M;
• ZPRK "Tunguska-M";
• SAM "Osa-AKM";
• ZSU-23-4 "Shilka";
• SAM "Tor-M1 and M2";
• MANPADS "Igla".
Each unit of the military air defense has radio engineering departments with radars of various modifications.
Military specialists are trained in the military air defense academy, there are training centers for the training of junior military specialists, a training ground, anti-aircraft training regiments.
The total number of target channels in the military air defense system has dropped several times when compared with the time before the adoption of the reforms.
In 2 districts there is not even the required number of air defense missile systems, the same situation is in 2 combined-arms formations.
80 percent of the military air defense equipment and weapons have a service life of more than 25 years, the equipment and weapons are not only outdated, but also in an extremely deplorable state.
What can we have
More recently, information has appeared, taken from the websites of the Ministry of Defense, about the prospects for the development of military air defense.
According to the information, over the next 10 years, new military units will be deployed in the armed forces, according to the orders of the Ministry of Defense, new weapons will be created, and they will go to the troops. The number of serviceable armament of the military air defense will reach 70 percent.
I want to believe, but what to do in these 10 years, how many units and specialists will be cut, and who will serve in new divisions using new equipment.
You can even start counting all the promises made regarding the military. Virtually none have been fully implemented, and many have not been more than half completed. The promises made are alarming and only give hope to believe in the best.
Outcome
We all welcome the development of air defense systems, the declared characteristics of the S-400 and S-500 complexes are amazing. But the costs of their production are also striking.
But a couple of years ago, the modernized S-300VM and S-300VDM were designed using two missiles:
- long-range anti-aircraft guided missile with possible directional detonation near the target;
- high-altitude anti-aircraft guided missile without failures in the affected area.
The missiles were tested almost five years ago, showed characteristics that were not met even in the S-400, and this at a cost three times less than the S-400 air defense system.
The last thing I would like to draw your attention to is the S-500 complex. It is good that the complex will be able to hit the stated targets. And who will destroy low-flying small-sized targets, cover their military units on the battlefield?
After all, the S-400 and S-500 complexes will perform their tasks, and the named ones will remain military air defense.
It is quite possible that the new VKO troops will eventually take over the solution of these tasks, and the wax air defense will simply die out along with its problems.
