In modern armed forces, various electronic equipment plays an important role. Such equipment is used as communication systems, detection, control and in many other areas. For this reason, electronic warfare (EW), as well as other electronic technologies, is one of the priority areas. In recent years, many electronic warfare systems for various purposes with different characteristics have been created in our country and abroad. According to domestic media reports, Russian engineers are currently working on promising systems of this class, capable of inflicting much more damage on the enemy in comparison with existing complexes.
At the end of September, Expert Online, in the article "Electromagnetic Weapons: How the Russian Army Beat the Competitors," reviewed the latest successes of the Russian defense industry in creating electronic warfare equipment. Journalists of the online edition recalled the system "Ranets-E", demonstrated at exhibitions at the beginning of the last decade, and also talked about the developments of the early nineties, proposed for solving various problems. However, other information available in the publication is of particular interest.
With reference to an unnamed employee of the Rostec corporation, the Expert Online publication reports on work on a weapon using an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). At present, the concern's specialists are developing the Alabuga complex designed to suppress enemy electronics using EMP. An unnamed Rostec employee said that systems using EMP already exist, but their main problem at the moment is the delivery of equipment to enemy positions. In the Alabuga project, it is proposed to use a rocket for this.
The Alabuga system is a rocket that uses an electromagnetic pulse generator as a warhead. The task of the rocket is to deliver the generator to the area where the enemy troops are located, after which an impulse is generated. It is alleged that the generator is switched on at altitudes of the order of 200-300 m above the enemy's positions and effectively affects the electronics within a radius of 3.5 km. Thus, one missile with a special warhead can leave a large subdivision of the enemy army without communications and other electronic equipment. After such an attack using EMP, according to the source of the Expert Online publication, the enemy can only surrender, and the damaged non-combatant equipment becomes a trophy.
Unfortunately, the Alabuga project is still secret and therefore the Rostec employee told only about the main features of the new original weapon. At the same time, he noted some of the problems that scientists and designers had to face. Thus, an EMP system capable of generating a pulse of sufficient power has large dimensions and weight. To deliver this system to enemy positions, a missile with appropriate characteristics is required. At the same time, however, the increase in the size of the delivery vehicle makes it more vulnerable to enemy air and missile defense systems.
According to the publication "Expert Online", the "Alabuga" system has already passed tests and at present the specialists are engaged in its fine-tuning and improvement. For obvious reasons, more accurate information about the progress of the project remains a mystery. Moreover, prior to the publication of the publication "Electromagnetic Weapons: Where the Russian Army Outstripped its Competitors", the very existence of the Alabuga project was not known to the general public.
Despite the lack of information, the Alabuga project - if it really exists, and the source in Rostec is really related to advanced developments - is of great interest. Research on weapons that use an electromagnetic pulse to destroy enemy electronics has been carried out by leading countries for quite a long time, but so far such systems have not come to use in practice.
Nevertheless, the developed states have weapons capable of hitting electronic systems with the help of EMP - these are nuclear weapons of various classes. However, in this case, the electromagnetic pulse is only one of several damaging factors of the ammunition. In addition, the effect of other damaging factors of a nuclear explosion significantly exceeds the effect of EMP. For this reason, nuclear weapons, although they have an impact on electronics, still cannot be considered specialized weapons aimed at disrupting the operation of electronic systems.
Judging by the published data, the promising Alabuga system has both positive and negative features. The former should include the possibility of a relatively quick and simple disabling of various enemy systems and communications. It is argued that one missile with an EMP generator is capable of disabling equipment within a radius of 3.5 km. Thus, with the help of a relatively small amount of ammunition, it is possible, at least, to seriously impede the actions of a large grouping of enemy forces.
Like other weapons, the Alabuga system is probably not without its drawbacks. First of all, these are large dimensions and weight, which impose certain restrictions on the means of delivery used. Another problem is specific combat capabilities. The effectiveness of EMP depends on a variety of factors, including the protection of the attacked equipment. With the right approach to the design of the protection of electronic systems, damage from an electromagnetic pulse can be significantly reduced.
The existence of the Alabuga project was not previously reported. Moreover, information about the development of domestic electronic warfare systems using an electromagnetic pulse was fragmentary. Due to the secrecy of the work being carried out, one should not expect that in the near future new information on promising projects will be announced. Nevertheless, information about the existence of a new project can show that Russian specialists not only see the prospects for a new direction, but are also engaged in projects in this area.
