Despite a significant reduction in the intensity of combat work, the operation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria continues and is still of great interest to domestic and foreign specialists. In this regard, more and more materials appear in the foreign press, the authors of which reveal various features of the current modernization of the Russian armed forces.
Among other areas of development, the renewal of electronic systems for combat aviation is of great interest. This is the topic of Dave Majumdar's article "The Russian Air Force Was Always Behind the West in One Key Area (Until Now)" The National Interest. As is clear from the title, the author of the article believes that Russian specialists have succeeded in drastically reducing the previously existing gap in one of the main areas.
At the beginning of his article, the American journalist draws conclusions about the current Russian operation in Syria. Recent events, in his opinion, clearly show that the "previously dilapidated" military aviation has recovered after the fall of the nineties, associated with the collapse of the Soviet Union. New precision weapons and the latest combat aircraft such as the Su-30SM, Su-34 and Su-35S were on display, but it is clear that Russia still lacks some capabilities.
One of these problems previously was the lack of modern target designation and guidance systems, similar to the American suspended sighting containers Northrop Grumman Litening G4 or Lockheed Martin Sniper. Nevertheless, it seems that Russia intends to get rid of this lag. The corporations "Rostec" and "Systems of Precision Instrumentation" are engaged in the creation of new tools that will help to catch up with progress in foreign countries.
According to the latest information from the Russian press, by the end of the year the Aerospace Forces should begin testing the latest suspended sighting container with special equipment. As the newspaper Izvestia writes, representatives of the military department held all the necessary consultations with specialists of the defense industry, and also agreed on the timing of the work. Testing of a new means for combat aircraft will begin this year.
According to D. Majumdar, the new suspended container for Russian aircraft can be used by various types of equipment. It will be carried by the Su-30SM, Su-35S, Su-34 and MiG-35 aircraft. From the point of view of technical appearance, this system will differ little from foreign counterparts. The container equipment will include satellite navigation equipment, and in addition, optoelectronic and laser systems will be used to search for targets, target designation and weapon guidance. It is also possible to use systems for transmitting and receiving video signals, similar to those used in US technology. At the same time, the author notes that exact data on various features of the new Russian systems are not yet available.
D. Majumdar believes that Russian specialists accelerated work on the new project after the first analyzes of the combat experience of the Syrian operation. The study of the combat work of aviation could show the importance of using additional equipment for the use of weapons. At the same time, the author recalls the accusations of the Russian military aviation in the low accuracy of the strikes. In his opinion, such results of aircraft combat work may be associated precisely with the absence of suspended sighting containers responsible for the use of high-precision weapons.
Until recently, the Russian industry did not produce or even develop containers with special equipment. Nevertheless, realizing the need for such systems, at the beginning of the 2000s, Moscow was negotiating the purchase or even licensed production of French Thales Damocles systems. The contract for the supply of the finished equipment was not signed, and negotiations on the purchase of a license did not yield the expected results. At the same time, despite all the efforts made, the industry has not been able to create a similar system with the required characteristics.
Referring to Izvestia, the American journalist reveals a possible reason for the successful completion of the development of a new Russian project. Not so long ago, Russian enterprises managed to master the production of piezoelectric ceramic films up to 100 microns thick. Such a technological breakthrough allows the creation of various new systems, including suspension target designation systems. Films with the required characteristics are produced by the Research Institute "ELPA" (Zelenograd). This organization initially faced some difficulties, but later it was able to establish a full-fledged production of new products.
Thanks to the emergence of new materials, Precision Instrumentation Systems Corporation was able to begin the development of a new suspension system for combat aircraft. The design of the new container was reportedly completed late last year. The production of the new product should start at the end of summer 2016, after which the project will be ready for testing. D. Majumdar suggests that the appearance of a container with target designation equipment will bring the strike capabilities of Russian aircraft to the level of existing American fourth-generation fighters, such as the F-15, F-16 or F / A-18.
The news of the completion of the development of the first domestic suspended sighting container for military aircraft appeared on May 6. An unnamed representative of the Aerospace Forces told Izvestia about the current work and some plans of the industry and the military department. In addition, it is reported that several domestic organizations are currently engaged in the development of containers, however, only one project has come close to testing at the moment.
According to available data, the new aiming containers will be equipped with optoelectronic systems and other equipment necessary to determine the location of the target and calculate the parameters of the use of weapons. It is assumed that the use of such systems will allow existing aircraft to use weapons with greater efficiency. The probability of detecting and correctly identifying targets should increase, as well as the accuracy of shooting and the overall effectiveness of strikes.
Prospective suspended sighting containers are intended for installation on aircraft with limited strike capabilities against ground targets. With the help of such equipment, fighters that are limitedly capable of destroying ground targets are able to use a wider range of weapons with greater effectiveness of strikes. Thus, with the help of overhead equipment, a fighter can become a full-fledged front-line bomber with relatively high performance.
It is reported that over the next few months, the Precision Instrumentation Systems corporation is to produce a prototype of the new system, after which it will begin testing, including with the use of a carrier aircraft. The successful completion of these and subsequent works will significantly increase the strike potential of the domestic front-line aviation. Thus, the title of the article from The National Interest will accurately reflect the current situation: the lag will indeed be a thing of the past.
News from Izvestia about the current state of the project:
