Sensational and frightening reports of foreign weapons development have long become commonplace, and therefore managed to lose some of their "terrifying" potential. Nevertheless, more and more new articles regularly appear, the authors of which are trying to convince the reader of the impending threat. This time, the theme of the miracle weapon of Russian design, threatening the whole world, was raised by the British tabloid Daily Star.
On the last day of September, the Daily Star, known for its love of sensations, published an article by Tom Towers with the eerie title "Russia developing secret weapon 'MORE POWERFUL than nuclear bomb'" - "Russia is developing a secret weapon more powerful than a nuclear bomb." made it clear what area the publication touches, and also transparently hinted at the most terrible consequences of the events described.
Following the traditions of the tabloid press, the author has supplemented the loud title with several subheadings designed to complement it. He pointed out that Russian scientists are developing powerful new military devices that could be more effective than nuclear weapons. The second subtitle turned out to be more daring: Vladimir Putin will be able to destroy entire armies with the help of new technologies.
T. Towers began his article by recalling some well-known facts. As he pointed out, the so-called. Electronic weapons are capable of destroying all electronic equipment within a radius of several miles, and can also disable an entire army. Electromagnetic emitters of special design can suppress or destroy aviation communication systems or on-board missile guidance equipment. Moreover, all such actions can be carried out from a distance of several miles.
Also, electromagnetic weapons can be used against ground vehicles. A powerful impulse is capable of hitting and disabling the mechanisms for loading ammunition into a tank gun, or even provoking the detonation of ammunition right in the packs. Finally, according to a British journalist, electromagnetic weapons can kill enemy soldiers hiding at depths of up to 100 m with radiation.
Having described the general possibilities of an electromagnetic pulse and "cheering up" the readers, the author proceeds to the latest news in the field of electronic systems. According to recent reports, the Russian defense industry has created a promising electromagnetic missile called the Alabuga. This product is capable of literally turning off all enemy electronic systems within a radius of 2.3 miles.
As the British journalist writes, the new Russian weapon will be used by promising unmanned aerial vehicles. First of all, the Alabuga missile will become a means of fighting enemy aircraft.
Also, Russian scientists have created a remote mine clearance system "Foliage", designed to search for and destroy potentially dangerous objects. This complex is capable of neutralizing an explosive device at a distance of up to 100 m. With the help of on-board equipment, the "Foliage" type machine must find land mines of various types, after which it is proposed to destroy them with a directed high-frequency beam. Over the next two years, the Russian armed forces will have to receive 150 vehicles of this type.
Developing the thesis about the foreign threat in the form of a new electromagnetic weapon, T. Towers thinks about third countries. He believes there are grounds for concern regarding the development of such systems in North Korea. Such weapons could be designed for a hypothetical attack on South Korean nuclear power plants, banks, government agencies and other facilities. A powerful electromagnetic pulse can damage the electronics of these objects, which will lead to a variety of consequences of one kind or another.
The Daily Star concludes its article with a pinch of theory. It reminds us that an electromagnetic pulse is one of the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion. Powerful radiation can disrupt or even burn electrical and electronic systems. Infrastructure of South Korea may become one of the targets of EMP weapons.
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It is hardly surprising at the tone of a recent Daily Star article, as well as its loud title and terrifying subheadings. All this, first of all, is connected with the format of the publication and its methods of promoting its publications. For obvious reasons, stories about aggressive Russia are quite popular abroad, and therefore turn out to be a good way to raise ratings.
However, the specifics of the tabloid format can hardly justify some, at least, ambiguous features of the article "Russia developing secret weapon 'MORE POWERFUL than nuclear bomb'". So, a few days before its publication, new information appeared about Russian projects of electronic warfare systems, which pretty much supplemented the previously existing picture. Nevertheless, this information was not taken into account by T. Towers, and outdated data were included in his article, which apparently did not fully correspond to reality.
As a reminder, on September 28, the Russian media published excerpts from an interview with Vladimir Mikheev, advisor to the first deputy general director of the Radioelectronic Technologies concern. Among other things, the representative of the leading organization mentioned the "Alabuga" project, information about which had been in the public domain for a long time.
According to V. Mikheev, the code "Alabuga" had no direct relation to any specific model of weapons or equipment. This name bore the research work on the study of the prospects for electronic warfare, carried out at the beginning of the decade. As part of this program, KRET specialists carried out a large amount of research, the purpose of which was to determine the potential and capabilities of new electronic warfare equipment.
A substantial amount of information collected during the research work "Alabuga" has already found application. As the representative of the concern "Radioelectronic Technologies" said, certain developments in this program were developed and were used in new projects. Thus, the development of electronic warfare systems in recent years has been carried out precisely with the use of information obtained at the beginning of the decade.
It is already known about several new projects of electronic warfare systems of various types. In particular, a line of electromagnetic pulse generators is being created, suitable for mounting on missiles of different classes. Nevertheless, as far as is known, such products are not the result of the Alabuga project, although they are based on the developments in this R&D.
It should be recalled that information about the EMP missile of the "Alabuga" type first appeared several years ago. The Russian press, citing unnamed sources in the military, wrote about the development of a missile with a warhead in the form of the so-called. explosive magnetic generator. It was reported that such a product could fly several kilometers and create a powerful electromagnetic pulse at a given point. With a triggering altitude of about 200-300 m, such a missile could hit targets within a radius of 3.5 km. However, as it turned out a few days ago, no specific ammunition had been developed within the framework of the Alabuga project.
The concern of the British tabloid about the presence of electromagnetic weapons in Russia is quite understandable, but the mention of the "Foliage" machine in this context looks strange. If the hypothetical Alabuga missile can be used in offensive operations and facilitate the advance of troops by neutralizing the enemy, the Foliage complex has a completely different purpose. A remote mine clearance machine (MDR) must search for and neutralize explosive devices in the path of troops.
MDR 15M107 "Foliage" is built on the basis of a three-axle armored vehicle and is completed with a set of special equipment. The largest and most noticeable elements of the vehicle's radio-electronic complex are the antenna located on the roof and the frame with radiators fixed in the front of the chassis. Also, the armored car is equipped with other equipment, part of which is taken out of the protected hull. Such an appearance allows "Foliage" to work in the same order with other equipment, from armored combat vehicles to mobile ground-based missile systems.
Using onboard electronic systems, the crew of MDR "Foliage" must conduct a survey of the surrounding area and look for explosive devices. The equipment provides for the study of the terrain at a distance of up to 100 m in a sector with a width of 30 °. The detected ammunition is proposed to be destroyed using a high-frequency electromagnetic pulse generator. Such a beam literally burns the electrical circuits of the mine, provoking it to detonate or disable it without triggering. If necessary, the crew of the vehicle can independently neutralize the explosive device.
Prototypes of "Foliage" were put out for testing a few years ago, but the full-fledged operation of such equipment began relatively recently. At the end of September, the newest MDRs took part in real exercises for the first time. The demining vehicle accompanied the Yars missile systems and solved the problem of searching for explosive devices. According to the legend of the exercises, on the route of the convoy, the conditional enemy laid two dozen mines with control based on cell phones. Training explosive devices were located both on the road itself and at a distance of up to 70 m from it.
The crew of the MDR 15M107 successfully coped with the assigned tasks, detecting all threats in a timely manner. According to the Ministry of Defense, the clearance of mines was carried out using radio signals simulating a command to detonate. The "Foliage" vehicle found and destroyed all dangerous objects, thanks to which the convoy of the Strategic Missile Forces was able to pass the specified route without difficulty.
As you can see, most of the frightening theses from the Daily Star turned out to be a way to attract the attention of the reader in order to banally raise the rating. However, some of the main ideas of the article "Russia developing secret weapon 'MORE POWERFUL than nuclear bomb'" are more or less true, and besides, there are real reasons for concern.
It is well known that the Russian Ministry of Defense pays special attention to promising electronic warfare systems of different classes and different purposes. It is also known about work in the field of weapons using an electromagnetic pulse. Thus, in the foreseeable future, promising models of special systems and weapons may enter the armament of the Russian army, including those based on new principles of work that have not yet found application in the military sphere.
Such prospects for the development of Russian electronic systems can pretty much irritate a potential adversary, especially in the face of countries with developed armies. Modern armed forces make the most active use of radio communications, control systems, radar, etc., which is why they are extremely sensitive to the use of electronic warfare equipment. The emergence of weapons that use an electromagnetic pulse and are capable of disabling equipment is becoming a very serious challenge and a real problem.
At the end of his article, the British journalist mentioned the possibility of an EMP weapon in the DPRK. The unfavorable and regularly deteriorating situation on the Korean Peninsula suggests that the presence of such weapons in one of the parties to a hypothetical conflict can lead to the most serious consequences.
Foreign developments in the field of weapons and military equipment of the unit are becoming a topic for publications of a different nature, including those designed to attract the attention of the reader with a flashy headline. This time the reason for the "terrible" publication in the tabloid press was the latest reports on Russian developments in the field of electronic warfare. Not all of the information from the Daily Star turned out to be true, and the article was far from enlightening readers. However, one should not forget that such publications - for all their dubiousness - may well have one or another influence on the mood in society.
