We can say for sure that the level of hopes placed by the Russian Aerospace Forces on a deeply modernized version of the strategic bomber-missile carrier "White Swan" with the Tu-160M2 index is clearly not inferior to the level of interest in the project of a promising long-range aviation complex (PAK DA), also known as the designation "Product 80". Unfortunately, our specialists from Tupolev PJSC, having consulted with representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the Aerospace Forces command, decided to follow the "US" concept of promising next-generation strategic aviation (a machine with a glider made according to the "flying wing" scheme will be subsonic), while At the same time, the Chinese companies Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation and Shenyng Aircraft Corporation went their own way, starting the design of the H-18 and YH-X supersonic 2-fly medium and long-range concepts. Let's hope that the low subsonic speed of the PAK DA will be more than compensated for by its ultra-low radar signature, unique on-board radar equipment and an impressive combat load in the internal weapon compartments. And now let's move on to the more famous project of the improved Tu-160M2.
The radar signature of the updated "Blackjack" ("Products 70"), of course, will not come close to the EPR of the developing PAK DA, but the main advantage is the speed of 2000 km / h, the missile carrier will retain, and therefore the time to reach the launch lines of the main missile weapons (TFR X-555, X-101 and promising X-BD) will be reduced by about 2 times. In conditions when the air theater of military operations is saturated with 5th generation fighters capable of supporting flight at supersonic cruising speeds of 1.5M, the high speed of the Tu-160M2 looks very, very attractive, and in a certain tactical situation it can even make it possible to a preemptive point strike to the enemy; PAK YES, operating at a speed of 900 - 950 km / h, is not capable of such a "throw". According to the commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the element base of the Tu-160M2 avionics will receive 60% of new digital modules. Integration of a promising information field is expected: the dashboards of the first and second pilots, as well as the operator and navigator operator will be equipped with high-resolution large-format color LCD MFIs, which will comfortably and clearly display the most insignificant tactical details in the theater of operations received by the on-board radar complex, irradiation, as well as those received from third-party radio and electronic reconnaissance means.
It is also known that the upgraded "strategists" will receive more economical improved bypass turbojet afterburners NK-32 series 02, which will bring the range up to 8000 km with a normal missile and bomb load and up to 6000 km - with a maximum load. The overall combat effectiveness of the vehicle should almost double due to the introduction of network-centric avionics and new display systems. A separate item is the SINS-SP-1 strapdown inertial navigation system, which will allow the "White Swan", even without correction by means of satellites of the GLONASS radio navigation system, to clearly determine its location, including the moment it reaches the launch line of missile weapons. The SINS-SP-1 hardware unit can interface with almost all modern avionics and weapons control systems due to the widespread data bus of the MIL-STD-1553B standard; it is also possible to use the US bus ARINC429. This strapdown INS is distinguished by excellent reliability (MTBF is almost 95 days), low weight and compactness of hardware (70 kg and 12, 3 dm3, respectively), as well as 24 channels for obtaining additional navigation information from third-party facilities. The "heart" of the system is 3 quartz accelerometers AK-15 and 3 ring laser gyroscopes KL-3, which ensure the accuracy of determining the roll and pitch angles of ± 0, 1º and the error in the heading direction of flight no more than 0.2º without satellite correction.
It is quite clear that a strategic missile-carrying bomber with such capabilities must be equipped with an advanced airborne defense system (ADS), which makes it possible to avoid being hit by anti-aircraft guided missiles and air-to-air missiles of the enemy. Work in this direction has already begun. In particular, according to the statement of Vladimir Mikheev, General Director of Concern Radioelectronic Technologies (KRET) JSC, development work has recently started on the design of a promising BKO for the new Tu-160M2, which is expected to "protect the board from all types of missiles." This complex will replace the BKO of the previous generation "Baikal". “Protect the aircraft from all types of missiles” - sounds very categorical and reassuring. However, you need to consider the issue in detail. What do we know about the new complex?
According to V. Mikheev, he will be able to detect targets at a distance of several hundred kilometers. Obviously, this means passive locating of radio-emitting ground and air objects, their classification and identification by the frequency of the electromagnetic signal emitted into space. In other words, the basic element of the new on-board defense system against KRET will be an advanced radiation warning station (RWS), the storage of which will be loaded with a huge number of known radiation patterns of various sea, land and air-based radars, as well as active radar homing heads for missiles and airborne missiles of the enemy. … The Blackjack operator will be able to conduct detailed electronic reconnaissance within a radius of approximately 400 - 600 km from the aircraft. The second means of warning can be a promising high-resolution attack missile detection station (SOAR), which will replace the Ogonyok heat direction finder located in the tail section of the Tu-160M2. It is likely that this station will be an analogue of the SOAP, which is part of the defense complex of the MiG-35 multipurpose fighter. This means that the detection range of the approaching airborne missile system will be about 30 km, and the MIM-104C missile defense system will be about 50 km. The capabilities for passive detection of enemy interceptor missiles, as well as their carriers, are very serious, but in conceptual terms they are close to those possessed by the existing on-board defense complex "Baikal"; only the list of identifiable attackers will increase, as well as the accuracy and range of their direction finding.
An equally important element of the promising BKO for the Tu-160M2 will be an antenna complex for electronic countermeasures to approaching interceptor missiles and enemy radar. In order for the future electronic warfare station to effectively suppress remote surveillance and multifunctional radar complexes of enemy air defense systems, as well as active radar homing missiles with directional jamming, and even in different frequency ranges simultaneously, it must be executed either in the form of a distributed aperture from 4 stationary compact active PAR, or from 2 rotating AFAR blades.
In the first case, a new airborne radar under the nose cone can play the role of the main AFAR director of the electronic warfare; the second and third AFAR canvases will also be placed under the radio-transparent nose cone, but will serve azimuth angles ≥60 ° from the Tu-160M2 heading direction (they will "look" into the sides, just like the side-scan antenna systems N036B-1-01L / B radar N036 "Belka" for the T-50 PAK FA fighter); the fourth AFAR web should work along the rear hemisphere (ZPS). As you can see, we have before us a full-fledged distributed aperture from AFAR stations emitting any type of electronic interference (from sighting to barrage or imitation). If we consider the second, simplified, configuration of the electronic warfare station (2 rotating AFAR canvases), then the 2nd and 3rd "nose" canvases are simply excluded, and the promising onboard radar and the AFAR tail emitter equipped with drives rotation by the example of the famous European radar "Captor-E" for fighters "Typhoon". Electronic control of the directional diagram of this aperture will be carried out according to target designation from the SVO, which is part of the on-board defense complex.
Only the use of active phased array systems (in the emitting path of electronic warfare) as part of a promising BKO can significantly increase the protection of the modernized "White Swan" from various types of interceptor missiles, other types of simpler emitters are capable of operating only in a narrow frequency range, which is unlikely to be able to withstand the ARGSN missiles operating simultaneously in the X / Ku / Ka-bands of centimeter and millimeter waves. Serious problems for the promising Tu-160M2 airborne defense system can also be created by the complex guidance modes of modern anti-aircraft guided missiles and medium and long-range air combat missiles. There are no fools at Raytheon either. For example, in order to bypass the electronic countermeasures of the BKO of our Tu-160M2, the inertial navigation system of interceptors such as AIM-120D or RIM-174 ERAM (SM-6) can be loaded with such a mode in which inertial guidance with radio correction will operate immediately before approaching the target. The very same radio correction can be carried out on target designation from the AN / AAQ-37 DAS infrared detection and tracking system of the F-35A fighter, which will detect infrared radiation from the most powerful Tu-160M2 engines at a range of 150 - 250 km. It is infrared sensors that are the most reliable means of determining the exact coordinates of the enemy, when his board is the producer of electronic jamming. When approaching the "strategist" by 2 - 4 km, the ARGSN will turn on, and the BKO of our "Blackjack", technically, may not have time to confuse the enemy's missile in a couple of seconds.
For "diversion" of interceptor missiles with promising bispectral infrared seeker, infrared traps alone cannot be considered a panacea either. Highly sensitive matrices are capable of receiving thermal radiation of medium (3 - 5 µm) and long (8 - 12 µm) waves. There are also such missile samples, the operating range of IKGSN which covers extremely short and medium waves (from 0.5 to 5.4 microns), due to this, the selection capabilities of the IKGSN software filters will significantly improve: jet engine flares can be easily distinguished against the background of IR- traps. One of these missiles is the British AIM-132 ASRAAM close air missile missile. To avoid interception by such missiles, the Tu-160M2 should be equipped not only with ordinary containers with IR traps, but also with specialized optical-electronic countermeasures such as "Vitebsk-25" or "President-S".
And even all of the above configurations of the advanced on-board defense system against KRET will not allow the Tu-160M2 to be completely secured against missiles and airborne missiles of new generations, and therefore one should not literally take V. Mikheev on the "complete protection" of our strategic bomber-missile carrier from all types of missiles. Nevertheless, the implementation of a full-fledged anti-missile self-defense Tu-160M2 today looks like a very realistic program, which will require only minor processing of the internal weapons bays, as well as the installation of compact AFAR-radars to detect and "capture" incoming enemy missiles.
R-73RMD-2 short-range (close-range) short-range (close-range) air-to-air missiles, or RVV-SD, adapted to intercept enemy air-to-air missiles and missiles, can be easily used as anti-missiles. Launched from specially provided "small" weapon bays, the R-73RMD-2 will be able to intercept enemy interceptor missiles even in the rear hemisphere due to the super-maneuverability provided by the interceptor thrust vector deflection system.
RVV-SD are more suitable for self-defense against missiles moving by inertia (with a burnt out solid propellant charge), because the infrared homing head of the URVV R-73 will be much more difficult to “capture” a “cold target” (aerodynamic heating at a speed of 1500 km / h is insignificant) than the active radar seeker of the RVV-SD missile. The only known missile defense missile project for combat aircraft is the American SACM-T, formerly known as "CUDA". Now they are trying to bring it to the level of operational combat readiness, after which it will become much more difficult to resist the US Air Force. It's time for us to secure our strategic air fleet of this kind with impeccable defensive ammunition.
