Having been in service with the US Air Force for almost 60 years, the U-2 strategic high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, which received new capabilities in the U-2S version, will continue their operational deployment at the strategically important NATO and US Air Force bases in Osana (Republic of Korea), Al-Kharj (Saudi Arabia), Akrotiri (Cyprus), Istra (France). These military facilities are so geographically dispersed that each reconnaissance aircraft can reach almost any part of the planet in the shortest possible time. Considering that the majority of modern long-range anti-aircraft missile systems are capable of hitting targets practically in near space, the U-2S "Dragon Lady" will operate only in friendly (defended) airspace, using their qualities of a long-range repeater only due to a large practical ceiling. and, accordingly, the radio horizon
Relay aircraft, air command posts, RTR / RER / AWACS and ground target designation aircraft are an integral part of the modern theater of military operations. The outcome of a regional or global military conflict often depends on the successful fulfillment of communication tasks between different military units, correct targeting of enemy targets, as well as the correct distribution of tasks at the strategic level. In the context of the current scientific and technological progress, the element base of on-board radio-electronic equipment has undergone serious changes towards miniaturization of microprocessor systems, as well as a significant increase in their performance, storage capacity, as well as an increase in the speed of information exchange with peripheral devices. The resource of their work, noise immunity, as well as the quality of work in the presence of the consequences of a nuclear explosion have increased; working terminals with LCD MFI have become much lighter, and the resolution of information display is several times better.
Due to this, for example, radar patrol and guidance aircraft (A-50U, E-3C, GlobalEye AEW & C, etc.), ground target designation (Tu-214R, E-8C) and anti-submarine patrol aircraft (Il-38N, P -8A "Poseidon") have become multipurpose, and can perform not only operations in accordance with the class designation, but also partly are air command posts. This became possible thanks to the additional connected avionics capable of exchanging tactical information with other units in the theater of operations via encrypted high-frequency communication channels of Link-11/16 systems (NATO standard). In principle, such multipurpose fighters as the Su-30SM, Su-35S, PAK-FA and the Swedish Gripen-E, where the K-DlAE / UE / S-108 and CDL-39s allow not only to receive a "picture" of the theater of operations from the VKP / AWACS board, but to transmit between the sides within a flight or squadron. In this case, information for transmission can be obtained by optical-electronic / radio-electronic means or by the on-board radar of one of the fighters.
But there are also special highly specialized machines, where, for example, relaying is the main and only function of an aircraft in a theater of operations. These include the American E-6A "Hermes" and the domestic Tu-214SR. The first was used as a repeater for communication between the US General Staff or the E-4B VKP with SSBN / MAPL of the American fleet. Today it has been modified to version E-6B "Mercury" and is also involved in the management of ICBMs LGM-30G "Minuteman III", which are part of the 20th Air Force US Air Force (Global Strike Command). Russian Tu-214SR - products are even more modern, there is even less information about them than about the E-6B. It is known that they are intended for communication of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation with other ground and air objects of military purpose, as well as for operational relaying of the collected data on board the president. But if these "air signalmen" are more applicable to ensuring the systemic coordination of the strategic link, then the capabilities of the next apparatus will most widely cover the tactical link, including every ground unit and every fighter equipped with specialized communication equipment.
Air command post-relay and air post of combat control of the US nuclear triad E-6B "Mercury". Designed for senior officers in the US Armed Forces. Strategic vehicles are modernized E-6A "Hermes" repeater aircraft, and in addition to collecting, reinforcing and distributing communication channels, they are able to directly participate in the management of ICBM, SLBM and TFR arsenals in service with the US Air Force and Navy. For communication with strategic missile submarine cruisers in the structure of the "Mercury" antenna complex, a manufactured and towed 7, 93-kilometer VLF antenna OE-456 / ART-54 and an additional 1, 22-kilometer antenna (operate in the ultra-long wave range 17 - 60 kHz). They are synchronized with the 0.2 MW OG-187 / ART-54 converter-amplifier and directly by the AN / ART-54 communication complex. All 16 strategic E-6A repeaters were upgraded by Boeing to the level of the multipurpose strategic E-6B VKP over a six-year period (from 1997 to 2003).
The basic modification (strategic repeater) E-6A "Hermes" (photo below) was developed on the basis of the airframe of the Boeing 707-320C aircraft and is built around the TACAMO concept ("take charge and move out" in Russian - "take charge and move out"), which is a multi-frequency radio communication of the NATO Joint Armed Forces, carried out by air command posts even during a nuclear conflict. "Hermes" completely replaced the slow and low-altitude turboprop EC-130Q based on the famous "Hercules". The E-6A also provides two long-wave antennas operating at frequencies from 3 to 30 kHz for communication with SSBNs, but without the ability to control ICBMs, since there was no ALCS command system, as well as 3 higher-speed interface buses of the MIL-STD-1553B standard, which could connect VLD communication devices with more advanced and productive workstations of operators. Aircraft "Hermes" and "Mercury" are capable of staying in the air for 16.5 hours without refueling at an altitude of 12-13 km.
As it became known on March 22, 2016, Lockheed Martin intends to extend the service life of the U-2S Dragon Lady high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft by several more years. The U-2s have been in operation for 59 years. These aircraft are still "in the stream" of modern reconnaissance aircraft, both thanks to the modernization of optoelectronic systems, and due to the excellent altitude and range capabilities, according to which the U-2 continues to remain at the level of the unmanned "Global Hawk".
The modernization of the Dragon Lady consists in the installation of modern and lightweight multi-frequency equipment for relaying radio communication / data transmission channels between ground forces, relay satellites, air command posts and command headquarters. Any information can be transferred (from a video file of any extension recorded on the device to a prepared multimedia or graphic file with information about the tactical situation in a certain area of the battlefield). Such a U-2S can also be used as an intermediate link in target designation in a theater of operations saturated with promising long-range air defense systems, where the use of aircraft such as the RC-135V / W is associated with enormous risks for the crew.
His participation is as follows. The F-22A "Raptor", successfully used as a stealth reconnaissance aircraft in local conflicts, flies over the enemy's territory in the mode of following the terrain, and, in LPI or passive radar mode, detects all radio-emitting sources (air defense systems, RTR radars, etc..), which are in the lowlands and cannot be detected by remote aerial reconnaissance means such as E-3A or "Rivet Joint". The coordinates of the targets from the Raptor are transmitted to the U-2S Dragon Lady repeater, which is exactly 2 times higher than any aircraft of this purpose, and from its board the target designation information is sent to the F-16C or B-1B, which then launch According to the enemy's air defense systems reconnoitered by the Raptor, several dozen AGM-158B “JASSM-ER” air-launched cruise missiles can participate in the MRAU.
Due to the practical U-2S ceiling of 21.5 km and the dynamic ceiling of 26.5 km, the stratospheric repeater has a huge radio horizon, which is calculated using a simple formula (D = 4.12 √h1 + √h2, where h1 is the altitude relay antenna carrier, h2 is the height of the communication equipment carrier served by the repeater). For example, if the "Dragon Lady" flies at an altitude of 22,000 m, and the ground vehicles communicating with it are at an altitude of 30 meters above sea level in an open area not covered by high elevations, then the radio horizon in this case will be 635 km, for E- 6A radio horizon does not exceed 475 km. To maintain normal communication between the ground tactical echelon and the command, the high-altitude U-2S is not forced to approach the enemy as close as the Hermes. This ability not only reduces the chances of being intercepted by ground or air defense means, but also allows you to maintain communication with ground special forces units, which can be located at a distance of more than 500 km in the rear of the enemy.
OBC high-resolution panoramic cameras are still indispensable attributes of the U-2S "Dragon Lady" spy kit
The improved U-2S "Dragon Lady" is equipped with a new turbojet bypass engine F118-GE-101 with thrust increased to 8625 kgf; a similar one is installed on the stealthy strategic bombers B-2 "Spirit", so the placement of light electronic equipment practically did not affect the flight performance, and the U-2S is also capable of carrying the SYERS-2B / C and OBC systems for high-altitude aerial photo reconnaissance with the ability further relaying of data to other means.
All strategic capabilities of the U-2S regarding flight range have been preserved at the level of other aircraft modifications. The range of its action is 10,300 km and makes it possible to stay in the air for 10-12 hours. After 2020, U-2S will be completely replaced by strategic drones - RQ-4B and MQ-4C "Triton" (version for the Navy), until that time 32 "Dragon Ladies" will continue to participate in building the network-centric capabilities of the US Armed Forces, appearing every now and then in the sky over the regions of maximum military and political tension.
