All those who are at least a little interested in the technical features of modern combat aviation and other military equipment have more than once encountered in Runet the jingoistic comparative reviews of the Su-35S multipurpose fighter with the F-22A "Raptor" stealth air superiority fighter or the high-precision front-line fighter-bomber Su-34 with tactical fighter F-15E "Strike Eagle". In them one can find both quite adequate comparisons of individual qualities of one machine with similar parameters of another (for example, with regards to maneuverability and capabilities of close air combat), and absolutely not corresponding to the reality of comparing airborne radar systems, as well as strike capabilities. Often, the bias of such reviews lies in the fact that the authors operate with outdated information only from Russian-language sources, while the analyzed products (more often referring to Western European and American technology) have already passed from one to two or more stages of modernization.
Gaining operational readiness for long-range tactical missiles JASSM-ER IN THE F-15E WEAPON IS A SERIOUS CHALLENGE FOR THE RUSSIAN VKS AT THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF MILITARY ACTIONS. WHAT IS THE SUPPOSITION OF THE SU-34?
To today's review we were prompted by the information received on February 8 from the Singapore Airshow-2018. Here, officials from the military-industrial corporation Lockheed Martin announced that the AGM-158B JASSM-ER long-range tactical cruise missile was operational as part of the F-15E Strike Eagle multirole fighter jets. What does this mean?
First, the acquisition of strategic striking qualities by all, without exception, US Air Force squadrons equipped with tactical fighters "Strike Eagle". This will be achieved by combining the huge range of the AGM-158B missile with the solid range of the F-15E. With a mixed flight profile without refueling, the range of this missile from the F-15E will approach 2500 km (comparable to the strikes of a Tu-22M3 long-range bomber using X-15 aeroballistic missiles). Against the background of this fact, large air bases located in the countries of Western and Eastern Europe are beginning to pose a great threat at times. Take, for example, the large airbase of the British Air Force "Lakenheath", located in the southwest of Albion.
The F-15E "Strike Eagle" tactical fighters deployed at this facility (which have been part of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing of the US Air Force for 25 years) will be able to launch JASSM-ER missiles at strategically important military and industrial facilities in the Western Military District of our state. Without refueling in the air, launches can be carried out at objects in the Belgorod, Kaluga, Pskov and Leningrad regions (subject to takeoff from Avb Leykenhes). In the event of a single refueling of the F-15E over the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany or Eastern Europe, the most important objects of the Kuban, the Volga region and the Western Urals will be within reach. This situation fundamentally cannot but cause concern, since the JASSM-ER have a much lower radar signature than most of the UGM-109D / E Tomahawk Block III / IV strategic cruise missiles in service and in service. The effective scattering surface of the first barely reaches 0.03 - 0.05 sq. m, which can cause problems of detection, tracking and capture even for the radar systems of the S-300PS complex. The only anti-aircraft missile system capable of effectively dealing with the JASSM-ER is the S-300V4, the ammunition of which includes 9M82MV anti-aircraft missiles, capable of operating against over-the-horizon targets due to the presence of active radar guidance heads. Also, improved radar stations "Ginger" and 9S32M (complex S-300V4) have significantly reduced lower boundaries on the effective reflective surface of the target than the earlier 30N6.
The use of the method of active radar homing in modern air defense systems, in the theaters of war of the XXI century, is of paramount importance due to the use of tactical and strategic enemy cruise missiles of complex flight paths to the intended targets; these trajectories usually pass outside the radio horizon for air defense systems covering the airspace. The enemy's air attack means "sneaks up" through folds and other natural details of the terrain. Theoretically, the Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems should also work against over-the-horizon air intruders, but in practice this quality has not been realized due to the shortage (or absence) of 9M96E2 missiles in the Chetyrehsotok ammunition.
Secondly, the F-15E will be distinguished by a unique flexibility of use in long-range operations, in contrast to the same B-1B “Lancer” “strategists”, which is due to the created surprise effect. The fact is that the Lancer's radar signature, as well as the frequency parameters of electronic interference from its AN / ALQ-161 electronic warfare system, are already known to our radio intelligence units, and the detection of B-1B bombers in one or another air direction will indicate on the upcoming targeted massive attack with JASSM / -ER missiles, while the Strike Needle EPR is almost identical to the reflective surface of the F-15C Eagle air superiority fighters. Consequently, the inability to clearly distinguish the EPR of the F-15E from the effective reflective surface of the F-15C does not allow us to finally find out the modification of the detected enemy fighter, and therefore determine in advance the likely list of operations it will perform.
At this moment, one link of "Strike Eagles" is capable of launching 12 long-range AGM-158B JASSM-ER missiles towards targets (three missiles on the hardpoints of each tactical fighter). And this is an extremely significant advantage of the US Air Force over the Russian Aerospace Forces at the current time. Why?
To answer this question, it is necessary to compare in detail the long-range ammunition load of the F-15E "Strike Eagle" with a similar arsenal of the high-precision front-line fighter of the Su-34 bomber. If the US vehicle has a JASSM-ER with a range of 1200 km, then our Su-34's main long-range caliber is the Kh-59MK2 Ovod-M with a range of 285 km, which is barely ahead of the Turkish tactical missile SOM and is noticeably inferior to the first modification AGM-158A JASSM. As a result, the maximum "depth" of the Su-34 strike with the use of the Ovoda-M is only 1415 km versus 2500 km for the F-15E "Strke Eagle", which does not allow the Russian machine to strike at remote targets in Western Europe without refueling in air. Nevertheless, this is far from the only criterion by which it is necessary to compare the potentials of the Su-34 and F-15E.
ONBOARD RADIO ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT "FRESH" F-15E BUILT AROUND THE ADVANCED AFAR-RADAR, PROVIDING "NEEDLE STRIKE" RADICAL TECHNICAL LEAVING FROM SU-34. AN / APG-70 GOES TO THE PAST
One of the most important points, undoubtedly, is the comparison of the onboard radar systems of both machines. The Su-34 multifunctional tactical fighter is equipped with the Sh-141 airborne radar system (BRLK), represented by the B004 passive phased array radar. The product was created by the Scientific Research Institute of Radioelectronic Complexes (NIREK), which is part of the Leninets holding (formerly SKB Zemlya, TsNPO Leninets). This radar has almost all the qualities typical of more advanced AFAR radars designed for fighters of the transitional generation "4 ++". In particular, the following modes are provided: SAR (synthesized aperture + mapping of the terrain with the resolution of the radar image, which makes it possible to classify the object); GMTI (detection and tracking of moving ground / surface targets), identification of a group target and determination of its number (with the classification of some pieces of equipment), as well as detection, tracking and capture of air targets.
Nevertheless, the Sh-141 also has a lot of disadvantages associated with far from the best range capabilities, which depend on the power of the emitter and the sensitivity of the receiver. In particular, the pulse power of the B004 is 14 kW, which is almost 3 times less than that of the most "far-sighted" radar N035 "Irbis-E". In this regard, the detection range of various types of targets in the Sh-141 is almost 3 times less than that of the Irbis. A standard fighter-type air target is detected at a distance of 90 km, a corvette-type surface target is 120 km, a van is about 35 km, and a railway bridge is about 100 km. Similar objects are detected by the Irbis-E onboard radar at 2 times greater distance. The throughput and target channel of the B004 leave much to be desired and do not even reach the level of Н011М "Bars" (Su-30SM): the former is capable of "tying" 10 tracks of air targets in the SNP mode, and also capture 4 of them, while the "Bars" »Accompanies 20 aerial objects. The B004 mapping resolution is much lower than that of the Irbis and amounts to 10-15 meters, which is a very weak indicator for the PFAR radar.
Let's move on to a review of the F-15E "Strike Eagle" tactical fighter airborne radar system. Many military analytical publications, as well as reference resources, erroneously indicate that the Strike Eagle airborne radar is still a multifunctional AN / APG-70. As you know, this product is represented by a flat slotted X-band antenna array (8-12 GHz) with mechanical scanning and a beam transfer rate of 140 deg / s. The radar control processor operates at 1.4 MHz while the signal processor operates at 33 MHz. Despite the introduction of the ability to detect and track ground / surface targets and even the synthetic aperture mode, the APG-70 is an outdated radar developed on the element base of the AN / APG-63 radar (the latter is an integral part of the armament control complex for air superiority fighters F- 15C "Eagle"). The presence of SHAR indicates a range of shortcomings typical of the N001VEP (Su-30MKK / MK2) and Zhuk-M radars. So, the APG-70 noise immunity on the early Strike Eagles was provided only by adapting the algorithm for processing received signals by means of a signal processor and a signal converter, while radars with AFAR filter interference using digital control of each transceiver module. The only advantage is the good range of the APG-70, which reached 125 km for a MiG-35 type target.
But let's assess the situation more soberly and not flatter ourselves with the moderate technological capabilities of the AN / APG-70, because at present most of the F-15E "Strike Eagle" fleet has been updated with completely new airborne radars with an active phased antenna array of the AN / APG-82 modification (V)1. The modernization is carried out as part of the RMP ("Radar Modernization Program"), which was initiated by the US Department of Defense back in 2008, at the time of the allocation of $ 281 million to Boeing for RMP R&D.
This promising radar is a hybrid of an airborne radar with an AFAR AN / APG-63 (V) 3 (adapted in accordance with the requirements of the Saudi Arabian Air Force for F-15SA fighters) and an even more advanced airborne radar AN / APG-79, designed for deck multifunctional fighters F / A-18E / F. From the first, the AFAR canvas was borrowed, from the superhornet's "79th" - a promising high-performance processor designed to effectively control new radio frequency tunable filters (RFTF, - Radio Frequency Tunable Filters), due to which individual groups of transceiver modules can be used for setting directed interference in the direction of enemy radio equipment. Moreover, RFTF filters stipulate the hardware implementation of the LPI ("Low Probability of Intercept") mode, which consists in the emission of broadband, complex-structured, and differing in amplitude electromagnetic pulses by the radar, which reduces the probability of detection by old radiation warning devices such as SPO -15 "Birch" to zero (such a radiation source can only be detected by specialized electronic reconnaissance equipment, for example, the new SPO L-150 "Pastel", ORTR Tu-214R aircraft and ground stations of the RTR "Valeria"). Su-34 pilots can only dream of the above qualities of the AN / APG-82 (V) 1 radar.
To adapt to the new APG-82 radar, all F-15Es receive a new multi-frequency radio-transparent fairing, as well as a significantly improved cooling system for the antenna array and software-controlled modules with RF generators. The AN / APG-82 (V) 1 active phased array consists of more than 1,500 transmit-receive modules, which, together with the new on-board computer and highly sensitive receivers, allow tracking 20 air targets on the way and capture 6 for the subsequent launch of long-range air combat missiles of the AMRAAM family … Target detection range with RCS 1 sq. m is APG-82 about 145 km, which is 60% better than the Sh-141 (B004), installed on the Su-34!
Considering the higher resolution of the first, the possible LPI mode, the ability to create directional interference, as well as the ability to form "dips" in the radiation pattern in the area of the REB source, the total potential of the F-15E in the tasks of gaining air superiority at ranges of more than 50 km is many times ahead of the capabilities of the Su- 34, and this is a very wake-up call! So much for the consequences of the slipping of the AFARization of obsolete machines of the 4 + / ++ generation. And this we have not yet considered the regularly exaggerated shortcomings in the DVB, observed due to the lack of "direct-flow" RVV-AE-PD missiles ("Product 180-PD") in our tactical aviation's armament, while the American long-range AIM-120D is safe sent to large-scale production. Note that a similar situation is also observed in the comparative review of the Su-30SM with the Strike Eagle. An extremely important point can be considered the preserved qualities of the Strike Needle interceptor at the level of the improved F-15C, because the maximum speed of the car, taking into account 4 AMRAAMs on the suspension, is kept at the level of 2.2M. The AFAR architecture of the AN / APG-82 (V) 1 gives the F-15E significant advantages in performing air-to-surface operations, including anti-ship strikes. The number of AN / APG-82 modes of operation corresponds to the best radars for transitional and 5th generation multirole fighters (AN / APG-83 SABR and AN / APG-81).
The identity of the architecture of the control processors of the onboard radar systems AN / APG-82 (V) 1 and AN / APG-79 determines another positive side - the unification of the radar software update interfaces and update "packages", which will allow several times to speed up the software upgrade of the F-15E and deck F / A-18E / F / G in wartime, without the need to create a separate "package" for each type of machine.
As for the use of the Su-34 in interception operations, unlike the Strike Needle, the maximum speed with a suspension of 1.7M does not quite correspond to these tasks. Indicators of survivability in close air combat are entirely determined by such criteria as the thrust-to-weight ratio of the vehicle and the aerodynamic characteristics of the airframe. According to the first parameter, the American "tactician" F-15E is noticeably ahead of our Su-34. So, with a normal takeoff weight of 20892 kg, the thrust-to-weight ratio of the F-15E can reach 1.25 kgf / kg, due to which the machine can realize excellent high-speed "energy" maneuvering both on the horizontal and vertical throughout the entire period of operation of the afterburner. The relatively high angular velocity of the F-15E "Strike Eagle" can be seen in video footage prepared during numerous aerospace shows (including MAKS in the 2000s). The accelerating qualities of the American car, although insignificantly, are superior to the Su-34, which is explained by the slightly higher afterburner thrust per midship (2484 kgf / sq. M versus 2380 kgf / sq. M, respectively).
Let's move on to the maneuverability of the Su-34. Despite the "sharpening" of this machine for shock operations, maneuverability remains at a very decent level. This is achieved through the use of the well-proven aerodynamic design "integral longitudinal triplane" with all-turning horizontal tail, which makes it very similar to such machines as the Su-33 and Su-30SM. Nevertheless, the aerodynamic qualities of the airframe, created according to the load-bearing scheme, can be realized only in a short period of time, after the "Drying" sets a speed of 750 - 850 km and rapid deceleration during the maneuver. The fact is that the car has an extremely heavy nose, represented by a 17-mm armored capsule to protect the crew of two pilots from anti-aircraft artillery and other means of destruction while overcoming the enemy's air defense in the mode of following the terrain.
Also, the Su-34 can boast of reinforced structural elements of the wing, center section, tail section, as well as massive twin landing gear, which ultimately led to an increase in the empty weight of the "Duck" to 22,000 kg. Even with a 50% filling of the fuel system (6050 kg) and the placement of 4 RVV-AE air combat missiles (700 kg), the thrust-to-weight ratio is at the level of 0.94 kgf / kg, which is not enough for "energy" maneuvering; and the maximum operational overload of 7 units. imposes serious restrictions on "aggressive aerobatics". Consequently, in close combat, Su-34 pilots must rely on a short-term quick turn towards the target, as well as on the potential of the R-73 RMD-2 missile.
Reservation of the cockpit can be considered an indisputable advantage of the Thirty-four over the Strike Eagle, because the modern aggressive theater of operations, crammed with a huge range of medium and long-range air defense systems, increasingly forces tactical aviation to "snuggle" to the earth's surface, which often leads to hot meeting with the "Shilki" and ZU-shki of the enemy: the F-15E, unlike the "Duck", is unlikely to survive such a meeting. In the same turn, it must be remembered that even the integration into the Su-34 avionics of radar, electronic, as well as optoelectronic versions of suspended containers of tactical reconnaissance "Sych" (will provide the advantage of the "Duck" in reconnaissance capabilities) should not be a reason for refusal to re-equip with new on-board radars based on active phased array, because it is the latter that play a decisive role in a combat situation, when the crew must be thoroughly aware of the smallest tactical details in the front hemisphere and at a distance of two to three hundred kilometers.
