The observed trend towards a global aggravation of the military-political situation up to pre-escalation situations, caused by the reluctance of Western regimes to switch to a fundamentally new (multipolar) system of world order, is increasingly prompting defense departments, as well as private and state corporations of regional and world superpowers to implement projects of promising types of military - naval weapons, where aircraft-carrying ships are far from last. After all, it is this class of the surface component of the fleet that provides the most flexible possibilities for maintaining the combat stability of its own and friendly CMGs in the far sea zone; provides direct support to marines in enemy territory through deck IAP, and also allows you to quickly install an air defense "umbrella" A2 / AD (to create an echeloned no-fly zone) on almost any part of the oceans.
Today the People's Republic of China, in particular, the Chinese state shipbuilding corporation CSIC ("China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation") with a shipyard in Dalian, as well as an aircraft manufacturer "Shenyang". The first developed and launched the second advanced aircraft carrier pr. 001A "Shandong", which has a great structural similarity with the Soviet heavy aircraft-carrying missile cruisers pr. 1143.5 and 1143.6, but is equipped with the latest and improved radar filling, as well as a promising combat information control system.
In particular, the first is the Type 346A multifunctional dual-band 4-sided airborne radar (also installed on the Type 052D URO EM). Each of the four AFAR antenna panels is divided into 2 groups of transmit-receive modules, one of which operates in the decimeter S-band, the other in the centimeter C-band, which determines the highest noise immunity of the station, the ability to work stably on unobtrusive surface anti-ship missiles, and also provide both simultaneous target illumination for missiles with PARGSN (the C-band array is responsible for this) and with ARGSN (both C and S-bands are used here). Recall that the domestic radar complex "Mars-Passat" developed for these TAKR projects, unfortunately, turned out to be not so successful and does not provide the detection and tracking of 120 targets envisaged by the tactical and technical assignment of air targets. As for the combat information and control system of the aircraft carrier Type 001A "Shandong", it uses the H / ZBJ-1 BIUS, which is a modification of the H / ZBJ-1 adapted for aircraft carriers (the latter is also the base for the Type 052D destroyers). It should be noted right away that, due to the hardware similarity of the Liaonini and Shandong aircraft carriers' radar and control systems with these Type 052C / D destroyer systems, the Chinese fleet's AUGs differ in the same network-centric level as the American aircraft carrier strike groups, the systemic linkage of which is based on base "Aegis".
The Shenyang Company maintains the carrier-based aviation component of the PRC Navy at an appropriate level, not inferior in capabilities to the fighter aviation regiments deployed on American nuclear aircraft carriers. For example, such a machine as the carrier-based multipurpose fighter J-15S, which was developed by this company with the support of the 601st Institute, attracts much attention. Despite the fact that the glider of the J-15S multifunctional fighter is a modified two-seat copy of the prototype of the domestic T-10K (Su-33), sold by the Ukrainian side in 2001, its avionics are many times superior to the electronic "equipment" with which they are equipped today. our Su-33s, which are part of the 279th separate shipborne fighter aviation regiment named after twice Hero of the Soviet Union Boris Safonov.
For example, if on our sea "Sushki" to this day, outdated onboard Cassegrain N001 radars are installed, which do not differ in multi-mode (there is no possibility of working on surface targets), high noise immunity and range (125 km for air targets with EPR 5m2), then the Chinese J-15S long ago received AFAR-radar, allowing the pilot and system operator to carry out anti-ship, anti-radar missions both in the maritime theater and on the ground without third-party target designation. Moreover, strike operations can be carried out in parallel with gaining air supremacy by integrating radar operating modes. Thanks to the high-speed electronic control of the X-band beam and the possibility of distributing functions between individual AFAR arrays, both ground and air objects can be simultaneously tracked. The energy qualities, bandwidth, target channel and other features of the new radar in the J-15S remain under the veil of secrecy, but based on the parameters of modern active phased array, it is known that the synthetic aperture (SAR) and GMTI modes are present here by 100%. What additional technical options "for hardware" did our Su-33s receive? That's right, only with a special high-performance computing subsystem SVP-24-33 "Hephaestus".
Thanks to the use of such modules as a specialized radio navigation system SRNS-24, an onboard special computer SV-24, and an information generation unit (BFI), the accuracy of bombing with conventional free-fall bombs is increased by more than 3 times. At the same time, the pilot has the ability to drop the same OFAB-250 from a free maneuver and at an altitude of more than 5 km. This completely eliminates the need for the carrier to enter the affected area of self-propelled anti-aircraft missile systems such as "Roland", "Avenger", etc. As for the possibilities for gaining air superiority, here SVP-24 "Hephaestus" is absolutely useless. The Su-33 with the N001 radar and the SUV-27K weapons control system, not adapted for the use of the R-77 / RVV-SD URVB, will not be able to oppose absolutely anything to the US F / A-18E / F "Super Hornet" or the French "Rafal", equipped with the latest AN / APG-79 and RBE-2 AFAR radars (they will detect "Drying" at a distance of 170 - 190 km), as well as long-range air-to-air missiles with active radar homing AIM-120D and MBDA "Meteor" with an integral ramjet rocket engine. Long-range air combat will be lost with a probability of 80 - 90%.
The situation could be changed by a deep modernization of Flanker-D, consisting in the installation of radars Н011М "Bars" or Н035 "Irbis-E" on cars, as well as a promising radio station С-108 from OJSC NPP Polyot for the exchange of telecode information with other units on protected radio channels of the decimeter range (0, 96-1, 215 GHz); a similar station is included in the Su-35S avionics. Maneuverability could be improved by installing the AL-41F1S turbojet engine with an all-aspect thrust vector deflection system.
Nevertheless, in the command of the Navy, apparently, they decided to confine themselves to the installation on the Su-33 "Hephaestus", and even then only on a part of the sides. The main focus is now on carrier-based fighters such as the MiG-29K / KUB. Firstly, these vehicles have much higher functionality and flexibility of use in difficult tactical situations, which is achieved thanks to the Zhuk-ME multi-mode airborne radar with a slotted antenna array 624 mm in diameter. Target detection range with an effective scattering surface of 3 sq. m is about 95 km for this radar, and when working with surface targets, several modes can be used (from ordinary terrain mapping to "focused synthetic aperture" modes and tracking of moving land and sea objects "GMTI").
In air combat at long and medium ranges, RVV-AE and RVV-SD missiles are used with the possibility of simultaneous shelling of 6 VTs (Su-33 is capable of simultaneously intercepting only one target using R-27ER / EM missiles and N001 radar or 2-3 targets - with the use of R-73 or R-27ET missiles, depending on the spatial position of the targets and the pilot's reaction). Also "Falkrums" are more compact and take up significantly less space on the deck and in the internal hangar of the aircraft carrier. As for the update of the MiG-29K / KUB electronic "stuffing", this procedure will not cost a pretty penny for either the MiG Aircraft Corporation or the Navy, since the MIL-STD-1553B multiplex data exchange channel, which has an open architecture, has long been introduced. Consequently, the integration of promising Zhuk-AME radar stations with APAR (represented by transmit-receive modules based on substrates of low-temperature co-fired ceramics) will be carried out according to a simplified procedure.
Installation of "Zhuk-AME", integration of elements with radio-absorbing materials into the airframe design, as well as equipping with such optoelectronic means as VS-OAR and NS-OAR (detection stations for attacking missiles / URVB, as well as launched by the enemy PRLR and OTBR upper and lower hemispheres) and OLS-K for tracking and capturing targets on the surface (like the MiG-35), will allow the deck "KUB" to surpass the capabilities of the F / A-18E / F, as well as deck "electronic fighters" F / A-18G Growler. But according to two important criteria, these aircraft will continue to be inferior to the USS 5th generation SKVP F-35B carrier-based fighters.
We are talking about a radar signature, which can be reduced from 1 to 0.05-0.2 m2 only by changing the airframe design, where, in addition to radio-absorbing elements, an extremely important role is played by angular airframe contours, X-shaped collapse of vertical stabilizers, "diverting" most of the electromagnetic radiation into space (on the F / A-18E / F and F-35B / C this design option is already available), as well as an uninterrupted flashlight with a minimum image intensifier. We are also talking about an extremely popular flight and technical feature today - a short take-off and vertical landing (in English STOVL, Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing). It can supplement any carrier strike group with unique operational tactical capabilities. In particular, in the shortest period of time, 3, 4 or even more SCVP / VTOL aircraft (with normal take-off weight) can rise from the deck of an aircraft-carrying ship at once, which is absolutely unrealizable when using standard steam and electromagnetic catapults. This, in turn, significantly increases the saturation of the airspace near the aircraft carrier strike grouping units of carrier-based tactical aviation, which makes it possible to respond more quickly and effectively to enemy actions: operations to gain air superiority in the ocean theater of operations, as well as to intercept anti-ship missiles approaching the AUG, become noticeably more productive.
It is worth noting the fact thatthat the development and promotion of SKVP / VTOL aircraft for updating the deck aviation of the fleet can open new horizons for shipbuilding enterprises and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in terms of serial production of medium aircraft-carrying ships designed to accommodate 30-50 light deck-based SKVP / VTOL aircraft and their operational transfer to numerous areas of the World ocean. And the prerequisites for such ambitious programs already exist.
In particular, November 2017 was remembered for a significant information surge regarding the revival of the domestic aircraft carrier fleet in the 20s of the XXI century. For example, on November 11, the FlotProm resource, citing a source at the Krylov State Scientific Center (KGNTs), reports on the start of development of a promising multipurpose aircraft carrier with a displacement of more than 40 thousand tons. At the same time, the new class of aircraft-carrying ships will not replace the advanced heavy aircraft carrier of Project 23000 "Storm", designed for more than 90 aircraft, but will become its supplement. The construction of the first ship of the new type should begin in the first half of the new decade "at the gates" to the Sea of Azov, on the basis of the facilities of Zaliv Shipbuilding Plant LLC (Kerch). More importantly, the implementation of the project of the new "low-tonnage" aircraft-carrying platform will take significantly less time than the descent from the stocks of the "Storm". Let's hope that our economy will pull such a number of new programs in parallel with the development of frigates pr. 22350M and MAPL pr. 885M "Yasen-M".
Against the background of the above information, it is worth noting the growing interest of Russian news and analytical resources in the possibility of resuming work on the creation of a new multi-role vertical takeoff and landing fighter, which should become the main enemy of the American F-35B STOVL. Moreover, the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Yuri Borisov also announced the transition to this type of deck aircraft on November 11 this year. The interlocutor of RIA Novosti and a specialist in the field of naval technology and aviation, Vadim Saranov, on December 15, 2017, said that the most difficult "critical" technology for the revival of a promising VTOL fighter could be a rotary nozzle, which requires the involvement of specialists of the Soyuz AMNTK, who developed at one time lift-sustainer engines R-27V-300 and R-28V-300 for VTOL Yak-36M / 38 / 38M, and are well acquainted with the smallest technical subtleties of these complex units.
As V. Saranov stated, “you cannot find people with practical experience in creating these engines; competencies are lost. At the same time, it is worth noting that everything is not so critical. Firstly, the documentation, and therefore the technological backlog for the nodes of the Yak-141 VTOL aircraft, has been preserved almost in full. Absolutely everything is known about the features of the lift-sustainer turbojet bypass afterburner with the OVT R-79 (15500 kgf thrust), just like about the paired lifting turbojet installation RD-41 with a total thrust of 8520 kgf. These data may well serve as a basic element for the design of the power plant of a promising VTOL / SKVP.
Nevertheless, the modern conditions of network-centric wars and the tactical capabilities of the F-35B will definitely force our manufacturers to change the previous design of the Yak-141 power plant. For example, two lifting turbojet engines RD-41 will have to be abandoned due to high fuel consumption, which limited the Freestyle range of 690 - 620 km, while the current F-35B has a combat radius of 865 km. It is logical that the use of a lifting fan driven by the compressor of the main lifting-sustainer TRDDF by means of a powerful cardan transmission in economic terms would be more expedient (as demonstrated by the example of the F135-PW-600 TRDDF of the F-35B fighter). To manufacture the unit for transmitting torque to the fan, it will be necessary to use high-strength and light alloys, as well as the development of a new technological base, which has not previously been embodied "in iron". Some difficulties may arise here, but given the final stage of fine-tuning and the first tests of the "2nd stage" "Product 30" turbojet engine on board the T-50-2, it can be assumed that we will cope with the development of a new promising product.
As for the airframe of the new machine, deep copying of the Yak-141 has absolutely no prospects, since it did not have the ability to conduct highly maneuverable close combat due to the small wing area (31, 7 m2), which, with a normal takeoff weight of 16 tons, gave a specific wing loading of 504 kg / m2; the thrust-to-weight ratio with this mass was only 0, 96 kgf / kg. The wing of the new machine should have a much larger span and area, as well as nodules at the root. One should not forget about the maneuverability, because the naval F-35C for the US Navy and the ILC is much more "nimble" than the F-35B (their wing area is 36.5% larger than that of the A / B versions).
All contours must fully comply with the 5th generation: "4 ++" with RCS in 1 sq. m will no longer fit. In other words, in comparison with the Yak-141, the airframe of the new product must be radically "reworked". There is still no point in thinking about avionics for the new short / vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for the Russian fleet, since in the absence of TTZ for the future carrier-based tactical fighter can be equipped with almost any AFAR radar from the Zhuk-AE / AME family and most configurations of the cockpit information field pilot present in transition fighters.
