Electronic warfare is carried out strictly according to science
Over the past three years, the Armed Forces have made a significant leap in both rearmament and combat training. And how did the development of the electronic warfare (EW) troops go during this period? What new types of weapons and military equipment have entered service, how is their development going on?
Electronic warfare is an advanced area of military science, the most complex intellectual and technical component of the rivalry between states claiming leadership. The rapid development of weapons and military equipment, their saturation with the latest equipment, the creation of global networks for the exchange of information predetermine the impossibility of even the slightest lag in this area from a potential adversary. This sets the highest rate of development of the EW troops.
The improvement of their technical basis is carried out in accordance with the GPV-2020. The level of funding makes it possible to fully equip formations, units and subunits of electronic warfare with functionally complete sets of equipment and maintain an effective weapons system.
Breakthrough technologies and innovative solutions are being successfully implemented that raise multifunctionality, mobility and maintainability to a new level. The current system of weapons of the EW troops is capable of fending off all possible threats to the country's security in its area of responsibility.
Over the past three years, measures have been taken to improve the structure of the troops. New formations, military units and electronic warfare units have been formed. This is happening simultaneously with the rearmament of modern weapons and military equipment. Moreover, plans are changing taking into account modern threats and emerging priorities. Thus, the Scientific Research Testing Institute for Electronic Warfare was formed as part of the Air Force Academy named after Professor N. Ye. Zhukovsky and Yu. A. Gagarin. In accordance with the directive of the Minister of Defense, the Military Scientific Committee of the EW Troops was established in October 2015. As you know, the President of the country made a decision to conduct an experiment to form two research and production (technical) companies within the Armed Forces. One of them was formed and placed in the funds of the Interspecies Center for the Training and Combat Use of Electronic Warfare Troops. Research and production tasks related to the production, repair and maintenance of weapons and military equipment are being successfully carried out, as well as work in the interests of defense at the Tambov plant "Revolutionary Labor".
Demands are growing
Under the state defense order, about 20 items of the nomenclature of modern electronic warfare equipment are currently being supplied. In the near future, it is expected to complete the development and begin purchases for at least 10 more items. These are practically all groups of electronic warfare equipment - suppression of radio communications, radar and radio navigation, protection against WTO, control and support equipment. Considerable attention is paid to the development of complexes with unmanned aerial vehicles.
The main requirements for modern electronic warfare technology are as follows:
- expanding the functionality of individual means and increasing their versatility, the transition to multifunctional complexes capable of solving a wide range of tasks to combat various enemy control systems;
-increasing the effectiveness of the fight with a significant decrease in the weight and size characteristics of the equipment;
-high survivability and mobility due to the placement of equipment on carriers, ensuring the use in conditions of intense fire and electronic countermeasures;
- the transfer of efforts to defeat the "enemy's territory", the widespread use of unmanned and dropped (carried) means;
-creation of a complex radio-electronic situation for technical means of enemy reconnaissance in combat areas;
-development of multispectral jamming devices in order to protect AME from high-precision enemy weapons with radio, optoelectronic and combined guidance systems;
-integration of electronic suppression complexes with systems of on-board equipment of aircraft, primarily radar with the function of creating high-potential interference;
-unification of electronic warfare systems into spatially distributed protection systems based on a single functioning algorithm.
Qualifications and competition
Under the state defense order, the troops were supplied with about 300 basic equipment and more than a thousand small-sized equipment. This made it possible to re-equip 45 percent of military units and subdivisions with modern complexes "Murmansk-BN", "Krasukha", "Borisoglebsk-2" and others.
By the beginning of 2016, the total share of modern designs was 46 percent. Moreover, in terms of their performance characteristics, they are not inferior to the best Western ones. Moreover, the main trends in the development of domestic electronic warfare technology and foreign analogs coincide, which predetermines the similarity of their characteristics.
The main advantages of domestic technology include:
- a long range of its action, which is achieved by using transmitting devices and antenna systems that surpass foreign ones in power and efficiency;
- a wide range of objects to be influenced;
- the possibility of implementing a flexible control structure for both electronic warfare systems and individual models of equipment that function autonomously and as part of conjugated pairs.
However, no matter how perfect the technique is, it will not become effective without sufficient qualifications of each serviceman. Therefore, in accordance with the requirements of the Supreme Commander and the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, combat training has been intensified this academic year. Particular attention is paid to the practical development of actions on standard equipment and the improvement of the skills of servicemen in fulfilling standards and combat training tasks.
Sudden inspections, measures of interspecific training of troops using standard equipment are important. More than two hundred tactical-special and command-staff exercises are planned for the 2016 academic year. Many events are held in an adversarial manner, for example in the form of a field training competition among divisions. Since 2015, representatives of the Armed Forces of Belarus have taken part in it. The initial stages of the competition are held in formations (military units), formations (military districts and branches of the armed forces), where the best units (crews) are selected for each major specialty. The ability of personnel to prepare special equipment for combat use is tested, the best unit in a formation, formation, military district, and the Armed Forces is determined. In the 2015 academic year, more than 100 military personnel, consisting of 21 crews, took part in the final stage of the competition.
From university to polygon
The new electronic warfare equipment required changes in the training of modern specialists. A training system has been built, including programs:
- the highest operational and strategic training for the central bodies of military command - at the Academy of the General Staff (training period - two years);
-complete military-special training for formations, military units, electronic warfare subunits of all types and arms of the troops - in two universities of the RF Ministry of Defense (five years);
-master's (highest military operational-tactical) training for large formations, operational-strategic commands, headquarters of branches and branches of the armed forces - in six universities of the RF Ministry of Defense (two years).
In addition, the training of officers-specialists in electronic warfare is being carried out when appointed to higher positions in the universities of the Ministry of Defense under the programs of additional professional education.
Not a day without interruption
Junior specialists for the ground forces and coastal units of the Navy study at the Interspecies Center for the Training and Combat Use of Electronic Warfare Troops. The term of study is 4, 5 months. There, under the programs of additional professional education and advanced training, retraining of servicemen under the contract has been established.
When re-equipping units with new models of special equipment, training of specialists was organized according to a one-month program as part of units. The requirements for graduates are quite serious. It's about the ability to work on all types of special equipment in service with the EW troops, its independent and collective application in various conditions of the situation, high moral and psychological qualities.
In addition to educational institutions of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, EW specialists are trained by military departments at state educational institutions. Officers are trained at the Southern Federal University. At the St. Petersburg State University of Telecommunications named after prof. MA Bonch-Bruevich and the Siberian Federal University - officers, soldiers and sergeants.
By 2018, it is planned to create a specialized training ground for electronic warfare troops, which will allow in a short time to prepare for the implementation of combat training (special) tasks of units and military units of electronic warfare, including taking into account the specific operational and tactical situation and the possibility of organizing interaction on the planned virtual field combat, down to the actions of each serviceman, as well as reduce material, technical and financial costs through the use of computer training aids, individual and complex simulators.
All units that have undergone retraining and re-equipment with new samples of special equipment are supplied with the training and training complex "Magnesium-REB". An integrated training and training complex - ITOK - has been developed and is being prepared for state testing. It will allow you to work out various situations on almost all types of modern electronic warfare equipment and in real time monitor the correctness of the trainees' actions and evaluate them.
