In 2016, the Ground Forces will receive the TOR-M2 and BUK-M3 complexes
In a series of New Year's holidays, a very modestly marked date is significant not only for the air defense of the Ground Forces, but also for the country as a whole. Meanwhile, one of the founders of the modern Aerospace Forces had an anniversary - a hundred years from the date of formation. What events are remembered for the past century? This and other questions to the "Military-Industrial Courier" were answered by the Chief of the Air Defense Forces of the Ground Forces, Lieutenant-General Alexander Leonov.
- The history of the creation of military air defense began with experimental firing at stationary air targets (kites, balloons, balloons) carried out in 1881-1890 and publications in this regard in the "Artillery Journal" articles on the theory and practice of combating such targets. The "Field Artillery Firing Rules", published in 1911, outlined the techniques, methods of preparing and firing at an airship and a balloon used by the enemy to raise observers and spotters of artillery fire. At the same time, the basic requirements for a special "anti-aircraft" gun and proposals for its combat use were developed.
In June 1914 - February 1915, engineer F. Lander, with the participation of Captain V. Tarnovsky, designed and manufactured in the workshops of the Putilov plant the first four 3-inch (76, 2-mm) anti-aerostatic guns of the 1914 model (later called anti-aircraft guns).
On October 5, 1914, at the behest (order), a car battery was formed for firing at the air fleet. And already in March 1915 - the 1st separate car battery for firing at the air fleet, which is sent to the active army - to the Northern Front near Warsaw. On June 17, 1915, she repelled a raid of nine German aircraft, shooting down two of them.
The leadership of the creation of a new type of troops in the Red Army was entrusted to a single body - the Office of the head of the formation of anti-aircraft batteries (UPRZAZENFOR), created in July 1918. In the process of the military reform of 1924-1925, new measures were taken to strengthen the air defense. For ten years, the number of anti-aircraft guns in a rifle division has increased from 12 to 18 units. All subunits and units of anti-aircraft artillery were transferred to the subordination of the chiefs of artillery of the fronts (districts).
In the 30s, new types of weapons entered service with the ZA, with which the military air defense entered the Great Patriotic War:
-76, 2-mm anti-aircraft gun model 1931/38 (designer - G. Tagunov);
-85-mm semi-automatic anti-aircraft gun model 1939 (chief designer - G. Dorokhin);
-37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun model 1939 (designers - M. Loginov and L. Loktev);
-25-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun model 1940 (designers - M. Loginov and L. Lyuliev);
-12, 7-mm anti-aircraft heavy machine gun model 1938 (designers - V. Degtyarev, G. Shpagin).
In addition, by the beginning of the war, the following were created:
for border military districts - a radio detector of aircraft with continuous energy radiation RUS-1 ("Reven", 1939, head of development - D. Stogov);
for the service of VNOS and combined-arms formations - early warning radar with pulsed energy radiation RUS-2 ("Redut", 1940, head of development - Yu. Kobzarev).
For the first time, the official division of anti-aircraft artillery by designation into military and positional (later the Air Defense Forces of the country's territory) was recorded in the "Manual on the Combat Use of Anti-Aircraft Artillery", published in 1939.
In the initial period of World War II, the military air defense was organizationally formed into anti-aircraft artillery batteries, separate anti-aircraft artillery divisions and army regiments of medium-caliber and small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery (SZA and MZA). As part of the rifle divisions, it was envisaged to have one anti-aircraft artillery division (eight 37-mm AZP and four 76-mm ZP in each), which made it possible to create a density of 1, 2 guns and 3, 3 anti-aircraft machine guns for one with standard means on a front 10 kilometers wide. kilometer.
During the war, 21,645 aircraft were shot down by ground means of military air defense, of which medium caliber - 4047, small caliber - 14657, anti-aircraft machine guns - 2401, rifle and machine gun fire - 540.
The report of the Main Directorate of the Commander of Artillery for submission to the General Staff on May 30, 1945 said: "The ground forces must have their own ground air defense systems, which, independently of the Air Force and the Air Defense Forces of the country, would be able to independently and constantly cover groupings of troops and objects of the military rear." It was emphasized: "Thus, the allocation of air defense assets of troops from the general air defense system in November 1941 is correct."
- In the postwar years, a breakthrough was made in the technical rearmament of troops. What does this experience tell us?
- At that time, new automated anti-aircraft artillery systems of small, medium and large calibers were created, as well as multi-barreled anti-aircraft artillery and machine-gun installations. In 1948-1957, the S-60 anti-aircraft artillery system was adopted, consisting of a 57-mm AZP, SON-9 (SON-15), PUAZO-5 (PUAZO-6) or RPK-1 "Vaza"; 57-mm twin anti-aircraft self-propelled gun S-68; 100-mm anti-aircraft artillery complex KS-19 as part of a 100-mm anti-aircraft gun, SON-4 with PUAZO-7; 14.5mm and 23mm anti-aircraft guns; radar stations for reconnaissance and target designation MOST-2, P-8, P-10. In 1953, the first domestic automated anti-aircraft artillery control complex KUZA-1 and its mobile military version KUZA-2 appeared.
Summing up the results of the July 1957 KSHU of the Belarusian Military District, USSR Minister of Defense Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov for the first time recognized the need to create a new type of troops in the ground forces - air defense. By order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR No. 0069 of August 16, 1958, units, units and formations of military anti-aircraft artillery, supporting its structures that were organizationally part of the ground forces, as well as a number of military educational institutions and training centers were removed from the subordination of the artillery commander and were allocated to a new independent type of army.
With the advent of jet aviation in 1957-1959, the process of replacing medium and large-caliber anti-aircraft artillery systems with anti-aircraft missile systems began. In the first period, these were the S-75 air defense systems. However, being a rather formidable weapon, they had unacceptably low mobility by the standards of the air defense forces of the ground forces. In 1960-1975, the appearance of air-to-ground missiles, anti-radar and ballistic missiles, required new approaches to the development of a weapon system. For its creation and formation, the decisive role was played by the decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of 1967 "On urgent measures for the development and production of air defense systems of the Land Forces of the Soviet Army."
The firstborn was the Krug air defense missile system (1965, the general designer of the complex was academician V. Efremov, the general designer of the rocket was L. Lyuliev). All military equipment was placed on the high-cross-country tracked chassis: radar for detection and target designation, radar for target tracking and missile guidance, launchers with two missiles on each. The complex could deploy to unprepared positions in five minutes. The far border of the affected area was 50, the height was from 3 to 24.5 kilometers.
To combat aviation at low and medium altitudes, the Kub air defense missile system was created (1967, General Designer - Yu. Figurovsky, missiles - A. Lyapin, semi-active radar homing head - I. Akopyan). The complex had two main combat units: a self-propelled reconnaissance and guidance unit and a launcher with three homing solid-propellant anti-aircraft missiles on each. The combination of radar detection, guidance and illumination on one chassis was carried out for the first time in world practice. On the basis of the short-range air defense system "Cube" (17, later - 23-25 km), anti-aircraft missile regiments of tank divisions began to form in 1967.
And for the protection of motorized rifle was created a short-range air defense missile system "Osa" (1971, general designer of the complex - V. Efremov, missiles - P. Grushin), in which all combat elements were located on the basis of a floating high-passable wheeled self-propelled gun. This made it possible to provide protection for the covered troops when they were directly in their battle formations and to fight air attack weapons at ranges of up to 10 kilometers and altitudes from 10-15 meters to 6 kilometers.
For the divisional link of the air defense forces of the ground, the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" anti-aircraft self-propelled gun was developed (chief designer - N. Astrov, radar and SRP - V. Pikkel) and light short-range air defense systems with passive means of detecting and hitting the target "Strela-1 ", Later a whole family of" Strela-10 "type (general designer - A. Nudelman). And for direct cover - a portable air defense system (MANPADS) "Strela-2M" (1970, general designer - S. Invincible).
During the October 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the Kvadrat air defense system (export name - the Cube air defense missile system) destroyed 68 percent of the IDF aircraft, mainly Phantom and Mirage aircraft, with an average missile consumption of 1, 2-1, 6 per target.
- Why did the military air defense system need long-range fire weapons over time?
-In 1975-1985, with the emergence of new types of air defense systems (cruise, tactical and operational-tactical ballistic, aviation ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles of the first generation, modernized missiles of the Maverick, Hellfire type, PRR "Harm" of increased range and accuracy) the modernization potential of the air defense weapons and military equipment of the SV has exhausted itself.
By 1983-1985, air defense systems of the new - third generation, including medium and long-range air defense systems, were adopted and began to enter the troops. As well as short-range air defense systems, short-range air defense systems, and direct cover MANPADS.
The S-300V long-range air defense system (1988, general designer of the system - V. Efremov, anti-aircraft guided missiles - L. Lyuliev) was originally developed as a means of anti-missile defense in a theater of operations. But it was additionally entrusted with the functions of dealing with especially important aerodynamic VIP targets - air command posts, AWACS aircraft, target designation aircraft of reconnaissance and strike complexes, jammers at maximum ranges, piloted by tactical aviation and cruise missiles.
The Buk medium-range air defense missile system (1979, general designer - A. Rastov, later - E. Pigin, missiles - L. Lyuliev, semi-active radar homing head - I. Akopyan) introduced a fundamentally new one that has no analogues in the world the weapon is a self-propelled gun mount. It housed a tracking radar and a target illumination station, computing facilities, telecode communication systems, launch automatics and four solid-propellant missiles, which made it possible, according to target designation data from the control panel of the system, or autonomously deal with a wide range of air targets. Currently in service is a more modern modification - "Buk-M2".
The short-range air defense system "Tor" (1986, general designer - V. Efremov, missiles - P. Grushin) was developed as the main means of combating the WTO, for which a target reconnaissance radar with a radiation pattern insensitive to the angles of approach of targets was introduced into its composition. and tracking radar with a small-element phased antenna array. SAM "Tor" still has no analogues in the world and, in fact, remains the only means to ensure the fight against the WTO over the battlefield.
ZPRK short-range "Tunguska" (1982, General Designer - A. Shipunov, chief designers of a cannon machine and a rocket - V. Gryazev, V. Kuznetsov) was developed to combat tactical and army aviation directly over the front edge, as well as to defeat Apache-type fire support helicopters. The complex also has no analogues, with the exception of the domestic ZRPK of the new generation "Pantsir-C1", created on the basis of the technical solutions of "Tunguska".
MANPADS "Igla-1", "Igla" (1981, general designer - S. Invincible) was created for direct cover of troops and objects from attacking air attack weapons. To ensure effective destruction in it, for the first time in world practice, a scheme was used to shift the missile targeting point to the most dangerous area of the center section of the aircraft, undermining, together with the warhead, the remnants of the composite fuel of the main engine of the rocket, and in-depth detonation of the aggregate combat equipment.
- It turns out that almost all military air defense systems have no analogues. And what distinguishes modern and advanced weapons and military equipment systems?
–Currently, the S-300V long-range air defense system is in service with the air defense formations of the military districts, which ensures the defeat of aerodynamic air targets at a distance of up to 100 kilometers. It has been replaced since 2014 by the S-300V4 system, which is capable of fighting all types of existing air defense systems at increased ranges. Possibilities of hitting air targets, indicators of reliability and noise immunity have been improved by 1, 5-2, 5 times. The area covered from ballistic missile attacks has been increased by the same amount, and the time for preparation for launch has been reduced.
The troops continue to receive a modern modification of the complex - "Buk-M2". With the increase in the previous number of combat assets fourfold (from 6 to 24), the number of simultaneously fired at air targets was increased, and the possibility of hitting tactical missiles with a launch range of up to 150-200 kilometers was ensured. A special feature is the placement of reconnaissance, guidance and launching missiles on the SDU. This gives the maximum concealment of combat use and survivability as part of the division, the minimum deployment (folding) time, as well as the ability to perform a single SDU combat mission autonomously.
In 2016, the Ground Forces are planning to supply the first brigade set of the Buk-M3 medium-range air defense system.
Since 2011, a new modification of the "Tor" complex - "Tor-M2U" has been received. It allows you to conduct reconnaissance on the move in any terrain and carry out simultaneous shelling of four air targets, providing an all-aspect defeat. Combat work processes are fully automated. Since 2016, the troops will begin to receive the Tor-M2 complex, which, in comparison with the previous modifications, has improved characteristics by 1.5-2 times.
As you rightly noted, the Russian Federation is one of the few countries that have the ability to independently develop and produce MANPADS. Maximum stealth, short reaction time, high accuracy, ease of training and use create a serious problem for the air enemy. Since 2014, modern MANPADS "Verba", which are highly effective in conditions of powerful organized optical jamming, have also begun to arrive to equip the air defense units of the Ground Forces and the Airborne Forces.
The S-300V4, Buk-M3 and Tor-M2 air defense systems were included in the list of priority weapons and military equipment that determine the appearance of promising systems by presidential decree. In general, in 2011–2015, two newly formed anti-aircraft missile brigades and air defense units of eight combined-arms formations were equipped with modern weapons in the air defense forces. Staffing with them is more than 35 percent.
-Alexander Petrovich, what are the prospects for the development of the air defense forces of the ground?
–I will name the main directions:
improving the organizational and staff structures of military command and control bodies, formations, military units and subunits in order to maximize the combat capabilities of incoming and developed anti-aircraft missile weapons;
development of a new generation of weapons and military equipment capable of effectively combating all types of airborne weapons, including those created on the basis of hypersonic technologies;
improving the system of training highly qualified personnel, including junior specialists studying in specialized training centers of the air defense forces of the ground forces.
As for the priorities, these are the improvement of the control system for the development and training of troops, the formation of a unified military-technical policy, the completion of the ongoing development work on schedule, the creation of a design and production reserve. Let me remind you of the words of Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, which have not lost their relevance now: “Reliable air defense capable of repelling enemy strikes, especially in the initial period of the war, creates favorable conditions for the Armed Forces to enter the war. Serious grief awaits the country that will be unable to repel an air strike”.
