"Harpoon", "Tomahawk", "Caliber", "Onyx" or "Brahmos": who can compete with them for the title of the best cruise missile in the world?

IN Lately it was the cruise missile that became one of the most deadly and sought-after types of weapons. Get the enemy with a scalpel-point strike, eliminate him command bunker, sink a flagship, or conduct a massive attack on enemy positions - only cruise missiles are capable of performing all these tasks at once. Cheap, angry, effective, and, most importantly, without any participation of the pilot. It is for these reasons that all the leading world powers and countries of lower rank are trying to effectively develop their technologies aimed at building new models of this formidable weapon. But who among them went the farthest? Whose gunsmiths created the most advanced cruise missile in the world?

Answers to this question in a special review of the ten best cruise missiles in the world.

10th place: RGM-84 Harpoon Block II (USA).

Opens our top "American old man", the development of the middle of the last century, one of the most common cruise missiles in the world, a kind of anti-ship "harpoon" - RGM-84 of the latest modification of Block II. A reliable, proven system is truly universal and can be based both on land and in the air, on water and under water. But only naval targets are capable of hitting, and even then at a very short distance, only 130 kilometers and with a not very high maximum speed of 860 km / h, and it carries only a little more than 200 kilograms of combat load. Agree, very, very modestly.

With similar parameters, all sorts of target approach modes and small missile dimensions will not help to break through a modern enemy missile defense system and sink a serious ship like an aircraft carrier. Yes, and the rocket carrier will have to approach a dangerous distance. Therefore, Harpoon takes an honorable tenth place, for the sake of respect for the former glory of the "old man".

9th place: RBS-15 Mk. III (Sweden).

Another "old man" from our review, the Swedish arms concern Saab began to develop at the same time as the RGM-84, but the development, alas, dragged on and the first modification of the rocket was put into service only in 1985. But it turned out better than the American competitor. Universal launch from all possible carriers, twice the flight range, almost the same mass of the warhead and more high speed flight: RBS-15, the third modification is more lethal than Harpoon, but also cannot be used on ground targets. Therefore, the Swedish development and confidently pushes the American "harpoon" in our rating.

8th place: SOM (Türkiye)

The Turkish armed forces, up to the present moment, did not have a cruise missile of their own production, but in 2012 they nevertheless adopted the latest development - the SOM missile. Created in Turkish design bureaus, SOM is a fairly compact universal cruise missile capable of hitting not only sea, but also ground targets. The latest electronics, various target engagement modes, firing range and maximum flight speed above the level of the legendary RGM-84 - all this was realized by the Turks in metal. But still, Turkey still lacks experience in the development of such weapons systems. Therefore, it was possible to surpass the Swedish and American analogues of SOM, but nothing more. Diagnosis: study and study again, development experience comes with time.

7th place: Naval Strike Missile (Norway)

Norwegians, first of all, care about the protection of maritime borders own state and with its development in 2007 keep up with the world's leading manufacturers of cruise missiles. Naval Strike Missile puts Harpoon, RBS-15, and SOM in the belt. The missile flies further, almost reaches the speed of sound, is assembled from composite materials, destroys all targets and itself can actively interfere with the enemy. Therefore, such a “gift” is extremely difficult to intercept by the missile defense system.

But for now, the Naval Strike Missile can only be based on ships, and it carries only 125 kilograms of combat load. Not enough - the lowest indicator from our rating, therefore only 7th place.

6th place: BGM-109 Tomahawk Block IV (USA)

So, meet the legendary Tomahawk. Where would we be without it ... An ageless veteran and one of the most famous cruise missiles in the world opens the list of heavyweights in our ranking.

Longest range, richest story combat use, a very serious warhead mass of 450 kilograms - the American "tomahawk" is the most serious threat to the enemy. For an adversary who does not have the same modern air defense system, for example, third world countries. Subsonic speed, coupled with the inability to maneuver with large overloads, make the American "miracle weapon" an easy target for the latest enemy anti-aircraft missiles.

But still, the flight range of 1600 kilometers plays a significant role, so place number 6.

5th place: Storm Shadow/SCALP EG (France-Italy-Great Britain).

The joint development of the leading arms concerns of the European Union should have led to something, at least grandiose. Thus was born the unique, electronically crammed, stealth-based cruise missile Storm Shadow. Its tandem-type warhead, weighing almost half a ton, can penetrate the most serious armor, and the combined guidance system with target recognition mode can hit the most hard-to-reach targets.

It would seem that Storm Shadow should be the leader of this rating, if not for one "but" ... maximum speed. The missile cannot overcome the supersonic barrier, which means that for the latest missile defense systems it remains a fairly easy victim.

4th place: R-800 Onyx/Yakhont (Russia)

The old man "of the Soviet development of the late 70s earned its place on the list thanks to one advantage - a supersonic flight speed of 3000 km / h. None of the above cruise missiles developed in the West has such a characteristic, which means that there are practically no equals in the breakthrough of modern Onyx missile defense systems. And the complete unification of the main types of carriers (surface, underwater, ground) and the possibility of using against targets of any base confidently put the Russian missile in 4th place.

3rd place: 3M-54 Caliber (Russia)

The latest Russian weapons system, developed at the turn of the century, recently shocked the whole world with its combat capabilities during the autumn missile launches at the positions of Daesh militants *. An amazing possibility of basing on all types of media, including in specially disguised containers. Amazing maximum flight speed, almost three times the speed of sound. Incredible targeting and hitting accuracy. One of the highest firing ranges and the largest mass of the warhead. "Caliber" certainly deserved the highest place in our rating!

But, alas, most of the data on the Russian cruise missile is classified and we can only be guided by approximate parameters. Therefore, bronze.

2nd place: YJ-18 (China)

In any rating there will always be a "dark horse", in ours - Chinese-made. Very little is known about the YJ-18 cruise missile: the Celestial Empire has always been able to keep its secrets, but, apparently, it is a serious modification of the Russian analogue 3M-54 Caliber, the technology of which went to the Chinese along with Project 636 submarines.

Well, what could be better and deadlier than the improved "Caliber"? That's right, practically nothing, which means - silver.

1st place: BRAHMOS (Russia-India).

Only mountains can be better than mountains, and only BRAHMOS is better than Caliber and the Chinese-modified Caliber. The latest Russian-Indian cruise missile, based on the R-800 Oniks, leads the ranking.

Maximum speed of 3700 km / h, a mixed flight profile that provides a completely unpredictable trajectory of approach to the target at ultra-low altitudes at supersonic speed, 300 kilograms of a warhead (penetrating, high-explosive fragmentation, cluster) and a launch range of 300 kilometers - save from BRAHMOS is unlikely to be able to any PRO. Well, if we add here the possibility of being based on any type of carriers and the possibility of hitting absolutely any targets, then it becomes clear why gold is behind the missile of Russian-Indian development.

Well, and finally - a short video with colorful launches of all the presented missiles.

* – The activity of the organization is prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation by decision of the Supreme Court.

Emerged (more precisely, revived) in the late 1970s. Since the second half of the 1980s, in the USSR and the USA, as an independent class of strategic offensive weapons, long-range air and sea cruise missiles (CR) are also considered as high-precision missiles (HTO), designed to destroy especially important small-sized targets with conventional (non-nuclear) warheads. The AGM-86C (CALCM) and AGM-109C Tomahawk cruise missiles equipped with high-powered (weight - about 450 kg) non-nuclear warheads (warheads) demonstrated high efficiency in combat operations against Iraq (permanently conducted since 1991), as well as in the Balkans (1999) and in other parts of the world. At the same time, tactical (non-nuclear) first-generation missile launchers had a relatively low flexibility of combat use - the flight mission was entered into the missile guidance system on the ground, before the bomber took off or the ship left the base, and took more than a day (later it was reduced to several hours ).


In addition, the KR had a relatively high cost (more than $ 1 million), low hit accuracy (circular probable deviation - CEP - from tens to hundreds of meters) and several times less than their strategic prototypes, the range of combat use (respectively , 900-1100 and 2400-3000 km), which was due to the use of a heavier non-nuclear warhead, which "displaced" part of the fuel from the rocket body. The carriers of the KR AGM-86C (launch weight 1460 kg, warhead weight 450 kg, range 900-1100 km) are currently only strategic bombers-missile carriers B-52N, and AGM-109C are equipped with surface ships of the "destroyer" and "cruiser" class ", equipped with universal vertical container launchers, as well as multi-purpose nuclear submarines (NPS), using missiles from a submerged position.

Based on the experience of military operations in Iraq (1991), American KR of both types were modernized in the direction of increasing the flexibility of their combat use (now the flight mission can be entered remotely, directly on board the aircraft or carrier ship, in the process of solving a combat mission) . Due to the introduction of an optical correlation system of final homing, as well as equipping with a satellite navigation unit (GPS), the accuracy characteristics of the weapon (KVO -8-10 m) have significantly increased, which made it possible to hit not just a specific target, but its specific area.

In the 1970-1990s, up to 3,400 AGM-109 missiles and more than 1,700 AGM-86 missiles were produced. At present, the AGM-109 missile systems of early modifications (both "strategic" and anti-ship) are massively being finalized into the tactical version of the AGM-109C Block 111C, equipped with an improved guidance system and having an increased combat range from 1100 to 1800 km, as well as reduced KVO (8-10 m). At the same time, the mass (1450 kg) of the rocket and its speed characteristics (M = 0.7) remained practically unchanged.

Since the late 1990s, work has also been carried out in parallel to create a simplified, cheaper version of the Tactical Tomahawk cruise missile, designed exclusively for use from surface ships. This made it possible to reduce the requirements for the strength of the airframe, to abandon a number of other elements that ensure the launch of a missile in a submerged position from nuclear submarine torpedo tubes, and thereby improve the weight return of the aircraft and increase its performance characteristics (first of all, the range, which should increase to 2000 km ).

In the longer term, by reducing the weight of the avionics and using more economical engines, the maximum range of the upgraded AGM-86C and AGM-109C type missiles will increase to 2000-3000 km (while maintaining the same efficiency of non-nuclear warheads).


cruise missile AGM-86B

However, the process of transforming the AGM-86 aircraft cruise missiles into a non-nuclear version in the early 2000s slowed down significantly due to the lack of "extra" missiles of this type in the US Air Force (unlike the Tomahawk missiles in the nuclear version, which, in accordance with the Russian-American agreements, withdrawn from the ammunition of ships and transferred to coastal storage, the AGM-86 continues to be included in the nuclear offset, being the basis of the strategic weapons of the US Air Force B-52 bombers). For the same reason, the transformation into a non-nuclear variant of the AGM-129A strategic stealth missile system, which is also equipped exclusively with B-52H aircraft, has not begun. In this regard, the issue of resuming mass production of an improved version of the AGM-86 KR has been repeatedly raised, but a decision on this has not been made.

For the foreseeable future, the US Air Force considers the subsonic (M = 0.7) Lockheed Martin AGM-158 JASSM missile, the flight tests of which began in 1999, as the main tactical missile launcher of the US Air Force. The missile, which has dimensions and weight (1100 kg), approximately corresponding to the AGM- 86, is capable of hitting targets with high accuracy (KVO - several meters) at a distance of up to 350 km. Unlike the AGM-86, it is equipped with a more powerful warhead and has less radar visibility.

Another important advantage of the AGM-158 is its versatility in terms of carriers: it can be equipped with almost all types of combat aircraft of the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps (B-52H, B-1B, B-2A, F-15E, F-16C, F / A-18, F-35).

KR JASSM is equipped with a combined autonomous system guidance - inertial-satellite on the marching leg of the flight and thermal imaging (with the target self-recognition mode) - on the final one. It can be assumed that a number of improvements implemented (or planned for implementation) on the AGM-86C and AGM-109C cruise missiles will also be used on the missile, in particular, the transmission of a “receipt” of hitting the target to the ground command post and the retargeting mode in flight.

The first small-scale batch of JASSM missiles includes 95 missiles (its production began in mid-2000), two subsequent batches will amount to 100 items each (deliveries begin in 2002). The maximum production rate will reach 360 missiles per year. Serial production of cruise missiles is expected to continue at least until 2010. Within seven years, it is planned to manufacture at least 2,400 cruise missiles at a unit cost of each product of at least $0.3 million.

Lockheed Martin, together with the Air Force, is considering the possibility of creating a variant of the JASSM missile with an extended body and a more economical engine, which will increase the range to 2800 km.

At the same time, the US Navy, in parallel with a rather "formal" participation in the JASSM program, in the 1990s continued work on further improving the tactical aviation KR AGM-84E SLAM, which, in turn, is a modification of the Boeing Harpoon AGM anti-ship missile -84, created in the 1970s. In 1999, the US Navy carrier-based aviation received the Boeing AGM-84H SLAM-ER tactical cruise missile with a range of about 280 km - the first American weapon system with the ability to automatically recognize targets (ATR mode - Automatic Target Recognition). Giving the SLAM-ER KR guidance system the ability to autonomously identify targets is a major step in improving the WTO. Compared to the Automatic Target Acquisition (ATA) mode, already implemented in a number of aircraft weapons, in the ATR mode, the "picture" of a potential target obtained by onboard sensors is compared with its digital image stored in the on-board computer memory, which makes it possible to carry out autonomous search for the object of strike, its identification and targeting of the missile in the presence of only approximate data on the location of the target.

The SLAM-ER missile is equipped with F/A-18B/C, F/A-18E/F and, in the future, F-35A carrier-based multirole fighters. SLAM-ER is the "domestic" competitor of the KR JASSM (purchases of the latter by the US fleet still seem problematic).

Thus, until the beginning of the 2010s, in the arsenal of the US Air Force and Navy in the class of non-nuclear cruise missiles with a range of 300-3000 km, there will be only low-altitude subsonic (M = 0.7-0.8) missile launchers with marching turbofan engines, which have a small and ultra-low radar signature (EPR = 0.1-0.01 sq.m) and high accuracy (KVO - less than 10 m).

In the longer term (2010-2030s), the United States plans to create a new generation of long-range cruise missiles designed to fly at high supersonic and hypersonic (M = 4 or more) speeds, which should significantly reduce the reaction time of the weapon, as well as , combined with low radar visibility, the degree of its vulnerability to existing and future enemy missile defense systems.

The US Navy is considering the development of a high-speed universal cruise missile JSCM (Joint Supersonic Cruise Missile), designed to combat advanced air defense systems. KR should have a range of about 900 km and a maximum speed corresponding to M = 4.5-5.0. It is assumed that it will carry a unitary armor-piercing part or a cluster warhead equipped with several submunitions. Deployment of KPJSMC, according to the most optimistic forecasts, can be started in 2012. The cost of the missile development program is estimated at $1 billion.

It is assumed that the JSMC KR will be able to be launched from surface ships equipped with Mk 41 universal vertical launchers. replacement of subsonic KR SLAM-ER). It is planned that the first decisions on the JSCM program will be made in 2003, and in the 2006-2007 financial year, full-scale financing of the work may begin.

According to the director of naval programs at Lockheed, Martin E. Carney (AI Carney), although state funding for the JSCM program has not yet been carried out, in 2002 it is planned to finance work on the research program ACTD (Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator). In the event that the groundwork for the ACTD program will form the basis of the JSMC rocket concept, Lockheed Martin is likely to become the main contractor for the creation of a new CD.

The development of an experimental ACTD rocket is carried out jointly by Orbital Science and the Center naval armaments US Navy (China Lake Air Force Base, California). The rocket is supposed to be equipped with a liquid air-ramjet engine, research on which has been underway in China Lake for the past 10 years.

The main "sponsor" of the JSMC program is the US Pacific Fleet, which is primarily interested in effective means combat rapidly improving Chinese air defense systems.

In the 1990s, the US Navy began a program to create a promising missile weapons ALAM, designed for use by surface ships against coastal targets. A further development of this program in 2002 was the project of the FLAM (Future Land Attack Missile) complex, which should fill the "range niche" between the corrected active-reactive artillery 155-mm guided projectile ERGM (capable of hitting targets with high accuracy at a distance of more than 100 km) and the Tomahawk missile defense system. The missile must have increased accuracy. Funding for its creation will begin in 2004. It is planned that the FLAM missile will be equipped with destroyers new generation type DD(X), which will be put into operation in 2010.

The final appearance of the FLAM rocket has not yet been determined. According to one of the options, it is possible to create a hypersonic aircraft with a liquid ramjet engine based on the JSCM rocket.

Lockheed Martin, together with the French center ONR, is working on the creation of a solid-propellant air-jet engine SERJ (Solid-Fueled RamJet), which can also be used on the ALAM / FLAM rocket (although it seems more likely to install such an engine on rockets of a later design, which may appear after 2012, or on the KR ALAM / FLAM in the process of its modernization), since the ramjet is less economical than the turbofan, a supersonic (hypersonic) missile with a SERJ engine is estimated to have a shorter (about 500 km) range, than subsonic missiles of the same mass and dimensions.

Boeing, together with the US Air Force, is considering the concept of a hypersonic missile launcher with a lattice wing, designed to deliver two to four subminiature autonomous subsonic missile launchers of the LOCAADS type to the target area. The main task of the system should be to defeat modern mobile ballistic missiles, which have a pre-launch preparation time (the beginning of which can be fixed by reconnaissance means after the missile is raised to a vertical position) of the order of 10 minutes. Based on this, a hypersonic cruise missile should reach the target area within 6-7 minutes. after receiving the target designation. No more than 3 minutes can be allotted for searching and hitting a target with submunitions (mini-KR LOCAADS or BAT-type gliding munitions).

As part of this program, the possibility of creating a demonstration hypersonic missile ARRMD (Advanced Rapid Response Missile Demonstrator) is being investigated. UR must carry out cruising flight at a speed corresponding to M=6. At M=4, submunitions must be ejected. The ARRMD hypersonic missile with a launch weight of 1045 kg and a maximum range of 1200 km will carry a payload of 114 kg.

In the 1990s work on the creation of missiles of the operational-tactical class (with a range of about 250-350 km) unfolded and in Western Europe. France and Great Britain, on the basis of the French tactical missile launcher "Apache" with a range of 140 km, designed to destroy railway rolling stock (the entry of this missile into service with the French Air Force began in 2001), created a family of cruise missiles with a range of about 250-300 km SCALP-EG / "CTOpM Shadow", designed to equip the Mirage 20000, Mirage 2000-5, Harier GR.7 and Tornado GR.4 strike aircraft (and in the future - Rafal and EF2000 Lancer) . The features of rockets equipped with turbofan engines and retractable aerodynamic surfaces include subsonic (M = 0.8) speed, low-altitude flight profile and low radar visibility (achieved, in particular, by finned surfaces of the airframe).

The rocket flies along a pre-selected "corridor" in the mode of following the terrain. It has high maneuverability, which makes it possible to implement a number of programmed anti-aircraft fire evasion maneuvers. There is a GPS receiver (American NAVSTAR system). In the final section, a combined (thermal imaging / microwave) homing system with a target self-recognition mode should be used. Before approaching the target, the rocket performs a slide, followed by a dive on the target. In this case, the dive angle can be set depending on the characteristics of the target. A BROACH tandem warhead on approach "fires" a head submunition at the target, which punches a hole in the protective structure, into which the main ammunition flies, exploding inside the object with some slowdown (the degree of slowdown is set depending on the specific features of the target assigned to hit).

It is assumed that the Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG missiles will go into service with the aviation of Great Britain, France, Italy and the United Arab Emirates. It is estimated that the cost of one serial KR (with a total order volume of 2000 missiles) will be approximately $ 1.4 million. (however, the order volume of 2000 CR seems to be very optimistic, so one can expect that the real cost of one missile will be much higher).

In the future, on the basis of the Storm Shadow missile, it is planned to create a reduced export version of the Black Shahin, which can be equipped with Mirage 2000-5/9 aircraft.

The international Franco-English concern MBD (Matra/BAe Dynamics) is studying new modifications of the Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG rocket. One of the promising options is an all-weather and all-day ship-based missile defense system designed to destroy coastal targets. According to the developers, the new European missile with a range of more than 400 km can be considered as an alternative to the American Tomahawk naval missile equipped with a non-nuclear warhead, in comparison with which it will have higher accuracy.

The CR should be equipped with an inertial satellite guidance system with an extreme correlation correction system for earth's surface(TERPROM). At the final stage of the flight, it is supposed to use a thermal imaging system for autonomous homing to a contrast target. To guide the CD will be used European system space navigation GNSS, which is under development and is close in its characteristics to American system NAVSTAR and Russian GLONASS.

The EADS concern is working on the creation of another subsonic aviation KR KEPD 350 Taurus with a launch weight of 1400 kg, very close to the SCALP-EG / Storm Shadow KR. The missile with a maximum combat range of about 300-350 km is designed for low-altitude flight at a speed corresponding to M=0.8. It should enter service with the German Tornado fighter-bombers after 2002. In the future, it is also planned to arm the EF2000 Typhoon aircraft with it. In addition, it is planned to deliver the new CD for export, where it will seriously compete with the Franco-British tactical cruise missile Matra / BAe Dynamics "Storm Shadow" and, probably, the American AGM-158.

On the basis of the KEPD 350 missile, a project is being developed for the KEPD 150SL anti-ship missile with a range of 270 km, designed to replace the Harpoon missile. Anti-ship missiles of this type are supposed to be equipped with promising German frigates and destroyers. The missile should be placed in deck containers of rectangular section, grouped into four-container blocks.

The airborne version of the KEPD 150 (having a launch weight of 1060 kg and a range of 150 km) has been selected by the Swedish Air Force to equip the JAS39 Gripen multirole fighter. In addition, this SD is offered to the Air Force of Australia, Spain and Italy.

Thus, in terms of speed characteristics (M = 0.8), European cruise missiles approximately correspond to American counterparts, also fly along a low-altitude profile and have a range that is significantly less than the range of the tactical variants of the AGM-86 and AGM-109 KR and approximately equal to the range of the AGM-158 (JASSM). Just like the American KR, they have a low (RSR of the order of 0.1 sq.m) radar visibility and high accuracy.

The scale of production of European CRs is much smaller than that of American ones (the volume of their purchases is estimated at several hundred units). At the same time, the cost characteristics of American and European subsonic CDs are approximately comparable.

It can be expected that until the beginning of the 2010s, the Western European aviation and missile industry in the class of tactical (non-nuclear) KR will produce only products of the SCALP / Storm Shadow and KEPD 350 types, as well as their modifications. With a view to a more distant future (2010s and later) in Western Europe (primarily in France), as well as in the United States, research is being conducted in the field of long-range hypersonic strike missiles. During 2002-2003, flight tests of a new hypersonic experimental cruise missile with a ramjet "Vestra", created by EADS and the French armaments agency DGA, should begin.

The implementation of the Vestra program was launched by the DGA in September 1996. The goal was "to help determine the appearance of a multi-purpose long-range high-altitude (combat) missile." The program made it possible to work out the aerodynamics, power plant and elements of the control system of a promising CR. Studies conducted by DGA specialists led to the conclusion that a promising high-speed rocket should perform the final stage of flight at low altitude (originally it was assumed that the entire flight would take place only at high altitude).

On the basis of the Vestra missile launcher, an air-launched combat hypersonic missile FASMP-A, designed to replace the KPASMP, should be created. Its entry into service is expected at the end of 2006. The carriers of the FASMP-A missile, equipped with a thermonuclear warhead, should be Dassault Mirage N fighter-bombers and Rafal multifunctional fighters. In addition to the strategic version of the KR, it is also possible to create an anti-ship version with a conventional warhead and a final homing system.

France is currently the only foreign country armed with a long-range cruise missile with a nuclear warhead. Back in the 1970s, work began on the creation of an aviation nuclear weapons a new generation of supersonic cruise missile Aerospasial ASMP. On July 17, 1974, the TN-80 nuclear warhead with a capacity of 300 kt was tested, designed to equip this missile. Testing was completed in 1980 and the first TN-80 ASMP missiles entered service with the French Air Force in September 1985.

The ASMP missile (which is part of the armament of the Mirage 2000M fighter-bombers and the Super Etandar carrier-based attack aircraft) is equipped with a ramjet engine (kerosene is used as fuel) and a starting solid fuel booster. The maximum speed at high altitude corresponds to M=3, near the ground - M=2. Launch range - 90-350 km. The launch weight of the KR is 840 kg. A total of 90 ASMP missiles and 80 nuclear warheads for them were manufactured.

Since 1977, China has been implementing national programs to create its own long-range cruise missiles. The first Chinese KR, known as the X-600 or "Hong Nyao-1" (XN-1), was put into service ground forces in 1992. It has a maximum range of 600 km and carries a nuclear warhead with a power of 90 kT. A small-sized turbofan engine was developed for the KR, flight tests of which began in 1985. The X-600 is equipped with an inertial correlation guidance system, probably supplemented by a satellite correction unit. The final homing system is believed to have used a television camera. According to one source, the CEP of the X-600 missile is 5 m. However, this information seems to be too optimistic. The radio altimeter installed on board the CD ensures flight at an altitude of about 20 m (obviously above the sea surface).

In 1992, a new, more economical engine was tested for the Chinese KR. This made it possible to increase the maximum launch range to 1500-2000 km. The modernized version of the cruise missile under the designation XN-2 was put into service in 1996. The developed modification XN-Z should have a range of about 2500 m.

KhN-1, KhN-2 and KhN-Z missiles are ground-based weapons. They are placed on "ground-mobile" wheeled launchers. However, variants of the CD are also under development for placement on board surface ships, submarines or aircraft.

In particular, new Chinese multi-purpose nuclear submarines of project 093 are considered as potential carriers of the missile launcher. The missiles should be launched from a submerged position through 533-mm torpedo tubes. The new JH-7A tactical bombers, as well as the J-8-IIM and J-11 (Su-27SK) multipurpose fighters, can be carriers of the aviation version of the KR.

In 1995, it was reported that the PRC had begun flight tests of a supersonic unmanned aircraft, which could be considered a prototype of a promising cruise missile.

Initially, work on the creation of cruise missiles was carried out in China by the Hain Electromechanical Academy and led to the creation of tactical anti-ship missiles Hain-1 (a variant of the Soviet P-15 anti-ship missiles) and Hain-2. Later, the supersonic anti-ship missile "Khain-Z" with a ramjet engine and "Khain-4" with a turbojet engine were developed.

In the mid-1980s, NII 8359, as well as the "Chinese Institute of Cruise Missiles" (however, the latter may be the renamed Hain Electromechanical Academy), were formed in the PRC to work in the field of creating cruise missiles.

We should also stop at work on improving the warheads of cruise missiles. In addition to combat units of the traditional type, American KR began to be equipped with fundamentally new types of warheads. In the course of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, for the first time, KR were used, carrying fibers of thin copper wire, scattered over the target. Such a weapon, which later received the unofficial name "I-bomb", served to disable power lines, power plants , substations and other energy facilities: hanging on the wires, the wire caused a short circuit, depriving military, industrial and communication centers of the enemy of electricity.

During the fighting against Yugoslavia, a new generation of these weapons was used, where thinner carbon fibers were used instead of copper wire. At the same time, not only missile launchers, but also free-falling aerial bombs are used to deliver new "anti-energy" warheads to targets.

Another promising type of American missile combat units is an explosive magnetic warhead, which, when triggered, generates a powerful electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that "burns out" the enemy's radio-electronic equipment. At the same time, the radius of the damaging effect of EMP generated by an explosive magnetic warhead is several times greater than the radius of destruction of a conventional high-explosive fragmentation warhead of the same mass. According to a number of messages means mass media, explosive magnetic warheads have already been used by the United States in real combat conditions.

Undoubtedly, the role and importance of long-range cruise missiles in non-nuclear weapons will increase in the foreseeable future. However, the effective use of these weapons is possible only if there is a global space navigation system (the United States and Russia currently have such systems, and United Europe will soon join them), a high-precision geographic information system of combat areas, as well as a multi-level system of aviation and space reconnaissance, which provides data on the position of targets with their exact (on the order of several meters) georeferencing. Therefore, the creation of a modern precision weapons long-range - the lot of only relatively technologically advanced countries that are able to develop and maintain in working order the entire information and intelligence infrastructure that ensures the use of such weapons.

The Obama administration is now contemplating what kind of military action, if any, it should take against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is accused of using chemical weapons against civilians in his own country. The most likely course of events is an air strike using cruise missiles on military and government facilities, such as the presidential palace and chemical weapons depots. Below you will find information about what cruise missiles are.

What is a cruise missile?

Cruise missiles are fast-moving guided bombs that can travel at extremely low altitudes parallel to the ground. They differ from conventional rockets primarily in that they can fly very long distances. They differ from unmanned aircraft in that they do not have ground pilots - they move along a predetermined trajectory - and also in that they can only be used once. Germany used the first cruise missiles during World War II. They were called "V-1", short for German word Vergeltung meaning "retribution". For the first time they were launched from military bases in northern France to strike at the UK. The main advantage of the V-1 missiles, as well as all cruise missiles that appeared later, is the ability to attack from a distance from the enemy and without a pilot.

How does a cruise missile work?

All cruise missiles are equipped with an onboard guidance system, although types may vary. For example, Tomahawk missiles, which the US Navy has used since 1984, are equipped with a system called Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM), which uses an altimeter and an inertia sensor to plot a flight path along a predetermined terrain map. Newer Tomahawk models are also equipped with GPS. In addition to this model, there are many more different guidance systems.

The design of all cruise missiles is approximately the same. They necessarily have an engine, usually a jet engine with an air intake, which pushes the rocket forward. It has a compartment for fuel and a compartment for a warhead or explosives. Both cruise missiles in the images below were designed to be equipped with nuclear warheads, but most cruise missiles - and all missiles ever used in combat - are equipped with conventional, non-nuclear explosives. The guidance system is usually located at the front of the missile. Cruise missiles with wings and engines often resemble drones.

Cruise missiles can be launched from aircraft, submarines, ships, or land-based launchers. In addition to the United States, cruise missiles are in service with more than 70 states.

Did the US use cruise missiles?

Of course. If drones were the iconic weapons of the 2000s and 2010s, cruise missiles were the weapon of choice in the 1990s. Deadly, launched from a long distance and without a pilot on board, they made it possible to destroy enemies without risking the lives of the American military. In the 1990s, the United States carried out three major strikes using cruise missiles.

In 1993, the Kuwaiti authorities uncovered a plot by the Iraqi intelligence services to assassinate former president US George Bush Sr. In response, President Bill Clinton ordered 23 cruise missiles to be fired at Iraqi intelligence headquarters. In 1998, Clinton ordered a missile attack on the El Shifa Pharmaceuticals Industries plant in Sudan, suspecting that they were actually producing chemical weapon. Also in 1998, Clinton ordered cruise missiles to be fired at Osama bin Laden, who at that time was in the Afghan province of Khost. Both strikes in 1998 were in retaliation for bomb attacks on US embassies in East Africa.

What were the consequences of these strikes?

After the cruise missile attack in 1993, Iraq and the United States developed a relationship of unrelenting enmity that lasted for a full decade. America (along with the United Kingdom and, at some point, France) imposed a no-fly zone over Iraq to prevent the Iraqi government from attacking the Kurds in the north and the Shiites in the south. Enforcement of the no-fly zone has grown into a serious problem: Iraqi anti-aircraft missiles have occasionally shot down american planes, and in response to this, the Americans bombed Iraqi missile bases. All this ended only in 2003, when American troops invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein. However, the tense situation in Iraq persists to this day.

El Shifa Pharmaceutical Industries, which the United States destroyed in 1998, turned out to be the most ordinary pharmaceutical plant. Its wreckage remained intact and now serves as a monument to American incompetence.

As a result of a missile attack on the province of Khost, the Americans failed to destroy Osama bin Laden - for this they needed another 13 years, an invasion of Afghanistan, a decade of searches and specially trained people from among fur seals. As stated in the documents kept in the archives of the Agency national security, there is evidence that "far from destroying Osama bin Laden, these strikes ultimately brought al-Qaeda and the Taliban closer politically and ideologically."

What are the disadvantages of cruise missiles?

A US Air Force report from 2000 mentions several shortcomings of Tomahawk cruise missiles:

“Although everyone agrees that the Tomahawk is an extremely effective weapon, these missiles still have some drawbacks. One is that their flight path is relatively predictable. Especially in those areas of the terrain, for example, in deserts, the relief of which is homogeneous. The second problem is that mission planning for terrain-guided systems takes much longer and is much more complex in terms of intelligence accuracy requirements than might be expected. For example, to use a Tomahawk, a unit needs to send a request for a target data packet to agencies such as the Department of Defense Mapping Service in order to collect all the information necessary to carry out the mission. The third disadvantage is that Tomahawk missiles cannot be used to destroy well-defended targets, because their 450 kilogram warheads, impact accuracy and kinetic energy at the moment of impact do not allow destroying an enemy with a high degree probabilities. The final disadvantage of these missiles is that Tomahawks cannot attack moving objects because they are directed to a specific point on the ground, and not to a single object. Accordingly, Tomahawk cruise missiles also cannot attack moving targets, because their location may change while targeting or while the missile is flying towards its target.

Since 2000, guidance systems have been greatly improved, but in general the main disadvantages of cruise missiles remain. In order for the missiles to hit the target, it is necessary to have accurate intelligence data and detailed maps. It is also necessary that the enemy stay in one relatively undefended place.

Will the US use cruise missiles in Syria?

So far, the answer to this question is unknown. One thing is clear: most likely the United States will not use drones. Drones are the best weapon in order to attack individuals from a safe height. However, the Syrian government has anti-aircraft weapons, which allows you to easily shoot down drones. Cruise missiles fly faster, hit harder, and hit large stationary targets like military bases and palaces. In addition, near Syria, the United States has a mass of cruise missiles and only a few drones.

Several publications, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal, have speculated that the US will use cruise missiles if the Obama administration decides to strike. One senior official, who asked not to be named, told NBC that the US would likely launch a three-day cruise missile attack against the Assad regime. Of course, there are no guarantees that these strikes will be carried out at all. On August 28, President Obama stated that he had not yet made a decision as to whether to invade Syria.

The launch of cruise missiles seems like a pretty powerful blow that the president can deliver, but it is unlikely to be decisive.

Readers are presented fastest rockets in the world throughout the history of creation.

Speed ​​3.8 km/s

The fastest medium-range ballistic missile with a maximum speed of 3.8 km per second opens the ranking of the fastest missiles in the world. The R-12U was a modified version of the R-12. The rocket differed from the prototype in the absence of an intermediate bottom in the oxidizer tank and some minor design changes - there are no wind loads in the mine, which made it possible to lighten the tanks and dry compartments of the rocket and abandon the stabilizers. Since 1976, the R-12 and R-12U missiles began to be withdrawn from service and replaced by Pioneer mobile ground systems. They were decommissioned in June 1989, and between May 21, 1990, 149 missiles were destroyed at the Lesnaya base in Belarus.

Speed ​​5.8 km/s

One of the fastest American launch vehicles with a maximum speed of 5.8 km per second. It is the first developed intercontinental ballistic missile adopted by the United States. Developed under the MX-1593 program since 1951. formed the basis nuclear arsenal US Air Force in 1959-1964, but then was quickly withdrawn from service in connection with the advent of the more advanced Minuteman missile. It served as the basis for the creation of the Atlas family of space launch vehicles, which has been in operation since 1959 to the present day.

Speed ​​6 km/s

UGM-133 A Trident II- American three-stage ballistic missile one of the fastest in the world. Its maximum speed is 6 km per second. Trident-2 has been developed since 1977 in parallel with the lighter Trident-1. Adopted in 1990. Starting weight - 59 tons. Max. throw weight - 2.8 tons with a launch range of 7800 km. The maximum flight range with a reduced number of warheads is 11,300 km.

Speed ​​6 km/s

One of the fastest solid-propellant ballistic missiles in the world, which is in service with Russia. It has a minimum radius of destruction of 8000 km, an approximate speed of 6 km / s. The development of the rocket has been carried out since 1998 by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, which developed in 1989-1997. ground-based missile "Topol-M". To date, 24 test launches of the Bulava have been made, fifteen of them were recognized as successful (during the first launch, weight and size layout missiles), two (seventh and eighth) - partially successful. The last test launch of the rocket took place on September 27, 2016.

Speed ​​6.7 km/s

Minuteman LGM-30 G- one of the fastest land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles in the world. Its speed is 6.7 km per second. The LGM-30G Minuteman III has an estimated range of 6,000 kilometers to 10,000 kilometers, depending on the type of warhead. The Minuteman 3 has been in service with the US since 1970. It is the only silo-based missile in the United States. The first rocket launch took place in February 1961, modifications II and III were launched in 1964 and 1968, respectively. The rocket weighs about 34,473 kilograms and is equipped with three solid propellant engines. It is planned that the missile will be in service until 2020.

Speed ​​7 km/s

The fastest anti-missile in the world, designed to destroy highly maneuverable targets and high-altitude hypersonic missiles. Tests of the 53T6 series of the Amur complex began in 1989. Its speed is 5 km per second. The rocket is a 12-meter pointed cone with no protruding parts. Its body is made of high-strength steels using composite windings. The design of the rocket allows it to withstand large overloads. The interceptor starts at 100x acceleration and is capable of intercepting targets flying at speeds up to 7 km per second.

Speed ​​7.3 km/s

The most powerful and fastest nuclear rocket in the world at a speed of 7.3 km per second. It is intended, first of all, to destroy the most fortified command posts, ballistic missile silos and air bases. The nuclear explosive of one missile can destroy Big city, a very large part of the US. Hit accuracy is about 200-250 meters. The missile is housed in the world's most durable mines. The SS-18 carries 16 platforms, one of which is loaded with decoys. Entering a high orbit, all the heads of the "Satan" go "in a cloud" of decoys and are practically not identified by radars.

Speed ​​7.9 km/s

An intercontinental ballistic missile (DF-5A) with a maximum speed of 7.9 km per second opens the top three fastest in the world. The Chinese DF-5 ICBM entered service in 1981. It can carry a huge 5 mt warhead and has a range of over 12,000 km. The DF-5 has a deviation of approximately 1 km, which means that the missile has one goal - to destroy cities. Warhead size, deflection, and the fact that it full training it only takes an hour to launch, all of which means the DF-5 is a punitive weapon designed to punish any would-be attackers. The 5A version has increased range, improved 300m deflection, and the ability to carry multiple warheads.

R-7 Speed ​​7.9 km/s

R-7- Soviet, the first intercontinental ballistic missile, one of the fastest in the world. Its top speed is 7.9 km per second. The development and production of the first copies of the rocket was carried out in 1956-1957 by the OKB-1 enterprise near Moscow. After successful launches, it was used in 1957 to launch the world's first artificial earth satellites. Since then, launch vehicles of the R-7 family have been actively used to launch spacecraft for various purposes, and since 1961 these launch vehicles have been widely used in manned astronautics. Based on the R-7, a whole family of launch vehicles was created. From 1957 to 2000, more than 1,800 launch vehicles based on the R-7 were launched, of which more than 97% were successful.

Speed ​​7.9 km/s

RT-2PM2 "Topol-M" (15ZH65)- the fastest intercontinental ballistic missile in the world with a maximum speed of 7.9 km per second. The maximum range is 11,000 km. Carries one thermonuclear warhead with a capacity of 550 kt. In the mine-based variant, it was put into service in 2000. The launch method is mortar. The rocket's solid propellant main engine allows it to pick up speed much faster than previous types of rockets of a similar class, created in Russia and the Soviet Union. This greatly complicates its interception by missile defense systems in the active phase of the flight.

Over the past two decades, all relatively large-scale military conflicts involving the United States and NATO countries have included as a mandatory element the massive use of sea- and air-based cruise missiles (CR).

The US leadership is actively promoting and constantly improving the concept of "contactless" warfare using long-range precision weapons (WTO). This idea presupposes, firstly, the absence (or reduction to a minimum) of human losses on the part of the attacker and, secondly, the effective solution of the most important task characteristic of the initial stage of any armed conflict, gaining unconditional air supremacy and suppressing the enemy’s air defense system.

The application of "non-contact" strikes suppresses the morale of the defenders, creates a feeling of helplessness and inability to fight the aggressor, and has a depressing effect on the highest command bodies of the defending side and subordinate troops.

In addition to "operational-tactical" results, the feasibility of which the Americans have repeatedly demonstrated in the course of anti-Iraq campaigns, attacks on Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, and others, the accumulation of CD also pursues a "strategic" goal. The press is increasingly discussing a scenario in accordance with which the simultaneous destruction of the most important components of the Strategic Nuclear Forces (SNF) is supposed Russian Federation conventional warheads of the Kyrgyz Republic, mainly sea-based, during the first "disarming strike". After delivering such a strike, command posts, mine and mobile launchers Strategic Missile Forces, air defense facilities, airfields, submarines in bases, control and communication systems, etc.

Achieving the desired effect, according to the American military leadership, can be achieved through:
— reduction combat strength strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation in accordance with bilateral agreements;
- an increase in the number of WTO weapons used in the first strike (primarily CR);
— creation of effective missile defense Europe and the USA, capable of "finishing off" those not destroyed during a disarming strike Russian funds strategic nuclear forces.

For any unbiased researcher, it is obvious that the US government (regardless of the name and color of the president) is persistently and persistently seeking a situation where Russia will be, like Libya and Syria, driven into a corner, and its leadership will have to make the last choice: to agree to full and unconditional surrender in terms of making the most important foreign policy decisions, or still try out another version of “decisive force” or “indestructible freedom”.

In the described situation, Russia needs no less energetic and, most importantly, effective measures that can, if not prevent, then at least postpone “D-day” (perhaps the situation will change, the severity of the threat can be reduced, new arguments will appear against the implementation of the “power option” ", the Martians will land, the American "tops" will become more sane - in descending order of probability).

With huge resources and stocks of constantly improved WTO models, the military - political leadership The United States rightly believes that repelling a massive strike by the Kyrgyz Republic is an extremely costly and complex task, which today is beyond the capacity of any of the potential adversaries of the United States.

Today, the capabilities of the Russian Federation to repel such an attack are clearly insufficient. The high cost of modern air defense systems, whether they be anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) or manned aviation complexes(PAK) interception does not allow deploying them in the required number, taking into account the vast length of the borders of the Russian Federation and the uncertainty with the directions from which strikes using the CR can be launched.

Meanwhile, having undoubted merits, CRs are not without significant drawbacks:

- Firstly, on modern models of "lionfish" there are no means of detecting the fact of an attack by a fighter missile;

- Secondly, on relatively long sections of the route, cruise missiles fly at a constant course, speed and height, which facilitates the interception;

- Thirdly, as a rule, missiles fly to the target in a compact group, which makes it easier for the attacker to plan a strike and theoretically helps to increase the survivability of missiles; however, the latter is carried out only if the target channels of air defense systems are saturated, otherwise the indicated tactics play a negative role, facilitating the organization of interception;

- fourthly, the flight speed of modern cruise missiles is still subsonic, of the order of 800 ... 900 km / h, therefore, there is usually a significant time resource (tens of minutes) to intercept the CD

The analysis carried out shows that to combat cruise missiles, a system capable of:
- to intercept a large number of small-sized subsonic non-maneuvering air targets at an extremely low altitude in a limited area in a limited time;
- cover with one element of this subsystem a section (line) with a width much greater than that of existing air defense systems at low altitudes (approximately 500 ... 1000 km);
- have a high probability of performing a combat mission in any weather conditions day and night;
- to provide a significantly higher value of the complex criterion "efficiency / cost" in the interception of CR in comparison with the classical air defense systems and interception PAK.

This system should be interfaced with other air defense / missile defense systems and means in terms of control, reconnaissance air enemy, communications, etc.

Experience in combating the Kyrgyz Republic in military conflicts

The scale of the use of CR in armed conflicts is characterized by the following indicators. During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, US Navy surface ships and submarines deployed in positions in the Mediterranean and Red Seas, as well as in the Persian Gulf, carried out 297 launches of Tomahawk-type SLCMs.

In 1998, during Operation Desert Fox, a contingent of the US armed forces used more than 370 sea- and air-based cruise missiles in Iraq.

In 1999, during the NATO aggression against Yugoslavia as part of Operation Decisive Force, cruise missiles were used in three massive air and missile strikes during the first two days of the conflict. Then the US and its allies moved on to systematic combat operations, during which cruise missiles were also used. In total, during the period of active operations, more than 700 launches of sea and air-based missiles were carried out.

In the process of systematic military operations in Afghanistan, the US armed forces used more than 600 cruise missiles, and during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, at least 800 KR.

In the open press, as a rule, the results of the use of cruise missiles are embellished, creating the impression of the "inevitability" of strikes and their highest accuracy. Thus, a video clip was repeatedly shown on television, in which a case of a direct hit of a cruise missile in the window of a target building, etc. was shown. However, no information was given about the conditions under which this experiment was carried out, nor about the date and place of its conduct.

However, there are other estimates in which cruise missiles are characterized by noticeably less impressive efficiency. It's about, in particular, about the report of the commission of the US Congress and about the materials published by an officer of the Iraqi army, in which the share of American cruise missiles hit in 1991 by means of Iraqi air defense is estimated at approximately 50%. Somewhat smaller, but also significant, are the losses of cruise missiles from Yugoslav air defense systems in 1999.

In both cases, cruise missiles were shot down mainly portable air defense systems type "Arrow" and "Needle". The most important condition interception was the concentration of MANPADS crews in missile-prone areas and timely warning of the approach of cruise missiles. Attempts to use "more serious" air defense systems to combat cruise missiles were hampered, since the inclusion of a target detection radar from the air defense system almost immediately caused strikes against them using anti-radar aircraft weapons.

Under these conditions, the Iraqi army, for example, returned to the practice of organizing air surveillance posts that detected cruise missiles visually and reported their appearance by telephone. During the fighting in Yugoslavia, highly mobile Osa-AK air defense systems were used to counter cruise missiles, which turned on the radar for a short time with an immediate change of position after that.

So, one of the most important tasks is to exclude the possibility of "total" blinding of the air defense / missile defense system with the loss of the ability to adequately illuminate the air situation.

The second task is the rapid concentration of active means on the directions of strikes. Modern air defense systems are not quite suitable for solving these problems.

Americans are also afraid of cruise missiles

Long before September 11, 2001, when kamikaze planes with passengers on board hit United States facilities, American analysts identified another hypothetical threat to the country, which, in their opinion, could be created by "rogue states" and even individual terrorist groups.

Imagine the following scenario. Two hundred or three hundred kilometers from the coast of the state, where the "happy nation" lives, a nondescript cargo ship with containers on the upper deck appears. In the early morning, in order to use the haze, which makes it difficult to visually detect air targets, cruise missiles, of course, Soviet-made or their copies, “bungled” by craftsmen from an unnamed country, are suddenly launched from several containers on board this vessel. Further, the containers are thrown overboard and flooded, and the missile carrier pretends to be an "innocent merchant" who happened to be here by accident.

Cruise missiles fly low, their launch is not easy to detect. And their combat units are stuffed not with ordinary explosives, not with toy bear cubs with calls for democracy in their paws, but, of course, with the most powerful toxic substances or, at worst, with anthrax spores. Ten to fifteen minutes later, rockets appear over an unsuspecting coastal town... Needless to say, the picture is drawn by the hand of a master who has seen enough of American horror films.

But in order to convince the US Congress to fork out, a "direct and clear threat" is needed. The main problem: to intercept such missiles, there is practically no time left to alert active interceptors - missiles or manned fighters, because a ground-based radar will be able to "see" a cruise missile rushing at a ten-meter height at a distance not exceeding several tens of kilometers.

In 1998, for the development of a means of protection against the nightmare of cruise missiles arriving "from nowhere", money was first allocated in the United States under the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) program. In October 2005, research and development experimental work, associated with checking the ideas for feasibility, and Raytheon received the go-ahead for the production of prototypes of the JLENS system. Now we are talking not about some unfortunate tens of millions of dollars, but about a solid amount - 1.4 billion dollars.

In 2009, elements of the system were demonstrated: a 71M helium balloon with a ground station for lifting / lowering and maintenance, and Science Applications International Corp. from St. Petersburg received an order for the design and manufacture of an antenna for a radar, which is the payload of a balloon.

A year later, a seventy-meter balloon for the first time took to the skies with a radar on board, and in 2011 the system was checked almost in full: first, electronic targets were simulated, then a low-flying aircraft was launched, after which it was the turn of a drone with a very small EPR.

Actually, there are two antennas under the balloon: one for detecting small targets at a relatively long range, and the other for accurate target designation at a shorter range. Power is supplied to the antennas from the ground, the reflected signal is “lowered” through an optical fiber cable. The performance of the system was tested up to an altitude of 4500 m. ground station there is a winch that provides lifting the balloon to the desired height, a power source, as well as a control cabin with jobs for the dispatcher, meteorologist and balloon control operator.

It is reported that the equipment of the JLENS system is interfaced with the Aegis ship air defense system, Patriot ground air defense systems, as well as with SLAMRAAM systems (a new self-defense air defense system in which converted AIM-120 missiles are used as active means, previously positioned as air-to-air missiles). air").

However, in the spring of 2012, the JLENS program began to experience difficulties: the Pentagon, as part of the planned budget cuts, announced that it was refusing to deploy the first batch of 12 serial stations with 71M balloons, leaving only two already manufactured stations for fine-tuning the radar, eliminating identified shortcomings in hardware and software .

On April 30, 2012, during practical launches of missiles at a training and test site in Utah, using target designation from the JLENS system, an unmanned aircraft was shot down using electronic warfare equipment. A Raytheon representative noted: “The point is not only that the UAV was intercepted, but also that it was possible to fulfill all the requirements of the terms of reference to ensure reliable interaction between the JLENS system and the Patriot air defense system. The firm is hoping for renewed military interest in the JLENS system, as it was previously planned that the Pentagon would purchase hundreds of kits between 2012 and 2022.

It can be considered symptomatic that even the richest country in the world, apparently, still considers unacceptable the price that would have to be paid for the construction of a "great American missile defense wall" based on the use of traditional means of intercepting the Kyrgyz Republic, even if in cooperation With latest systems detection of low-flying air targets.

Proposals on the shape and organization of countering cruise missiles with the help of unmanned fighters

The analysis carried out indicates that it is expedient to build a system for combating cruise missiles on the basis of the use of relatively mobile units armed with guided missiles with thermal seekers, which should be focused in a timely manner on the threatened direction. Such subunits should not include stationary or low-mobility ground-based radars, which immediately become targets for enemy strikes using anti-radar missiles.

Ground-based air defense systems with surface-to-air missiles with thermal seekers are characterized by a small heading parameter of a few kilometers. Dozens of systems will be required to reliably cover a 500 km long line.

A significant part of the forces and means of ground defense in the event of the flight of enemy cruise missiles along one or two routes will be "out of work." There will be problems with the placement of positions, the organization of timely warning and target distribution, the possibility of "saturating" the fire capabilities of air defense systems in a limited area. In addition, the mobility of such a system is quite difficult to provide.

An alternative could be the use of relatively small unmanned interceptor fighters armed with short-range guided missiles with thermal seekers.

A unit of such aircraft can be based at one aerodrome (aerodrome takeoff and landing) or at several points (non-aerodrome start, aerodrome landing).

The main advantage of aviation unmanned means of intercepting cruise missiles is the ability to quickly concentrate efforts in a limited flight corridor of enemy missiles. The expediency of using BIKR against cruise missiles is also due to the fact that the “intelligence” of such a fighter, currently implemented on the basis of existing information sensors and computers, is sufficient to hit targets that do not actively counteract (with the exception of the counter detonation system for cruise missiles with a nuclear warhead).

A small-sized unmanned cruise missile fighter (BIKR) must carry an airborne radar with a detection range of an air target of the "cruise missile" class against the background of the earth of about 100 km (Irbis class), several air-to-air missiles (R-60, R-73 class or MANPADS "Igla"), and also, possibly, an aircraft gun.

The relatively small mass and dimensions of the BIKR should help reduce the cost of vehicles compared to manned fighter-interceptors, as well as reduce the total fuel consumption, which is important given the need mass use BIKR (the maximum required engine thrust can be estimated at 2.5 ... 3 tf, i.e. approximately the same as for the serial AI-222-25). For effective fight with cruise missiles, the maximum flight speed of the BIKR should be transonic or low supersonic, and the ceiling should be relatively small, no more than 10 km.

BIKR control at all stages of the flight should be provided by an "electronic pilot", the functions of which should be significantly expanded compared to typical automatic control systems aircraft. In addition to autonomous control, it is advisable to provide for the possibility of remote control of the BIKR and its systems, for example, at the stages of takeoff and landing, as well as, possibly, the combat use of weapons or the decision to use weapons.

The process of combat use of the BIKR unit can be briefly described as follows. After the detection by the means of the senior commander (it is impossible to introduce a low-mobility ground-based surveillance radar into the unit!) of the fact that enemy cruise missiles are approaching into the air, several BIKRs are raised in such a way that, after entering the settlement areas, the detection zone of the airborne radars of unmanned interceptors completely overlaps in width the entire covered plot.

Initially, the maneuvering area of ​​a particular BIKR is set before the flight in the flight mission. If necessary, the area can be clarified in flight by transmitting the appropriate data over a secure radio link. In the absence of communication with the ground command post (radio link suppression), one of the BIKR acquires the properties of a "command apparatus" with certain powers.

As part of the "electronic pilot" of the BIKR, it is necessary to provide an air situation analysis unit, which should ensure the massing of the BIKR forces in the air in the direction of approach of the tactical group of enemy cruise missiles, as well as organize the call of additional BIKR duty forces if all cruise missiles are not manages to intercept "active" BIKR. Thus, the BIKRs on duty in the air, to a certain extent, will play the role of a kind of "surveillance radar", practically invulnerable to enemy anti-radar missiles. They can also fight streams of relatively low-density cruise missiles.

In the event that the BIKR on duty in the air is diverted to one direction, additional devices must be immediately raised from the airfield, which should exclude the formation of uncovered zones in the subunit's area of ​​responsibility.

During the threatened period, it is possible to organize a continuous combat duty several BIKR. If it becomes necessary to transfer the unit to a new direction, the BIKR can fly to the new airfield "on its own". To ensure landing, a control cabin and a crew must first be delivered to this airfield by a transport aircraft to ensure the performance of the necessary operations (more than one “transporter” may be required, but still the problem of transferring over a long distance is potentially solved easier than in the case of air defense systems, and in a much shorter time).

During the flight phase to the new airfield, the BIKR must be controlled by an "electronic pilot". Obviously, in addition to the “combat” minimum of equipment to ensure flight safety in Peaceful time BIKR automation should include a subsystem for avoiding collisions in the air with other aircraft.

Only flight experiments will be able to confirm or deny the possibility of destroying a KR or other enemy unmanned aerial vehicle by fire from the BIKR airborne cannon.

If the probability of destroying the missile defense system by cannon fire turns out to be high enough, then according to the "effectiveness - cost" criterion, this method of destroying enemy cruise missiles will be beyond any competition.

The central problem in the creation of the BIKR is not so much the development of the aircraft itself with the appropriate flight data, equipment and weapons, but the creation of an effective artificial intelligence(II), ensuring the effective use of BIKR units.

It appears that AI tasks in this case can be divided into three groups:
- a group of tasks that provides rational control of a single BIKR at all stages of flight;
- a group of tasks that ensures the rational management of the BIKR group, which overlaps the established boundary of the airspace;
- a group of tasks that ensures the rational management of the BIKR unit on the ground and in the air, taking into account the need for periodic change of aircraft, building up forces taking into account the scale of the enemy raid, interaction with reconnaissance and active means of the senior commander.

The problem, to a certain extent, is that the development of AI for BIKR is not a profile either for the creators of the aircraft themselves, or for the developers of airborne self-propelled guns or radars. Without perfect AI, an unmanned fighter aircraft becomes an inefficient, expensive toy that can discredit the idea. The creation of a BIKR with a sufficiently developed AI can be a necessary step towards a multifunctional unmanned fighter capable of fighting not only unmanned, but also manned enemy aircraft.

/AlexanderMedved, associate professor of MFPU "Synergy", Ph.D., engine.aviaport.ru/