Russian air defense systems. “They have no equal”: how Russia is creating unique air defense systems

Nikita Khrushchev at the UN (was there a shoe?)

As you know, history develops in a spiral. This fully applies to the history of the United Nations. Over more than half a century of its existence, the UN has undergone many changes. Created in the wake of the euphoria of victory over Nazi Germany, the Organization set itself bold and largely utopian goals.

But time puts a lot of things into place. And hopes for creating a world without wars, poverty, hunger, lawlessness and inequality were replaced by a persistent confrontation between the two systems.

Natalia Terekhova talks about one of the most striking episodes of that time, the famous “Khrushchev’s boot”.

REPORTAGE:

On October 12, 1960, the most stormy meeting in the history of the United Nations took place. General Assembly. On this day the delegation Soviet Union, which was headed by Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, introduced a draft resolution on granting independence to colonial countries and peoples.

Nikita Sergeevich delivered, as usual, an emotional speech, which was replete with exclamation marks. In his speech, Khrushchev, without sparing expressions, denounced and denounced colonialism and the colonialists.

After Khrushchev, the representative of the Philippines rose to the podium of the General Assembly. He spoke from the position of a country that experienced all the hardships of colonialism and after for long years liberation struggle achieved independence: “In our opinion, the declaration proposed by the Soviet Union should cover and provide for the inalienable right to independence not only of the peoples and territories still under the control of the Western colonial powers, but also of the peoples of Eastern Europe and other areas deprived of the opportunity to freely exercise their civil and political rights and, so to speak, swallowed by the Soviet Union."

Listening to the simultaneous translation, Khrushchev exploded. After consulting with Gromyko, he decided to ask the Chairman for a point of order. Nikita Sergeevich raised his hand, but no one paid attention to him.

The most famous Foreign Ministry translator, Viktor Sukhodrev, who often accompanied Nikita Sergeevich on trips, spoke about what happened next in his memoirs: “Khrushchev loved to take his watch off his hand and twirl it. At the UN, he began banging his fists on the table in protest against the Filipino's speech. Clutched in his hand was a watch that had simply stopped.

And then Khrushchev, in his anger, took off his shoe, or rather, an open wicker sandal, and began to hit the table with his heel.”

This was the moment that went down in world history as the famous “Khrushchev’s boot.” The UN General Assembly Hall has never seen anything like it. A sensation was born right before our eyes.

And finally, the head of the Soviet delegation was given the floor:
“I protest against the unequal treatment of representatives of the states sitting here. Why is this lackey of American imperialism speaking out? He touches on an issue, he doesn’t touch on a procedural issue! And the Chairman, who sympathizes with this colonial rule, does not stop it! Is this fair? Gentlemen! Mr. Chairman! We live on earth not by the grace of God and not by your grace, but by the strength and intelligence of our great people of the Soviet Union and all peoples who are fighting for their independence.

It must be said that in the middle of Khrushchev’s speech, the simultaneous translation was interrupted, as the translators were frantically looking for an analogue to the Russian word “lack.” Finally, after a long pause, it was found English word"jerk", which has a wide range of meanings - from "fool" to "scum". Western reporters covering events at the UN in those years had to work hard until they found Dictionary Russian language and did not understand the meaning of Khrushchev’s metaphor.

Svyatoslav Petrov

Russia celebrated Military Day on Tuesday air defense. Control over the sky is one of the most pressing tasks for ensuring the country's security. Russian air defense units are being replenished with the latest radar and anti-aircraft systems, some of which have no analogues in the world. As the Ministry of Defense expects, the current pace of rearmament will significantly increase by 2020 combat capabilities divisions. RT looked into why Russia has become one of the leaders in the field of air defense.

• The calculation of the self-propelled firing system alerts the Buk-M1-2 air defense system
• Kirill Braga / RIA Novosti

On December 26, Russia celebrates Military Air Defense Day. The formation of this type of troops began with the decree of Nicholas II, signed exactly 102 years ago. Then the emperor ordered to send a car battery to the front near Warsaw, designed to destroy enemy aircraft. The first air defense system in Russia was created on the basis of the Russo-Balt T truck chassis, on which a 76-mm Lender-Tarnovsky anti-aircraft gun was installed.

Now the Russian air defense forces are divided into military air defense, the units of which are part of ground forces, Airborne Forces and Navy, as well as object air defense/missile defense, parts of which belong to the aerospace forces.

Military air defense is responsible for covering military infrastructure, troop groups at permanent deployment points and during various maneuvers. Object-based air defense/missile defense carries out strategic tasks related to protecting Russia’s borders from air attack and covering certain of the most important facilities.

Military air defense systems are armed with medium and short range, military expert, director of the Air Defense Museum in Balashikha, Yuri Knutov, said in an interview with RT. At the same time, the site's air defense/missile defense system is equipped with systems that allow it to monitor airspace and hit targets at long distances.

“Military air defense systems must have high mobility and maneuverability, fast deployment time, enhanced survivability and the ability to operate as autonomously as possible. Object air defense included in common system defense control and can detect and hit the enemy at long distances,” Knutov noted.

According to the expert, experience local conflicts recent decades, including the Syrian operation, demonstrates the urgent need to cover ground forces from air threats. Airspace control is critical in a theater of operations (TVD).

Thus, in Syria, the Russian military deployed the S-300V4 anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) (a military air defense weapon) to protect the naval support point in Tartus, and the S-400 “Triumph” system is responsible for the air defense of the Khmeimim airbase (refers to the air defense/missile defense facility ).

• Self-propelled launcher S-300V air defense system
• Evgeny Biyatov / RIA Novosti

“Whoever controls the sky wins the battle on earth. Without air defense systems, ground vehicles become easy targets for aircraft. Examples include the military defeats of Saddam Hussein’s army in Iraq, the Serbian army in the Balkans, terrorists in Iraq and Syria,” Knutov explained.

In his opinion, the impetus for the rapid development of anti-aircraft technology in the USSR was the lag in the aviation sector from the United States. The Soviet government accelerated the development of air defense systems and radar stations to level out American superiority.

“We were forced to defend ourselves against threats from the air. However, this historical lag has led to the fact that our country has been creating the best air defense systems in the world for the last 50-60 years, which have no equal,” the expert emphasized.

Far Frontier

On December 26, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the military air defense is currently at the stage of rearmament. The military department expects that the arrival of the latest air defense systems will significantly increase the combat capabilities of the air defense forces by 2020. Previously, plans were announced to increase the share of modern equipment in military air defense to 70% in 2020.

“This year, the anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Western Military District received an anti-aircraft missile system medium range"Buk-MZ", and the anti-aircraft missile regiments of combined arms formations - short-range anti-aircraft missile systems "Tor-M2", air defense units of combined arms formations received the latest anti-aircraft missile systems "Verba", noted the Ministry of Defense.

The main developers of air defense systems in Russia are NPO Almaz-Antey and the Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau. Air defense systems are divided among themselves according to a number of characteristics, one of the main ones being the interception range of an air target. There are long-range, medium-range and short-range systems.

In military air defense, the S-300 air defense system is responsible for the long-range defense line. The system was developed in the USSR in the 1980s, but has undergone many upgrades, which has improved its combat effectiveness.

The most modern version of the complex is the S-300V4. The air defense system is armed with three types of guided hypersonic two-stage solid-fuel missiles: light (9M83M), medium (9M82M) and heavy (9M82MD).

C-300B4 provides simultaneous destruction of 16 ballistic missiles and 24 aerodynamic targets (aircraft and drones) at a range of up to 400 km (heavy missile), 200 km (medium missile) or 150 km (light missile), at an altitude of up to 40 km. This air defense system is capable of hitting targets whose speed can reach up to 4500 m/s.

The S-300V4 includes launchers (9A83/9A843M), software (9S19M2 “Ginger”) and all-round radar systems (9S15M “Obzor-3”). All vehicles have a tracked chassis and are therefore all-terrain. The S-300V4 is capable of conducting long-term combat duty in the most extreme climatic conditions.

The C-300V4 entered service in 2014. The Western Military District was the first to receive this missile system. The latest anti-aircraft missile systems were deployed to protect the Olympic venues in Sochi in 2014, and later the air defense system was deployed to cover Tartus. In the future, the C-300B4 will replace all long-range military systems.

“The S-300V4 is capable of fighting both aircraft and missiles. the main problem modernity in the field of air defense - the fight against hypersonic missiles. S-300V4 air defense missiles due to the dual homing system and high flight characteristics capable of hitting almost all types of modern ballistic, tactical and cruise missiles", Knutov said.

According to the expert, the United States was hunting for S-300 technologies - and at the turn of the 1980s-1990s they managed to obtain several Soviet air defense systems. Based on these systems, the United States developed the THAAD air defense/missile defense system and improved the characteristics of the Patriot air defense system, but the Americans were unable to completely repeat the success of Soviet specialists.

"Fire and forget"

In 2016, the Buk-M3 medium-range anti-aircraft missile system entered service with the military air defense. This is the fourth generation of the Buk air defense system created in the 1970s. It is designed to destroy maneuvering aerodynamic, radio-contrast ground and surface targets.

The air defense system provides simultaneous fire at up to 36 air targets flying from any direction at a speed of up to 3 km/s, at a range from 2.5 km to 70 km and an altitude from 15 m to 35 km. The launcher can carry either six (9K317M) or 12 (9A316M) missiles in transport and launch containers.

The Buk-M3 is equipped with two-stage solid-fuel 9M317M anti-aircraft guided missiles, which are capable of hitting a target in conditions of active radio suppression by the enemy. For this purpose, the 9M317M design provides two homing modes at the end points of the route.

The maximum flight speed of the Buk-M3 missile is 1700 m/s. This allows it to hit almost all types of operational-tactical ballistic and aeroballistic missiles.

The Buk-M3 divisional set consists of command post SAM (9S510M), three detection and target designation stations (9S18M1), illumination and guidance radar (9S36M), at least two launchers, as well as transport-charging vehicles (9T243M). All military medium-range air defense systems are planned to be replaced with Buk-M2 and Buk-M3.

“This complex features a unique missile with an active warhead. It allows you to implement the “fire and forget” principle, since the missile has the ability to homing at a target, which is especially important in conditions of radio suppression by the enemy. Moreover, the updated Buk complex is capable of tracking and firing at several targets simultaneously, which significantly increases its effectiveness,” Knutov noted.

Fire on the march

Since 2015 in Russian army Tor-M2 short-range air defense systems began to arrive. There are two versions of this technology - “Tor-M2U” for Russia on a tracked vehicle and the export “Tor-M2E” on a wheeled chassis.

The complex is designed to protect motorized rifle and tank formations from air-to-ground missiles, guided and guided bombs, anti-radar missiles and other precision weapons new generation.

"Tor-M2" can hit targets at a range from 1 km to 15 km, at an altitude from 10 m to 10 km, flying at speeds up to 700 m/s. In this case, target acquisition and tracking occurs in automatic mode with the ability to conduct almost continuous fire at several targets in turn. In addition, the unique air defense system has increased noise immunity.

According to Knutov, the Tor-M2 and the Pantsir anti-aircraft gun-missile system are the only vehicles in the world capable of firing on the march. Along with this, the Tor has implemented a number of measures to automate and protect the complex from interference, which significantly facilitates the crew’s combat mission.

“The machine itself selects the most suitable targets, while people only have to give the command to open fire. The complex can partly solve issues of combating cruise missiles, although it is most effective against enemy attack aircraft, helicopters and drones,” the RT interlocutor emphasized.

Technology of the future

Yuri Knutov believes that Russian air defense systems will continue to improve taking into account latest trends in the development of aviation and rocket technology. The future generation of air defense systems will become more universal, will be able to recognize stealth targets and hit hypersonic missiles.

The expert noted that the role of automation in military air defense has increased significantly. It not only allows you to relieve the crew of combat vehicles, but also insures against possible mistakes. In addition, the air defense forces implement the principle of network-centrism, that is, interspecific interaction in the theater of operations within the framework of a single information field.

“Air defense systems will be most effective when a common network of interaction and control appears. This will take the combat capabilities of the vehicles to a completely different level - both in joint actions as part of a joint unit, and in the existence of a global intelligence and information space. The efficiency and awareness of the command will increase, as well as the overall coherence of the formations,” Knutov explained.

Along with this, he noted that air defense systems are often used as effective weapon against ground targets. In particular, anti-aircraft artillery complex“Shilka” performed well in the fight against terrorist armored vehicles in Syria. Military air defense units, according to Knutov, may in the future receive a more universal purpose and be used in the protection of strategic objects.

System S-300 "Favorit".
Photo courtesy of the Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern

Well-known in expert circles think tank Air Power Australia in early February presented an in-depth study on the combat capabilities of modern military aviation and current air defense systems. The American “air sword” and the Russian “shield” are taken as the basis.

THE ETERNAL COMPETITION

The choice of hypothetical opponents does not appear to be random. The United States has the highest air force potential and, in addition, holds the lead in the supply of military aviation equipment abroad. Russia is the leader in the production and export of air defense equipment. It is enough to note that only one of its air defense concerns, Almaz-Antey, supplies products manufactured at its enterprises to more than fifty countries around the world (see map).

The arms market itself tells you who is the leader in which area. There is no need for experts who are inclined to various reasons to subjective assessments. Because they vote in the market using funds from budgetary allocations. Thousands and thousands of specialists, officials, and high-ranking military personnel are involved in operations to determine the best and most advantageous “cost-effectiveness” ratio of a particular type of weapon. Subjectivism is kept to a minimum.

In fact, Russian air defense systems are classified as premium. This assessment of researchers from Air Power Australia is supported by their high combat reliability, destruction efficiency and relatively low price by the standards of the arms market. For example, the Americans have systems of this class that are much more expensive, despite the fact that the same reliability, efficiency and combat capabilities of their products are significantly lower than those of Russia.

The conclusion of foreign experts is interesting: modern Russian anti-aircraft missile systems and radar systems have reached a level that virtually excludes the possibility of survival of US combat aircraft in the event of a military clash.

According to an Australian study, resist Russian air defense not only incapable american planes F-15, F-16 and F/A-18, but even the promising fifth-generation Joint Strike Fighter, also known as the F-35 Lightning II. And in order to achieve the superiority that United States military aviation had at the end of cold war, The Pentagon needs to field at least 400 more F-22 Raptors. Otherwise, American aviation will finally lose its strategic superiority over Russian air defense.

As analysts note, this circumstance may also affect the US position in the world. Countries such as China, Iran and Venezuela will be well aware that the Americans will not agree to open military confrontation, realizing that as a result of this, the US Air Force and Navy will lose hundreds of combat aircraft and pilots. That is, the United States armed forces risk unacceptable damage. Of course, unacceptable from the point of view of American politicians, whose careers in such a development of events will end in national disgrace.

Air Power Australia recalls that its expert Dr. Carlo Coll, who defended his dissertation in the field of radar technology, compared the capabilities of modern Russian anti-aircraft missiles complexes and American F-35 fighters and came to the conclusion that these aircraft would be an easy target. The manufacturer of the latest winged aircraft, the American corporation Lockheed Martin, has never tried to publicly challenge the expert’s statement.

The researchers also concluded that since the end of the Cold War, Russian designers have achieved significant results in modernizing air defense systems. Moreover, the opportunity to comprehensively and objectively assess the potential of a potential enemy Russian engineers and scientists appeared due to military conflicts in Iran in 1991 and Serbia in 1999. This process, as noted in the report, is in many ways reminiscent of a chess game. As a result, the Russians were able to figure out how to checkmate American combat aircraft.

Comparing the capabilities of modern air defense systems and aircraft, analysts also note that the Russian S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system, produced by the Almaz-Antey air defense concern and already adopted by the Russian army, today actually has no analogues in the world. Technical capabilities"Triumph" is significantly higher than that of the American Patriot, and is twice as superior in combat performance to the well-known predecessor of the S-400 - the S-300 "Favorite" system, supplied to China, Slovakia, Vietnam and Cyprus. In the future, “Triumph” may become a core project in the military-technical cooperation of the Russian Federation with Arab countries, in particular with the United Arab Emirates.

And what is typical, the study emphasizes, is that Russia is building a deeply layered air defense system. If the S-300 and S-400 complexes are long-range, then they tenaciously interact with short- and medium-range complexes. They complement each other and at the same time insure, creating an insurmountable and continuous wall for the air aggressor. Anti-aircraft missile systems short- and medium-range missiles of the Tor, Buk, and Tunguska types were supplied, in particular, to China, Iran, India, Greece, Syria, Egypt, Finland, and Morocco.

In addition to traditional customers of Russian military products, countries such as Singapore and Brazil, which have purchased man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems, are also interested in domestic air defense systems.

Russia's position in the market for sea-based anti-aircraft missile systems is also very strong. For example, the Shtil, Reef, and Klinok air defense systems are successfully operated on warships.

FROM AIR DEFENSE TO ABM

Anti-aircraft missile systems of the S-300 family are considered one of the most powerful air defense systems in the world. The development of this system began in the 1960s, when the USSR Armed Forces demanded the creation of a mobile multi-channel medium-range air defense system capable of protecting the country's skies from massive raids by modern aviation using guided weapons.

Testing of the future S-300 took place in the 1970s. In order to misinform a potential enemy, according to the documents, the new air defense system was designated as the S-75M6 - another modernization of the “veteran” complex, widely known throughout the world at that time, which entered combat duty back in the late 1950s. The terms of reference provided for the development of three versions of the air defense system - S-300P for air defense, S-300V for ground forces and S-300F - a ship-based complex for the Navy.

Systems for air defense troops and the navy were mainly focused on defeating aircraft and cruise missiles; the military complex had to have greater capabilities to intercept ballistic targets in order to provide missile defense. Nowadays, the S-300 systems form the basis of the air defense of our country and the Russian Ground Forces, and are also successfully sold on the world market.

Developed on the basis of the S-300 air defense system latest system S-400, capable of firing both new missiles and using the ammunition of its predecessor. The S-400 air defense system has the combat capabilities, mobility and noise immunity of the latest versions of the S-300 complex, combined with a longer firing range.

The S-400 system is designed to defeat all types of aircraft– airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles. An important difference between the S-400 and the S-300 is new anti-aircraft missiles with active homing heads and an increased firing range. "Triumph" is capable of destroying a target at a distance of up to 400 km and at an altitude of 30 km. These indicators allow us to consider the complex not only as an air defense weapon, but also partially as an anti-missile weapon.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel General Alexander Zelin, reveals the secrets of the S-400 Triumph complex: it can hit “a super-maneuverable small-sized target with an effective reflective surface, which a five-ruble coin has.” He is able to cope with air targets that are made using stealth technology, that is, invisible aircraft with a low effective reflective surface.

The Air Force Commander is extremely proud that the new generation S-400 anti-aircraft missile system is expected to be used to ensure the safety of participants and guests of the 2014 Winter Olympics. “Builders will build facilities in Sochi for the Olympics, and we will prepare an air defense system that will ensure reliable holding Olympic Games", the general said in a recent interview.

Of course, reliable protection of both the people who arrived at the Olympics and the Sochi residents themselves is the most important thing, no one is going to argue about the need for this. And a margin of safety will not hurt here. Moreover, in close proximity is Georgia, against which Russian troops Not so long ago they were fighting. And the fervor of anti-Russian sentiment there has not yet subsided.

However, life does not stand still. Two years ago, the Military-Industrial Commission under the Government of the Russian Federation set the task, in particular, for the Almaz-Antey air defense concern to develop advanced fifth-generation air defense and missile defense weapons. Its distinctive feature will be that fire, information and command systems and complexes will merge together.

This is the next stage in the fight for a clean and peaceful sky. The Russian reserve is high, but the closest competitor, the United States, also does not want to see itself as an outsider. The competition between technical schools and simply military potential is intensifying.

November 30, 1914 can be considered the starting point for the existence of air defense forces in Russia. On this day, the commander-in-chief of the 6th Army, which guarded Petrograd, Adjutant General Konstantin Fan der Fleet, by his order, announced a special “Instruction on Aeronautics in the VI Army Region.” According to the document, for the first time in Russia, “air defense” of the capital and its environs was organized.

After more than a century of history, in the summer of 2015, a new branch of the Armed Forces was created - the Aerospace Forces. It was created by merging Air Force and Aerospace Defense Forces. It's already passed since then more than a year. The main task of the most ambitious last years An organizational measure in the Armed Forces was to be the creation of a unified aerospace defense system.

However, in Russia, as it turned out, there is still no key component of such a system - a unified air defense (air defense) of the country.

Reforms and Serdyukov

Air defense troops as a separate branch of the armed forces existed in Russia until 1998, when Russian President Boris Yeltsin demanded immediate structural reforms of the army - first of all, a sharp reduction in the combat strength and strength of the armed forces. Then it was decided to unite the air defense troops and the air force into one structure with a simultaneous sharp reduction. However, at that time the relative centralization of management still remained.

Since the beginning of the 2000s, the General Staff, the main commands of various troops and military-scientific organizations of the Ministry of Defense began to actively develop options for building a unified Aerospace Defense (ASD) system, but they did not dare to make the necessary structural changes.

A new wave of transformations in this area began in 2010 after joining.

A campaign was launched to formulate the so-called unified approaches to the construction of the aerospace defense and the creation of the necessary groupings of troops in four strategic directions: “West”, “East”, “Center” and “South”, to whose subordination the main groupings of all types of the Armed Forces and branches of troops.

So-called operational-strategic commands were established (in essence, with the exception of signboards, not much different from military districts). The Air Force and Air Defense armies were withdrawn from the direct subordination of the Air Force High Command and transferred to the operational subordination of local commands.

Marshal Ogarkov's experiment

There was nothing fundamentally new in this decision, ex-Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces, Colonel General, explained to Gazeta.Ru.

“Exactly the same reassignment was already carried out in 1975,” recalls Litvinov. “It happened on the initiative of the then chief marshal Nikolai Ogarkov. The border separate air defense armies in the western direction were transferred as an experiment to the Baltic, Belarusian and Carpathian military districts. The progress of the experiment was repeatedly checked by various commissions. The assessments were very different. Most experts were against these innovations. But general conclusions were presented only the way the author of the plan wanted - ".

Those who spoke out against it started to have problems, and those who admired Ogarkov’s initiatives were quickly promoted, the military leader clarifies.

According to the results of the experiment, in 1980, all border air defense associations were assigned to military districts. Thus, the unified air defense system of the country and the Armed Forces was fragmented, says Litvinov.

In 1985, individual air defense armies, after unsuccessful attempts to prove to the USSR Minister of Defense the ability of military district commanders to effectively manage subordinate air defense formations, were again returned to their original state, to the 1975 level. As a result, only personnel, financial and material losses remained from Ogarkov’s experiment.

The state of affairs was shocking

After the abolition of the air defense troops as a branch of the Armed Forces in 1998, and after another 13 years and the transfer of the corresponding associations to military districts, the unified system built over the years fell apart again, says former deputy commander-in-chief of the Air Force for armaments, Lieutenant General Vladimir Ruvimov.

“The head section of the aerospace defense system (the Moscow air defense district in former times) went to the leaders Space Force who had never previously dealt with the problems of organizing air defense,” recalls Ruvimov. — By and large, their competence in these complex problems was not much different from the awareness and literacy in matters of air defense (VKO) of signalmen, sappers, submariners or logistics workers.

And immediately, without really understanding anything, without having the appropriate education or service experience for this, they bravely took on the task of building an updated air defense system for the country.”

When the General Staff once again raised the problem of reforming the air defense (VKO), the opinion of experts in this field was still sought, but was never taken into account, Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutors familiar with the progress of the reform assure.

As a result, combat control of the Russian Air Force and Air Defense armies came under the leadership of the commanders of four districts and the Northern Fleet.

“What direct control in this case is exercised by the Main Command of the Aerospace Forces is still unclear. In fact, it performs the function of combat control only of the 1st Air Defense-Missile Defense Army (special purpose),”

— a high-ranking source in the leadership of the VKS complained in a conversation with Gazeta.Ru.

According to him, the commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces exercises direct control only of the aerospace defense forces allocated to him from the districts within the framework of combat duty and only in Peaceful time. The commanders of the five armies of the Air Force and Air Defense military districts are not even present at the regular Military Councils held at the High Command of the Aerospace Forces.

“About what unified aerospace defense system of the country on war time can we talk under these conditions? — says Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutor.

As usual, all the shortcomings in the organization and structure of the troops came to light during the fighting.

On the eve of the armed conflict with Georgia in August 2008, the entire leadership of the Air Force was represented exclusively by pilots, which led them to underestimate the role of other branches of the military - reconnaissance, electronic warfare, air defense - in armed confrontation in the air.

The consequences turned out to be the saddest - absolutely unjustified losses in aviation in the first days of the conflict.

This state of affairs even shocked the Air Force command on the first day of the conflict, recalls the ex-commander of the 4th Separate Air Defense Army, Colonel General Anatoly Hypenen.

“Everything could have gone in those days according to a significantly worse scenario, if not for the urgent transfer of the S-300PS anti-aircraft missile regiment from the Moscow region (at that time from the operational-strategic Aerospace Defense Command) to Abkhazia,” says the military leader.

Unforgotten old

In recent years, there has been clear progress in the Aerospace Forces in matters of rearmament. In 2015 combat aviation received about 200 aircraft. The same number of combat vehicles is planned to be transferred to pilots in 2016. Going big job to improve the entire air defense infrastructure.

New over-the-horizon detection stations are being put into operation, new military and dual-use spacecraft are being actively launched, the troops continue to receive the latest S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems and Pantsir-S1 air defense systems, radars of the new fleet, equipment automated system management and communications. The quality of operational and combat training of personnel is also growing.

In all this there is a great merit of the current leadership of the Ministry of Defense and the command of the Aerospace Forces, however, the logistical support of air defense formations after subordination to their districts has deteriorated significantly, Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutors emphasize.

The corresponding structures of the districts are primarily engaged in providing support for the Ground Forces.

Air defense regiments and divisions are still “strangers” for them and stand in line for allowances at best second, or even third, and most often last, says a Gazeta.Ru source close to the leadership of one of the air defense armies .

In 2014, when it was decided to send additional troops to the Republic of Crimea to ensure security during the referendum, Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft with personnel began making continuous flights to the peninsula’s airfields. Ukrainian planes tried to interfere with the Russian ones by simulating military attacks, says Colonel General Hypenen.

“It was necessary to tightly close the sky of Crimea. And again, in the shortest possible time, the S-300PM anti-aircraft missile regiment is being transferred to the territory of the republic from the Moscow region from the air defense-missile defense command.

From the moment the regiment went on combat duty, all provocations in the air immediately stopped. No one had any desire to enter the kill zone of a modern anti-aircraft missile system. But one can only imagine what the consequences of provocations against our aircraft would have been if the corresponding order had come from Kyiv,” explains the general.

According to him, the role of air defense systems in the Syrian conflict was also noticeable. Already at the initial stage of the campaign it was known that in the regions combat use Russian aviation is carried out by aircraft from the air forces of the coalition led by the United States. There were warnings from Ankara that if our planes violated Turkish airspace there would be an extremely unfriendly reaction. However, until the Russian Su-24 was shot down, cover-up measures strike aviation it was not accepted from the ground.

“In just 24 hours, the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system was delivered by air to Latakia and deployed in a new position area,” says Hypenen.

However, according to Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutors, no proper conclusions have been drawn about the results of the reforms of recent decades. Modern leaders of the Aerospace Forces still lack the understanding that in addition to their native and close branches of the armed forces, there are others in the new branch of the Armed Forces that are no less significant and very effective in battle. Moreover, a systematic increase in the combat capabilities of air defense groups in strategic directions through new types of weapons is not a solution to all problems.

“Today there is no talk of creating a unified aerospace defense system for the country in the High Command of the Aerospace Forces; apparently, everyone is satisfied with the current state of affairs. Nobody wants to come up with an alternative point of view that contradicts the position of the leadership of the military districts, and especially the General Staff,” explained Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutor, close to the leadership of the Aerospace Forces.

The creation at one time, under the leadership of Marshal Pavel Batitsky, of a unified command and control system for the country's air defense forces was the first and, most importantly, successful example implementation of the idea of ​​​​forming strategic associations in the areas of armed struggle, states the ex-chief of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces, Colonel General of Aviation.

“Subsequently, this was implemented in the corresponding automated control systems, and for each element of the created structure, starting from the Main Air Defense Command of the country, air defense formations and ending with formations, units and subunits - up to and including individual companies,” Maltsev emphasizes.

According to him, great experience large-scale exercises to repel massive air strikes confirmed the success of this system in different conditions, and this finally convinced the air defense leadership that with the outbreak of hostilities, no structural restructuring of the troops would be required.

The success of the system also lay in the fact that, depending on the situation, it provided both centralized and decentralized combat control of air defense troops, and at each link of the system in accordance with the assigned combat missions.

I was largely inspired to write this article by the excessive jingoistic sentiments of a significant part of the visitors to the site I respect “ Military Review", as well as the slyness of the domestic media, which regularly publish materials about the strengthening of our military power, including the Air Force and Air Defense.

For example, in a number of media outlets, including on “VO”, in the “” section, a material was recently published entitled: “Two air defense divisions have begun protecting the airspace of Siberia, the Urals and the Volga region.”

Which states: “The Assistant Commander of the Central Military District, Colonel Yaroslav Roshchupkin, stated that two air defense divisions took up combat duty, starting to protect the airspace of Siberia, the Urals and the Volga region.

“The duty forces of two air defense divisions took up combat duty to cover administrative, industrial and military facilities in the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia. New formations were formed on the basis of the Novosibirsk and Samara aerospace defense brigades,” RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.

Combat crews equipped with anti-aircraft guns missile systems S-300PS will cover the airspace over the territory of 29 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which are included in the area of ​​​​responsibility of the Central Military District.”

After such news, an inexperienced reader may get the impression that our anti-aircraft missile defense units have received qualitative and quantitative reinforcement with new anti-aircraft systems.

In practice, in this case, no quantitative, much less qualitative, strengthening of our air defense occurred. It all just comes down to changing the staffing and organizational structure. New equipment did not enter the troops.

The anti-aircraft missile system of the S-300PS modification mentioned in the publication, with all its advantages, cannot in any way be considered new.

The S-300PS with 5V55R missiles was put into service back in 1983. That is, more than 30 years have passed since the adoption of this system. But at present, in air defense anti-aircraft missile units, more than half of the S-300P long-range air defense systems belong to this modification.

In the near future (two to three years), most S-300PS will either have to be written off or overhauled. However, it is not known which option is economically preferable, the modernization of old or the construction of new anti-aircraft systems.

The earlier towed version of the S-300PT has already either been written off or transferred “for storage” without any chance of returning to the troops.

The “freshest” complex from the “three hundredth” family, the S-300PM, was delivered to the Russian army in the mid-90s. Most of the anti-aircraft missiles currently in service were produced at the same time.

The new, widely publicized S-400 anti-aircraft missile system has only just begun to enter service. In total, as of 2014, 10 regimental sets were delivered to the troops. Taking into account the upcoming mass write-off of military equipment that has exhausted its service life, this amount is absolutely insufficient.

Of course, experts, of whom there are many on the site, can reasonably argue that the S-400 is significantly superior in its capabilities to the systems it is replacing. However, we should not forget that the air attack means of the main “potential partner” are constantly being qualitatively improved. In addition, as follows from “open sources”, mass production of the promising 9M96E and 9M96E2 missiles and the ultra-long-range 40N6E missile has not yet been established. Currently, the S-400 uses 48N6E, 48N6E2, 48N6E3 S-300PM air defense missiles, as well as 48N6DM missiles modified for the S-400.

In total, if you believe “open sources”, our country has about 1,500 S-300 family air defense launchers - this, apparently, takes into account those “in storage” and in service with the air defense units of the ground forces.

Today, Russian air defense forces (those that are part of the Air Force and Air Defense) have 34 regiments with S-300PS, S-300PM and S-400 air defense systems. In addition, not long ago several anti-aircraft missile brigades, transformed into regiments, were transferred to the Air Force and Air Defense from the air defense of the ground forces - two 2-divisional brigades of S-300V and Buk and one mixed (two divisions of S-300V , one Buk division). Thus, in the troops we have 38 regiments, including 105 divisions.

However, these forces are distributed extremely unevenly throughout the country; Moscow is best protected, around which ten regiments of S-300P air defense systems are stationed (two of them have two S-400 divisions).

Satellite image Google Earth. Layout of air defense missile systems around Moscow. Colored triangles and squares - positions and basing areas of existing air defense systems, blue diamonds and circles - surveillance radars, white - currently eliminated air defense systems and radars

The northern capital, St. Petersburg, is well covered. The sky above it is protected by two S-300PS regiments and two S-300PM regiments.

Google Earth satellite image. Layout of air defense missile systems around St. Petersburg

The Northern Fleet's bases in Murmansk, Severomorsk and Polyarny are covered by three S-300PS and S-300PM regiments. At the Pacific Fleet in the area of ​​Vladivostok and Nakhodka there are two S-300PS regiments, and the Nakhodka regiment received two S-400 divisions. Avacha Bay in Kamchatka, where the SSBNs are based, is covered by one S-300PS regiment.

Google Earth satellite image. S-400 air defense system in the vicinity of Nakhodka

The Kaliningrad region and the Baltic Fleet base in Baltiysk are protected from air attack by a mixed regiment of S-300PS/S-400.

Google Earth satellite image. S-400 air defense system in the Kaliningrad region at the former positions of the S-200 air defense system

IN Lately The anti-aircraft cover of the Black Sea Fleet was strengthened. Before the well-known events related to Ukraine, a mixed regiment with S-300PM and S-400 divisions was stationed in the Novorossiysk area.

Currently, there is a significant strengthening of the air defense of the main naval base of the Black Sea Fleet - Sevastopol. It is reported that in November the peninsula's air defense group was replenished with S-300PM air defense systems. Taking into account the fact that complexes of this type are currently not produced by industry for its own needs, they were apparently transferred from another region of the country.

central District our country in terms of air cover resembles “ patchwork quilt", which has more holes than patches. There is one S-300PS regiment each in the Novgorod region, near Voronezh, Samara and Saratov. The Rostov region is covered by one S-300PM and a Buk regiment each.

In the Urals near Yekaterinburg there are positions of an anti-aircraft missile regiment armed with S-300PS. Beyond the Urals, in Siberia, on a gigantic territory, only three regiments are stationed, one S-300PS regiment each near Novosibirsk, in Irkutsk and Achinsk. In Buryatia, not far from the Dzhida station, one regiment of the Buk air defense system is stationed.

Google Earth satellite image. S-300PS air defense system near Irkutsk

In addition to anti-aircraft systems protecting fleet bases in Primorye and Kamchatka, Far East there are two more S-300PS regiments covering Khabarovsk (Knyaze-Volkonskoye) and Komsomolsk-on-Amur (Lian), respectively; one S-300B regiment is deployed in the vicinity of Birobidzhan.

That is, the entire huge Far Eastern Federal District is protected by: one mixed S-300PS/S-400 regiment, four S-300PS regiments, one S-300V regiment. This is all that remains of the once powerful 11th Air Defense Army.

The “holes” between air defense facilities in the east of the country are several thousand kilometers long, and anyone and anything can fly into them. However, not only in Siberia and the Far East, but throughout the country, a huge number of critical industrial and infrastructure facilities are not covered by any air defense systems.

In a significant part of the country, nuclear and hydroelectric power plants remain unprotected, and air strikes on them could lead to catastrophic consequences. The vulnerability of Russian strategic nuclear forces deployment sites to air attacks provokes “potential partners” to attempt a “disarming strike” with high-precision weapons to destroy non-nuclear weapons.

In addition, long-range air defense systems themselves need protection. They need to be covered from the air by short-range air defense systems. Today, regiments with the S-400 receive Pantsir-S air defense missile systems for this (2 per division), but the S-300P and B are not covered by anything, except, of course, for the effective protection of 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun mounts.

"Pantsir-S"

The situation with airborne lighting is no better. This should be done by the radio technical troops, their functional responsibility is the advance issuance of information about the beginning of an enemy air attack, providing target designation for anti-aircraft missile forces and air defense aviation, as well as information for controlling formations, units and air defense units.

During the years of “reforms,” the continuous radar field formed during the Soviet era was partially, and in some places completely lost.
At present, there is practically no possibility of monitoring the air situation over the polar latitudes.

Until recently, our political and former military leadership, apparently, was busy with other more pressing issues, such as the reduction of the armed forces and the sale of “excess” military equipment and real estate.

Only recently, at the end of 2014, Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu announced measures that should help correct the existing situation in this area.

As part of the expansion of our military presence in the Arctic, it is planned to build and reconstruct existing facilities on the New Siberian Islands and Franz Josef Land, it is planned to reconstruct airfields and deploy modern radars in Tiksi, Naryan-Mar, Alykel, Vorkuta, Anadyr and Rogachevo. The creation of a continuous radar field over Russian territory should be completed by 2018. At the same time, it is planned to upgrade radar stations and data processing and transmission facilities by 30%.

Fighter aircraft, designed to combat enemy air attacks and carry out missions to gain air superiority, deserve special mention. Currently, the Russian Air Force formally has (including those in “storage”) about 900 fighters, of which: Su-27 of all modifications - more than 300, Su-30 of all modifications - about 50, Su-35S - 34, MiG -29 of all modifications - about 250, MiG-31 of all modifications - about 250.

It should be taken into account that a significant part of the Russian fighter fleet is included in the Air Force in name only. Many aircraft produced in the late 80s - early 90s require overhaul and modernization. In addition, due to problems with the supply of spare parts and replacement of failed avionics units, some of the modernized fighters are essentially, as aviators put it, “doves of peace.” They can still take to the air, but they can no longer fully complete a combat mission.

The past 2014 was significant for volumes of aircraft supplied to the Russian armed forces, unprecedented since the times of the USSR.

In 2014, our Air Force received 24 multifunctional Su-35S fighters produced by the Yu.A. Aviation Plant. Gagarin in Komsomolsk-on-Amur (branch of OJSC Sukhoi Company):

Twenty of them became part of the recreated 23rd Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 303rd Guards Mixed Aviation Division of the 3rd Russian Air Force and Air Defense Command at the Dzemgi airfield (Khabarovsk Territory) shared with the plant.

All these fighters were built under a contract dated August 2009 with the Russian Ministry of Defense for the construction of 48 Su-35S fighters. Thus, total By the beginning of 2015, the number of vehicles manufactured under this contract reached 34.

The production of Su-30SM fighters for the Russian Air Force is carried out by the Irkut Corporation under two contracts for 30 aircraft each, concluded with the Russian Ministry of Defense in March and December 2012. After the delivery of 18 vehicles in 2014, the total number of Su-30SM delivered to the Russian Air Force reached 34 units.

Eight more Su-30M2 fighters were produced by the Yu.A. Aviation Plant. Gagarin in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

Three fighters of this type entered the newly formed 38th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 27th Mixed Aviation Division of the 4th Russian Air Force and Air Defense Command at the Belbek airfield (Crimea).

The Su-30M2 aircraft were built under a contract dated December 2012 for the supply of 16 Su-30M2 fighters, bringing the total number of aircraft built under this contract to 12, and the total number of Su-30M2s in the Russian Air Force to 16.

However, this quantity, significant by today’s standards, is absolutely insufficient to replace aircraft in fighter regiments that are being written off due to complete physical wear and tear.

Even if the current rate of supply of aircraft to the troops is maintained, according to forecasts, in five years the fighter fleet of the domestic Air Force will be reduced to approximately 600 aircraft.

Over the next five years, about 400 Russian fighters are likely to be decommissioned - up to 40% of the current roster.

This is primarily with the upcoming decommissioning of the old MiG-29 (about 200 units) in the very near future. Due to problems with the airframe, about 100 aircraft have already been rejected.

Unmodernized Su-27s, whose flight life will end in the near future, will also be written off. The number of MiG-31 interceptors will be reduced by more than half. It is planned to retain 30-40 MiG-31s ​​in the DZ and BS modifications in the Air Force, and another 60 MiG-31s ​​will be upgraded to the BM version. The remaining MiG-31s ​​(about 150 units) are planned to be written off.

The shortage of long-range interceptors should be partially resolved after the start of mass deliveries of the PAK FA. It was announced that it is planned to purchase up to 60 PAK FA units by 2020, but for now these are only plans that will most likely undergo significant adjustments.

The Russian Air Force has 15 A-50 AWACS aircraft (another 4 in “storage”), recently supplemented by 3 modernized A-50U.
The first A-50U was delivered to the Russian Air Force in 2011.

As a result of the work carried out as part of the modernization, the functionality of the aviation complex for long-range radar detection and control has significantly increased. The number of simultaneously tracked targets and simultaneously guided fighters has been increased, and the detection range of various aircraft has been increased.

The A-50 should be replaced by the A-100 AWACS aircraft based on the Il-76MD-90A with a PS-90A-76 engine. The antenna complex is built on the basis of an antenna with an active phased array.

At the end of November 2014, TANTK named after. G. M. Beriev received the first Il-76MD-90A aircraft for conversion into the A-100 AWACS aircraft. Deliveries to the Russian Air Force are scheduled to begin in 2016.

All domestic aircraft AWACS are based on a permanent basis in the European part of the country. Beyond the Urals they appear quite rarely, mostly during large-scale exercises.

Unfortunately, loud statements from high stands about the revival of our Air Force and Air Defense often have little to do with reality. In the “new” Russia, an unpleasant tradition has become an absolute irresponsibility for the promises made by high-ranking civilian and military officials.

As part of the state armament program, it was planned to have twenty-eight 2-division S-400 regiments and up to ten divisions of the latest S-500 air defense system (the latter should perform the tasks of not only air defense and tactical missile defense, but also strategic missile defense) by 2020. There is now no doubt that these plans will be thwarted. The same fully applies to plans regarding the production of the PAK FA.

However, as usual, no one will suffer serious punishment for disrupting the state program. After all, we “don’t hand over our own,” and “we’re not in 1937,” right?

P.S. All information given in the article regarding the Russian Air Force and Air Defense was taken from open, publicly available sources, a list of which is given. The same applies to possible inaccuracies and errors.

Information sources:
http://rbase.new-factoria.ru
http://bmpd.livejournal.com
http://geimint.blogspot.ru
Satellite imagery courtesy of Google Earth