And Cyclone-4 missiles are made in Ukraine. The article discusses the strategy for launching a launch vehicle from an aircraft and provides necessary calculations and graphics.
The relevance of the article lies in the proposed form of launching a launch vehicle from an aircraft, which involves a combination of two different approaches to launch a launch vehicle from an aircraft. The first part of its trajectory the rocket flies like aircraft. The rocket overcomes the second part of the trajectory with the help of a braking parachute and, thanks to it, is brought into the position required for launch.
The study used a methodology for constructing a mathematical model in the Delphi-7 programming environment in Pascal. The author constructed the first mathematical model of the flight of a launch vehicle with a wing after its separation from the aircraft. The second mathematical model was created to describe the flight of the launch vehicle after shooting off the bearing surfaces and braking with a turn to the required position for subsequent launch.
Key words: air launch, launch vehicle, mathematical model, lifting surfaces, braking parachute, oval wing, airplane.
The history of world aviation is closely connected with our country. Back in 1910 of the last century, engineer Alexander Kudashev in Kyiv built the first aircraft capable of actually performing controlled flight (when the pilot controls the aircraft using the steering wheel).
It was also in Kyiv that the world-famous Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky began his aviation career. No less famous Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov, who created the world's largest transport aircraft An-124 and An-225, which are known far beyond the borders of the USSR, also worked in Ukraine for many years and created the most developed and modern aviation-scientific technical complex, which bears his name - State Enterprise named after O.K. Antonov.
Our country is also a space power, because in our country there are such giants of the space industry as the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau and Yuzhmash, which are engaged not only in the production of launch vehicles and satellites, but also produce them at a serial plant. It is thanks to such enterprises that Ukraine participates in many international projects, such as the project of a new type of engines “Vega” (under the auspices of the European Space Agency), “Sea launch” (launch of a launch vehicle from a sea platform in the Pacific Ocean), where the Ukrainian Zenit rocket - 3SL is used as the main carrier of satellites, processing of intercontinental ballistic missiles"Dnepr" for launching small satellites; the Cyclone-4 project together with the Brazilian Space Agency for launches from the Alcantara spaceport and many other projects.
This article suggests new project called "Air Launch". The project involves the launch launch vehicle"Cyclone -4" from the An-225 "Mriya" aircraft.
Economic component of the project
The very idea of launching a launch vehicle from an aircraft is not new, because even during the twentieth century in such countries as Soviet Union and the United States of America, scientists developed projects based on various aircraft, but due to numerous risk factors, none of the projects were implemented. However, the idea of building a mobile cosmodrome was realized in international project"Sea Launch". This is a converted offshore oil production platform located in international waters Pacific Ocean and has the ability to move in order to be as close as possible to the equator during the launch of the launch vehicle, because every degree of deviation from the equator leads to an increase in speed by 100 m/s, which negatively affects the energy capabilities of the launch vehicle.
Thanks to this transportation of the launch vehicle, the savings when launching the launch vehicle from an aircraft are approximately 2-2.5 million dollars.
Launch strategy
Air launch is a method of launching rockets or aircraft from an altitude of several kilometers, where the launch vehicle is delivered. The delivery vehicle is most often another aircraft, but it can also be balloon or airship
WITH Air launch“Air launch into orbit” should be highlighted. Air launch into orbit is a method of launching launch vehicles and/or spaceships high in the air from jets aircraft horizontal takeoff, both subsonic and supersonic. When used for orbital insertion, this method has extraordinary advantages over traditional vertical rocket launches, including the reduced mass, drag force and cost of the rocket.
On the ground, the launch vehicle with attached load-bearing surfaces is loaded onto the aircraft using a special lifting mechanism (similar in design to the lifting platform for the Buran orbital ship, which was used to lift the cargo (Buran) to a height of 25 meters, lowering it using cranes to the height required to load and attach the ship to the aircraft). Schemes of such devices exist, which makes it easier to implement this development.
After these operations, the aircraft takes off and heads to the launch area. At the border of the launch area, the aircraft must climb to an altitude of 10,000 m and reach the required (design) speed (860 km/h). When such flight parameters are achieved, the aircraft switches to an automatic control system and is brought to a pitch angle of 10 degrees. In this moment automatic system performs the release of the locks holding the launch vehicle on the aircraft. The next step is the launch vehicle's departure and maneuvering of the aircraft. The aircraft performs an evasive descent maneuver while the launch vehicle performs a hill maneuver. The launch vehicle maneuver is described below. You should refer to the maneuvering of the aircraft; after the missile is fired, the aircraft begins braking and descending with a simultaneous roll to the side (the left or right side of the roll depends on the direction of the wind at the moment the launch vehicle is fired from the aircraft). Rocket after reaching maximum height maneuver begins to decrease and increase speed. The plane, having moved away from the missile's trajectory, returns to the airfield. The rocket is stabilized with the help of controls (ailerons, elevators, rudder) and adheres to a given trajectory. After reaching the altitude, when the rocket has a small pitch angle (according to calculations - 9360m), the bearing surfaces are shot off and the braking parachute is released. After the braking parachute opens, the speed of the launch vehicle continues to decrease and the rocket turns to bring it into a vertical position relative to the center of gravity. After performing such actions, the launch vehicle starts the main engines of the first stage, shoots off the braking parachute and begins flight in normal mode.
Similar developments and air launch strategies
The author considered only analogues that launched rockets weighing at least 15 tons, because it is precisely such launch vehicles that have the necessary energy characteristics for commercial use. In the 1960s and later in the United States, experimental rocket planes launched from carrier aircraft were created, including the first hypersonic aircraft - the suborbital manned spaceplane North American X-15, also Bell X-1, Lockheed D-21 Boeing X - 43, etc. Similar (but not suborbital) systems were also in France (Leduc) and other countries. The air launch was used to test the Enterprise spaceplane in the large-scale program of the reusable space transport system Space Shuttle. The first of the detailed air-launched AKS projects was the unrealized "Spiral" system of the 1960s-1970s with a hypersonic booster aircraft, a launch vehicle and an orbital aircraft. Air launch was used for subsonic flights analogue aircraft his orbital plane.
American projects: in the USA the system has been implemented for a long time, Pegasus (RN) / L -1011 (aircraft). Developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation. The launch is carried out using an L-1011 aircraft from Lockheed Corporation, specially equipped for this purpose. The separation of the rocket from the carrier aircraft occurs at an altitude of 12 km. Carrier mass - 18500 kg (Pegasus), 23130 kg (Pegasus XL) Payload mass launched into low Earth orbit by the Pegasus carrier - up to 443 kg. Launch cost (as of 1994) - 11 million US dollars. From 1990 to 2008, only 40 launches of the Pegasus carrier were carried out with insertion into orbit artificial satellites, of which 3 launches were unsuccessful. Another system is being developed and there are other AKS projects.
Lockheed -1011 aircraft and Pegasus launch vehicle
Russian-Ukrainian projects: in Russia, detailed projects AKS BAKS and “Air Launch” have been proposed. In the first project, a spaceplane with external fuel is launched from the An-225 (325) “Dream” super-heavy aircraft. The main element of the second project is a specially converted heavy aircraft An-124-100Vse "Ruslan", from the board of which at an altitude of approximately 10 km at an altitude developed by the State Missile Center "KB named after. Makeev's technology carries out the so-called “mortar” launch of a launch vehicle, which delivers a payload to the target orbit. There are also projects “Burlak” and others, in which a launch vehicle with an artificial satellite is launched from various carrier aircraft Tu-160, An-124, Tu-22M.
Ukrainian projects: in Ukraine, using the An-225 carrier aircraft, the projects AKS "Svityaz" (RN Zenit) AKRK "Orel" and "Lybid" (winged spaceplane) were developed. The An-225-100 carrier aircraft is being developed by the Oleg Antonov ASTC and is a modification of the An-225 Mriya base aircraft. Special equipment is installed on the aircraft to secure the launch vehicle above the fuselage, and the onboard launch equipment and operators necessary to launch the launch vehicle are located inside the pressurized cabins. The Svityaz launch vehicle is created on the basis of components, assemblies and systems of the Zenit launch vehicle. It is built according to a three-stage scheme. Uses non-toxic fuel components - liquid oxygen and kerosene. When launching spacecraft into geostationary orbit, the launch vehicle is equipped with a solid propellant apogee level.
AKRK "Orel" is a two-stage aerospace complex. The first stage of such a complex will be a carrier aircraft developed by the Kyiv Aviation Scientific Research Institute. technical complex them. O.K. Antonova An-124 (“Ruslan”). The second stage will be a payload launch vehicle developed by the Dnepropetrovsk Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, which should launch from the fuselage of the carrier aircraft.
At the first stages of the creation of the Ukrainian ASRK "Orel" there will be a disposable spacecraft. In the future, multiple spacecraft will also be sent into space and returned to Earth. Unlike the Shuttle and Buran, the launch vehicle will be launched not from the external suspension of the carrier aircraft, but from its middle, that is, from the fuselage. There have never been similar scientific and technical solutions in the world. This scheme for launching a payload into low-Earth orbit has whole line undeniable advantages. This includes an improved aerodynamic design of the AKRK as a whole, higher safety of the second stage separation in the form of a launch vehicle, more optimal technical economic indicators, higher secrecy in the performance of dual-use tasks by the AKRK (both purely scientific and commercial, and special, for military purposes).
Kazakh-Russian project: Kazakhstan proposes the Ishim AKS project (MiG-31 + RN). AKS projects with air launch of spaceplanes were created in Germany (Senger-2), Japan (ASSTS), China (Shenlong prototype and next generation AKS), etc. With the help of air launch, private suborbital spaceplanes SpaceShipOne, SpaceShipTwo, M-55 are launched and other similar projects. An air launch from a balloon of a suborbital manned rocket is provided for in the Stabilo ARCASPACE project of Romania.
The main competitor to the launch strategy proposed in the work is the Russian one, using the An-124-100 All aircraft, because the American equivalent has 10 times less payload weight. The main factor that prevents the Russian launch strategy from being implemented and commercially used is the lack of “mortar” firing of a missile from an aircraft. Now Russian specialists are working to fix this problem. The first launches are planned for 2015.
Placement of the launch vehicle in the An-124 Ruslan aircraft.
Heavy universal transport aircraft An-225 "Mriya"
The development of an aircraft designed to move large-sized elements of space systems (including the Energia-Buran spacecraft) began in 1985. The first flight of the An-225 aircraft, built at the Kiev Aviation Plant, took place on December 21, 1988, and on May 13, 1989, the An-225 already transported the Buran from Zhukovsky to the Baikonur Cosmodrome. This aircraft set 106 world records.
Aircraft design
Fuselage. It has two decks: on top there is a crew cabin and a cabin for accompanying personnel, utility rooms (kitchen, wardrobe, toilet), and below there is a cargo compartment. It can accommodate cargo weighing up to 250 tons. To ensure loading and unloading, a front cargo hatch and ramp are used.
Wing. The wing is made of long (up to 30 meters) pressed panels. The panels are connected to each other with a titanium fastener, ensuring tightness and high level resistance.
Airplane plumage. Two-keel. The stabilizer has a span of 30 meters, has a caisson, and is made of pressed panels and rolled plates of aluminum alloys. The elevator has six sections, three from each console. The elevator consists of two sections on each fin.
Chassis. It consists of a two-post front and fourteen-post main landing gear. All Racks have the ability to be released separately to avoid landing without releasing the landing gear. Also installed on the chassis is a weight and alignment control system. The brakes are carbon.
Engines. The An-225 aircraft is equipped with D-18T engines (the starting thrust of one engine is 23.06 tons). The engine is a three-shaft turbofan with a fuel consumption of 0.57 kg kg of thrust per year in cruising mode.
Systems. All aircraft systems are highly automated and require minimal crew attention during flight. Their performance is supported by 34 on-board computers. Flight navigation and radio engineering systems provide control of the aircraft in automatic and manual modes at all stages of flight, as well as processing and delivery of all necessary flight and navigation information to the aircraft's on-board systems and to the light indicators in the cockpit. The control system includes an electro-hydraulic steering system with quadruple redundancy and a fly-by-wire control system for the wing mechanization with double redundancy. The hydraulic complex consists of four main and two reserve hydraulic systems that ensure the functioning of the control surfaces, wing mechanization, raising and releasing the landing gear, opening and closing hatches and doors.
During the official visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Indonesia, which took place in early September, about ten memorandums and agreements were signed, the main one of which was the agreement to provide Jakarta with a loan of $1 billion for purchases Russian weapons And military equipment, in particular, Su-27SKM and Su-30MK2 fighters. During an official speech to the press, the presidents of both countries confirmed their interest in developing bilateral cooperation in the field of high technology, including the joint implementation of space projects. This means, among other things, a “green light” for implementation famous project“Air Launch”, which acquired international status. It involves launching small spacecraft into orbit using a launch vehicle, launched not from the Earth as usual, but from an altitude of about 10 km - after landing from the An-124-YuOVS Ruslan carrier aircraft. The first space “air launch” is scheduled for 2010.
How it all began…
The Air Launch aviation rocket and space complex (ARSC) project was started ten years ago, in 1997, by the Kompomash company. In 1999, for its implementation, the Air Start corporation was created, the founders of which were the Polet airline, the Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia and the Design Bureau of Chemical Automation (KBHA). The cooperation also included SNPRKTs "C SKB - Progress" and a number of other enterprises. RSC Energia became the lead developer of the launch vehicle, called Polet.
Initially, the air-launched rocket was planned to use fuel based on liquid oxygen (LO) and liquefied natural gas (LNG), but by 2000 it was decided to use the more traditional LOC-kerosene pair. In 1999, by decision of Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, for the implementation of the Air Launch project, the Air Force transferred four An-124 military transport aircraft. Two Ruslans were repaired, modernized into the An-124-100 variant and entered into service with Polet Airlines on a commercial basis, earning money for the project. But the repair of the remaining two vehicles was frozen by the decision of Air Force Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Mikhailov.
After leaving the project due to technical disagreements, RSC Energia became the lead developer of the rocket and space segment of the complex. V.P. Makeeva". ARKK's "Air Launch" project went through all stages of defense before the competent commissions and was included in the Federal Space Program of the Russian Federation for 2006-2015. with financing on an extra-budgetary basis and with a commissioning date of 2010.
Features of the concept
Distinctive features complex "Air Launch" is air launch LV by airdropping it from the cargo compartment of the carrier aircraft. The advantages of the project compared to existing traditional ground-launch launch vehicles are, first of all, the high specific mass characteristics of the rocket (in terms of the payload being launched) with relatively low costs of creation and operation: there is no need to build expensive ground-based launch complexes or select a launch route more free, and the fields of fall of detachable parts of the carrier are reduced and can be located outside areas of residence or economic activity (for example, in the sea or in the desert). In addition, launching from a carrier aircraft makes it possible to improve the energy capabilities of the complex due to the launch with a non-zero initial speed, as well as by significantly reducing aerodynamic losses and losses due to off-design operation of the rocket engines.
Currently, the preliminary design of the Air Launch ARSC is almost completed. True, the Polet launch vehicle recently underwent another, and significant, change in layout. At the international aerospace salon MAKS-2007, the Air Start company demonstrated the next iteration of the project.
The previous configuration was a “bicaliber” arrangement: the modernized block “I” (third stage) of the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle with a diameter of 2.66 m was used as the second stage, while the first stage, developed by the State Research Center “Design Bureau named after. V.P. Makeev”, according to the project, should have a diameter of 3.2 m.
The new version of the rocket is now made in a single diameter - 2.66 m. Accordingly, the volumetric layout of the first stage block has also changed. The lower bottom of the fuel tank lost the shape of a garrot recessed into the tank and became conical, at the same time performing the function of a sub-engine frame to which the NK-43M engine is attached (developed in the second half of the 70s by the N.D. Kuznetsov SNTK for the second stage of a super-heavy "lunar" rocket N-1). Obviously, the decrease in diameter led to a slight increase in the length of the carrier. However, the Polet rocket, together with the transport and launch container, is freely placed in the cargo compartment of the An~ 124-100BC carrier aircraft.
It must be assumed that reducing the diameter of the first stage block and increasing the aspect ratio will have a beneficial effect on the aerodynamic characteristics of the rocket. But the main thing, I think, is not this. Obviously, the transition to a single diameter for both stages is associated with production and technological reasons. At the Progress plant (Samara), where launch vehicles of the Soyuz family are manufactured and where it is planned to produce the Polet rocket, there is no equipment for the manufacture of compartments with a diameter of 3.2 m. In principle, there are no technical “contraindications” to creating new equipment, but in any case, the transition to a new diameter leads to additional costs and delays in project implementation. The use of existing equipment makes it possible to manufacture tanks for the first stage of Polet from sections of the tank compartment of block I, which naturally leads to cost reduction and increased economic efficiency project.
The decision to switch to a diameter of 2.66 m may serve as indirect evidence that the Air Launch project has come close to the pilot production stage and the start of flight design tests (FDT).
It can be assumed that the most difficult technically will be the landing of a launch vehicle weighing at least 100 tons using a steam and gas generator (“mortar” launch) and turning on the powerful oxygen-kerosene engine of the first stage in the air. It is known that the An-124 is not intended for landing monocargoes weighing more than 20 tons. How the carrier aircraft will behave when “ejecting” a rocket filled with tens of tons of kerosene and oxygen is not yet known. American ARKK projects of this type, for example, those created under the Quickrich program ( It should be noted that in addition to the general advantages of air launch systems, the Polet launch vehicle project has a number of its own advantages. Firstly, this is the use of ready-made elements: the NK-43M and RD-0124 engines, which have undergone a large amount of ground testing (and the RD-0124 has already been tested in the Soyuz-2.1b flight), the control system (also from the Soyuz-2 ", with the necessary adaptation), head fairing from the Molniya launch vehicle. Almost the only new element of the rocket is the first stage fuel compartment. The design of the upper stage, required for launches into geostationary orbit (GSO), also uses proven technical solutions. In particular, it is planned to use the RD-0158 engine, developed by KBHA based on the camera from RD-0124. As a result, the cost of creating a rocket should be only 120-130 million dollars. Due to its fairly high energy capabilities and economic efficiency, the ARKK “Air Start” project has attracted the attention of a number of developing countries in Southeast Asia, and, first of all, Indonesia. This is a state located on thousands of islands of the Malay Archipelago and the western part of the island. New Guinea (Irian Jaya), bordering Malaysia to the north and Papua New Guinea to the east, with a population of more than 242 million people, is vitally interested in the development of telecommunications technologies and monitoring systems for its territory. Nothing better has been invented so far than satellites for these purposes. Malaysia, as well as a number of developing countries in Africa, are also showing interest in the project. In principle, the relatively cheap and effective “Air Start” is precisely designed for such customers. So far, the most realistic and “advanced” project is the operation of the “Air Launch” based at the airfield of Biak Island (Indonesia). Preliminary Russian-Indonesian agreements on this were reached at the end of 2005. At the end of November - beginning of December 2006, during the visit of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to our country, an “Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia on cooperation in the field of exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.” In March of this year, a working meeting between the President of the Air Launch Corporation Anatoly Karpov and the Head of the Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) Adi Sadewo Salatun took place in Jakarta. As a result of the efforts made by both parties, on April 16, during the international fair in Hannover, an agreement was signed on the formation of an international company to implement the Air Start project. Thus, government support for this interesting project was received, which gave Anatoly Karpov grounds to express confidence that “Air Start” has entered the final stage of its implementation. On September 28 of this year, Karpov literally stated the following: “All the main problems have been solved; investment agreements have been concluded, a license for space activities has been obtained, and Roscosmos has approved the terms of reference; We've reached the finish line." At the same time, the president of the Airy Start corporation noted that everything that depends on Roscosmos “is being done quite quickly.” The necessary infrastructure for basing Ruslan and carrying out work on payloads is already being created on the island of Biak - first of all, there is an excellent 1st class airfield (used periodically for intermediate landings of Boeing 747 type aircraft when flying from Asian countries to the USA), and also allocated 24 hectares of land. As it became known, the costs of the Indonesian side will amount to about $25 million. The Russian contribution consists of intellectual property, work related to the conversion of the aircraft, costs for the carrier and control system, as well as equipping the airfield with ground equipment to prepare the rocket for flight. In October 2006, a joint venture was created to manage the program on a parity basis: risks, costs and income will be divided 50/50. As for the preparation of carrier aircraft, the normal operation of the ARKK involves the completion of repairs of the two remaining Ruslans and their transfer to the parent company - the State Research Center "Design Bureau named after. Makeev" for the purpose of conversion into air launch platforms. Anatoly Karpov believes that when conversion work begins in 2009, one of the existing Ruslans will have to be “removed from freight traffic.” It is possible that this copy can be made convertible: “When there are no launches, it can be used for cargo transportation, while some of the equipment for air launch will remain... But it weighs little, and will not significantly interfere with the solution of cargo transportation problems,” - says the president of the corporation and general director of Polet airline. He believes that satellite launches "will generate much more revenue" than cargo transportation, so it may make sense to use one or two aircraft exclusively for Air Launch. The start of flight tests of the Air Launch complex with the first space launch is planned to begin in 2010. According to available information, a contract for the launch of six small communication satellites for customers in the countries of Southeast Asia and southern Africa has already been signed. A tender for the production of spacecraft has also been announced: Russian enterprises and the EADS concern are participating in it. True, the details of the contract and other details have not yet been disclosed. According to Anatoly Karpov, all issues were agreed upon during the above-mentioned visit of Vladimir Putin to Indonesia. Problems related to the protection of technologies are expected to be resolved by a Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, after which a corresponding agreement will be concluded between Russia and Indonesia. When launched from the island of Biak, located only 70 km from the equator, the Polet launch vehicle will be able to deliver a satellite weighing up to 4 tons to low orbits, and a satellite weighing up to 800 kg to GS O or from flight trajectories (to the planets of the Solar System). Launches to sun-synchronous orbits are also possible, with both “northern” and “southern” launch azimuths. Fortunately, the launch routes are located primarily over the sea. Meanwhile, the market for light satellites, and, accordingly, light carriers, is one of the most unstable and unpredictable segments of the space market. The Air Launch project itself arose in the mid-90s on a wave of enthusiasm, if not euphoria, associated with the expectation of a sharp increase in the need for small spacecraft. The main hopes were pinned on the creation of low-orbit constellations of communication satellites. Forecasts promised the launch of at least 2,000 such devices within 15 years. But hopes for the economic efficiency of such satellites were not justified, and the rainbow “soap bubble” burst... Recently, forecasts, much more cautious and balanced than a decade ago, promise the need to launch 600 small satellites over the next 10 years. Firstly, some low-orbit constellations of telecommunications satellites, for example GlobalStar, were nevertheless deployed and now require periodic replenishment. Secondly, progress in microelectronics makes it possible to create satellites of small mass, but with functionality similar to the “large” satellites developed in the 90s. last century. In particular, meter-resolution Earth remote sensing satellites weighing only hundreds of kilograms have already been created and, we note, are enjoying increasing popularity (for example, the Israeli Ofek weighs no more than 300 kg!). In addition, a number of space companies are already seriously considering the possibility of creating geostationary platforms in the “mini-” or even “microsatellite” size. Of course, the demand for such devices is quite limited, but it exists. We must not forget that many developing countries that want to join the benefits of space technology simply do not have the necessary financial resources to purchase “full-size” devices, but have a passionate desire (or even, like Indonesia, an urgent need) to obtain and use such satellites. For these countries, the use of small devices launched by light rockets is a good option. So, if successful, Air Launch has a good chance of gaining a foothold in this newly emerging market. Vladimir SHCHERBAKOV The giant Stratolaunch Model 351 transport aircraft, designed to launch launch vehicles from an altitude of 9,100 meters, was first taken out of a hangar in the Mojave Desert (California). This was announced on May 31 in a statement distributed by the Internet portal Space.com Gene Floyd, CEO of Stratolaunch Systems Corp.. The vehicle, created by Orbital OTK Corporation, is equipped with six Pratt&Whitney PW4056 engines and consists of two fuselages, each 72 meters long, connected by a common wing 117 meters long. The weight of the aircraft itself is 250 tons, and with a full load - 590 tons. Thus, the Stratolaunch Model 351 aircraft in terms of wingspan surpasses the Soviet An-225 Mriya, which was still the largest aircraft in the world, with a wingspan of 88.4 m (the An-225 still retains the advantage in length (84 m) and maximum take-off weight (640 tons). We remind you that it first took to the air in 1988. The aircraft is intended to be used as a carrier for the Stratolaunch aerospace system, created by the American company Stratolaunch Systems, founded by the co-founder of Microsoft Paul Allen and the famous aircraft designer Burt Rutan. The first demonstration launch from Stratolaunch is expected in 2019. At the first stage it will carry one Pegasus XL launch vehicle, and in the future - up to three rockets. However, the situation with launch vehicles (LVs) is not entirely clear. During the aircraft's rollout ceremony, Floyd said the company would be "actively exploring a broad range of launch vehicles to provide greater flexibility for customers." The Russian military blog bmpd, maintained by specialists from the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), notes that the lightweight Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket has long been used for air launches from the Stargazer aircraft, so there is no particular need to create a giant carrier. Another thing is that back in 2014, Sierra Nevada Corporation announced the development of a smaller version of its Dream Chaser light manned shuttle project for use with Stratolaunch. As experts note, space technology is rapidly decreasing in size and current rockets, adapted for heavy satellites, are already launching 10, 12, 17 devices. In this sense, launching mini-satellites by air launch is beneficial for several reasons. Firstly, a rocket of such a complex does not need a first booster stage, which overcomes the “heavy” layer of the atmosphere for the first 10 kilometers. Secondly, there is no need to wait for the entire package of satellites to be assembled, as is the case with a ground launch. Thirdly, satellites can be launched from places as close as possible to the equator and to a point in orbit, while ground launches require much more infrastructure. Military analysts believe that the Americans have always tried to lead in the air launch segment not only because they wanted to make satellite launches fast and cheap. This is extremely important for defense: in the event of an escalation of the situation and some kind of conflict, you can almost instantly launch a satellite to the desired point, and the device will provide the necessary information about the enemy. Testing systems for peaceful space allows us to conduct experiments with hypersonic vehicles capable of reaching any point on the planet and entering low-Earth orbit. “At a minimum, air-launched systems allow satellites to be launched online if the ground launch sites are damaged,” notes Andrei Frolov, a researcher at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, editor-in-chief of the Arms Export magazine. — The United States has been working for a long time on the possibility of air-launching strategic ICBM missiles, dropping the Minuteman IA from a C-5A military transport aircraft, and later a prototype eMRBM ballistic missile. In this case, we are talking about a platform on which you can hang both a launch vehicle and a hypersonic vehicle, the main thing is that they fit in size. Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics named after. Tsiolkovsky Andrey Ionin recalls that the group of billionaire Paul Allan has already won the Ansari X Prize competition for government and commercial structures, when within two weeks they had to go into space twice on the same vehicle. — At that time, the designer of the system was also Burt Rutan, a brilliant aircraft designer who makes not serial, but record-breaking aircraft. It was his Voyager spacecraft that made the first non-stop flight around the globe without refueling. Then for a long time Rutan and the billionaire Richard Branson worked as part of the Virgin Galactic project, which involves organizing tourist suborbital space flights and launches of small artificial satellites using the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft and the WhiteKnightTwo booster aircraft. In 2011, it became known that Rutan had switched to Stratolaunch. And what's interesting is that this huge plane is similar to the one that Virgin Galactic had. Stratolaunch Model 351 transport aircraft (Photo: stratolaunch.com) Thus, we see a kind of battle of Anglo-Saxon billionaires: on the one hand, Paul Allen with Stratolaunch, on the other, Elon Musk with his return Falcon 9 rockets, and Richard Branson with Virgin Galactic on the third. Another thing is that at present the problem is not with launch vehicles, but with the launch market itself. For example, Stratolaunch will also compete in the market with other launch vehicles in the segment of launching small satellites into low orbits. Of course, if projects like OneWeb (a constellation of a large number of satellites, which is expected to provide users around the world with broadband Internet) are implemented, then there will be a demand for a large number of launches. “SP”: — Do you think that this project is a record-breaking one and is unlikely to make a revolution in the launch market? — The simultaneous launch of three rockets with payloads may be in demand on the market, but so far the launch market is not that big. Therefore, I don’t think that now anyone will dare to compete with such systems, especially since the Americans themselves can use already proven aircraft for air launch of launch vehicles. In this regard, the prospects for Russian air launch projects are extremely difficult to assess. In addition, the Stratolaunch program involves the use of solid-fuel rockets, which are suspended on pylons between the bodies of an aircraft made in tandem. In our case, the emphasis was on liquid rockets, which require that the launch aircraft must have a refueling system on board. These missiles were located inside the aircraft body, problems with separation, etc. had to be solved. Scientific director of the Space Policy Institute Ivan Moiseev has a different opinion - the market for launching small satellites is promising even without the implementation of projects like OneWeb. “Currently, most of the satellites are launched by accompanying loads, and the cluster launch of a large number of satellites is inconvenient because you need to wait a long time until orders are collected to launch a heavy rocket. In addition, the orbit here is already fixed: whatever load is being transported, small loads will also go to it. Air-launched launches of light missiles and ground-based launches of ultra-light missiles (on May 27, the Electron ultra-light launch vehicle was tested in New Zealand) are free of such disadvantages, and therefore are quite promising in economic terms. The small satellite launch market is growing rapidly and has a fairly positive outlook. The Americans launch the Pegasus launch vehicle rarely, but regularly using the Stargazer aircraft. At the same time, the mass of the payload put into orbit is less than 500 kg (443 kg). “SP”: — Then what is the difference between the Stratolaunch project? “Its advantage is the ability to launch several rockets from one flight, which means it will be possible to launch satellites into fundamentally different orbits. Secondly, with the payloads that such a powerful aircraft can lift, it is possible to launch heavier satellites. Including military purposes. “SP”: — So far, only Americans launch launch vehicles using air launch. But in March, Li Tongyu, head of the launch vehicle development department of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), said his country intended to develop a new family of space rockets launched from Y-20 aircraft. — I think that the Chinese were negotiating with the Ukrainians about the purchase of the Mriya aircraft also for similar purposes. So far, no information has leaked out from Beijing about specific developments in hardware, but the peculiarity of Chinese space is that it is very difficult to predict anything. As a rule, the Chinese are silent until the rocket takes off. As for Russia, we had two programs. The first involved the use of the An-124 Ruslan transport aircraft and the Polet launch vehicle, assembled on the basis of jet engines developed in Soviet times. Such an aircraft rocket complex for space purposes was to be based at the airbase of Biak Island (Indonesia), as close as possible to the equator, which simplifies and reduces the cost of launching spacecraft into orbit. The second is the Russian-Kazakh project “Ishim”, which was based on the project of a satellite fighter - the MiG-31D interceptor with a special missile. “Ishim” included two aircraft carriers - the MiG-31I with a three-stage launch vehicle suspended between the engine nacelles, and an airborne command and measurement complex based on the Il-76MD aircraft. “Ishim” was technically ready for launch, and in a fairly short time, but in 2007 Kazakhstan announced its abandonment of a joint project with Russia to create an aviation rocket and space complex. But it is quite easy to revive it if there is economic interest. True, here again the question of payloads will arise, since Western companies are not eager to cooperate with us and they have a wide range of launches. The Sportbox.ru columnist appreciated Houston's performance at the start of the NBA season and recommends that fans enjoy the Texans' game and not think about the playoffs. On Wednesday they lost in a stubborn confrontation, which triggered another wave of speculation about how seriously the “rocket men” should be taken. After the defeat, it would seem that the answer to this question should have crystallized by itself, but no. Firstly, the Spurs really had to reveal to the world the entire contents of their own intestines in order to crush Houston (102:100), and, secondly, this was preceded by a ten-game winning streak, during which the “Rocket Men” made souvenirs from cartilage and joints of the Warriors, Nuggets, Celtics, Thunder and other teams that do not fall into the category of whipping boys. This result was achieved thanks to the third-best attack in the entire league (ahead of only Golden State and Toronto) and, in particular, historically outstanding long-range shooting. In a recent matchup with the Pelicans, the Texans hit a record 24 shots from beyond the arc on a record 61 attempts. Already now, after the first quarter of the championship, Houston has every chance of breaking the record for the number of three-pointers made in a season. The reason for such a successful flight? First of all, Mike D'Antoni, who has shaved his mustache but still always believes in the triumph of offensive basketball. “Mr. Pringles” is already being called the main contender for the award for the best coach of the season. Let's forget for a moment about his idea to promote him to the position of point guard - there is nothing revolutionary here. It is much more important that D’Antoni found the role players he needed and managed to breathe life into even those of them whom many considered biotrash. Eric Gordon speaks most convincingly and clearly about this, who in recent years has been mentioned exclusively as the mascot of the Pelicans medical headquarters. After 27 matches, with an average playing time of 33.1 minutes, he made 101 three-pointers with an accuracy of 39.6 percent. Eric Gordon made 100 three-pointers at the same level and an average of 30 minutes, shooting 44.2 percent. Just numbers, no specific attacks on anyone. Considering the injury history of the defenseman, we have yet to see his decline, but if at the end of the season the number of games in which Gordon came off the bench exceeds the games he started, he will be a strong candidate for the award for the best sixth man. The Rockets are currently grieving Clint Capela, who is out for six weeks with a broken leg. There is a reason. Under D'Antoni, the usual unskilled center returned to the norm of 12 points and 8.3 rebounds on average per game. Ryan Anderson, Sam Decker, Montrezl Harrell are all performing at a level that exceeds preseason expectations. The most difficult thing is in the simple. Raja Bell, who played under D’Antoni in that same Phoenix, recently spoke about the head coach’s approach: “He gives unconditional freedom to each of his basketball players. When I came on board, he said, “I'm missing the 218 three-pointers that Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson used to make. Can you?” I agreed, although I had never thrown more than 114 in a season before.” The most amazing thing is how, with this approach to each player, D’Antoni maintains balance and avoids scandals and insults in the locker room. He's just honest. In one of the matches, Leandro Barbosa attacked like crazy from difficult situations, through his hands, while not sharing the ball in situations where it was obvious. I approached the coach and said that Leandro should pass to his partners more often. He pulled me aside and said, “Yes, Raj, you’re absolutely right. But if I tell him about it now, it will shake his confidence. Next time he will waste time doubting what to do in a game situation. I believe in him, believe me too.” Leandro finished that match with a monstrous shooting percentage and an accurate winning shot in the last seconds. That's how D'Antoni's system works, and it's the perfect environment for "The Beard," who really shouldn't be considered a professional basketball player. Harden is more of a professional artist who expresses himself through acting. So when he’s asked to talk about his relationship with D’Antoni, his answer sounds childishly direct: “He doesn’t try to control everyone and everything. The coach prescribes a combination, and if I have a better idea, I tell him about it, and he takes the situation calmly. The same should apply to others.” Harden returns his coach's trust not only in the form of high scoring (27.8 points per game), the tufted bearded man leads the league in total and average number of assists (11.7 per game), and also ranks first in the scoring rating after extra- passes, to put it simply, it is from Harden’s passes that they score most often and most of all. In the last couple of weeks, James has been hitting triple-doubles frequently and is generally playing at the level of a season MVP contender. Taking a look at all this controlled chaos, it’s time to say - there are so many contenders for individual awards, so maybe it’s time to take aim at the team championship? Alas, the Rockets, who play according to the Brazilian system “You score as much as you can, and we score as much as we want,” have never learned to defend. The entire defense of the back line rests entirely solely on Patrick Beverley - a player who is as hardworking and persistent as he is traumatic. In one single game, the Rockets are capable of outrunning and outshooting even the Warriors - it's proven. In a seven-game series, with the tempo slowed down—games slow down in the playoffs due to the focus on defense—with an elite man-to-man team focused solely on Harden, the Rockets would crack. Plus, for all its progress, Houston’s roster can hardly be called deep. This is truly the reincarnation of the brilliant “Phoenix” with Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and others, this is basketball purified from impurities, tickling the olfactory organs with pleasure, one hundred percent high-quality product from Uncle Mike. But such teams don't win championships. And don’t even try to point a finger at Golden State, just remember who became the MVP of the finals won: today’s Houston does not have players like Iguodala, Green, Bogut, a long bench, and most importantly, understanding and experience of how to rebuild with such an attraction of attacking generosity on defensive, viscous, eye-stinging basketball, which reeks of sweat and vomiting. This is not the territory of the inspired creator that Harden is. The Rockets are so good right now because they don't have to break themselves, which is one of the main things in the playoffs. Therefore, no matter how fascinating the space odyssey of today's Rockets may look, it has its end point - at most, the second round of the playoffs. Damn, I love this car! A supersonic winged ship with a predatory, elongated fuselage and sharp triangles of planes. Inside, in the cramped cockpit, the eye is lost among dozens of dials, toggle switches and switches. Here is the airplane control stick, comfortable, made of ribbed plastic. It has built-in weapon control buttons. The left palm squeezes the engine control stick, directly below it is the flap control panel. There is a glass screen in front, on which the image of the sight and instrument readings are projected - perhaps the silhouettes of the Phantoms were once reflected in it, but now the instrument is turned off and therefore completely transparent... It's time to leave the pilot's seat - below, near the stairs, others were crowding around wanting to get into the cockpit. I take one last look at the blue instrument panel and descend from a three-meter height to the ground. Already saying goodbye to the MiG, I suddenly imagined how 24 of the same aircraft were moving somewhere under the surface of the Atlantic, waiting in the wings in the launch silos of a nuclear submarine. Such ammunition of anti-ship missiles is on board the Russian “aircraft carrier killers” - the Project 949A Antey nuclear-powered submarines. Comparing the MiG with a cruise missile is not an exaggeration: the weight and size characteristics of the P-700 Granit missile are close to those of the MiG-21. Hardness of granite
The length of the gigantic rocket is 10 meters (in some sources - 8.84 meters without taking into account the SRS), the wingspan of the Granit is 2.6 meters. The MiG-21F-13 fighter (in the future we will consider this well-known modification) with a fuselage length of 13.5 meters, has a wingspan of 7 meters. It would seem that the differences are significant - the aircraft is larger than the anti-ship missile, but the last argument should convince the reader of the correctness of our reasoning. The launch weight of the Granit anti-ship missile system is 7.36 tons, at the same time, the normal take-off weight of the MiG-21F-13 was ... 7 tons. The same MiG that fought with Phantoms in Vietnam and shot down Mirages in the hot sky over the Sinai turned out to be lighter than the Soviet anti-ship missile! Anti-ship missile P-700 "Granit" The dry weight of the MiG-21 structure was 4.8 tons, another 2 tons were fuel. During the evolution of the MiG, the take-off weight increased and, for the most advanced representative of the MiG-21bis family, it reached 8.7 tons. At the same time, the weight of the structure increased by 600 kg, and the fuel reserve increased by 490 kg (which did not affect the flight range of the MiG-21bis in any way - the more powerful engine “gobbled up” all the reserves). The fuselage of the MiG-21, like the body of the Granit missile, is a cigar-shaped body with cut off front and rear ends. The nose of both designs is made in the form of an air intake with an inlet section adjustable using a cone. Like on a fighter, the radar antenna is located in the Granit cone. But, despite the external similarity, there are many differences in the design of the Granit anti-ship missile system. The layout of the "Granit" is much denser, the rocket body has greater strength, because “Granit” was designed for an underwater launch (at nuclear power plants, sea water is pumped into the missile silos before launch). Inside the rocket is a huge warhead weighing 750 kg. We are talking about quite obvious things, but comparing a rocket with a fighter jet will unexpectedly lead us to an unusual conclusion. Flying to the limit
Would you believe a dreamer who claims that the MiG-21 is capable of flying a distance of 1000 km at an extremely low altitude (20-30 meters above the Earth’s surface), at a speed one and a half times the speed of sound? At the same time, carrying in its belly a huge ammunition weighing 750 kilograms? Of course, the reader will shake his head in disbelief - miracles do not happen; the MiG-21 in cruising mode at an altitude of 10,000 m could cover 1200-1300 km. In addition, the MiG-21, due to its design, could show its excellent speed qualities only in a rarefied atmosphere at high altitudes; at the surface of the earth, the speed of the fighter was limited to 1.2 speeds of sound. Speed, afterburner, flight range... For the R-13-300 engine, fuel consumption in cruising mode is 0.931 kg/kgf*hour, in afterburner it reaches 2.093 kg/kgf*hour. Even an increase in speed will not be able to compensate for the sharply increased fuel consumption, in addition, no one flies in this mode for more than 10 minutes. According to V. Markovsky’s book “The Hot Sky of Afghanistan,” which describes in detail the combat service of the aviation of the 40th Army and the Turkestan Military District, MiG-21 fighters were regularly involved in striking ground targets. In each episode, the combat load of the MiGs consisted of two 250 kg bombs, and during difficult missions, it was generally reduced to two “hundreds”. When carrying larger ammunition, the flight range rapidly decreased; the MiG became clumsy and dangerous to pilot. It is necessary to take into account that we are talking about the most advanced modifications of the “twenty-first” used in Afghanistan - MiG-21bis, MiG-21SM, MiG-21PFM, etc. The combat load of the MiG-21F-13 consisted of one built-in NR-30 cannon with 30 rounds of ammunition (weight 100 kg) and two R-3S air-to-air guided missiles (weight 2 x 75 kg). I dare to suggest that the maximum flight range of 1300 km was achieved without external suspensions at all. The anti-ship Granit is more “optimized” for low-altitude flight; the frontal projection area of the missile is smaller than that of a fighter. The Granit lacks retractable landing gear and a braking parachute. And yet, there is less fuel on board the anti-ship missile - the warhead takes up 750 kg of space inside the hull, and we had to abandon fuel tanks in the wing consoles (the MiG-21 has two of them: in the nose and middle root of the wing). Considering that Granit will have to break through to the target at an extremely low altitude (LAL), through dense layers of the atmosphere, it becomes clear why the real flight range of the P-700 is much less than the stated one of 550, 600 and even 700 km. In WWI at supersonic speed, the flight range of a heavy anti-ship missile is 150...200 km (depending on the type of warhead). The obtained value completely coincides with the tactical and technical specifications of the military-industrial complex under the Council of Ministers of the USSR from 1968 for the development of a heavy anti-ship missile (the future “Granit”): 200 km on a low-altitude trajectory. This leads to another conclusion - the beautiful legend about the “leader rocket” remains just a legend: a low-flying “flock” will not be able to follow the “leader rocket” flying at high altitude. The impressive figure of 600 km, which often appears in the media, is only valid for a high-altitude flight path, when the missile follows a target in the stratosphere, at an altitude of 14 to 20 km. This nuance affects the combat effectiveness of the missile system; an object flying at high altitude can be easily detected and intercepted - Mr. Powers is a witness. The Legend of 22 Rockets
Several years ago, one respected admiral published memoirs about the service of the 5th OPESK (Operational Squadron) of the USSR Navy in the Mediterranean Sea. It turns out that back in the 80s, Soviet sailors accurately calculated the number of missiles to destroy aircraft carrier formations of the American Sixth Fleet. According to their calculations, the AUG air defense is capable of repelling a simultaneous attack from no more than 22 supersonic anti-ship missiles. The twenty-third missile is guaranteed to hit the aircraft carrier, and then a hellish lottery begins: the 24th missile can be intercepted by air defense, the 25th and 26th will again break through the defenses and hit the ships... The former sailor was telling the truth: a simultaneous strike by 22 missiles is the limit for the air defense of an aircraft carrier strike group. You can easily verify this by independently calculating the capabilities of the Ticonderoga-class Aegis cruiser to repel missile attacks. So, the Project 949A nuclear submarine Antey has reached a launch distance of 600 km, and the target designation problem has been successfully resolved. According to the fundamental laws of nature, an outside observer will be able to see the Granites at a distance of 490 km - it is at this distance that a rocket flock flying at an altitude of 14 km rises above the horizon. According to official data, the AN/SPY-1 phased array radar is capable of detecting an air target at a range of 200 American miles (320 km). The effective dispersion area of the MiG-21 fighter is estimated at 3...5 square meters. meters is quite a lot. The missile's ESR is smaller - within 2 square meters. meters. Roughly speaking, the Aegis cruiser's radar will detect a threat at a distance of 250 km. Group target, distance... bearing... The confused consciousness of the command center operators, aggravated by impulses of fear, sees 8 terrible “flares” on the radar screen. Anti-aircraft weapons for battle! It took the cruiser’s crew half a minute to prepare for missile firing, the covers of the Mark-41 UVP fell back with a clang, the first Standard-2ER (extended range - “long range”) climbed out of the launch container, and, fluffing its fiery tail, disappeared behind the clouds... behind it one more... and another... During this time, the “Granites” at a speed of 2.5 M (800 m/s) approached 25 kilometers. According to official data, the Mark-41 launcher can produce missiles at a rate of 1 missile per second. The Ticonderoga has two launchers: bow and stern. Purely theoretically, let’s assume that the real rate of fire in combat conditions is 4 times less, i.e. The Aegis cruiser fires 30 anti-aircraft missiles per minute. The Standard-2ER, like all modern long-range missiles, is a missile with a semi-active guidance system. During the cruising portion of the trajectory, the Standard flies in the direction of the target, guided by a remotely reprogrammable autopilot. A few seconds before the interception point, the missile’s homing head is turned on: the radar on board the cruiser “illuminates” the air target and the missile’s seeker catches the signal reflected from the target, calculating its reference trajectory. Note. Realizing this shortcoming of anti-aircraft missile systems, the Americans rejoiced. Attack aircraft can attack sea targets with impunity, dropping Harpoons from their hardpoints and immediately “washing away”, diving to an extremely low altitude. The reflected beam has disappeared - the anti-aircraft missile is helpless. The sweet life of pilots will end with the advent of anti-aircraft missiles with active guidance, when the missile defense system will independently illuminate the target. Alas, neither the promising American Standard-6 nor the active-guided long-range missile of the S-400 complex has yet been able to successfully pass tests - the designers still have to resolve many technical issues. The main problem will remain: the radio horizon. Strike aircraft do not even need to “shine” on the radar - it is enough to fire homing missiles, remaining undetected below the radio horizon. The exact direction and coordinates of the target will be “told” to them by an AWACS aircraft flying 400 km behind the strike group. However, even here you can find justice for insolent aviators - it’s not for nothing that a long-range missile was created for the S-400 air defense system. Let's return to the confrontation between 8 anti-ship missiles "Granit" and "Ticonderoga". Despite the fact that the Aegis system is capable of simultaneously firing at 18 targets, the cruiser has only 4 AN/SPG-62 illumination radars on board. One of the advantages of the Aegis is that in addition to monitoring the target, the BIUS automatically controls the number of missiles fired, calculating the firing so that at any given time there are no more than 4 of them on the final part of the trajectory. The end of the tragedy
Opponents quickly get closer to each other. "Granites" fly at a speed of 800 m/s. The speed of anti-aircraft "Standard-2" is 1000 m/s. Initial distance 250 km. It took 30 seconds to make a decision to counteract, during which time the distance was reduced to 225 km. Through simple calculations, it was established that the first “Standard” will meet the “Granites” in 125 seconds, at which point the distance to the cruiser will be 125 km. In fact, the situation for the Americans is much worse: somewhere at a distance of 50 km from the cruiser, the Granite homing heads will detect the Ticonderoga and heavy missiles will begin to dive at the target, disappearing for a while from the cruiser’s visibility zone. They will appear again at a distance of 30 km, when it is too late to do anything. Phalanx anti-aircraft guns will not be able to stop the gang of Russian monsters. The US Navy has only 90 seconds left - it is during this time that the Granites will cover the remaining 125-50=75 kilometers and dive to a low altitude. During this minute and a half, the Granites will fly under continuous fire: the Ticonderoga will have time to fire 30 x 1.5 = 45 anti-aircraft missiles. The probability of an aircraft being hit by anti-aircraft missiles is usually given in the range of 0.6...0.9. But the tabular data does not entirely correspond to reality: in Vietnam, anti-aircraft gunners spent 4-5 missiles on one Phantom shot down. The high-tech Aegis should be more effective than the S-75 Dvina radio command air defense system, however, the incident with the downing of an Iranian passenger Boeing (1988) does not provide clear evidence of an increase in efficiency. Without further ado, let’s assume the probability of hitting the target is 0.2. Not every bird will fly to the middle of the Dnieper. Only every fifth "Standard" will hit the target. The warhead contains 61 kg of powerful explosive - after meeting with an anti-aircraft missile, Granit has no chance of reaching the target. Total: 45 x 0.2 = 9 targets destroyed. The cruiser repelled a missile attack. Implications and conclusions
The Aegis cruiser is probably capable of single-handedly repelling an eight-missile salvo from the Project 949A nuclear-powered missile submarine Antey, expending about 40 anti-aircraft missiles. It will also repulse the second salvo - for this it has enough ammunition (80 “Standards” are placed in 122 UVP cells). After the third salvo, the cruiser will die the death of the brave. Of course, there is more than one Aegis cruiser in the AUG... On the other hand, in the event of a direct military clash, the aircraft carrier group was to be attacked by heterogeneous forces of Soviet aviation and navy. We can only thank fate that we did not see this nightmare. What conclusions can be drawn from all these events? But none! All of the above was true only for the mighty Soviet Union. Soviet sailors, like their colleagues from NATO countries, have long known that an anti-ship missile becomes a formidable force only at extremely low altitudes. At high altitudes there is no escape from air defense missile systems (Mr. Powers is a witness!) - the air target becomes easily detectable and vulnerable. On the other hand, a launch distance of 150...200 km was quite enough to pin down aircraft carrier groups. Soviet "pikes" more than once scratched the bottoms of US Navy aircraft carriers with periscopes. Of course, there is no place for “hack-throwing” sentiments here - the American fleet was also strong and dangerous. “Tu-95 flights over the deck of an aircraft carrier” in peacetime, in a dense ring of Tomcat interceptors, cannot serve as reliable evidence of the high vulnerability of the AUG - it was necessary to get close to the aircraft carrier undetected, and this already required certain skills. Soviet submariners admitted that secretly approaching an aircraft carrier group was not an easy task; this required high professionalism, knowledge of the tactics of a “probable enemy” and His Majesty Chance. Nowadays, American AUGs do not pose a threat to purely continental Russia. No one will use aircraft carriers in the “marquise puddle” of the Black Sea - in this region there is a large Incirlik air base in Turkey. And in the event of a global nuclear war, aircraft carriers will not be the primary targets. As for the Granit anti-ship complex, the very fact of the appearance of such a weapon was a feat of Soviet scientists and engineers. Only a supercivilization was capable of creating such masterpieces, combining the most advanced achievements of electronics, rocket and space technology. Table values and coefficients - www.airwar.ru
Together with Indonesia
Realities and prospects
Basic data of the ARKK "Air Launch" launch vehicle Rocket length, m 36
Diameter of 1st and 2nd stages, m 2,66
Head fairing diameter, m 2,7
Landed mass, t 103
Launch weight, t 102,3
Mass of the launched payload, kg:
- to the reference polar orbit H=200 km 3000
- to geotransfer orbit 1600
- to geostationary orbit 800
Release time to GS0 (h 7
Propulsion system:
- 1st stage NK-43M
- 2nd stage RD-0124
- upper stage (URB) RD-0158
(RD-0161)
Declassified photo. This is what the combat unit of the Granit anti-ship missile system looks like.
Silhouette of F-16 and Granit anti-ship missiles. The Soviet missile looks solid even against the backdrop of the large F-16 (take-off weight 15 tons).
USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) - Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser
Volley! – 8 “Granites” (the maximum number of missiles in a salvo) pierce the water column and, having shot up like a fiery tornado to a height of 14 km, lie down on a combat course...
On the superstructure of the Aegis cruiser, two AN/SPY-1 radar headlight arrays and two AN/SPG-62 target illumination radars on the roof of the superstructure are clearly visible.
Launch of Standard-2ER missiles from the Arleigh Burke destroyers.
Silent scene.
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