On the evening of March 12, a MiG-21 fighter of the Syrian Arab Republic Air Force was shot down north of the provincial center of Hama (220 km from Damascus). According to the Syrian TV channel Suriya, the plane was shot down during landing. As Sputnik reports, one fighter pilot was able to eject, but was killed by fire from the ground, the second survived. According to other sources, the ejected pilot landed safely in a village controlled by the army, and the second attempted to make an emergency landing at the Hama military airfield. The landing was unsuccessful and the pilot died.
According to the Qatari TV channel Al-Jazeera, the MiG-21 fighter was shot down by ground-based anti-aircraft weapons during an air raid on the city of Kfar Nabudah, controlled by the armed opposition, north of the city of Hama, 220 kilometers from Damascus. At the same time, a representative of the armed opposition accused the Syrian Air Force of violating the ceasefire. Syrian sources, however, claim that the plane bombed Al-Nusra positions*.
Against the backdrop of news about a militant attack on the MiG-21, other information attracts attention.
Two weeks ago the Minister of Foreign Affairs Saudi Arabia Adel al-Jubeir in an interview with the German weekly Der Spiegel, he said that his country intends to supply the moderate Syrian opposition with portable anti-aircraft guns. missile systems"Stinger" for combating aviation.
At the same time, al-Jubeir drew a parallel: “Surface-to-air missiles will change the balance of power just as happened in Afghanistan.” The Saudi minister was clearly referring to the supply of Stingers to the Afghan Mujahideen. Then Soviet aviation suffered serious losses from attacks American MANPADS.
Do we now have an antidote to these complexes? Eat.
The VKS Mi-24 helicopters that arrived in Syria are equipped with the latest President-S airborne defense system (ADS), which has been in serial production since the middle of last year, developed at the Samara Research Institute Ekran, part of the Radio-Electronic Technologies concern.
Afghan Mujahideen with an American man-portable anti-aircraft missile system "Stinger", 1988 (Photo: reproduction of TASS Photo Chronicle)
The "Stingers" supplied by the Americans to the Mujahideen were indeed effective weapons used against Soviet aviation during Afghan war. Thermal decoys fired by aircraft when they detected an attack by a surface-to-air missile turned out to be not very effective protection. The decoys are capable of deceiving missiles of previous generations, in which the homing head operated in the infrared spectrum. Another channel was introduced into the Stinger - ultraviolet.
This American invention, as well as our Igla, which is produced in a number of countries by pirate methods, are capable of hitting low-flying targets, which include helicopters, as well as attack aircraft and bombers descending to carry out missile and bomb attacks. Maximum height The Stinger's target hit range is 3800 meters at a range from 200 to 4500 meters. The Igla has these characteristics: altitude - 3500 meters, range - up to 6000 meters. True, the rocket also has inertial flight after the fuel burns out. At the same time, the speed of the missile is constantly decreasing, and the probability of hitting the target is significantly less.
Aircraft equipped with the President-S missile system are invulnerable to modern MANPADS. Even if it is a helicopter hovering in the air in close proximity to the shooter, then aimed at him the rocket will pass by. At the same time, the complex is capable of resisting not only infrared/ultraviolet, but also radar-guided missiles.
Infrared Combat
Equipment for a more intelligent method of combating infrared-guided missiles than shooting heat traps began to appear in the mid-80s. The Lipa optical-electronic jamming station has begun to be installed on domestic helicopters. They were placed in the upper part of the fuselage.
They are a powerful xenon lamp operating in the infrared spectrum. The lamp shell is a lantern with a rotating reflector-chopper with a complex slot configuration and a lens system. “Linden” creates a huge spot of irregular configuration with a constantly changing center for the IR guidance heads. As a result, the missile is unable to accurately determine the target. The use of such stations in Afghanistan has reduced the number of losses of Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.
However, the Americans found a way to increase the sensitivity and selectivity of their IR receivers by shifting the operating frequency from 1-3 microns, making it equal to 3-5 microns. This made it possible to “capture” in flight not the snag, but the engine radiation. In addition, cooling of the rocket's seeker with liquid nitrogen was introduced, which weakened its own thermal noise.
In Ukraine, an analogue of Lipa is currently being produced - the Adros station. The history of its creation is curious and further fate. The Ukrainians received drawings and a prototype of an infrared lamp from the director of the Andron company, convicted by the Bryansk court. After some time, Ukrainian counterintelligence arrested an employee of the Plant 420 enterprise civil aviation", who handed over the materials on Adros to the Czech attache.
They tried to use something similar to the Linden to protect the Su-25T attack aircraft. The Dry Cargo jamming station was created, working on the same principle. However, the attack aircraft did not go into production; only an experimental batch of twenty aircraft was produced. This is explained not by the low qualities of the attack aircraft, but by the collapse of the industry in the early 90s. True, the "Dry Cargo" had a significant drawback. The station was installed in the rear part of the fuselage and protected only the rear hemisphere, which was only relevant in the event of a collision with fighter aircraft. The Stinger fires at planes from all sides.
It seems that soon the modified analogue of the Sukhogruz will eventually take its place in attack aircraft. The Su-25TM (Su-39) aircraft is currently undergoing testing with such a station on board. Its capabilities and principle of operation are not reported, but it is probably something akin to “President-S”.
How it works
The complex includes:
— control device based on an on-board computer;
— radar warning station;
- warning station laser irradiation;
— missile attack warning station;
— incoherent optical-electronic suppression station;
— optical-electronic suppression laser station;
— active radio jamming station;
— device for releasing false thermal targets;
— cartridge ejection device with disposable radio interference transmitters.
This is a complete set of blocks, which, depending on the type and purpose of the aircraft, can be placed as main and additional options. As you can see, the BKO also includes an incoherent optical-electronic suppression station similar to the Lipa. As well as shootable heat traps. The fired cartridges of disposable radio interference have a certain novelty.
But newest feature The BKO, which makes it truly invulnerable, is counteraction using a laser optical-electronic jamming station. It works as follows.
The missile attack warning station records the launch of the missile and transmits its angular coordinates to the computing unit. After which the computer, together with the optical-mechanical unit, tracks the movement of the rocket and points the laser at it. At the right moment, the laser turns on and illuminates the infrared homing head of the missile. The missile “goes blind” and loses the ability to track the target.
The complex is capable of reflecting a salvo of two missiles. Range - from 500 to 5000 meters. The working sector in azimuth is 360 degrees, in elevation - 90 degrees. In standby mode it consumes 3 kW, in operating mode - 6 kW.
A similar algorithm is used by the staging station active interference when countering radar-guided missiles.
In addition to the above equipment, the complex can be supplied with an active towed radar decoy, which takes over missile strike. The length of the towing rope is 150 meters.
"President-S" - universal complex. By type aircraft, and against attacking missiles. Missiles can be launched not only from portable, but also from stationary air defense systems. The complex also works with air-to-air missiles.
As for the types of aircraft, here, according to the developers, there are no restrictions, since the complex is produced both for installation inside the fuselage and for placement in hanging containers. "President-S" began to be produced only recently. And first of all, it is installed on the most vulnerable to attacks by MANPADS - on helicopters. Air Force One, the airliner of the Russian President, is also equipped with the complex. In the future, we should expect the introduction of air defense systems into front-line aviation, transport, and civil air fleets.
* By decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated December 29, 2014, the Jabhat al-Nusra group was recognized as a terrorist organization, and its activities in Russia are prohibited.
Over the past 25 years, about 90% of the losses of aircraft destroyed in the air during military conflicts are associated with the use of guided missiles with infrared (IR) homing heads, and primarily portable ones anti-aircraft missiles complexes (MANPADS). This mobile and easy-to-use weapon is in service in almost every country in the world and is also used by many terrorist groups.
Infrared countermeasures using traditional methods, such as consumables or conventional lamp elements, have either limited or no effectiveness against the latest generation of MANPADS. Currently, only laser optical-electronic suppression systems provide reliable and effective counteraction to modern and future MANPADS threats.
It is precisely this system that is being shown for the first time at MAKS 2013 by the Ekran Research Institute, which is part of the Radioelectronic Technologies concern. It is designed to protect light helicopters from MANPADS, including the export version of the Mi-28NE attack helicopter. The presented laser suppression system is integral part multifunctional airborne defense complex "President-S", which the Ekran Research Institute demonstrated at MAKS-2011.
The laser system has a mass of 64 kg, a working sector of 360° in azimuth and 90° in elevation and consists of a solid-state laser, an optical-mechanical unit with one transmitting head, and a control and power unit. Structurally, the variant presented at the air show is located inside the helicopter fuselage. But the design of the system is designed on the basis of an open architecture, which allows it to operate both integrated into the on-board defense complex and in an autonomous configuration together with its own missile attack warning system.
The new system is capable of suppressing at least two simultaneously attacking missiles. It works according to the scheme feedback“aircraft-missile”, which provides identification of the type of missile, tracking it, aiming a laser beam and determining the moment of failure of guidance to ensure the repulsion of the next attack in the event of multiple threats. The system provides countermeasures in all IR bands used in homing heads. The laser radiation used to suppress IR homing heads contains a group set of various modulated frequencies. This makes it possible to overcome different filtration strategies and changes in serial production of homing heads. Therefore, the system does not need a specific choice of countermeasures. However, the user can reprogram the countermeasure code.
As the developers explained, the laser system performs all operations to detect and track an attacking missile, point coded laser radiation at the target and establish a breakdown of the attack independently, without the participation of the pilot or other crew members, and does not require additional maneuvers of the aircraft.
One of the main threats to helicopters is man-portable air defense systems. Such weapons make it possible to attack various low-altitude air targets at distances of no more than a few kilometers, which makes it a convenient means of protecting troops from possible air attacks. As a result, special equipment is required that can protect a helicopter or other aircraft from attack by anti-aircraft weapons.
The main method of protection is false thermal targets. In addition, to date, our country has developed a new helicopter protection complex "President-S".
The project of the President-S airborne defense complex (ADS) has been developed since the middle of the last decade. Several enterprises that are part of the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern (KRET) were involved in its creation. The Moscow Scientific and Technical Center "Reagent", SKB "Zenith", Scientific and Technical Center "Elins" and the Research Institute "Ekran" were involved in the project. All these organizations were engaged in the creation of individual components of the complex intended to solve certain problems.
The main task of the President-S BKO is to protect the aircraft from surface-to-air missiles, including man-portable air defense missiles. The existing elements of the complex are capable of monitoring the situation and potentially finding dangerous objects, detect missile launches and take measures necessary to disrupt the attack.
The first public information about the President-S complex appeared in June 2010. Some components of the promising BKO were shown at the Eurosatory 2010 exhibition in Paris. At the same time, KRET representatives spoke about the purpose of the new system and some of its features. In addition, five years ago it became known not only about the existence of the project, but also about some of the successes that its authors managed to achieve.
Laser station for optical-electronic suppression.
Domestic funds mass media with reference to the developers, they reported that the President-S BKO had already passed some tests. At the same time, the tests went as far as checking the operation of systems on the base platform. As it was said then, the stand for such tests was a converted Mi-8 helicopter, which was installed on a special mast on an elevated platform. The helicopter engines were brought to maximum power, which was supposed to facilitate the operation of the missile guidance systems used in the tests.
From a distance of about 1 km, Igla MANPADS were fired at the helicopter. Despite the maximum engine operating mode, a large number of generated heat and a relatively short distance, the President-S defense complex successfully detected missiles and thwarted attacks. All missiles missed their target.
- control device;
— warning stations about radar and laser irradiation;
— missile attack warning station;
— aircraft jamming device;
— active jamming station;
— incoherent optical-electronic suppression station;
— optical-electronic suppression laser station.
The complex's equipment is mounted on a base helicopter and, after appropriate training, is capable of performing search tasks for potentially dangerous missiles with their further suppression and disruption of the attack. To detect enemy anti-aircraft weapons, a set of stations operating in various parts spectrum Several units for detecting radar and laser irradiation are mounted around the perimeter of the helicopter.
In addition, ultraviolet missile launch detection systems are provided. Thus, the automation of the President-S BKO is capable of independently identifying enemy radar and laser systems, as well as timely detection of missile launches.
The central system of the complex, the control device, receives signals about irradiation or missile launches. The detection means of the complex are capable of not only detecting the fact of irradiation or launch, but also determining the direction to the detected object. This data is taken into account by the control device, which makes decisions about the use of protection systems. To counter various threats, the President-S complex provides different systems.
Architecture of one of the complex options.
It is proposed to suppress enemy radar systems using an active jamming station. This station must be activated when the enemy uses radar or anti-aircraft missiles with radar homing heads of all types. The active jamming station of the President-S complex can emit interference in a sector 120° wide in azimuth and 60° in elevation. The manufacturer notes that the sector sizes depend on the type of base aircraft and are subject to change.
Consuming up to 2500 VA from a 115/200 V 400 Hz circuit or 300 W from a 27 V circuit, the active jammer has an energy potential of 150 W. A nomenclature of the main types of interference has been implemented in the ranges from G to J. The total weight of the active jamming station is 51.5 kg.
Additional countermeasure radio-electronic means the enemy are the so-called disposable jammers (SPOI). These products are small devices (weighing no more than 600 g) with low-power (energy potential up to 2 W) radio transmitters. It is proposed to shoot disposable jamming transmitters from existing aircraft expendable ejection devices. Thus, depending on the situation and the existing situation, the automation can shoot false thermal targets or throw out PPOI.
From the available data it follows that in the first versions of the President-S BKO, there was only one optical-electronic suppression system - incoherent. Later, a laser system for a similar purpose was added to it. Despite the use of various equipment and emitters different types, both stations are intended to solve the same problem. With their help, the complex should divert incoming missiles with infrared homing heads from the aircraft.
Back in 2010, KRET specialists described general principle operation of an incoherent suppression station. It was reported that the “working part” of this device is a special sapphire lamp. The automation of the complex, using data from existing sensors, determines the position of the missile relative to the helicopter, after which it aims the optical device of the suppression station. The lamp's radiation “deceives” the missile's homing head, causing it to lose its target in the form of an aircraft and pass by it. After a miss, the missile self-destructs after the estimated flight time has expired. It was noted that at that time no one in the world was able to solve this problem and put new equipment into series.
Active jamming station equipment from the President-S BKO.
By now, it has become known about the existence of another optical-electronic suppression station proposed for use as part of the President-S airborne defense complex. This station can be made in the form of a block for installation in the internal volumes of an aircraft or in the form of a hanging container. Regardless of its design, the laser suppression station is capable of effectively solving the assigned tasks of countering infrared homing heads of missiles various types.
The main element of a laser station is a laser installation based on a multispectral solid-state or gas laser. Associated with the laser is an optical-mechanical unit responsible for pointing the laser beam at the target. The station is also equipped with a power supply, control system and other components for various purposes. The design of the station makes it possible to suppress missiles in a working sector with a width of 360° in azimuth and 90° in elevation. In standby mode, the station consumes no more than 2000 VA, in operating mode – 5000 VA. The total weight of the equipment does not exceed 150 kg.
The laser power of the President-S BKO station allows you to perform assigned tasks at distances from 500 to 5000 m. Missile suppression is ensured both during single launches and in salvos. In the latter case, the laser beam sequentially “blinds” the homing heads of several missiles. Targeting is carried out based on target designation of other means of the defense complex. The fact of hitting a target is recorded by the station independently. A signal that an enemy missile has been suppressed is the “reverse glare” of the reflected beam.
In 2015, the press service of the Radio-Electronic Weapons Concern and the domestic press mentioned the President-S complex several times. Thus, in early June, publications appeared reminiscent of the existence promising project and its main features. There were no new information in these messages.
On November 2, RIA Novosti published information received from the Deputy General Director of KRET for R&D of equipment electronic warfare and innovations of Yuri Mayevsky. The specialist said that the promising President-S airborne defense system was tested at the training grounds of the Ministry of Defense and confirmed its characteristics. During inspections carried out jointly with the military department, latest system defense has shown high efficiency in protecting the base aircraft from fire using various guided missiles.
Disposable jammer.
During the checks, testers carried out a large number of launches of portable missiles anti-aircraft systems"Igla" on helicopters equipped with equipment of the "President-S" system. Both single and salvo launches were carried out. At the same time, two missiles were launched simultaneously, including from different directions and from different distances. According to Yu. Mayevsky, all the missiles during the tests were unable to hit their targets. As a result of the actions of the President-S BKO, the missiles moved away from their targets without causing any damage to them.
The test results, according to the expert, allow us to assert that Russia has created a reliable system for protecting airplanes and helicopters from various guided missiles equipped with optical homing heads.
According to Mayevsky and RIA Novosti, some components of the President-S complex are already installed on several types of aircraft. Thus, optical-electronic suppression subsystems are mounted on combat helicopters and. In addition, Mi-26 transport helicopters and Il-76 aircraft receive such equipment.
According to KRET and the media, the President-S airborne defense complex and its individual systems can be mounted on other types of aircraft. For example, the development organization previously mentioned the possibility of using such equipment to protect civil airliners. It was argued that such equipment could be a convenient and simple response to emerging threats.
Recent coups d'etat and local wars led to the fact that man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems may end up in the arsenals of terrorist organizations. To protect against possible attacks using such weapons, air carrier companies can use the President-S BKO, which provides reliable protection from MANPADS.
This summer, First Deputy General Director of the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern Igor Nasenkov said that the possibility of effective protection against MANPADS missiles makes the President-S complex interesting for foreign partners. The states of the Middle East are considered as potential customers, Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Laser suppression station in promotional materials.
The materials on the President-S project mention that this complex is capable of protecting aircraft not only from MANPADS of the Igla family. The promising BKO can also counter missiles of previous models, such as the Strela, as well as foreign weapons of this class, for example, the American-made Stinger systems.
Also, the “target” of the equipment of the President-S complex can be optical-electronic systems of various anti-aircraft artillery systems. In this case, apparently, the complex’s means operate according to the same algorithm as when suppressing missile homing heads, but taking into account the characteristics of ground-based air defense systems. The detection systems of the complex determine the location of enemy optical-electronic means, such as sights or laser rangefinders, after which a laser or incoherent suppression station is aimed at the target and sends a powerful pulse of radiation at it, making it impossible further work in normal mode.
Despite statements by the heads of the development organization, information about potential orders for the supply of the President-S BKO foreign countries not yet available. So far, there is only information about the supply of equipment of this complex to domestic aircraft manufacturing enterprises, which use it in the construction or modernization of various types of aircraft. Thus, the carriers of various elements of the promising complex so far are only Russian planes and helicopters.
According to the latest data, the President-S airborne defense complex was recently tested at the training grounds of the Ministry of Defense. The complex successfully solved all the tasks assigned to it, as a result of which not a single one of the MANPADS missiles launched during the tests was able to hit its target in the form of a helicopter equipped with a BKO. Information also appeared about the installation of this equipment on domestic aircraft and helicopters. There is no information yet about the adoption of the President-S complex into service. Perhaps the corresponding orders from the command will appear in the very near future.
"ZARUBEZHNOE MILITARY REVIEW No. 12 .2005(pp. 37-42)
Colonel R. SHCHERBININ
In the USA, leading European countries and Israel is paying increased attention to creating technical means protection of military transport aircraft (MTC) and civil aircraft from terrorist attacks. One of priority areas in this area is the development of personal protection systems (PPE) for such aircraft against man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) equipped with guided missiles with infrared homing heads.
It is noted that at the present stage, cases of the use of MANPADS by various gangs and terrorist organizations to destroy tactical fighters, helicopters and military transport aircraft. Despite the presence on the aircraft of modern on-board defense systems (ADS) as part of warning systems for laser irradiation and radio-technical means of warning about radar irradiation, missile launches, as well as automatic decoys of thermal targets (LTC), in most cases the successful defeat of the attacked aircraft is ensured. High efficiency the use of MANPADS is determined primarily by the inability of such air defense systems to detect the fact of preparation and launch of a missile, as well as the organization of ambushes in low-altitude flight sections (or in places where helicopters hover), mainly in the areas of take-off or landing of vehicles, before the start of shooting the LTC in manual mode or according to the program . Missiles are launched, as a rule, into the rear hemisphere of the aircraft, which excludes the possibility of its visual detection by the crew. The MANPADS operator also pays great attention to choosing the optimal conditions for using the complex, including assessing the threat from combat aircraft or escort helicopters, as well as ground units, and reducing natural interference to the missile homing head, taking into account the time of day and weather conditions.
Thus, in December 2003, during takeoff from an airfield in Baghdad, a strategic military transport aircraft C-17A Globemaster (in particular, its right inboard engine) was damaged by MANPADS fire; in January 2004, a strategic military transport aircraft S-5 A "Galaxy" (left external engine).
In these cases, firing from MANPADS (presumably the Strela-3 complex) was carried out from buildings along the take-off course of aircraft “in pursuit” when the engines of the aircraft were running at maximum take-off mode and they climbed to an altitude of 300-500 m. During take-off, the LTC was not reset , the very fact of the missile launch and destruction was noticed by the crews only at the moment of the explosion. Both aircraft made a successful emergency landing at the airfield.
MANPADS pose the greatest danger to civil aircraft that are not equipped with on-board self-defense systems. According to American data, since the early 1970s, more than 40 civilian aircraft and helicopters have been hit by MANPADS fire, of which 30 were shot down, killing more than 1,000 people, including on the ground: for example, the Falcon 50 plane of the President of Burundi ( 1994), Boeing 727 of Congo Airlines (shot down with 40 passengers on board while taking off from Kindu airport in 1998), at least 20 attacks on civilian aircraft in Sri Lanka by the terrorist group Tamil Tigers (killed more than 20 people ), a Boeing 757 airliner of the Israeli airline Arkia Airlines (fired at by two Strela MANPADS while climbing after takeoff from Mombasa airport in Kenya, November 2002), transport aircraft A.300. B4F of the American company DHL Airways (hit by an Igla MANPADS guided missile on November 22, 2003 during takeoff at Baghdad airport).
As a rule, missiles were launched from these vehicles into the rear hemisphere during the climb phase (up to altitudes less than 1000 m) with maximum take-off engine operation.
The most active work on creating personal protection systems for civil aircraft against MANPADS is carried out in the USA and Israel. In particular, in the USA in December 2003 the implementation of special program Counter-MANPADS under the overall direction of the Department of Homeland Security. This department ensures coordination of the actions of the Ministry of Defense, developers and manufacturers of civil aircraft, as well as Northrop-Grumman and BAe Systems, leading R&D in the field of development radio-electronic equipment, including protection systems for military aircraft.
These companies propose to develop PPE for airliners based on systems created for military aircraft. Such systems make it possible to detect a missile launch using on-board infrared (based on the engine plume) or radar sensors, calculate its flight trajectory, as well as the moment of meeting the target, and disable the homing head with powerful narrowly directed IR radiation or divert the missile away from the protected target. false machines thermal target.
The generalized tactical and technical specifications define the main technical requirements to the created PPE. It must provide protection for an aircraft with the geometric dimensions and weight of a Boeing 737, and even for machines with large parameters during the takeoff and landing stages, including during climb or descent lasting at least 10 minutes each. At the same time, the probability of an attack being disrupted during multiple sequential launches of MANPADS missiles should be at least 0.9, and with two simultaneous launches of such missiles from different directions - at least 0.8.
The planned installation of a PPE kit weighing up to 450 kg on an aircraft should not reduce the aerodynamic quality of the aircraft at cruising altitude and flight speed by more than 1 percent. In addition, according to the requirements, the number of false alarms of PPE will be no more than one for every 100 takeoffs/landings or for 17 hours of continuous operation.
The development of such a system is carried out in two stages. IN As part of the first of them, which is estimated at $6 million, at the end of 2004, development companies presented options for personal protective equipment, proposals for its installation on aircraft and the procedure for its use, as well as estimated indicators of its effectiveness. The second phase, due for completion in early 2006 and costing more than $100 million, is to select the final version of the system and conduct flight tests on various types of civil aircraft.
First of all, it is planned to equip more than 300 US Air Force civil reserve vehicles with such PPE, which carry out a significant portion of the air transfers of personnel and military cargo to areas of military conflicts.
The Northrop-Grumman company is developing such a system based on the LAIRCM (Large Aircraft InfRared Counter Measures) AN/AAQ-24(V) PPE created and used on US Air Force planes and helicopters and its improved version together with BAe Systems. DIRCM (Direct InfRared Counter Measures) "Nemesis" (UK designation ARI 18246).
Both PPE include the AN/AAR-54(V) missile launch warning subsystem from Northrop-Grumman, the equipment of which (four sensors with a field of view of 120° each) detects in the ultraviolet wavelength range the fact of a missile launch based on the radiation from its engine plume. The obtained data, after processing in the system's on-board computer, allows one to calculate the missile's flight trajectory, track it with an optical sensor, and determine the time and direction of the bellows radiation to disrupt target acquisition by the homing head.
The main difference between these PPE is the use of a cesium lamp as a noise generator in the LAIRCM AN/AAQ-24(V) system, and the Viper laser source in the Nemesis system. The latter has smaller weight and size characteristics and power consumption, an expanded range of jamming wavelengths, covering almost the entire operating range of missile homing heads of modern MANPADS.
Serial production and installation of the first batch of the AN/AAQ-24(V) system on military transport aircraft of the US Air Force began in 2002. In total, 12 C-17 aircraft (AN/AAQ-24(V) 12) and eight C-130 Hercules military aircraft (AN/AAQ-24(V)13) are equipped with such PPE. In 2005, it is planned to complete the installation of the system on another 43 military-technical aircraft S-17 and 24 S-130, as well as on 12 strategic transport and refueling aircraft KC-135 Stratotanker.
The US Air Force purchased more than 60 sets of the Nemesis system, which are equipped with aircraft of the force special operations AC-130H/U "Spectrum"/"Spooky" and MS-130E/N "Combat Talon", and the UK - more than 180 sets that will be installed on 21 types of aircraft, including 13 BAe 146 aircraft designed for transportation of the country's top military-political leadership.
In order to reduce the cost of installation work when equipping civil aircraft, this company has developed a container version of an autonomous system that receives only power from the carrier. The container is supposed to be installed in the lower part of the fuselage of the vehicle.
Flight tests of the system are planned to be carried out on Boeing 747 and MD-11 aircraft. According to the company's management, this kit can be certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration this year, and its installation on 300 US Air Force civil reserve vehicles is possible within 28 months after the decision is made.
The purchase of the kit and the work to install it on the aircraft are estimated at $1.9 million, and the cost of operation and Maintenance will be 27 dollars/flight hour. By increasing the number of equipped vehicles to 1,000 units, the cost of the kit and its installation will drop to almost $1 million.
A similar system is presented by BAe Systems. It is also designed as an autonomous hanging container and is a simplified version of the AN/ALQ-212(V) airborne defense system ATIRCM (Advanced Threat InfRared Counter Measures), installed on helicopters army aviation and special operations forces of the US ground forces, as well as British attack helicopters Apache Mk. 1. It is based on the AN/AAR-57(V) missile launch warning subsystem and the Agile AI laser jammer TADIRCM (Tactical Aircraft Directable InfRared Counter Measures), developed for the US Navy and planned to equip F/A-18 carrier-based tactical fighter-attack aircraft. Cost of installation
per aircraft kit is about $1 million.
According to preliminary estimates by American experts, the financial costs of equipping about 6,900 civil aircraft registered in the United States with PPE will amount to more than $10 billion.
A group of American firms led by United Airlines has developed another PPE project for civil aircraft, which did not pass competitive evaluation in the United States, but is used on aircraft in other countries. The basis of the presented system WIPPS (Widebody Integrated Platform Protection System) consists of two missile launch warning subsystems: AN/AAR-47(V)1, operating in the ultraviolet wavelength range and providing detection of the fact of a missile launch, and active Doppler radar MWS-20 (processor weight 10 kg, antenna set about 9 kg) , according to which the missile is tracked, its trajectory is calculated, and commands are issued to the AN/ALE-47 automatic weapon for shooting false thermal targets. The total weight of the system kit is about 120 kg.
All PPE elements are built into the most accessible places in the aircraft structure. In particular, in accordance with the contract, which is estimated at $12 million (the cost of personal protective equipment is 700 thousand), the A.340 aircraft of the King of Jordan is equipped with the WIPPS system. The sensors and antennas of the front hemisphere vision subsystems are located in the center section area under the toe of the wing root, and the rear hemisphere vision subsystems and the LTC firing machine are located in the sponsons of the landing gear niches.
In Israel, several companies are developing PPE. In particular, Elta created the Fly Guard system, which is based on the EL/2160 missile launch warning radar subsystem and LTC reset machines
More than 150 aircraft of the armed forces of 10 countries are already equipped with this system, including European military transport aircraft C. 160 Transall, and it is considered as an intermediate option for equipping civil aircraft.
Thus, a contract worth about $1.5 million was signed with the development company to conduct additional flight tests of PPE and obtain certification from the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority.
The Rafael company began flight evaluation of the Brightning PPE as part of the Guitar-350 IR missile launch warning system, which includes four sensors; gyro-stabilized tube noise generator and LTC reset machines. According to the company's specialists, such a system (weighing about 100 kg) can provide effective protection for a twin-engine Boeing 777 type aircraft. To protect larger aircraft, for example, four-engine Boeing 747 or A.340, 
It is planned to equip them with two jammers. In this case, the weight of the installed system will increase to 160 kg. The power consumption of PPE in review mode is 300 W, and in combat mode - 10 kW.
However, it should be noted that equipping civil aircraft with PPE will not fully ensure their safety, especially during landing. The presence of a significant (more than 15-20 km) section of straight flight at low (250 m or less) altitude at a speed of up to 300 km/h with fully extended wing mechanization and landing gear practically eliminates the possibility of the aircraft performing an evasive maneuver and allows terrorists to use it on a par with MANPADS and other means of destruction. So, in Lately V
In areas of various conflicts, cases of shelling of aircraft both on the ground and in the air with such weapons as hand-held or mounted anti-tank grenade launchers and anti-tank missile systems have become more frequent. In particular, several C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft and UH-60 Black Hawk multipurpose helicopters in Iraq received significant damage as a result of hits from anti-tank grenades from RPG-7s.
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ReviewMAKS 2007
August 22, 2007
Laser protection against MANPADS
The general increase in the threat of terrorist attacks leads to an increase in the danger to civil aircraft from man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). Due to the limited range of MANPADS, the optimal protection against them is proper control of the area around the airport by aviation security services, but due to certain circumstances it is not always possible to ensure this. Therefore, in a number of countries, research is underway in the field of equipping civil aircraft with autonomous means of protection against MANPADS. One of the most effective means protection against missiles with infrared (IR) homing heads, including promising ones, are highly directional laser protection systems.
The MANTA system (an abbreviation of the English name MAN PADS Threat Avoidance) was created as a result joint project"and the Spanish company Indra Systemas S.A. The main contractor of Rosoboronexport in this project is the Samara Research Institute "Ekran". The basis of the MANTA system is a fully automatic airborne laser jamming station in a wide infrared range, using coded multispectral radiation from a pulse-periodic DF/HF laser. All operations to detect and track an attacking missile, pointing coded laser radiation at the target and establishing a breakdown of the attack are carried out by the laser station independently, without the participation of the pilot or other crew members.
When a missile is exposed to coded laser radiation, the IR receiver of the homing head is illuminated and a false signal is generated in the processing path, leading to deflection of the missile's rudders with subsequent failure of tracking. The station provides an assessment of the fact that missile guidance is suppressed by the disappearance of reflected laser radiation from the IR head, indicating that the homing head has lost the target. To provide protection in a zone of 360° in azimuth and 90° in elevation, two stations are installed on the aircraft. This makes it possible to repel attacks from two directions, with each station providing sequential suppression of two simultaneously attacking missiles within the established coverage area.
Currently prototypes MANTA systems undergo extensive testing; Flight tests are scheduled to begin in the first half of 2008. It is expected that in October of this year, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee of Russia will consider the issue of equipping government aircraft with this system.
Unfortunately, technological progress in civil aviation does not reduce the level of danger from terrorist attacks. A promising means of air traffic control, the implementation of which has already begun in a number of countries, is automatic dependent surveillance systems (ADS-B), with the help of which aircraft coordinate their position in the airspace, exchanging their coordinates in real time. Such a system radically reduces the risk of aircraft collisions in dense traffic conditions, however, due to the fact that each aircraft's transmitter emits its own unique code and coordinates (the transmission standard is open and published), there is the potential to point a missile at a specific aircraft, receiving its coordinates at the receiver. Such a system does not require a complex and expensive infrared guidance system and, unlike current MANPADS, can be assembled even at the amateur level. So the fight against terrorism remains a complex, complex task.
Alexey Sinitsky
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