Russian industry regularly reports on its success in creating EW systems. For obvious reasons, the bulk of these messages come from the concern Radioelectronic Technologies (KRET), which included leading enterprises in the industry. At the same time, the representatives of the concern talk about both the actual results obtained and the existing plans, the work being carried out, etc. As follows from the reports of officials, the subject of microwave guns is still in the early stages of development, and new projects in this area are not yet ready for practical use.
In July 2016, the KRET leadership revealed some of its views on the further development of the military aviation. Officials have recognized that the so-called fighter in a promising fighter sixth generation will be able to get a fundamentally new weaponhitting the target with high power directional radiation. However, such weapons imposes serious restrictions. Because of the high risks to humans, such a microwave gun can only be used on an unmanned fighter version.
Subsequently, this topic was disclosed in more detail in an interview with Vladimir Mikheev, Advisor to the First Deputy Director General of the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern, for the TASS agency, published at the end of July 2017. The specialist explained that the powerful radiation of the gun represents a threat to humans. The aircraft can be equipped with the necessary protection, but this will lead to some problems. First of all, protection with sufficient characteristics will take a considerable amount and reduce the available stock of carrying capacity. In addition, even powerful protection may be ineffective.
In this case, the most successful carrier of the microwave gun is an unmanned aerial vehicle with suitable dimensions and carrying capacity. Interestingly, such requirements for the carrier allow you to get some new features. So, airplanes and UAVs with "traditional" or advanced weapons can be combined into groups. The pilots will have to monitor the situation and determine the combat missions, the solution of which will be partly assigned to the unmanned vehicles. As stated earlier, now experts are working on the development of such options for the operation of equipment.
In a July interview with V. Mikheev, the question of the current state of affairs in the field of microwave weapons was also raised. The representative of KRET noted that such systems already exist. In addition, constantly testing new products in the laboratory. The essence of some of these checks is the use of the device, the radio waves of which disable this or that electronic device. All this allows you to determine how much power and beam configuration allows you to "burn" the device-target.
In parallel, the development of means of protection from the microwave guns of the enemy. The basic principle of their work is filtering the extra signal. Receivers of the radio-electronic system must have a filter that will be able to pass the useful signal, but will cut off everything else. At the same time, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of programmatic adjustment of the filter characteristics. Without this means, the enemy EW will be able to find the “window” and solve the task.
As follows from the available data, the program for creating an aviation microwave gun is still at the stage of theoretical study, bench research and determination of prospects. For this reason, ready-made samples suitable for operation or at least tests are not yet available, and their appearance is expected only in the future. Nevertheless, there is already an understanding of the main aspects of promising projects and the scope of application of such equipment. In addition, the future problems of such developments in the context of practical application are known.
Apparently, the microwave gun for aviation equipment will be a hanging container with the required equipment. One of the main elements of this product will be the necessary power emitter. With it, the gun will have to send to the target a signal of the correct configuration, capable of, at a minimum, disrupting the operation of its equipment. At the same time, the main task of the gun will not be to counteract the normal operation of the electronics, but to cause damage. High output power will have to cause burnout of the circuits or components of the on-board electronics of the target.
Such weapons, to a certain extent developing the basic ideas of existing EW facilities, can be used to attack various targets. Thus, the "burning out" of electronics will be useful in the fight against radar surveillance equipment. In addition, with the help of microwave guns, an airplane or a UAV can protect itself from flying anti-aircraft or air defense missiles. Depending on the type of rocket, the signal will have to act on receiving devices or data processing equipment from the homing head.
In the context of the development of aviation, the main problem of microwave weapons is its danger to humans. The cockpit must have a developed protection that can adversely affect the basic characteristics of the aircraft. This problem has an obvious solution in the form of using an unmanned carrier, but at the moment such plans cannot be realized. The Russian aviation industry has not yet developed heavy drone drone capable of carrying a particular weapon, including the microwave gun. However, one cannot rule out such a scenario, in which at the time of the appearance of a full-fledged weapon a suitable carrier will be created.
Aviation weapons using new principles are still a matter for the distant future. At the same time, the first similar results have been obtained in the context of the development of ground forces. Back in 2015, the United Instrument-Making Company presented to the leadership of the military department a promising ground-based microwave system on a self-propelled tracked chassis. As reported on the eve of the Army-2015 forum, this model was built on the basis of the Buk serial anti-aircraft missile system.
According to the United Instrument Engineering Corporation, a promising project involved equipping the existing combat vehicle with a set of new equipment. The self-propelled microwave gun was equipped with a generator of sufficient power, a mirror antenna and controls with the required capabilities. The possibility of attacking targets in all directions in azimuth with different elevation angles was provided. The possibility of an all-band suppression of the aircraft’s electronic equipment or means of destruction was announced. The powerful beam was supposed to disable the onboard equipment, disrupting the enemy’s combat work. It was argued that the complex is capable of hitting targets at distances up to 10 km.
As reported, the new development could find application in the context of the development of its own radio-electronic means. The EW complex with a powerful emitter was proposed to be used for testing advanced electronics samples for resistance to external influences.
According to reports, a promising self-propelled complex was presented at the exhibition "Army-2015", however, unfortunately, the general public was shown in a closed part of the exhibition, intended only for the military and political leadership of the country. Public to this development is not allowed.
It should be noted that in the future microwave equipment based on the complex "Buk" was repeatedly mentioned in new statements and messages, but the combat vehicle itself has not yet been shown. In addition, since a certain time this project has ceased to appear in new messages. The reasons for this are unknown. The lack of new data can be associated with both the general secrecy of the entire direction, and with the banal refusal of further development of the project.
According to open data and the few statements of officials, currently the leading enterprises of the domestic defense industry are working to create promising microwave weapons systems. There is already at least one project of a land system of this kind, and also complexes are being developed for installation on aviation equipment. However, the high complexity of the work and the specific features of such weapons lead to certain difficulties, because of which it has not yet been brought to mass production and operation.
At the same time, even in the absence of practically applicable results, current works make sense. In the framework of research programs and during the required tests, scientists and designers gather the necessary information, which will be used in the creation of new projects in the foreseeable future. The defense industry and KRET have solid experience in the field of electronic warfare, as well as continue to work in various directions. New results of current work may appear in the near future.
On the materials of the sites:
http://ria.ru/
http://tass.ru/
http://rg.ru/
http://svpressa.ru/
https://utro.ru/