"Aegis" as the main element of missile defense
Barack Obama ordered to save. The military replied "eat!" And began to make an estimate for 2013 year, taking into account the wishes of the president. They have already saved about five billion dollars (relative to 2012) and approximately the same amount will be released later. Interestingly, the various parts of the American military machine are far from being on equal terms in the recruitment of these five billions. Some programs are financed, other projects are closed altogether, and others only increase allocations. The Aegis Combat System was among those lucky ones.The multifunctional combat information management system (PIC) Aegis (read "Aegis", translated as "Aegis") was originally intended to equip cruisers of destroyers with guided missile weapons. The main goal of this system at first was to provide opportunities to protect the cruiser / destroyer and the ships he covers from attack from the water, from the air and from under the water. However, over time, ballistic missiles were included in the list of targets of the ships with Aegis - anti-missiles were included in the composition of weapons compatible with this CICS. At the moment, ships equipped with "Aegis", are the basis of the naval part of the US missile defense system. Aegis is installed on the ships of the projects "Tikonderoga" and "Arly Burke." Since 1983, when the first ship from the Aegis (it was the USS Ticonderoga CG-47), was launched, more than a hundred cruisers and destroyers were also built, also equipped with this system. However, as time goes on, the Aegis complex is constantly in need of improvements and upgrades.
Most likely, the high priority of upgrading ships from the Aegis IIC is due to its anti-missile capabilities. It is clear that sea-based missile defense systems are much more convenient than land systems. Everyone remembers the frictions that have been going on for several years over Euro-Atlantic missile defense systems deployed in Europe. In addition to major geopolitical problems, there are other ground complexes. For example, it is not always possible to place radar or anti-missile launchers where they will be most convenient and effective - the owners of this territory can resist. With ships missile defense is no such problem. They are free to move around the world's oceans and take all the necessary actions. Also, ships with anti-missiles are mobile and can quickly move to the desired area, from where it will be more convenient to intercept enemy ballistic missiles.
The anti-missile armament of Ticonderoga class cruisers and the Arly Burk destroyers consists of the SM-2 and SM-3 missiles. Despite the obvious conclusions caused by the numbers in the names, these missiles complement each other. SM-3 should intercept missiles in the transatmospheric space and hit them with a kinetic warhead. The SM-2, in turn, is designed to destroy warheads in the final leg of the flight and does so with the aid of a fragmentation warhead. There are also major differences in size, flight data, etc. In theory, on one ship it can be placed up to 122 or up to 96 of both types of missiles. The difference is due to the launchers - on cruisers they have a greater number of cells. However, this is the maximum number of missiles. In addition to anti-missile weapons, each ship must carry anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, which are also located in the cells of the launcher. Therefore, on one ship, there are usually only 15-20 interceptor missiles of both types.
It should be noted that not all ships from the Aegis BIUS are armed with antimissiles. For this reason, last year the number of SM-3 missiles loaded onto ships did not exceed 110-115. However, the Pentagon plans to increase the number of anti-missile ships. As a result, by the 15 year, the Americans are going to simultaneously keep on duty the 400 of the SM-2 and SM-3 missiles, and after five years to pass over five and a half hundreds. For longer-term plans, by the 2030 year in the system should be more than twenty times more missiles than it is now. You can roughly imagine how many ships will be needed for this and what area they can cover.
The Pentagon also seems to understand how big the overall area of responsibility of the ships will be, and for this reason they are going to make their missile shield more uniform. Currently, three quarters of anti-missile ships are based or on duty in the Pacific. The Atlantic accounts for only 20-25% of such ships. In turn, the Indian Ocean in terms of missile defense is completely empty, although this region is not a priority for the US missile defense. Last year, it was announced that the composition of the American fleet As before, the new destroyers of the Arly Burke project will be included, with the Aegis BIUS and a launcher of 96 cells. The total number of these ships is planned to be brought to one hundred and not the fact that subsequently it will not increase yet. All of these anti-missile destroyers will be distributed taking into account the current situation and missile-dangerous directions. So, in the very near future, full-fledged permanent duty will be organized in the waters of the Arctic Ocean, and the presence in the Atlantic will become more widespread, up to ensuring parity with the Pacific group.In addition to the oceans, the seas have also fallen into the sphere of interests of American naval sailors. In particular, in the very near future, the trips of the missile defense ships to the Mediterranean, Aegean, Adriatic and, possibly, the Black Sea will cease to be isolated events. Last year, the Monterey cruiser even visited Sevastopol. Probably now such “guests” will appear on a regular basis. To ensure constant patrols in the Mediterranean, the Americans agreed with Spain to provide a base. In the autumn of next year, the first two American destroyers will appear on the Roth naval base (both with Aegis and antimissiles), and then two more such ships will join them. At the same time, the Pentagon is also interested in the northern coast of Europe. Negotiations are underway with a number of countries to create another base. In the area of responsibility of its ships will enter the northern seas.
If you look at the map, the areas of responsibility of anti-missile ships near Europe directly indicate that they will assist with ground-based missile defense systems deployed in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, etc. And this can already be recognized as an attempt on the nuclear forces of containment of Russia. Official Washington continues to insist that these anti-missile weapons should close Europe from Iranian attacks. Believe them or not? It is hardly worth doing this. Especially in light of other statements. At the end of February, it became clear that some allied states had a naval potential, which, after appropriate modifications, most likely related to the installation of the Aegis system, could well be connected to the general antimissile system. So far, these were only words, and they will only begin to negotiate on the subject of such cooperation in May, at the NATO summit. Due to the fact that most of the US allies are in Europe, we can make an assumption regarding the direction of the allied missile defense system. It is unlikely that Britain or the same Spain will send its ships to the Pacific Ocean, so that they were engaged in the destruction of Chinese missiles flying to America. The Mediterranean duty, supposedly intended to prevent Iran’s attacks, seems to be a more realistic development of events, but for obvious reasons, the real goal is likely to be far from Iran. In the Pacific, the United States also has allies. Japan has already started negotiations on the modernization of the existing destroyers of the Congo type and equipping them with the updated Aegis power supply system. Australia can join the global American missile defense system with the Hobart project destroyers currently building, while South Korea is not against using the SM-2 and SM-3 missiles on its KDX-III destroyers with the Aegis.
But back to Europe. In the coming years, several radar stations and intercept systems will be built in Eastern Europe. The main means of defeating European missile defense systems will be complexes THAAD. The success of the marine Aegis CBS has led to the emergence of a competing system. On the basis of this, a BIU Aegis Ashore is being created. At its core, it is still the same "Aegis" of the sea-based in conjunction with the SM-2 and SM-3 missiles. The only difference is in the placement features - the ground version is mounted in mobile modules or in bunkers. According to available information, the first Aegis Ashore complex will be commissioned in 2015, in Romania. In its composition will be a new initially "land" radar SPY-1 and two dozen missiles. It is noteworthy that ground-based missile defense systems will be armed only with SM-3 missiles. This may mean that the Eastern European sector of the US missile defense is poorly adapted to the defeat of the ballistic targets entering the atmosphere. Interesting fact. It would not hurt to familiarize him with the leadership of those countries that are going to allow the Americans to build their missile defense system on their territory. In 2018, a similar complex will appear in Poland. His area of responsibility is the northern part of Europe. So it is tempting to ask: Americans will say again about the Iranian threat, right?
These were all placement issues. In addition to the dislocation moments, the American designers and the military are actively engaged in expanding the functions performed by the SM-3 rocket. Its modification I Block a few years ago successfully coped with the task and shot down the failed satellite. During the attack, the spacecraft was at an altitude of about 250 kilometers from the surface of the planet, and its speed was close to 7,5-8 km / s. SM-3 Block I destroyed the problem satellite only with its own kinetic energy. At one time, this operation caused a lot of noise, and the company that developed the missile Raytheon was able to knock out funding for its further development. “Raytheon” promises that the SM-3 Block II and Block IIA will be even more effective against attacks of spacecraft. As for the Aegis control system, its capabilities so far exceed the potential of the missiles in service.
All American steps - both those that have already been taken, and those that are only planned - in the long term pose a certain danger to the Russian nuclear deterrent forces. The modernization of the AEgis CICS, the creation of the Eastern European sector of the American missile defense system and the equipping of the fleet of Pacific countries with interceptor missiles should be followed by retaliatory actions. It is not necessary to take symmetrical measures. For example, it is possible to conclude an agreement on the delimitation of sea areas to the zones in which missile defense ships can be located, and to free of them. Only the United States, as the initiator of the creation of a global missile defense, is unlikely to agree to such treaties. Very much "Aegis" is useful and promising to give it up.
Information