The origin of the "Lightning". What is Ukrainian reverse engineering of French ASMP-A capable of?
As you know, recently published on news For obvious reasons, information about the announcement of the project of a promising multipurpose tactical missile Molniya (Bliskavka) was greeted by a real flurry of sarcastic comments from Russian and foreign observers who knew about the goals of developing the advanced brainchild of the Dnipropetrovsk Yuzhnoye design bureau. and the real state of affairs in the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.
And this is not at all surprising, since it is easy to assume that the promising product is being designed exclusively within the framework of an increasingly likely confrontation between Ukrainian military units and air defense units of the 1 and 2 th LDNR army corps, the support of which the Russian air defense forces are quite ready to provide. The likelihood of such an escalation scenario in the Donbass theater of operations increased in direct proportion to the crushing fiasco that the Western coalition forces controlled the Syrian theater in the northern and central regions of the eastern coast of the Euphrates, which literally overturned the Pentagon’s dominant positions in the Middle East region.
Obviously, in order to save face before the most inveterate “hawkish” electorate of US leader Donald Trump, the current White House administration, the State Department and the US defense department will attempt to play the most efficient “Ukrainian card” in the foreseeable future. So, for example, today it is already known that the Armed Forces command "carte blanche" for the use of anti-tank missile systems FGM-148 "Javelin" in the Donbass. This opportunity was achieved through the quick integration of Kiev into the FMS (“Foreign Military Sales”) foreign military sales program as a full-fledged participant (at the defense departments of Poland, Romania, Japan, etc.), which cannot but cause concern among experts circles of political scientists and military experts.
Now let's move on to assessing the viability of the project of the promising tactical Molniya missile under the current “non-competitive” conditions, as well as forecasting and analyzing its design parameters that pose a threat to various anti-aircraft missile systems that are in service with the LDNR army corps and air defense missile systems VKS, Air Defense Forces of the Ground Forces and VKS of Russia.
At first glance, starting from the data that “appeared” on the Ukrainian Internet in May 2015, we could safely conclude that the specialists of the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau and the National Aerospace University named after NOT. Zhukovsky "Kharkov aviation Institute ”was not“ ripe ”for designing high-precision high-precision samples saturated with critical technologies weapons, not to mention the launch of large-scale production of such products. After all, there was a bitter experience in the conceptual design of a multi-purpose invisible tactical missile with an unknown index, which is a conceptual and constructive hybrid of the Norwegian subsonic ASM NSM and the American AGM-84H / K SLAM-ER. The above concept was never implemented “in hardware”, not to mention the achievement of the level of operational combat readiness, which formed a stereotype in the halls of the minds of observers about the inability of Ukrainian defense enterprises to develop and “bring to mind” promising high-precision weapons. Meanwhile, far from everything in this scenario is so unambiguous.
Since 2015, Ukrainian defense enterprises have received substantial financial injections and military-technical support both from the defense departments of the leading member states of the North Atlantic Alliance, and from the largest American and Western European military-industrial corporations. The most significant “fruit” of this military-technical interaction was the very successful and unexpected finalization of the project for the promising high-precision 300-mm MLRS Alder, developed by the Kiev Design Bureau “Luch” with the assistance of Western experts.
A distinctive feature of the 300-mm corrective rockets of the Alder system is the presence of a unique control system based on 75 radially-located gas-dynamic torque control engines, five “belts” of which are located in front of the center of mass of the projectile and are accurately controlled by a powerful digital computer as part of the inertial navigation system of the projectile . It is well known that such a constructive solution found its application in the gas-dynamic control system of the American missile defense MIM-104F PAC-3MSE of the Patriot PAC-3MSE systems. Therefore, one of the key suppliers of critical technologies for the formation of Alder can safely be considered the headquarters of Raytheon Corporation.
As for the model demonstration of the Molniya multi-purpose tactical missile, which was presented to the public during the 2019 Arms and Security exhibition, here we can safely speak about the participation of specialists from the French division of the MBDA defense rocket corporation (Matra BAE Dynamics Alenia) in study and aerodynamic layout of the glider of the Ukrainian product and the architecture of its power plant. Having familiarized yourself with the photo of the Lightning prototype, you can pay attention to its constructive similarity with the French heavy supersonic tactical missile ASMP-A, which is one of the key links in the nuclear component of the French Armed Forces.
In particular, the Lightning control system (as well as ASMP-A) is represented by developed X-oriented tail aerodynamic rudders, which theoretically allow the rocket to carry out intensive anti-aircraft maneuvers with overloads of about 20 units. Also, the Ukrainian product has a similar design of a supersonic integrated rocket-ram engine, due to the lateral arrangement of air intakes and air ducts of external architecture, with the only difference being that the ASMP-A air intakes have a vertical slope of the air intake shells in the configuration a la F-15C, and the edges of the air intakes “ Lightning "have a horizontal slope.
Despite the fact that the Molniya rocket, which has a supersonic IRPD, cannot be included in the list of hypersonic means of aerospace attack under any sauce, the confident achievement of the speed range in 3,5 — 4M can turn it into a formidable tool for overcoming “missile defense umbrellas” formed by self-propelled air defense systems "Tor-M1 / 2" and air defense systems "Buk-M1 / 2", with velocities of targets hit 700 and 1100 m / s, respectively. Moreover, the presence of a ramjet engine preserves the aforementioned range of Lightning speed (and, therefore, maneuvering qualities) even at the terminal portion of the flight path due to the availability of a computerized system for regulating the supply of solid fuel charge into the combustion chamber of an integral ramjet engine.
This feature allows you to significantly prolong the period of operation of the engine. Obviously, the implementation of the Lightning project, with the support of the French MBDA division, may indicate the integration of a high-performance ANN missile based on a computer with high computing capabilities into the avionics. Conclusion: in the future, such a tactical missile will be able to realize a whole range of flight profiles (from low-altitude and mixed to high-altitude). During the implementation of the high-altitude flight profile, the “vertical dive” mode can be activated on the target at angles from 75 to 87 degrees, which poses a serious threat to the Tor-M1 / 2, and C-300ПМ1 air defense systems with an 52-degree “dead” funnel ”in the upper hemisphere due to the limitation of the elevation angle of the rays of guidance radars at the level of 64 degrees.
Meanwhile, the impressive effective reflective surface of various modifications of Lightning at the level of 0,2 — 0,3 sq. m, due to the absence of angular contours of the airframe, the external arrangement of rectangular air intakes and the presence of radio-contrast antenna arrays of active and passive radar homing heads, provides the possibility of direction finding at a distance of 120-150 km through the radars 50Н6 of the anti-aircraft missile systems X and VUMX and C after which even a hypothetical outfit of maneuvering "Lightning" can be destroyed by super-maneuverable anti-aircraft guided missiles 350М9DM.
Similarly, the likely development of the Lightning project will pose absolutely no threat to the Buk-M3 advanced military air defense systems, whose ammunition boasts the presence of 9M317M navy interceptor missiles with a thrust vector deflection system and an active homing radar.
And this is not at all surprising, since it is easy to assume that the promising product is being designed exclusively within the framework of an increasingly likely confrontation between Ukrainian military units and air defense units of the 1 and 2 th LDNR army corps, the support of which the Russian air defense forces are quite ready to provide. The likelihood of such an escalation scenario in the Donbass theater of operations increased in direct proportion to the crushing fiasco that the Western coalition forces controlled the Syrian theater in the northern and central regions of the eastern coast of the Euphrates, which literally overturned the Pentagon’s dominant positions in the Middle East region.
Obviously, in order to save face before the most inveterate “hawkish” electorate of US leader Donald Trump, the current White House administration, the State Department and the US defense department will attempt to play the most efficient “Ukrainian card” in the foreseeable future. So, for example, today it is already known that the Armed Forces command "carte blanche" for the use of anti-tank missile systems FGM-148 "Javelin" in the Donbass. This opportunity was achieved through the quick integration of Kiev into the FMS (“Foreign Military Sales”) foreign military sales program as a full-fledged participant (at the defense departments of Poland, Romania, Japan, etc.), which cannot but cause concern among experts circles of political scientists and military experts.
Shadow military-technical support from Western European and American defense concerns is the main reason for the appearance of modern types of precision weapons in the hands of the criminal Ukrainian regime. From Alder to Lightning
Now let's move on to assessing the viability of the project of the promising tactical Molniya missile under the current “non-competitive” conditions, as well as forecasting and analyzing its design parameters that pose a threat to various anti-aircraft missile systems that are in service with the LDNR army corps and air defense missile systems VKS, Air Defense Forces of the Ground Forces and VKS of Russia.
At first glance, starting from the data that “appeared” on the Ukrainian Internet in May 2015, we could safely conclude that the specialists of the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau and the National Aerospace University named after NOT. Zhukovsky "Kharkov aviation Institute ”was not“ ripe ”for designing high-precision high-precision samples saturated with critical technologies weapons, not to mention the launch of large-scale production of such products. After all, there was a bitter experience in the conceptual design of a multi-purpose invisible tactical missile with an unknown index, which is a conceptual and constructive hybrid of the Norwegian subsonic ASM NSM and the American AGM-84H / K SLAM-ER. The above concept was never implemented “in hardware”, not to mention the achievement of the level of operational combat readiness, which formed a stereotype in the halls of the minds of observers about the inability of Ukrainian defense enterprises to develop and “bring to mind” promising high-precision weapons. Meanwhile, far from everything in this scenario is so unambiguous.
Since 2015, Ukrainian defense enterprises have received substantial financial injections and military-technical support both from the defense departments of the leading member states of the North Atlantic Alliance, and from the largest American and Western European military-industrial corporations. The most significant “fruit” of this military-technical interaction was the very successful and unexpected finalization of the project for the promising high-precision 300-mm MLRS Alder, developed by the Kiev Design Bureau “Luch” with the assistance of Western experts.
A distinctive feature of the 300-mm corrective rockets of the Alder system is the presence of a unique control system based on 75 radially-located gas-dynamic torque control engines, five “belts” of which are located in front of the center of mass of the projectile and are accurately controlled by a powerful digital computer as part of the inertial navigation system of the projectile . It is well known that such a constructive solution found its application in the gas-dynamic control system of the American missile defense MIM-104F PAC-3MSE of the Patriot PAC-3MSE systems. Therefore, one of the key suppliers of critical technologies for the formation of Alder can safely be considered the headquarters of Raytheon Corporation.
As for the model demonstration of the Molniya multi-purpose tactical missile, which was presented to the public during the 2019 Arms and Security exhibition, here we can safely speak about the participation of specialists from the French division of the MBDA defense rocket corporation (Matra BAE Dynamics Alenia) in study and aerodynamic layout of the glider of the Ukrainian product and the architecture of its power plant. Having familiarized yourself with the photo of the Lightning prototype, you can pay attention to its constructive similarity with the French heavy supersonic tactical missile ASMP-A, which is one of the key links in the nuclear component of the French Armed Forces.
In particular, the Lightning control system (as well as ASMP-A) is represented by developed X-oriented tail aerodynamic rudders, which theoretically allow the rocket to carry out intensive anti-aircraft maneuvers with overloads of about 20 units. Also, the Ukrainian product has a similar design of a supersonic integrated rocket-ram engine, due to the lateral arrangement of air intakes and air ducts of external architecture, with the only difference being that the ASMP-A air intakes have a vertical slope of the air intake shells in the configuration a la F-15C, and the edges of the air intakes “ Lightning "have a horizontal slope.
Despite the fact that the Molniya rocket, which has a supersonic IRPD, cannot be included in the list of hypersonic means of aerospace attack under any sauce, the confident achievement of the speed range in 3,5 — 4M can turn it into a formidable tool for overcoming “missile defense umbrellas” formed by self-propelled air defense systems "Tor-M1 / 2" and air defense systems "Buk-M1 / 2", with velocities of targets hit 700 and 1100 m / s, respectively. Moreover, the presence of a ramjet engine preserves the aforementioned range of Lightning speed (and, therefore, maneuvering qualities) even at the terminal portion of the flight path due to the availability of a computerized system for regulating the supply of solid fuel charge into the combustion chamber of an integral ramjet engine.
This feature allows you to significantly prolong the period of operation of the engine. Obviously, the implementation of the Lightning project, with the support of the French MBDA division, may indicate the integration of a high-performance ANN missile based on a computer with high computing capabilities into the avionics. Conclusion: in the future, such a tactical missile will be able to realize a whole range of flight profiles (from low-altitude and mixed to high-altitude). During the implementation of the high-altitude flight profile, the “vertical dive” mode can be activated on the target at angles from 75 to 87 degrees, which poses a serious threat to the Tor-M1 / 2, and C-300ПМ1 air defense systems with an 52-degree “dead” funnel ”in the upper hemisphere due to the limitation of the elevation angle of the rays of guidance radars at the level of 64 degrees.
Meanwhile, the impressive effective reflective surface of various modifications of Lightning at the level of 0,2 — 0,3 sq. m, due to the absence of angular contours of the airframe, the external arrangement of rectangular air intakes and the presence of radio-contrast antenna arrays of active and passive radar homing heads, provides the possibility of direction finding at a distance of 120-150 km through the radars 50Н6 of the anti-aircraft missile systems X and VUMX and C after which even a hypothetical outfit of maneuvering "Lightning" can be destroyed by super-maneuverable anti-aircraft guided missiles 350М9DM.
Similarly, the likely development of the Lightning project will pose absolutely no threat to the Buk-M3 advanced military air defense systems, whose ammunition boasts the presence of 9M317M navy interceptor missiles with a thrust vector deflection system and an active homing radar.
Information