What does the Russian Aerospace Forces promise to gain operational readiness with SPEAR-3 / EW tactical missiles?
As you know, the military-analytical and technical material of Ilya Legat, presented a few days earlier for a broad discussion of the audience of "Military Review", "Mini-revolution in the British way: a rocket for the F-35 can change the rules of the game" became the subject of lively discussions in the most knowledgeable observer circles our information publication.
Thus, the author's list of the tactical and technical advantages of the promising stealthy tactical missile SPEAR-3, developed by the British division of the European military-industrial corporation MBDA, as part of updating the ammunition sets for the multifunctional vertical / short takeoff and vertical landing of the 5th generation F-35B "Lightning II", made some of our readers and commentators doubt the ability of the echeloned network-centric air defense systems of the Russian Aerospace Forces to effectively fend off probable massed missileaviation blows using these products.
Key technical trump cards of SPEAR-3 tactical missiles, which are worth paying close attention to
And, of course, a similar opinion of a certain part of our audience really takes place in relation to the operational-tactical alignment observed today, as well as the conclusion appearing in Ilya's review that the estimated parameters of the stealthy SPEAR-3 tactical missile, which is hastily prepared for operational readiness, allow rank this brainchild of MBDA in the list of the most effective air attack weapons used by the NATO Air Force / Navy in conventional network-centric theaters of the XNUMXst century.
Being a deeply improved hybrid modification of the stealthy gliding UAB GBU-53 / B (SDB II) and multipurpose missiles JAGM / "Brinstorm 2", as well as having an integrated compact turbofan engine "Humilton-Sundstrand" TJ-150 / "Pratt & Whitney" TJ- 130, a promising tactical missile SPEAR-3 in a standard multipurpose modification (equipped with a multichannel seeker with millimeter active radar and multispectral IR / TV sensors, as well as a computerized INS) boasts, firstly, an ultra-small RCS of the order of 0,007-0,01 kV ... m, and secondly, the ability to operate in the terrain bend mode.
The first feature can significantly complicate (and in a difficult jamming environment, completely exclude) the detection and "linking of tracks" of tactical missiles SPEAR-3 by means of radar complexes "Shmel-M" AWACS aircraft A-50U, airborne radar N035 "Irbis-E" fighters Su -35S / Su-30SM2, as well as low-altitude RLO "Podlet-K1" and illumination radars 30 / 92N6E (attached to the ZRDN S-300PM1 / S-400).
After all, it is well known that the lower limit of the effective reflecting surface of targets detected and tracked by the above radar systems is 0,01–0,02 sq. m, significantly exceeding the EPR indicators of the SPEAR-3 missiles of the standard modification.
The situation is not critical and controllable
Meanwhile, the EPR of the "jamming" electronic warfare version of this family of tactical missiles with the SPEAR-3EW index (also developed by MBDA specialists) can reach values of 0,015–0,03 sq. m, which is due to the presence in the electronic architecture of these products of a distributed aperture of jamming emitting antennas and interferometric antenna arrays of electronic intelligence, which are radio contrast elements that increase the RCS significantly.
As a result, the SPEAR-3EW “jamming” (despite the generation of response noise interference, aimed at frequency) can still be detected and “processed” by the jam-resistant receiving paths of the radars of the S-300V4 and S-300PM1 / 400 anti-aircraft missile systems.
Moreover, the operation of tactical missiles SPEAR-3EW in the mode of generating multi-band radio-electronic interference will turn these products into powerful radio-emitting sources, which will be easily located and
"Captured for accurate auto tracking"
9B-1103M-200PS active-passive radar homing heads installed on domestic RVV-SD / Product 180 medium / long-range air-to-air missiles and with a mode of aiming at a source of electronic interference (referred to in the Air Force / Navy methodological manuals The United States and NATO's Naval Forces are nothing but "HOJ" - "Home-on-Jam").
As paradoxical as it may sound, equipping all SPEAR-3 modifications with Humilton-Sundstrand TJ-150 turbofan engines not only makes it possible to more effectively overcome echeloned anti-aircraft “barriers” of a potential enemy due to operating in the terrain enveloping mode, but also increases their infrared signature generated by the jet jets of the working TJ-150.
Thus, missiles of this family are heat-contrast objects detected and tracked both through the infrared channel of aviation quantum optoelectronic sighting and navigation systems of the OLS-35 / 50M type (integrated into the SUV architecture of the Su-35S and Su-57 stealth fighters), and and by means of the 10ES1-E turret optical-electronic sighting systems, which are the main help in maintaining the highest noise immunity of the Pantsir-S1 air defense missile control system.
As you can see, there is absolutely no need to talk about the ability of SPEAR-3 / EW to penetrate our A2 / AD anti-aircraft zones almost unhindered.
In the same turn, the ultra-small image intensifier of the standard (multipurpose) modification of this tactical missile should already today push the representatives of the defense department of the Russian Federation to initiate the intensification of the work of the N.I. V.V. Tikhomirov, "Fazatron-NIIR" and NII "Agat" on projects of promising high-energy radar detectors, target designation and guidance radars, as well as active radar seeker for missile-guided missile interceptors based on radio-photon AFAR, digital antenna arrays (CAR), and LTCC-AFAR , represented by transceiving modules, obtained by the method of low-temperature co-fired ceramics.
As you know, these types of radars have many times more highly sensitive and noise-immune receiving paths, capable of processing targets with EPR within thousandths of a square meter.
Information