Unclassified "Peresvet". Known details of a promising project
In March 2018, it became known about the creation of a promising combat laser complex, which later received the name "Peresvet". At that time, the new development existed in the form of a real sample and was even transferred to the troops. In the future, the Ministry of Defense has repeatedly disclosed information about the new combat laser, but some of the information is still not subject to publication. However, even the limited amount of available data makes it possible to understand the general capabilities and advantages of Peresvet.
Information disclosure
For a long time, even the most general information about Peresvet remained unknown. In particular, the service indices and development codes were not published, and the developer of the complex was not disclosed. Such information appeared only this year.
So, in August, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that a new combat laser was created by scientists from the city of Sarov (Nizhny Novgorod region). More accurate information has recently emerged. The Izvestia publication established that the federal nuclear center FSUE RFNC-VNIIEF was the main executor of the work. Published court documents were the source of this information. The fact is that the development of the laser faced certain difficulties, and the arbitration court had to deal with them.
The name "Peresvet" was chosen during an open vote, in which everyone could take part. However, the project already had names. The GRAU 14TS034 index was found in the documents, indicating that the complex belongs to the strategic nuclear forces. In addition, the ROC code is given - "Cold-RN". It started in 2010.
Interestingly, developer information, indices and names, even by themselves, can form the basis for various estimates and assumptions. However, they may be far from the real state of affairs, and the Ministry of Defense is in no hurry to confirm or deny the circulating versions.
Lasers in service
In March 2018, it was reported that a new combat laser not only exists, but is also being supplied to the troops. In the summer of the same year, the Military Space Academy. Mozhaisky, with the participation of defense industry enterprises, prepared the first calculations for Peresvetov. By the fall, they arrived at their places of permanent deployment and began the processes of coordination.
In December 2018, it was officially announced that Peresvet had taken over on experimental combat duty. The crews of the complexes mastered their equipment, worked out deployment and combat use, and are now ready to serve and perform assigned tasks. It is not known whether the training "firing" was carried out at real targets.
The results of the experimental combat duty were discussed at the top in May 2019. A few months later, Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army Valery Gerasimov, said that the "Peresvets" were deployed in the positional areas of mobile ground missile systems of the Strategic Missile Forces. Their task is to cover the maneuvering actions of the PGRK. Soon, the Minister of Defense announced that the Peresvets had taken over duty in five missile divisions.
Information about the gradual deployment of lasers in the troops received confirmation "from the outside." In foreign media, satellite images of Russian military units have repeatedly appeared, which were attended by the alleged positions for "Peresvetov". The facilities were ready for use or were at various stages of construction.
Combat capabilities
For a long time, the purpose and functions of the "Peresvet" complex were not disclosed. In 2019, it was reported about its use to cover the PGRK on patrol routes, but the range of threats and methods of countering them were not specified. However, information of this kind is now available - Izvestia cites it with reference to court documents.
According to the materials of the proceedings, the purpose of the ROC "Stuzha-RN" was to create a redeployable complex for suppressing optical-electronic systems of spacecraft. In other words, a combat laser must protect missile systems from the means of space reconnaissance of a potential enemy.
Judging by the size and architecture, the "Peresvet" complex is distinguished by its high power and has a range of "firing" with a laser beam of hundreds of kilometers. Due to this, it is able to "finish off" the reconnaissance satellites in orbits in a wide range of altitudes. Depending on the range to the orbital target, weather conditions and other factors, a combat laser is capable of suppressing the target's optics or inflicting fatal damage on it.
In theory, such a complex can be used against other reconnaissance systems or means of attack. A powerful laser is capable of effectively solving combat missions in the atmosphere. In this case, the PGRK can be covered from unmanned aerial vehicles, aviation and high-precision weapons of different classes. At the same time, the limited range to the target will not lead to large losses of power, and the laser will be able to hit and destroy not only optics, but also structural elements.
Success technologies
The technical part of the project "Cold-RN" / "Peresvet" / 14TS034 remains secret. The main design features, tactical and technical characteristics, etc. are not disclosed, but this does not prevent the emergence of various versions and estimates of unclear plausibility.
It is obvious that an attack on orbital targets, even with the aim of temporarily "blinding" optoelectronic systems, requires a high power of the emitter - and the corresponding means of power supply. Even after the first announcement of Peresvet, a version appeared about the construction of a complex around the newest compact nuclear reactor. Due to new technologies and solutions, the size and weight of this product has been reduced, and it can be transported on a semitrailer together with other means of the laser complex.
In the context of laser and atomic technologies, Izvestia recalls the current developments of the Institute of Laser Physics Research from the RFNC-VNIIEF. This organization deals with the topic of the so-called. laser reactors - integrated systems that include energy and emitting components. Such a device is capable of converting the energy of an atom into radiation almost directly. At the same time, it is possible to create systems that combine small dimensions and significant power.
The situation is clearing up
The existence of the promising combat laser complex "Peresvet" was revealed several years ago, and in the future various details regularly appeared. Much of the information about this weapons is still not subject to publication, but the available information provides a fairly detailed picture and allows conclusions to be drawn.
The experimental design work of "Stuzha-RN" was successfully completed, and the "Peresvet" complex was put into production. The release of such equipment is carried out in single copies, which, however, is sufficient to cover the needs of the customer. To date, the complexes have been deployed in several divisions of the Strategic Missile Forces and are protecting missile systems at bases and on patrol routes from observation from space.
Obviously, "Peresvet" will not be left alone, and new domestic combat lasers will appear in the future. When developing the existing complex, a number of new solutions and technologies were used, which will certainly find application in new projects. Plans have already been announced to create an airborne combat laser, and a different kind of system can also be expected.
Thus, the project "Peresvet" / "Cold-RN" / 14Ts034 successfully coped with the assigned tasks, and the Strategic Missile Forces received another means of protecting missile systems on alert. Some of the capabilities of the laser complex are already known, while other data are still closed. However, secrecy does not interfere with full-fledged combat duty, and "Peresvet" makes its contribution to the capabilities of the Strategic Missile Forces.
- Ryabov Kirill
- Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Information