Better late than never
slipped through the week news about what's in the sea Aviation the first new Su-30SM2 aircraft arrived, made me think. Rejoice? In our strange and difficult times - definitely. The only question is how deeply you need to rejoice, because in general things are going well with Russian naval aviation ...
Let's just look at the numbers and see how they stand.
I very much hope that our expert layer will agree that an aircraft over the sea is a very important combat unit. This has been going on since the Second World War, little has changed now.
Once, in another country, the military command understood this very well, and the Soviet Union had simply luxurious naval aviation. Its number exceeded a thousand aircraft for various purposes: missile carriers, attack aircraft, bombers, fighters, anti-submarine and transport aircraft.
2008 was a black milestone in stories naval aviation, during the reforms of Mr. Serdyukov, naval missile-carrying aviation was finally eliminated. The remaining "on the fly" Tu-22M3 missile carriers were transferred to the Aerospace Forces. However, from hundreds of MPA aircraft of the Navy, by that time there were several dozen operational units.
And even then, in connection with the liquidation of naval missile carriers, for example, the Tu-22M3 of the Pacific fleet were transferred from Sovetskaya Gavan to the Irkutsk region, to the Usolsky district, to the Belaya airfield. How justified it is to remove the former naval missile carriers from the coast for two and a half thousand kilometers, I can’t judge. But the fact that the 444th heavy bomber aviation regiment, where the aircraft of the 568th separate mixed aviation regiment was poured, should not be considered as a great help to the fleet - this is a fact.
There were no bombers and missile carriers left in the aviation of the fleets. This is a great "achievement" in the reorganization of naval structures aimed at strengthening the combat capabilities of the fleets.
It is good that they did not have time to reform the attack aviation of the fleets. And today there are still the 43rd separate naval assault aviation regiment of the Black Sea Fleet and the 4th separate guards assault aviation regiment of the Baltic Fleet.
The very name "assault regiment" is very conditional. In terms of the tasks performed, sea attack aircraft are closer to land front-line bombers, since the targets for sea attack aircraft are both attacks on ships and coastal stationary targets.
Therefore, the main naval attack aircraft is the Su-24M. But this aircraft cannot carry anti-ship cruise missiles. The main missile armament of the Su-24M is short and medium-range guided missiles capable of operating against targets on the coast. The Su-24M can also use its missiles against ships, but the effectiveness of such strikes will be more than doubtful. Mainly because of the range of weapons, which simply forces the attack aircraft to approach the ship's air defense coverage area.
In general, let's face it, the Su-24 is frankly outdated, like a strike aircraft. Its use is still justified in countries such as Syria, where the enemy does not have normal air defense, but actions against modern ships equipped with modern air defense systems can and will be successful, but the question is at what cost.
There is an opinion that this price will be very high. The Su-24M has been in service since 1983, and no matter how you modernize it, it remains an old front-line bomber in the service of the fleet.
Su-30SM2. This is a slightly different layout. This is the next generation aircraft, and if we take the Su-30SM2, then everything that is possible from the Su-35 was stuck there.
Yes, the Su-30 itself also does not dare to call it a modern fighter. As a fighter, just the Su-30, even in the latest modification, loses to the same Su-35. But how the Su-30 attack aircraft looks quite promising, because the aircraft is able to use two anti-ship missiles: the subsonic Kh-35 and the supersonic Kh-31. The Kh-35 is more powerful in terms of warhead (145 versus 95 kg), but slower than the Kh-31.
The X-31 is a missile with a very high degree of probability penetrating through almost any ship's air defense, being used massively. However, it still has the same drawbacks: a short flight range. There is a modification of the Kh-31AD, in which the range is increased by 50 km compared to the Kh-31A (flight range of 110 km), but the range of the SM-6 SAM, which is equipped with American ships, is 240 km. From this it is clear that the use of these anti-ship missiles will be a very, very difficult task.
X-35 is better. Yes, we can say that this is our Harpoon. It can be launched from a greater distance, outside the coverage area of the ship's air defense. True, for firing from long distances, an appropriate radar is needed.
"Puma" and "Tiger" in the Su-24 - this is generally the day before yesterday. The Bars of the Su-30 is already better, but the confident radius of combat work is no more than 100 km.
Su-30SM2 will be equipped with the H035 Irbis product, all from the same Su-35. But the Irbis with a passive phased antenna array consumes an order of magnitude more energy than the Bars, so as part of the modernization, it was necessary to change the AL-31F engines to AL-41F all from the same Su-35. The Su-35 engine generators are designed for heavy loads and the Irbis will work with them without problems, since these are “his” generators.
The Irbis radar will allow the Su-30SM2 to see the target and launch the missile not just from a long distance, but from a safe distance. Yes, it will be the X-35, which will be easier for the ship's air defense to deal with, but this is a subject for a separate discussion.
It is important for us that the modernized Su-30 is capable of not only giving the pilot a chance to survive, but the aircraft can ensure the combat mission of countering enemy ships without unnecessary and unnecessary losses.
However, there is no clear information about which aircraft will be received in the assault regiments of naval aviation. It would be just fine if those Su-30SM2, which were discussed above, would get into service. But there is also information of a slightly different plan, less optimistic.
Some sources said (and indirectly confirmed by the military) that in the aircraft of the first series coming for the rearmament of naval assault aviation regiments, the engines would not be AL-41F. Accordingly, the radar will not be Irbis. Considering that we simply do not have other engines and radars, it means that these Su-30SM2s are not so SM2 after all.
In principle, in any case, it is better than the Su-24M. It's hard to argue with this. Moreover, wars are not expected tomorrow, so there is time to collect those aircraft that were originally announced. That is, the Su-30SM2.
A certain number of aircraft of the "transitional stage" - it's not scary if they are replaced by real aircraft of THE modification that was originally mentioned.
It would also be very nice if naval attack aircraft got at their disposal modern means of defeating the enemy. Of course, the Kh-35 (in service since 2003) and the Kh-31 (in service since 1989) can be called modern at a stretch, but both of them are from the 70s of the last century.
They promised a hypersonic air-to-surface missile. But for work on coastal infrastructure facilities. Anti-ship missiles are not expected.
But there is an Onyx, which may well get a residence permit on the Su-30. Were the Indians able to use a modified version of Yakhont, the export version of Onyx, on their Su-30MKIs?
"Brahmos" is quite normally placed on the Indian Su-30MKI, why can't "Onyx" be finalized? After all, the missile was originally created as an air-based anti-ship missile.
Let's just estimate how many Su-24Ms with Kh-29 or Kh-59 missiles (as ancient as the carrier) will be needed to cause at least some harm to modern destroyers like the American Arleigh Burke or the British Defender?
Even a “weakling” Briton can very sharply “show his teeth”, of which he has 48. Exactly as many cells in the Sylver A50 launcher for Aster 30 missiles with a firing range of up to 120 km and Aster 15 short-range missiles with a firing range of up to 30 km.
How many chances does the Su-24M have in such a case?
Su-30SM2 with modern strike weapons looks much more promising. The Su-24M is not only outdated, it is so outdated that it is out of the question to use it against modern ships. Such an attack would be senseless and merciless against the Su-24 pilots.
Therefore, the re-equipment of the two remaining regiments of naval assault aviation with more modern aircraft can only be welcomed. And, of course, you can be happy. But - optimism should be expressed when rearmament is completed.
Photo: mil.ru
The revival of Russian naval aviation can be started in this way. The main thing is not to stop.
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