Russian KDHR-1N "Dal": the all-seeing laser eye of chemical intelligence
Source: armedman.ru
As you know, for high-quality reconnaissance on the battlefield, modern surveillance devices are vital, capable of detecting and identifying the enemy at a great distance and in any conditions. The chemical reconnaissance units have a specific enemy - poisonous substances and so on - but they also need technical means capable of “seeing” the poison long before friendly troops enter the zone of its destruction. One of these tools was the KDHR-1N Dal long-range chemical reconnaissance complex, which to this day is considered a unique domestic development.
KDHR-1N "Dal". Source: nevskii-bastion.ru
The specifics of the work of chemical intelligence
It just so happened that the specifics of the work of radiation, chemical and biological protection units (RCBZ) in most cases does not provide for any kind of automation and requires direct contact with poisonous substances. To what it leads - let's look at a simple example.
Suppose, on some sector of the front, the enemy used chemical weapon. In order to determine the type of "chemistry" and the boundaries of this very area, you need to go directly to the affected area and take a lot of air and soil samples - dozens, and possibly hundreds of samples. At the same time, it will still not be possible to outline the exact contours of infection on the map. Only approximate. And then these coordinates need to be transferred to the higher command, which also takes some time.
Calculation of chemical intelligence on the RHM-4 machine. Source en.wikipedia.org
And it's all in greenhouse conditions. And if the enemy is conducting intensive shelling of the area where the RKhBZ units are working? Yes, and behind their own troops are running out, leading the offensive? In general, it may turn out that there will be no time for intelligence at all.
It is also worth noting that equipment that has been in the zone of use of chemical weapons requires mandatory degassing measures - cleaning from the remnants of poison that has settled on the body, chassis and other elements of the machine.
See infestation from afar with spectrometry
In view of the foregoing, a not very pleasant picture is emerging, which, however, is typical for the chemical intelligence troops of almost any country. If you want to measure the scale of the infection and its type: go to the place, do not get under fire, and then do not forget to wash the cars.
Is it possible to make it so that it is not required to go into direct contact with toxic substances? The answer was given in the Moscow NPO "Astrophysics".
Since the second half of the 80s, painstaking work has been carried out in this research and production association on the topic of remote detection of various chemical compounds. By that time, the specialists of this scientific center had accumulated rich experience in the development and use of laser systems for various purposes, in particular, military ones.
The method proposed by these pundits for detecting and identifying chemicals hovering near the surface of the soil was based on spectral analysis, which is widely used both in mundane branches of science and in astrophysics, the science that studies space.
To date, huge amounts of data on the chemical composition of stars have been accumulated, which can tell us about the ratio of certain chemical elements in a celestial body with relatively high accuracy.
To determine what a star, located thousands of light years from Earth, consists of, spectral analysis is used - the division of its radiation (visible and invisible) into spectra, which already give an idea of the content of certain inhabitants of the periodic table there.
But poisonous aerosols do not glow and do not emit anything. How to be in this case?
Here, laser radiation comes to the rescue, which acts as a backlight at a great distance. By irradiating dozens of different common types of chemical weapons with a laser, Astrophysics engineers were able to compile a large database of their spectral composition. It only remained to create a mobile installation that could be used in a real combat situation.
KDHR-1N "Dal"
As a base for the new machine, which received the designation KDHR-1N "Dal", was the elongated chassis of the MT-LB conveyor - MT-LBu. The choice of this particular machine was due to several factors at once: well-developed production, fairly good mobility with the ability to accelerate to 40-60 km / h and buoyancy, which made it possible to overcome water obstacles. In addition, there was bulletproof / anti-fragmentation armor, which could come in handy in a combat situation.
KDHR-1N "Dal" on a pedestal as a monument. Source iohotnik.ru
But perhaps the most attention is drawn to the tower with circular rotation, located closer to the rear of the tracked chassis. Made in a rectangular shape with a beveled frontal part, it catches the eye with an abundance of optics and emitters.
If you look at the tower from its frontal part, on the top left you can see a television sight, which is used by the crew to monitor the area and detect visible chemical aerosols.
For continuous sounding of the surface layers of the atmosphere, the machine uses a quantum (laser) emitter installed in the lower right part of the tower. Reception and interpretation of the spectrum, if the laser has entered a cloud of poisonous substances, is carried out by two optical receivers with lenses of large diameter. The capabilities of the emitter allow you to "decipher" the composition of the air at a visibility range of the horizon, that is, about 5 kilometers.
External and internal equipment KDHR-1N "Dal". Source technowar.ru
After the commander of the KDHR-1N receives information about the use of weapons of mass destruction by the enemy, the vehicle advances to the suspected area of infection. The search for aerosols is carried out by a probing laser beam by rotating the tower at a speed of up to 6 degrees per second - almost like a locator.
When a poison is detected, the on-board computer system automatically analyzes its spectrum and, comparing it with the data "sewn" into the memory, provides information on the composition of the sprayed substance. Also, the built-in rangefinder allows you to estimate the size of the contaminated area with an accuracy of up to 30 meters, which is simply impossible to achieve with the traditional measurement method.
After the type of "chemistry" and the area of infection are determined, the machine automatically puts the coordinates of the danger zone on the map, which can then be transferred to the higher command or neighboring units.
But it may happen that the strong dust or smoke in the area under study will not allow the use of a laser emitter. For such a case, KDKhR-1N is equipped with classic sampling devices, including also a radiometer, and will operate in the old fashioned way - with a stop at the epicenter.
This unique machine was put into service in 1988, although, according to some sources, its small-scale production - in the amount of about ten units - began in 1990. Still, they could not establish mass production: lack of money prevented against the backdrop of the collapse of the USSR, and chemical weapons, as a significant potential threat, were no longer considered.
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