Anti-satellite weapons - space killers
Anti-satellite weapons - a set of weapons, which is designed to destroy and disable space vehicles used for reconnaissance and navigation purposes. Structurally according to the method of placement such a weapon is divided into 2 of the main type: 1) interceptor satellites; 2) ballistic missiles launched from aircraft, ships or ground launchers.
Currently, there are no state borders in space, the whole territory, which is at a certain level from the earth's surface, is used by all countries jointly. Those of them who were able to reach a certain technical level. The interaction between the world space powers is carried out on the basis of the reached international agreements. It is supported only by organizational methods. At the same time, space objects themselves do not have the possibility of passive or active protection and, therefore, are quite vulnerable in defense terms.
For this reason, the existing orbital groups are quite vulnerable to external factors and for the enemy appear to be the object of potential force application. At the same time, the decommissioning of satellite constellations can significantly weaken the military potential of the host state. The use of weapons systems in space is stipulated only in a special international agreement. The states that signed this treaty have pledged not to bring satellite mines and armed interceptors into outer space. But, like many international treaties, the agreement on the prohibition of the presence of weapons in space is maintained only on the good will of the countries that have signed the agreement. In this case, at any time the contract may be denounced by one of the parties.
Such a situation could be observed in the recent past, when the United States in December 2001 decided to withdraw from the treaty on limiting missile defense systems. The procedure for withdrawing from this treaty was very simple; US President George W. Bush simply notified Russia that with the 12 of June 2002, the ABM Treaty would end its existence. At the same time, this decision of the states at the UN General Assembly was supported only by Israel, Paraguay and Micronesia. If you look at the problem from such an angle, the exit from the agreement on the non-use of outer space for military purposes may be a matter of just a couple of hours.
Both the United States and the USSR, despite the existence of a treaty, did not stop work on the creation of anti-satellite weapons, and nobody knows by 100% how many orbital mines and torpedoes, as well as interceptor missiles, remained in the arsenals of these countries. Moreover, if in the past it was believed that only one launch vehicle with a shock object was needed to intercept and destroy a satellite, today projects of missiles with multiple warheads look quite viable. At one time, the USSR, in response to the American Star Wars program, which provided for the launch of orbital platforms into space, which could destroy intercontinental ballistic missiles during a flight in the space segment of their trajectory, threatened to bring into the near-Earth space an almost unlimited number of passive destructive elements. Simply speaking, the nails, which, zipping along the orbits, would turn any high-tech equipment into a sieve. Another thing is that to use such weapons in practice is very difficult. As in the case of more or less mass use of such kind of damaging elements, a chain reaction may occur, when the wreckage of already affected satellites will begin to affect other still functioning satellites.
In this scenario, the most protected are satellites that are located in high geostationary orbits, located a few thousand kilometers from the surface of the Earth. To achieve such heights, the cosmic “nails” would have to be given such energy and speed that they would become almost golden. Also in a number of countries, work was underway to create air launch systems when it was planned to launch interceptor missiles from a carrier aircraft (in the USSR they planned to use MiG-31 for these purposes). Launching a rocket at a considerable height made it possible to achieve the energy savings required by the interceptor rocket.
Currently, experts believe that in the event of a full-fledged large-scale conflict between space states, the mutual destruction of satellite constellations will only be a matter of time. In this case, satellites will be destroyed much faster than any of the parties will launch new satellites into space. However, it will be possible to restore the destroyed orbital constellation of satellites only after the end of the war, if the state still has the necessary financial and economic capacity and infrastructure for this. If we take into account the fact that interceptor missiles and “buckets of nails” will not particularly understand what this or that satellite is needed for, then satellite television and long-distance and international communications will not be available for a long time after such a conflict.
Quite an important aspect is the fact that the cost of interceptor missiles is cheaper than launching specialized satellites. It is believed that even medium-range missiles can be used for interception purposes. According to experts, this is exactly what they did in China, creating their own interceptor missile. On the condition that a missile is precisely aimed at a target, such a missile can carry a minimum payload, which makes such a weapon cheaper. According to American information, anti-satellite missiles SM-3Block2B are capable of hitting satellites at altitudes up to 250 km, and costing the US taxpayer 20-24 million dollars per piece. At the same time, more powerful GBI interceptor missiles, which are planned to be deployed in Poland, are more expensive - about 70 million dollars.
MiG-31 as elements of anti-satellite weapons
Since 1978, in the USSR, Vimpel Design Bureau began work on the creation of an anti-satellite missile equipped with an AChL and capable of being used with the MiG-31 interceptor fighter. The rocket was brought to a predetermined height with the help of an airplane, after which it was launched and exploded right next to the satellite. In 1986, the MiG design bureau began work on the revision of the 2-s interceptor MiG-31 fighters for new weapons. The upgraded aircraft received the designation MiG-XNUMHD. He had to carry one large specialized missile, and his weapons control system was completely redesigned for its use. Both aircraft were single and did not carry radar (31-kg weight models were installed instead).
The MiG-31D had nodules both on the MiG-31M, and also it was equipped with large triangular planes located on the ends of the wing of the aircraft, which were called “flippers” and were similar to those on the prototype MiG-25П. These "flippers" were intended to give the fighter additional stability in flight when suspended on the outer ventral pylon of a large anti-satellite missile. The fighters received the 071 and 072 tail numbers. Work on these two machines was completed in the 1987 year, and in the same year the aircraft with the 072 tail number began flight testing at the Zhukovsky design bureau. The fighter test program continued for a number of years and was suspended only at the beginning of the 1990-s because of the unclear situation with the appearance of the necessary rocket.
For the first time, photographs of a new interceptor fighter with an anti-satellite missile under the fuselage were published in August 1992 of the year in Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine. However, the tests of this system have not been completed. The development of an anti-satellite rocket was conducted by the Vympel Design Bureau specializing in the development of SD. It was assumed that the MiG-31D will launch an anti-satellite missile at an altitude of about 17 000 meters and flight speed 3 000 km / h.
Current state
Currently, the US-based missile defense system is based on the Aegis. This complex includes the RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 rocket (SIM-3), which has the ability to destroy satellites, which was demonstrated in practice by the 21 February 2008 of the year, when the rocket was able to successfully destroy the US military satellite USA-193, which went beyond counting low orbit.
January 11 2007 China has tested its own anti-satellite weapon. The Chinese Fengyun FY-1C meteorological satellite, which was located in a polar orbit, was hit at a height of 865 kilometers by a direct hit by an anti-satellite missile that was launched from a mobile PU at the Sichan space center and was able to intercept the meteorological satellite on a head-on course. As a result of the destruction of the satellite, a cloud of debris arose. Later, ground tracking systems detected at least 2 300 space debris, the size of which was between 1 and more.
In Russia, the official release of space interceptor missiles currently does not exist. The Soviet program aimed at combating enemy satellite groupings was called “Satellite Fighter” and was deployed in the 70-80s of the last century. During the tests of this program, interceptor satellites were launched into Earth orbit, which, while maneuvering independently, approached the target of the attack, after which they carried out a charge detonation. Since 1979, this system has begun combat duty, but tests under this program have been stopped due to the adoption of a moratorium on the pollution of outer space, the current status and prospects of this program are not reported. In addition, in the USSR, work was carried out on the destruction of enemy satellites using ground-based laser systems and missiles deployed on fighter-interceptors (such as the MiG-31).
Information sources:
-http: //voennovosti.ru/2012/11/kosmicheskie-ubijcy
-http: //army.lv/ru/mig/894/332
-http: //ru.wikipedia.org/wiki
Information