New air defense units to protect arsenals

The Palyanitsa UAV is one of the Ukrainian air attack vehicles

The Russian Defense Ministry plans to continue developing air defense forces and increasing their potential to combat current threats. The next step in this direction will be the creation of specialized units to combat unmanned aerial vehicles. aviation enemy. These units will be engaged in the protection of important stationary objects.

New plans

On January 23, the Izvestia newspaper published information about a new approach to combating UAVs. It received information about the planned and implemented measures from unnamed sources in the Ministry of Defense. The department itself has not yet commented on these news.

It is reported that special units will be formed in the Russian armed forces to search for, intercept and destroy UAVs. They will have to protect very specific areas and objects. These units will have to strengthen the existing protection of storage bases, warehouses and arsenals of the army.

Currently, the process of forming new units is in its initial stages. According to Izvestia, specialists from the Ministry of Defense are studying current threats and available opportunities. They are determining the number of necessary units, their locations, the objects they will cover, etc. It is also necessary to determine the composition of weapons and other means with which defense tasks will be solved.

Buk-M3 SAM system in the area of ​​the Special Operation

At the same time, issues of logistical support are being resolved. The Defense Ministry must provide the new units with everything they need, from uniforms to weapons.

More information about the new divisions Defense is currently absent. This is due to both the general secrecy of such plans and the fact that specialists are currently working on their formation. It is also unknown how soon these units will go on combat duty. Perhaps in the near future the Ministry of Defense will talk about the new units and reveal some details.

current threat

Since 2022, Ukraine has regularly attempted terrorist attacks on various sites in Russia. With the help of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, the enemy to strike military and energy infrastructure facilities. In addition, strikes on civilian facilities, including residential buildings and city squares, have been repeatedly recorded.

With the support of foreign partners and patrons, Ukraine has gradually expanded the range of its offensive weapons. In recent months, UAVs of various types have been used in this capacity. These are mainly aircraft-type devices with a flight range of hundreds of kilometers, capable of carrying a high explosive charge of significant mass.

Operator of MANPADS and radar 1L122 "Garmon" on duty

The use of missiles of various classes is also still observed, but on a smaller scale. Ballistic and cruise missiles are used, mainly imported. In addition, anti-aircraft missiles are being converted into strike weapons.

Available resources have allowed Ukraine to increase the intensity of terrorist attacks from the air in the recent past. In recent months, our air defense has shot down dozens of air targets flying through various regions almost every day.

Unfortunately, not all such objects can be intercepted. In addition, debris from hit targets can have a certain impact on ground objects. From a statistical point of view, the number of such incidents is small, but each of them has negative consequences. This is a reason for further improvement of air defense, including by creating new formations.

Forces and means

Currently, existing air defense units and subdivisions are fighting the drone and missile threat. Various radars, anti-aircraft missile and missile-gun systems, as well as electronic warfare systems have been deployed on the old and new territory of the country. They are the ones who record dozens of targets intercepted daily on their combat account.

Anti-aircraft gunner on duty

According to the latest news, the existing air defense system will be reinforced with new units that will provide protection for important facilities of the armed forces. Given the existing threats and expected tasks, we can assume what they will be and what equipment they will receive.

The new formations will be similar to the existing units in their structure and equipment. Despite the specifics of the tasks, a new structure of the units will not be required. The current formation of units with several batteries and common command posts has proven its effectiveness and does not require significant changes. Integration with other air defense units will also be maintained.

Based on the experience of combating UAVs in the Special Operation zone, units for long-term duty at positions and mobile groups can be created. Such a composition will allow for a faster response to various threats in any conditions.

Intercepting an enemy UAV with a gun

New units can receive the same equipment as existing ones. They need radar and other means of detecting air targets. At the same time, it is important to increase the efficiency of work on low-altitude objects - taking into account the characteristics of UAVs and enemy missiles. Modern command posts and control systems are also required for rapid data processing and control of anti-aircraft weapons.

The tasks of destroying UAVs can be assigned to short- or medium-range systems and systems of various models already in service with the Russian army. First of all, these can be the latest modifications of the Tor, Buks and Pantsir. Modern MANPADS will be useful in the near zone. Large-caliber machine guns, automatic weapons or rifles with appropriate sighting devices can be used as short-range systems.

Various electronic warfare systems have proven themselves in the fight against UAVs. The Special Operation uses systems placed at a position or on equipment, as well as various "guns" with a jamming function. All of them can be used in new units and supplement firepower.

Downed Ukrainian UAV

The simultaneous deployment of various fire weapons in stationary and mobile versions will give a clear result. They will allow the required area to be covered by a layered air defense system, increasing the probability of interception. At the same time, it will be possible to quickly change the configuration and placement of air defense, as well as respond to attacks of varying intensity.

As reported by Izvestia, the new units will have to protect important facilities of the armed forces. The defense of warehouses or arsenals has its own specifics and is associated with certain risks. Perhaps these factors will have a direct impact on the construction of new units and the organization of their work. What this impact will be is still unknown.

With advanced features

The Russian army has a large and developed air defense system responsible for the protection of troops and large areas. In its current form, it generally copes with the tasks assigned and successfully intercepts most flying targets, including rather complex ones.

Based on the experience of the current Special Operation, various ideas in the field of air defense are proposed, developed and implemented. A new result of this process in the near future will be the emergence of new units specifically for the protection of important military infrastructure facilities. Very little is known about such plans so far, but it can be expected that the new air defense formations will meet expectations and reduce risks.

Comments

[turembo]

Unfortunately, not all such objects can be intercepted. In addition, debris from damaged targets can have a certain impact on ground objects.

I would like to note one interesting trend, for some reason, the largest damage to infrastructure, according to our media, is caused by debris from downed UAVs. I have not yet seen a single hit, for example, to a fuel tank caused by a whole and accurate hit from a UAV. This suggests the "ambiguous conclusion" that air defense is coping, and it is necessary to create protection from "debris" and, judging by the article, this increase and improvement of air defense systems, which we already have the best in the world (yes, they said so on TV yesterday, I cannot help but trust such sources), it turns out to be the creation of a new structure "debris air defense". It would be funny if it were not so sad...

[Vitaly_pvo]

Quote from turembo

I have not yet encountered a single defeat, for example, a fuel tank caused by a complete and precise hit from a UAV

In this case, the image losses of the best air defense will be much higher than the cost of a fuel tank or even an oil refinery. Therefore, everything is logical.

The army has a large and developed air defense system responsible for protecting troops and large areas

Unfortunately, this air defense system is designed for an arc war. Moreover, since the U-2 flight with Powers and Rust's landing on Red Square, dozens of years have passed during which the air defense system has not undergone any fundamental changes. All the changes that have occurred are the transition of the radar, air defense missile system and automated control system to a new element base. In terms of new solutions, only the Struna flight radar system has appeared, which is tens of times cheaper than conventional radars and would seem to be able to effectively detect UAVs of all types. But unfortunately, there are obviously some problems in terms of both the fact of detecting maneuvering UAVs, whose operators build a route taking into account the precise knowledge of where and how the air defense alert systems are located.

[skeptic]

Quote: Vitaly_pvo

whose operators build a route taking into account clear knowledge of where and how the air defense systems on duty are located.

You will also say that these routes are being built at the suggestion of the "jam lovers" from the Ministry of Defense.

[Vitaly_pvo]

Quote: skeptic

are built at the suggestion of

In the US, this organization is called the Pentagon. And intelligence data from it is sent to the Ukrainian Armed Forces online.

[Skif3216]

Quote from turembo

I would like to note one interesting trend: for some reason, the largest damage to infrastructure, according to our media, is caused by the wreckage of downed UAVs; I have not yet encountered a single damage, for example, to a fuel tank caused by a whole and precise hit from a UAV.

Yeah, and the enemies also have good intelligence, they clearly know how many anti-missiles the air defense covering the facility has, they always launch one more missile, constant reports from the Ministry of Defense, 15 launched 14 shot down, 8 launched 7 shot down.

[Roman Efremov]

They shoot it down at the very last moment, already directly above the object, and shoot it down with something weak, a MANPADS missile or machine gun fire. As a result, the attacking drone is hit but NOT DESTROYED, it falls on the object and explodes (the warhead does not detonate when hit).

[rocket757]

It is reported that special units will be formed in the Russian armed forces that will be tasked with searching for, intercepting and destroying UAVs.

. UAVs are a real threat. Countermeasures are necessary, to the fullest extent.

[rosomaha]

Here's the question...should anti-drone air defense systems be singled out as a separate class of air defense systems or should the capabilities of short-range air defense systems be expanded?

[Uncle_Misha]

The capabilities of short-range air defense systems are sufficient. The point is different: it is one thing to cover a city, another to cover a separate object.

[501 Legion]

What's the problem with using fighter jets? Or developing UAVs with air-to-air missiles.
Oh yeah, there are no such UAVs, only on TV they show "no analogues"

[Sergey Valov]

There are many problems. First, these fighters must be available. Second, UAVs with a speed of 120-150 km/s are practically impossible to intercept for a fighter with a cruising speed of 900 km/h. Third, the areas of target interception by fighters and SAMs must not overlap. Fourth, there must be a single control system for SAMs and air defense aviation. Fifth, fighters must have weapons to combat small targets. And this is a small part of the problems.
In the USSR, almost all of these issues were resolved, but after the disbandment of the country's air defense forces, much was lost, for which we are paying.

[Alexey RA]

Quote: Sergey Valov

The second is that a UAV with a speed of 120-150 km/s is practically impossible to intercept for a fighter with a cruising speed of 900 km/h.

It is not an airplane that intercepts, but a missile, which has an even higher speed.
The problem is not in the carrier speed, the problem is in the selection of a low-flying, low-speed target with a small EPR against the background of the earth (detection, capture and tracking of the target by the radar or the ECM) and the subsequent capture of this target by the RVV seeker. Moreover, the capture is stable, and not in such a way that during the launch the target is in capture, and then the capture is lost - and the RVV flies into the ground or, even worse, captures a more visible target.

[Sergey Valov]

Intercepts an aircraft. The aircraft needs to detect the target, capture the target with onboard equipment, capture the target with a missile, and only then launch the missile. Now imagine that the aircraft's speed is several times greater than the target's speed, which means a sharp reduction in the time for all of the above procedures. Moreover, it is much cheaper and sometimes more effective to destroy the target with a cannon, but here there is practically no time left. And the small size of the target further aggravates the situation. And the target's extremely low flight altitude makes interception a very dangerous task for the aircraft. As for problems for the missile, I am weak here.

[Alexey RA]

Quote: Sergey Valov

The aircraft needs to detect the target, capture the target with onboard equipment, capture the target with a missile, and only then launch the missile.

Correction: the aircraft is guided to the target area by a ground control center based on data from the radar of the air traffic control center, after which it must search for a target with approximately known coordinates, course and speed.

Quote: Sergey Valov

Now imagine that the speed of the aircraft is several times greater than the speed of the target, which means a sharp reduction in the time for all of the above procedures.

The Orion thought so too in 1987. However, it turned out that the Su-27 could stay close to a propeller-driven anti-submarine aircraft with its landing gear down.

Quote: Sergey Valov

Moreover, it is much cheaper, and sometimes more effective, to destroy a target with a cannon.

Then it is worth remembering the old practice of air defense helicopter squadrons on Mi-24, introduced precisely to intercept low-speed, low-flying targets.

[Sergey Valov]

"that the Su-27 can stay close" - that's true, their landing speeds are certainly not the same, but they are close, especially since Orion is not a suicide mission, they did not reduce speed to the point of stalling.
Otherwise, I completely agree with you.

[AMG]

Is three years not enough to solve most of these issues? If there is a desire.

[Max-xnumx]

I understand that the biggest problem is not in the missiles, but in the detection equipment, otherwise I can’t imagine how a drone with a piston engine flies several thousand kilometers to Kazan or to St. Petersburg, it’s in the air for several hours, during which time it could not only be caught by a fighter, but it would be possible to build a wall in its path into which it would crash, the British somehow managed to shoot down V-1 jets with their piston fighters during World War II, and they shot down quite a few, and modern Russian air defense cannot cope with the shelving units designed by the Wright brothers, but there is a very beautiful temple of the Ministry of Defense, and the nuclear cruiser Nakhimov for a hundred billion, which is about to go to sea, but this is not certain ....

[Sergey Valov]

"I can't imagine" - a low-altitude, slow-flying object, a very difficult target for radar. Visually, such a target can be observed for literally 5-10 seconds. I personally saw two Ukrainian drones in the Moscow region and observed them for about 5 seconds, most people will not even pay attention to it or will not notice it.

[alexoff]

They say low-altitude targets can be found by sound somewhere near the border and reacted to somehow. But you need a system for this, and we don't like to build a system. We installed the best air defense - so let them figure it out.

[Sergey Valov]

“The air defense system was supplied with the best” - the air defense system is a system that unites into a single whole the air defense missile system, the air defense missile system and the air defense aviation.

[alexoff]

We have had this military ideology for the last decades - make the best tank, so that three fighters can be put in it and they can drive through a minefield and defeat everyone there. Or one armored carapace - you put fighters in it and therefore not a fly can fly within a radius of 20 km. So that the leadership does not rack their brains on how to build a SYSTEM. Here is a radar, here is a fighter, here are the launchers - and so that it all works together, the air defense does not fire on its own, the fighter runs out of missiles - it passes on - wait for the target in a couple of minutes! This is very difficult, you have to think here! But from my life observations, people with career growth think less and less, they seem to be turning into rentiers - so that everything itself somehow works, and I will get everything from life.

[Sergey Valov]

"the military ideology has been like this for the last decades" - unfortunately, everything is much worse. The army is a cross-section of society, and the army is like the society.

[alexoff]

I know this very well, everywhere there is approximately the same ideology of rentier-tyrants, for whom the common people pay the price.

[rosomaha]

I just had a thought...what if we test our UAVs with air-to-air missiles on Ukrainian UAVs...allocate zones for them, install (temporarily) an IFF system. Even if our UAV loses contact or something, it will fall on our territory. That way we can test the Okhotnik...We can hang 4-6 Verbas on the Orion. And use the target designation and surveillance from the radar on the balloons.
As for the mobile anti-drone groups - get the ZGU, ZPU, Shilka and ZU from the arsenals. Add thermal sights and Garmon type radars to them, 1 per group. The group should roam around the area so as to have an interaction with others and constantly cover the area of ​​responsibility, and better yet, cover it twice. Ideally, such groups should dig up the entire border. The group should consist of a small radar, 2-1 Shilkas (even on lowboys ... if the engines do not work), 2-2 ZU, 4-2 ZGU / ZPU, shooters with MANPADS, searchlights, thermal imagers, electronic warfare kit. In the future, interceptor drones. Everything is sharpened for autonomous combat with UAV groups (primarily propeller-driven, but jets too) at night, at low altitude.

[avia12005]

"The best air defense is our tanks at their airfields!"

These words are attributed to General Badanov, whose 24th Tank Corps crushed German transport planes at the Tatsinsky airfield near Stalingrad.

Air defense is defense. And wars are not won in it. No matter how much air defense is developed, the threat in the form of Ukraine and NATO will not disappear. This means that the raids will continue for a long time. And it is not known for how long.

[Scharnhorst]

Air defense is defense. And wars are not won in it. No matter how much air defense is developed, the threat in the form of Ukraine and NATO will not disappear.

Organizational structure of a SEPARATE MOTORISED RIFLE BRIGADE (on armored personnel carriers, MT-LBV-M) (staffing No. 5/060, approved by the Chief of General Staff of the RF Armed Forces in December 2008)

The brigade has a total of 4393 military personnel, but it also has a full-fledged anti-aircraft missile battalion and an anti-aircraft missile and artillery battalion. The third on the brigade staff list after the commander and deputy is the chief of air defense (lieutenant colonel). The list of his main weapons alone includes 12 9A331 combat vehicles (Tor-M1); 6 2S6M1 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (Tunguska); 36 9P516 launchers (Igla MANPADS); one 9S18M1 radar; two 35N6 radars; one 1L119 radar; one 1L219 (Zoo) electronic warfare system; R-378B (2 units) and R-330B (4 units) radio jamming stations. And this is not counting the reconnaissance and counter-battery weapons of two howitzer self-propelled artillery divisions and a rocket artillery division. With proper organization, the order of carrying out combat operations and interaction with neighboring units, army air defense units and the Aerospace Forces air defense, even migratory birds should be able to fly through such a system behind the front line with visas! But to many cooks spoils the broth... It is easier to restore order on the front line so that all sorts of plywood does not fly through it than to disperse forces throughout the European part of the Russian Federation. I think so.

[AMG]

Everything you said is good. But the thing is that there is no continuous front line now. Therefore, object air defense is not enough. Stationary objects (oil depots, warehouses, enterprises) have already been discovered by the enemy and they need to be covered. The author's presentation of information is surprising, that only now, in the third year of the war, they are concerned about creating some special units.

[senima56]

First of all, we need shells with remote detonation of 30 mm and above! "The day before yesterday" they were needed!

[Foul skeptic]

In the photo in the article, signed

Intercepting an enemy UAV with a gun

They forgot to tell the soldier that while posing, if not to keep his finger on the trigger, then at least along the trigger guard.

[to love]

"The Russian Ministry of Defense plans to continue developing air defense forces and increasing their potential in the fight against current threats."
This would all be well and good, but it requires trained personnel, primarily officers. But I have not heard anything about the restoration of "optimized" air defense universities or training centers. They have probably already been restored, but I am simply not aware of it. Just as they restored the "optimized" air defense forces with anti-aircraft missiles, aircraft, and radio-technical equipment.

[stoqn477]

Since 2022, Ukraine has regularly attempted terrorist attacks on various targets in Russia.

Ukraine has been doing for a year and a half what you have been doing for three years, but with much weaker means. And you are lucky in this. A drone is no match for a cruise missile warhead.

[Fangaro]

"The Russian Ministry of Defense plans..."
And the author of the Ministry of Defense plans is squandering them on the whole world?
Or is this just the author's "I see it this way"?

[AMG]

Yes, he is rich in imagination and not only. This time he began to comment on the information of the Izvestia publication. And as always - "sources unknown, the department does not comment." It turns out that new special forces need to be formed to protect specific objects. And everything will be fine! And for this you just need to make a list of them. And this is in the third year of military operations, after strikes on airfields, oil depots, oil refineries, the most important arsenals and enterprises. Enviable efficiency. And he writes all this without blinking an eye, diluting the text with fabrications about the organization of units, from weapons. And so from year to year. For a little over eleven years, 6200 publications, about 480 pieces a year, more than one per day without days off and holidays. Now that's productivity! And if you go through the past and ask the author, how is the Dnieper flotilla, which he also presented? Captured the islands in the Dnieper delta, helped our troops force the river? And the Bereg 130 mm self-propelled gun still fires? And smoke still billows in the steppes of Ukraine?

[dragon772]

Organizing mobile groups is a way to strengthen defense.
What is required is to identify the production of UAVs and destroy them behind enemy lines.

[Chromis]

In urban areas, the UAV is visible for only a few seconds.
Yes, we call 112 or the FSB, provide the location and approximate course, BUT!!!
Shooting down over the city itself - civilian casualties. Definitely.
What's the point of "object air defense" if machine gunners see a target right next to the protected object?
And, for example, around the same oil refinery there is an industrial zone. Where, suddenly, people also work. That is, no matter how you look at it, but if a drone entered the target area, if not it, then another one will be hit.
It is necessary to intercept not over the protected area, but to put up barriers on the possible flight path. But here again there is a BUT.
As they say, air defense has one path, but a drone has thousands.
But they fly, roughly speaking, from a known territory, so the maximum screens should be placed on the second or third line, i.e.

Again, there was news that balloons were being used as a base for repeaters, so why not take the next step and place radar/OS on them to highlight the appearance of UAVs?
Moreover, a “long-range drone” is in any case larger in size than an fpv.

[helilelik]

The main symbol of our Ministry of Defense should be a turtle. Soon there will be nothing left to protect, and they have only just begun to study current threats.... There are no words.