No losses - and no victories
Our Armed Forces over the past ten years should have received many new types of weapons. What did they get?The first decade of the new century and the new millennium of Russia is over. You can sum up the subtotals. What was done in the military-industrial sectors of the domestic industry, in military construction and in the sphere of military-technical cooperation?
Analyzing achievements and blunders, one involuntarily recalls the phrase of an unlucky teacher from the film “The Republic of ShKID”. There was a fleeting character there, a teacher of literature, as they would say now - a typical populist. He in every possible way pleased the most primitive demands of his very difficult wards, but in the end he was a fiasco and was disgraced in disgrace from the ShKID. Leaving the territory of the boarding school, he turned to the windows, from which former students looked at him with smirks, and exclaimed: “How many were meant! And systematic trips to the opera, and the free reading of Russian classics! AND…". But then the janitor, roughly cutting off the speaker, pushed him out of the gate. In our humane and democratic country, none of the victims of the fiasco in disgrace are not driven anywhere. But how much was planned by them!
The onset of the new era of 2000-s was perceived by many with undisguised hope of renewal. The Minister of Defense was also not the old general, even if from foreign intelligence, but still the general, and even the doctor of philological sciences, who knows foreign languages, is a very intelligent person, even externally. Oil prices have gone up the hill. It seemed that there would be no unsolvable tasks in the country. Go Russia!
It was announced that the real reform of the Armed Forces was beginning, and that the previously adopted State Arms Program - GPV - would be completely revised, filled with new content and, of course, new financial support. In order for the money to be spent purposefully, an experienced financier, Lyubov Kudelina, was sent from the Ministry of Finance to help the military. With arms purchases for the army, aviation и fleet in the nineties of the past century, everything really turned out to be not very successful with us. At first there was a division of a single Soviet army.
Then it seemed that Russia had got too excessive arsenals, and the industry could not order anything new at all. They did not order, and the defense industry began to rapidly deteriorate.
Then they could not work out a single and, most importantly, meaningful policy for the development of armaments. In fact, what kind of armed forces do the new Russia need? What tasks should they perform, if it was stated at the highest state level: we no longer have external enemies. President Boris Yeltsin once loudly ordered even to “unscrew” all nuclear warheads from strategic missiles so that they no longer frighten the European members of NATO and, of course, the United States. The military, however, corrected their Supreme Commander, adding that the warheads remained with the missiles, but all of them had their flight missions set to zero. And they will be introduced only when the country faces a real threat of external aggression. So, probably, our Topol, which are aimed “with a finger to the sky”, stand - the threat did not appear.
It is worth noting an interesting feature of the planning of the military budget - that in 1990-s, that in 2000-s. A certain strategic threat to Russia has disappeared, the flight missions in the Strategic Missile Forces are set to zero - there are no goals. And at the same time, the nuclear missile program remained some kind of “sacred cow”, more precisely, “telkom” - there’s no point, but the milk sucks. With unacceptably minimal expenditures on the purchase of weapons in the 1990s, the lion’s share of funds was spent on the needs of the Strategic Missile Forces. Known conflict Minister of Defense - Marshal Igor Sergeyev and the Chief of General Staff, Colonel-General Anatoly Kvashnin. There were probably many reasons for mutual misunderstanding. One of them is that the NGS tried to find out from the minister why billions of rubles - and dollars - are spent on nuclear missile programs, at a time when there is a war in Chechnya, where the army does not have normal weapons, and even the poor salary. Kvashnin was a straightforward "tanker" who took responsibility for himself, and Sergeyev was a gray-haired strategist. One demanded answers, the other diplomatically left them. Lost both.
According to normal logic, if a country is experiencing a deep crisis, then its gold reserves may be wasted as a last resort, with the general agreement of all those related to public administration. In the Armed Forces, such a reserve was, of course, the heavy nuclear missile forces of the Strategic Missile Forces and the strategic submarines of the Navy. The aviation component in the nuclear triad of Russia is insignificant, it can be disregarded.
However, in the "new Russia" for some reason, the most formidable missiles were destroyed, which could stand in the ranks with minimal funding just before 2010, or even longer.
In the Navy, the Typhoon strategic system was physically eliminated; in the Strategic Missile Forces, combat railway missile systems and most of the mine-based heavy rockets. The gold and foreign exchange rivers flowed to the light Topol, to the Bulava, to something else - in a bright candy wrapper, but dubious in content.
It is worth repeating: throughout all 1990s, the Kremlin has not yet decided what the Armed Forces are needed for - as a powerful policeman - peacekeeping - contingent or, nevertheless, to protect the country’s territory and its civilian population from external aggressions. Hence the complete uncertainty about what kind of weapons should be ordered for the army, aviation and navy. The last truly professional chief of armaments of the Ministry of Defense was Colonel-General Anatoly Sitnov. He understood what financial capabilities the military department actually possesses. And he tried to make sure that all the available money was spent only on breakthrough developments, on the purchase of what is really necessary for the Armed Forces, as they say, here and now. The main criteria for weapons fifth generation in all directions - rocket, aviation, naval, small, electronic and other. Under the leadership of Sitnov, they developed a real ten-year armament program - from 1996 to 2005. The creation of a unique system of automatic command and control of troops, ACCS, “Polet-K”, began.
Despite the fact that the weapons of the fifth generation immediately and suddenly started talking at all levels, a mere miser was allocated for its development: a good idea was subjected to elementary profanation. Work on the creation of an automated control system was thwarted, the general designer of the system was arrested and almost condemned on a false accusation. Anatoly Sitnova himself was dismissed from the Ministry of Defense - they also tried to open a criminal case against him ...
As mentioned above, the existing arms procurement program was deemed obsolete at the beginning of the 2000s. First, we adopted a revised five-year HPV for 2002-2006 years. It was safely failed and a new one was developed, already ten years ahead, with a deadline for implementation in 2015. It seemed that over the years we will do something, by the 2010-th arsenal of the Armed Forces it was planned to update almost half. The troops were to receive new bombers, fighters, various missile systems of the Ground Forces, new ammunition, new self-propelled guns, new armored vehicles, a new tank, new small arms, new ammunition, new means of communication. The Navy was to receive new strategic submarine missile carriers, new multi-purpose submarines, including non-nuclear, new frigates and corvettes. All new…
In general, ten years after the millennium, the Russian army should have appeared to the world in all its renewed splendor. After all, the flow of petrodollars did not decrease. Has passed the millennium, the fat zero have gone ... And what about the rest? Very few. And how much was planned ...
Shortly after the intelligent foreign intelligence general, who became civilian defense minister, Sergei Ivanov said that the military reform was completed and the routine work began on the construction of modern Armed Forces - which would be reasonable - he was dismissed from his post.
A new minister came from absolutely civilians, who declared that the military reform did not even begin. He will start it - Anatoly Serdyukov, with the army in no way previously connected, and therefore free from the old army prejudices. Started! And even, it seems, finished ...
Naturally, it turned out that, adopted by Ivanov, the State Armaments Program proved to be erroneous in almost all respects. A new HPO, also ten years old, from 2011 to 2020, has now been proclaimed. On it will allocate, allegedly, more than 20 trillions of rubles. However, for some reason, most of the purchases are planned after 2015. And further. Composing the new HPV, the current leadership of the military department abandoned everything that a couple of years ago seemed very promising, and even close in its performance characteristics to fifth generation weapons.
The long-suffering project of the new is closed tank - object 195. Meanwhile, this machine was developed as a multifunctional platform for the most diverse weapons of the Ground Forces. Almost all directions for the development of domestic armored vehicles are closed. Including a completely unique object - a tank support combat vehicle - BMPT. Closed "promising" BTR-90, although it was officially adopted in 2008. By the way, this armored vehicle is also a promising wheeled platform for various types of weapons. But she did not like, as they say, personally Anatoly Serdyukov, and they no longer give money for her. Closed light universal armored platform "Vodnik". Closed a new floating tank "Octopus". The USSR is the only country in the world that was armed with a floating tank PT-76. The Russian Octopus was supposed to be a continuation of the Soviet legacy. They didn’t, they recognized the project as unpromising. In every possible way, the introduction of armored SUVs of the Tiger type into the troops and the development of the deeply modernized BTR-82 began to be blocked. The large-caliber 152-mm double-barreled gun "Coalition" was closed. It could be a logical continuation of one of the best 152 mm self-propelled guns in the world - the Msta. By the way, at the international arms exhibitions, all countries producing artillery systems demonstrate just double-barreled guns of various calibers - as the most promising models. A number of areas were not formally closed, but their funding was cut, and they hung - neither alive nor dead.
However, the most financially costly projects, although returns did not give, but did not experience a lack of funds. A succession went unsuccessful tests of sea-based missiles "Bulava". Sea trials of an atomic submarine of the Borey type built for this rocket began. Launched a multipurpose atomic submarine of the "Ash" type. In the Baltic test diesel "St. Petersburg". This submarine was conceived as a breakthrough, but it turned out to be a simple "dizelukha". And although its creators claim that the boats of this project are almost the best in the world, the command of the Navy carefully probes the possibility of purchasing non-nuclear submarines ... in Germany.
Several new ships, albeit small ones, such as boats and frigates, were commissioned in the Navy. They cannot influence the increase in the combat power of the fleet, but nevertheless these are really new projects. A unique missile system has been developed that can be placed in standard sea containers, called the "CLUB". This is really a breakthrough in the creation of mobile rocket complexes. It would seem that such an inexpensive, but very effective complex - the green light in the new HPV, but the command of the Navy did not show increased interest in them.
Lightweight "Topol", finally, brought to a universal state. The new rocket can be put both on the wheeled platform and in the mines. Appeared multi-headed "Yars". He has few separated heads - three or four, but still it is a step forward compared to the monoblock Topol. Designed and began to be tested in the air fighter of the fifth generation - PAK FA. In the Air Force, he must enter again after the 2015-th, and even then, if India helps.
However, a real breakthrough happened where in 2000 it was not supposed to. Russian armed forces have begun mass purchases of expensive weapons abroad.
In Israel, unmanned vehicles purchased along with the technology of their production. Two Mistral-type amphibious assault ships were ordered in France, and the FELIN combat ammunition test batches. In Italy, the Iveco-type armored car assembly plant was bought: Italian foreign cars are planning to be almost the most popular in the national army. An assembly production of Italian multi-purpose helicopters Agusta Westland is being built near Moscow. For all these import orders in the military budget allocated billions of euros.
In the army itself, orgshtatnye activities completed. Divisions are reformatted in brigades. Instead of many military districts, four operational-strategic directions were formed. They called them without further ado, on the cardinal points - East, North, West and South.
In one review, it is impossible to summarize the past decade. However, it is clear that our society again froze in some kind of expectation. We seem to have entered a new starting line, finally determined, and if we make a powerful jerk, then - Russia, go ahead! There will be no unsolvable tasks for us, but in 2020 ...
In the landmark 2000, we believed in the miracle of the coming spurt. We believe once again, we still have hope.
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