Modern anti-guerrilla aircraft. Part 2
The global war on "international terrorism" that began in the 21st century has greatly fueled interest in light "counter-insurgency" attack aircraft. Many countries have begun work on creating new and adapting existing training, light transport and agricultural aircraft for strike purposes.
One of the most interesting vehicles of this designation is the currently undergoing South African light reconnaissance-strike combat aircraft - AHRLAC (Advanced High Performance Reconaissance Light Aircraft).
AHRLAC reconnaissance and strike aircraft
This two-seater aircraft is 10,5 m long and has a wingspan of 12 m and is powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66 turboprop engine producing 950 hp. The distinctive feature of this high-wing aircraft is its forked tail and a pusher propeller, which is located at the rear of the fuselage.
With a takeoff weight of about 4000 kg, the planned combat load weight placed on six suspension nodes should be more than 800 kg. A 20-mm cannon is used as a built-in weapon. The lower part of the aircraft's fuselage is designed as a "conformal container" for placing quickly replaceable versions of various equipment.
With a full combat load, the aircraft should have a takeoff distance of 550 m. The maximum speed of the aircraft will be about 500 km/h, the ceiling - 9500 m, and the flight range - 2100 km with a full internal fuel supply (it is also possible to use two external tanks). The duration of patrol in the air should reach 7,5 - 10 hours.
The AHRLAC is a vehicle of the increasingly popular "manned UAV" concept and is designed to solve a wide range of tasks of reconnaissance, surveillance, patrolling, and striking ground targets in the context of counterinsurgency warfare. This concept involves the creation of a light attack aircraft, the cost of operation of which is comparable to the cost of operation of a drones middle class. At the same time, the time of patrolling in the air and the capabilities of reconnaissance, surveillance and remote data transmission equipment should be appropriate or even better than that of unmanned aerial vehicles.
A characteristic feature of counterinsurgency aircraft created recently is the installation of navigation, search and reconnaissance and communications equipment on them, allowing them to operate at any time of day and night, as well as broadcast video images received from cameras in real time. In terms of weapons, the emphasis has begun to be placed on guided high-precision munitions.
The Cessna AC-208 Combat Caravan, a light counterinsurgency aircraft developed by Alliant Techsystems, fully meets these qualities. The aircraft was developed under a contract with the US government to re-equip the Iraqi Air Force. It is based on the single-engine turboprop general-purpose aircraft Cessna 208 Grand Caravan.
Cessna AC-208 Combat Caravan
Avionics of this aircraft allows you to perform tasks of specific optoelectronic aerial reconnaissance and use high-precision aviation means of destruction. It includes: a small-sized digital computing device, an optoelectronic system (a color early warning camera, an infrared camera, a laser range finder and a laser target designator), an 18-inch tactical situation indicator, color LCD displays, data transmission line equipment for ground command posts, VHF radio station, etc.
The aircraft with a takeoff weight of 3 kg is equipped with an economical Pratt & Whitney Canada PT629A-6A turboprop engine with a power of 114 hp. Patrol time in the air is about 675 hours. Maximum speed is about 4,5 km/h. Operation from unpaved runways of at least 350 meters is possible.
This aircraft, which has been in operation since 2009, implements the concept of an airborne command and reconnaissance post with the ability to carry out independent high-precision strikes if necessary. weapons.
Two types of weapons are used as weapons. missiles AGM-114M/K Hellfire air-to-ground missiles are mounted on underwing pylons. The cockpit is equipped with ballistic panels to protect the crew from small arms fire. Iraqi officials say the guided weapons are needed to prevent collateral damage during airstrikes against insurgents.
In 2009, the AT-802U light attack aircraft was presented at the Paris Air Show. The aircraft was created on the basis of the American two-seat agricultural aircraft AT-802 Air Tractor, produced since 1993. With a takeoff weight of 7257 kg, the aircraft develops a speed of up to 370 km/h. The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67F engine with a capacity of 1600 hp. The total capacity of the fuel system provides the ability to patrol for over 10 hours.
AT-802U
It differs from the basic version of the AT-802U by armoring the engine and the pilot's cockpit, a protected fuel tank and a reinforced fuselage and wings design. The AT-802U armament and special equipment complex was designed and installed by IOMAX specialists (Muresville, North Carolina).
Under the wing there are six suspension assemblies for weapon placement. Suspension of NAR and bombs weighing up to 500 pounds (226 kg) is possible. Containers with GAU-19 / A "Gatling" caliber 12,7-mm are used as machine gun armament. The total weight of weapons can reach 4000 kg.
To employ air-to-ground laser-guided missiles such as the AGM-114M Hellfire II and DAGR (Direct Attack Guided Rocket), the aircraft is equipped with the AN/AAQ 33 Sniper-XR optoelectronic sighting system from Lockheed Martin, operating in the visible and IR ranges. The system will allow the crew to search, detect, recognize and automatically track ground (surface) targets at ranges of 15-20 km in any weather conditions and time of day, their laser illumination and guidance of guided aircraft weapons.
The aircraft is equipped with a secure communications link that allows for real-time image transmission. The aircraft is equipped with a missile launch warning system with automatic release of "heat traps" and AAR-47/ALE-47 electronic countermeasures.
The Air Tractor AT-802U aircraft successfully passed field trials in Colombia, operating against local left insurgents and cocaine drug barons. Under the 2009 contract of the year, 24 vehicles were delivered to the UAE and six more Air Tractor AT-802U as an observation aircraft must be delivered to Jordan. The governments of Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen are also showing interest in this car.
The American company IOMAX, which previously developed the weapons system for the Air Tractor AT-802U reconnaissance and attack aircraft, is currently working on creating a similar reconnaissance and attack aircraft based on the Thrush 710 aircraft from Thrush Aircraft, a manufacturer of agricultural aircraft from Albany, Georgia, which competes with Air Tractor. The combat aircraft developed on the basis of the Thrush 710 received the designation Archangel (Block 3) Border Patrol Aircraft (BPA), and has been developed by IOMAX since November 2012.
Аrchangel BPA
The Air Tractor AT-802 and Thrush 710 are variants of virtually the same aircraft, designed by Leland Snow in the 1950s, the appearance and characteristics of both machines are very close. The Thrush 710 has a slightly higher (by 35 km/h) speed at altitude, and provides a slightly better ratio of the weight of weapons and fuel supply. The Archangel with a takeoff weight of 6715 kg has a cruising speed of 324 km/h at a range of 2500 km.
The aircraft can carry up to 12 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, up to 16 70mm Cirit laser-guided rockets, and up to six Paveway II/III/IV or JDAM guided missiles on its six underwing hardpoints.
The Archangel BPA is equipped with a container with an electron-optical turret manufactured by FLIR Systems, an electronic intelligence system and a synthetic aperture radar. A double cabin with a tandem crew arrangement is equipped with three 6-inch color multifunction indicators for the pilot in the front cabin, and one 6-inch and one 12-inch indicators (for surveillance and targeting systems) indicators for the operator in the rear cabin. The cabin has dual controls.
Unlike the AT-802U, which is more intended for close air support and counter-insurgency missions using unguided weapons, the Archangel is designed as a platform for reconnaissance, monitoring, and the use of precision-guided munitions at altitudes of 3000 to 6000 meters and at ranges of 3 to 10 km from the target. The aircraft's creators believe that the survival rate of slow-moving aircraft such as the Air Tractor in typical close air support missions using "close combat weapons" against modern MANPADS and radar-guided anti-aircraft systems is very low. Therefore, when engaging targets with the Archangel, the emphasis is on the "remote" use of guided precision munitions, outside the effective range of anti-aircraft fire.
Currently, Archangel Block 3 Border Patrol Aircraft are participating in a competition announced by the Philippine government to replace the aging Rockwell OV-10 Bronco counterinsurgency aircraft. The Philippines intends to purchase six close air support aircraft for a total of US$114 million. The Archangel's competitors include the Brazilian Super Tucano attack aircraft, the American Beechcraft AT-6 Texan II and the Swiss Pilatus PC-21.
The Archangel can carry more weapons on its external hardpoints than any competitor. The cost of the aircraft is approximately $8 million, which is significantly less than the Super Tucano ($12-13 million).
The light turbojet combat aircraft "Scorpion", currently undergoing testing in the USA, has a clearly expressed "counterinsurgency" focus.
Light turbojet combat aircraft "Scorpion"
According to the company - developer Textron AirLand, the new aircraft is designed for use in local conflicts, border security, in the field of maritime patrols, in the fight against drugs.
The Scorpion has a reconfigurable internal bay that can be used to accommodate weapons, sensors, or additional fuel. The bay has a volume to accommodate a payload of 1362 kg. The aircraft has six underwing mounts for hanging weapons or fuel tanks with a total weight of about 3000 kg. The maximum takeoff weight of the aircraft will be 9600 kg, the range of 4440 km. The aircraft's power plant consists of two Honeywell TFE731 turbofan engines with a total thrust of about 835,6 kN.
If a buyer is found, the aircraft can enter mass production as early as 2015.
By the "anti-insurgency" can be fully attributed consisting in service in the US "ganships" AC-130, armed with 25-mm, 40-mm and 105-mm guns.
AC-130
Another armed aircraft based on the C-130 “Hercules” was the special operations support aircraft MC-130W Combat Spear.
MC-130W Combat Spear
Four squadrons equipped with the MS-130 are used for deep raids into enemy territory to deliver or receive personnel and cargo during special operations.
Depending on the task being performed, the Bushmaster 30-mm gun and Hellfire missiles can be installed on it.
Recently, there has been a trend towards creating “counter-insurgency” vehicles based on medium, light military transport and multi-purpose aircraft by installing quickly assembled modules on them with artillery weapons, suspension units for high-precision light munitions and corresponding reconnaissance and guidance equipment.
A striking example of the interest in such machines is the MC-27J shown at the Farnborough air show. It is based on the military transport C-27J Spartan.
MC-27J
The "main caliber" of this armed aircraft is the 30-mm automatic cannon "ATK GAU-23", which is a modification of the "Mk 44 Bushmaster" cannon.
The artillery system is mounted in the cargo cabin of the aircraft. The fire is carried out of the cargo door on the left side.
The pages of "Military Review" have repeatedly expressed the opinion that manned "counter-guerrilla" aviation has no future and that light attack aircraft and "gunships" will soon be replaced by drones and faster and better protected attack aircraft. However, in practice, the exact opposite is observed.
Thus, in the US, the last remaining "classic" A-10 "Thunderbolt-2" attack aircraft are planned to be decommissioned soon. The bet on armed "medium class" drones such as the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper has not fully justified itself.
The unconditional advantages of UAVs are lower operating costs and the absence of the risk of death or capture of the pilot in the event of a shootdown. At the same time, losses of UAVs in combat areas turned out to be quite significant. According to the US military, as of 2010, more than 70 MQ-1/RQ-1 Predators were lost. In the same 2010, each Predator cost the US Department of Defense $4,03 million. That is, the funds saved on relatively low operating costs were largely used to purchase new UAVs to replace those lost.
Attack drones capable of patrolling for long periods of time have proven to be a very successful tool for eliminating al-Qaeda leaders, but the small complement of weapons on board (two AGM-114 Hellfires) does not allow destroying multiple targets or hampering enemy actions. In addition, these missiles, due to the insufficient mass of the warhead, are ineffective against caves and strong capital structures. The communication and data transmission lines of American UAVs have proven vulnerable to interference and interception of transmitted information. The inability of attack drones to perform sharp anti-aircraft maneuvers if necessary and the maximum lightweight design makes them very vulnerable even in the event of minor damage.
An important factor is the greater carrying capacity of light attack aircraft compared to UAVs; only the RQ-4 Global Hawk strategic reconnaissance drone surpasses them in this indicator. In terms of the service life and durability of the airframe, flexibility of use and resistance to combat damage, manned aircraft are still significantly superior to unmanned aircraft.
Modern UAVs, their onboard equipment, control centers and software are considered “critical technologies” that the US is extremely reluctant to share. Therefore, it is easier for the Americans to supply their allies in the “anti-terrorist war” with light “counter-guerrilla” attack aircraft, which can use a wider range of aviation weapons than UAVs.
Sources:
http://www.militaryparitet.com
http://www.cofe.ru/avia
http://www.ahrlac.com/
Information