military parade 2

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F I R S T L I N E

1 9 9 4 M A R C H C A P R I LM I L I T A R Y P A R A D E

AB001

have in front of you the second issue of our magazine onRussian defense equipment. Much has been written about it, information collected and moneymade by so doing. However, it has been done by anyone, but us. Not our country and, aboveall, not those who created this technology.

Today, as before, there is very keen interest in the Russian defense industry. You will findmany visitors from abroad in our design offices and defense enterprises. They buy little, tend-ing rather to concentrate on obtaining technical data and information about new models. Someforeign publishers closely connected with the military-industrial complex in the West are alsoquite active. This curiosity is easy to understand: competition on the world arms market is veryhigh and weaponry is expensive. So collecting information in good time about promising pro-jects and finding out which models are to be shown at exhibitions can be used to reduce acompetitor's chances. The arms market demands a very careful approach. And it is accessibleto us, without a doubt. For many of our models are superior to the goods offered by our com-petitors. Our magazine can assist in promoting Russian equipment on the world market.

Trade, like everything else, has its own strict laws. One of these is the unquestionable needto advertise goods, services and opportunities. So we address our invitation to cooperate, firstand foremost, to Russian heads of the defense industry, creators and producers of militaryequipment and dual-purpose high technologies. You were known in the past too, of course,mainly to special services in the West. Today you and your offers should be heard by militaryand business circles the world over. Russia has only recently begun to trade in arms as an ordi-nary commodity. Here high-quality, professionally designed and printed advertisement of yourproduce and proposals can be a guarantee of success. This is why we prepare our magazinein Moscow and print it at one of the world's top printing bases in Italy. The world is used to highquality in advertising and magazines. It's the norm. And if we were to try to sell a piece of mil-itary equipment costing, say, ten million dollars with the help of an advertising prospectus print-ed in black and white on newspaper-quality paper, any potential client might think that thequality of what we are selling is the same as that of the prospectus. Particularly if they were notalready familiar with our produce.

At the same time we are also addressing ourselves to foreign business circles, companiesand banks. Our magazine is distributed widely in the CIS among enterprises of the military-industrial complex. It provides an ideal opportunity to tell Russian producers about your firmsand cooperation offers. Our magazine is a commercial publication and we shall be happy toplace your advertisement on its pages.

Our offers are also intended for manufacturers of civilian produce. In Russia and othercountries of the Commonwealth of Independent States military production is being reduced andan extensive program of the conversion of defense enterprises to civilian production is beingcarried out. Foreign business circles could undoubtedly find some interesting partners here.

To give readers a fuller idea of the possibilities of our defense complex we are planningshortly to publish special supplements of ten to twenty pages devoted to enterprises manu-facturing arms and military equipment according to regions and primarily those regions wheremilitary production has been concentrated historically: Tula, Nizhni Novgorod, St. Petersburgand the Urals. Timely information about exhibitions on weaponry and conversion in the regionscould be helpful in both attracting attention to the exhibitions and to the region's potential.

We see interesting possibilities for improving our magazine further. We shall do our utmost

to make it better, more informative and promotional. With your help, of course. (

E D I T O R I A L

YOU

Nikolay SpasskiDeputy Editor-in-Chief

of “Military Parade”

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F I R S T L I N E


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Oleg SoskovetsFirst deputy chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation

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В О Е Н Н Ы Й П А Р А Д


AB002

Dear readers,

Wishing you success and prosperity!

The present age is characterized by major positive changes aimed

at strengthening the peace and security of nations. There has been

a significant decrease in the level of military-strategic confronta-

tion, and mutual understanding and trust have grown between

peoples and states. For the first time in the history of mankind the

tendency to reduce offensive weapons has begun to be imple-

mented in practice. These processes enable Russia to share its

achievements in the military-technical defense sector.

Today the Russian Federation possesses the most up-to-date

defense systems, which it is ready to supply to interested coun-

tries. These systems have been and continue to be developed by

the finest minds in the nation, scientists and designers whose

names are known world-wide. The weaponry they have created can

ensure any state's security and sovereignty. In its military charac-

teristics it ranks with the weaponry and military technology of the

leading companies in the world, and even excels them. Russian

weaponry can operate successfully in all climatic conditions.

When it organizes military-technical, cooperation with foreign

countries, Russia proceeds from the need to balance its military-

political and economic interests. Supporting as it does a policy of

openness with regard to the supply of military technology and

weaponry, Russia provides annual data for the United Nations

international register. It also adheres strictly to international agree-

ments on the non-proliferation and reduction of certain types of

weapons. This applies to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons

and missile technology, and also to its compliance with UN sanc-

tions on the supply of conventional weapons to certain countries,

including "trouble spots". Consequently the establishment of strict

state control over the export of Russian arms and military technol-

ogy is an objective goal today.

In accordance with recent Decree issued by the President of the

Russian Federation, the exclusive right to sell Russian weaponry on

the international market has been granted to the State Corporation

ROSVOOROUZHENIE.

Created out of three foreign trade associations OBORONEXPORT,

SPETSVNESHTEKHNIKA and the General Department for

Cooperation (GUSK), the new state corporation has inherited their

rights and obligations, as well as their finest traditions. These tra-

ditions are reflected in ROSVOOROUZHENIE's motto "Partnership

in Confidence".

Our readers will most probably be interested to hear that the cre-

ation of ROSVOOROUZHENIE guarantees the consolidation of the

state monopoly on the export and import of weaponry and military

technology. I should like to add that weaponry is not only a strate-

gic commodity, but also Russia's national property and the fruit of

its advanced technology. We consider arms sales political and

commercial. Consequently this important and, I would add, deli-

cate sphere of the Russian state's foreign trade will henceforth

come under the direct control of the President and Government of

Russia.

The State Corporation ROSVOOROUZHENIE is taking its first, albeit

fairly confident steps. May I express the hope that it will now quick-

en its pace along the complex path of military-technological coop-

eration with foreign countries. May each new step by the State

Corporation augment Russia's wealth and military might and well-

being of its citizens.

he new year had hardly begun, beforepeople were talking about a new"Russian miracle". This time the surprisein the form of the super-new Su-34 front-line bomber was presented by theSukhoy Moscow Special Design Bureau. Ishall not list all the bomber's merits, ofwhich there are many, believe me. But toput it in a nutshell, there is today noother aircraft in this class which couldsurpass the Su-34.

As we can see, the rumors about thetotal collapse of the Russian military

industrial complex and its lack of scientific and tech-nological prospects have proved yet again to be some-what exaggerated. However, it must be confessed,that they were based on some rather serious prob-lems, with which Russia's defense industry has beenconfronted recently.

The end of military-political confrontation, theopposition of blocks, has meant the beginning oflarge-scale structural changes in the industry of theworld's leading countries, irrespective of their politicalhue. In the last two or three years there has been adrop in the level of the militarization of the economypractically everywhere. But perhaps only in Russia hasthis process assumed such a drastic nature.

In 1993 the volume of production of armaments and

military equipment in Russia was only 47.8% of that for1991. In that period aircraft and helicopter productiondropped 3.8 times, armored materiel more than 5times, ammunition 4.5 times, and the share of militaryproduction in the electronics industry 5.4 times. TodayRussia spends only 23% of its defense budget on pur-chasing arms, whereas in past years this item account-ed for 70% of budget funds. By comparison, in theUnited States the reduction of expenditure on pur-chasing arms and military equipment is only 5% - 6%per annum.

Thus, the Russian rates of reducing expenditure onarms production are several times higher than theAmerican ones. Even for a country with a fairly stableeconomy such upheavals would be bound to makethemselves felt. All the more so in Russia during thistransitional period of deep economic crisis.

At the end of 1993 the state debt to the defenseindustry for manufactured technology and completedresearch and development work was around one tril-lion roubles. This exacerbated even more the positionof our enterprises and their personnel, whose salariesremained 1.6 times lower than those in civilian branch-es of industry. This resulted in a permanent exodus ofhighly qualified staff, which at the end of 1993amounted to around 30% of the overall total.

This is by no means a full list of the highly complexeconomic problems facing the Russian Federation's

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F I R S T L I N E


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RUSSIAN MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX:

A VIEW FROM THE INSIDE

State Committee on the Defense Sectors of Industry.We realize that in the new conditions the military-industrial complex needs serious reform. The domesticarms market has shrunk considerably, making the pro-duction of certain types of armaments and militarytechnology unprofitable.

Russia's new military doctrine has a clearlyexpressed defensive nature. With respect to militaryproduction, it envisages the creation of an optimalsystem of armaments, which will ensure the country'ssecurity. In other words, fewer armaments will be pro-duced in terms of classification and quantity. Thismeans that Russia's military-industrial complex willhave to lose its "surplus weight" and we are preparingfor this. Not more than 500 enterprises (out of 2,000),which hold key positions in the development of militarytechnology, are to remain in state ownership. They willform the nucleus of Russia's future defense potential.The rest wilt be privatized both with the participation ofthe state as a shareholder and without. By the end of1993 the number of privatized enterprises in defensesectors of industry was getting on for 500. This yearanother thousand will be added to them. Some of themwill be utilized for the production of components ofmilitary equipment on a contractual basis. But most ofthem will be totally reorganized for the manufacture ofcivilian products. They have good technologies, equip-ment and qualified personnel, yet the nature of manydefense enterprises makes it difficult for them toswitch over quickly to the manufacture of civilian prod-ucts, which are in demand both on the home and for-eign markets. For the reasons outlined above, most ofour enterprises unfortunately have neither the time northe money. And the state should bear not only themoral, but also the material responsibility for makingsure that the reform of the military-industrial complexis effective, and that its research institutes, designbureaus and plants become the driving force of theRussian economy.

This is a question, first and foremost, of state cred-

its, without which the implementation of the 14 feder-al conversion programs (ecology, transport, medicine,communications, etc.) would be impossible. I am con-fident that investments in the defense industry will beprofitable. We possess unique technologies, whichhave aroused great interest abroad as well. They referto new materials, means of transport, and medicalinstruments and equipment. In June some of them willbe on view at our exhibition in Seoul.

The Russian military-industrial complex can financeits reform itself, and here too I should like to say a fewwords about the export of Russian military technology.The world arms market exists, as long as there is ademand for arms. And the winner is the one who makesbetter and cheaper arms than the rest. I can say con-fidently that on the basis of these criteria Russia'schances are pretty high and we intend to win a worthyplace on this tough market. At the beginning I men-tioned the Su-34 frontline bomber. I can add that inthe sphere of aviation technology alone we are readyto offer the Su-27, MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighters, the A-40 "Albatros" amphibian aircraft, and the Ka-50 andMi-28 combat helicopters. In firing range and projec-tile power the "Smerch" multiple launch rocket systemhas no equal. At firing displays in Abu Dhabi 63 of the64 shells fired by it hit the target. The specialists werealso most impressed by our T-80 tank, the armoredBMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle, the "Tochka-U" tacti-cal missile and the S-300PMU and "Tor" air defensesystems.

This is only a small part of the list of high-technol-ogy military produce, which we could offer on theworld arms market. But in returning to it Russia doesnot want to make use of the dubious methods that arebeing wrongly attributed to her. Observing the stan-dards of the world community, our country will at thesame time take all the necessary steps, includingthose at governmental level, to protect its own armsproducers. ((

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AB003

Victor Glukhikh,Chairman of the State Committee on the Defense Sectors of Industry of the Russian Federation

ilitary-technical cooperation of the RussianFederation with foreign countries implies inter-state relations in the supply or sale of military pro-duce, provision of services and investments in thisdomain. Russia's military-technical cooperationis, as that of most countries, subject to statemonopoly.

Military-technical cooperation aims to ensureRussia's national security, economic, military andpolitical interests via the receipt of hard currencyfor state needs and the proper maintenance of itsdefense potential.

Military-technical cooperation comprisesdelivery to foreign countries of arms, combatequipment and technologies, as well as the provi-sion of military-technical services. This coopera-tion is carried out by the state authorities in

accordance with decisions adopted by the President of the RussianFederation in the framework of corresponding decrees, directives, andinstructions.

One criterion determines the necessity and nature of military-tech-nical cooperation with specified foreign countries: the attainment ofprofits for Russia, conformity of such cooperation to its national inter-ests in the political, economic and military spheres as well as consoli-dation of its national security.

For several decades military-technical cooperation with foreigncountries was carried out by special state organizations. The GeneralEngineering Department (GED), attached to the Ministry of Domesticand Foreign Trade, was set up in the former USSR in 1953. The GEDexported arms and combat equipment. It comprised specialized divi-sions, which settled a whole range of tasks related to military-techni-cal cooperation, including the preparation and implementation of gov-ernmental directives, intergovernmental agreements and contracts todeliver special equipment. They also carried out market research,ensured the delivery of special equipment and its transportation in thecountry and abroad, helped clients master and maintain this specialequipment, arranged payments with foreign customers and so on.

As the volume of work in the field of military-technical cooperationincreased, the GED set up a General Technical Department (1968) andGeneral Department for Cooperation (1988). These organizationsestablished solid, traditional ties with local developers, manufacturersof arms and combat equipment and foreign partners. They created avast, effective network of representative offices abroad, which helpedprocure reliable information on the needs of foreign customers, pro-mote our arms and combat equipment on their markets, and undertake

scheduled sales of this equipment as part of intergovernmental agree-ments.

These organizations ensured the implementation of a whole rangeof tasks of military-technical cooperation with foreign countries. Thestrict division of their responsibilities allowed customers to settle theirproblems on time and reliably.

Exports of arms and military technology involve the employment ofproduction and intellectual capacities and consolidate the stance andinterests of the Russian Federation on the international arena. Theycreated and continue to create favorable conditions for development oftrade and economic relations. These exports constitute a reliable andeffective source of hard currency. On average, the former USSRearned two US dollars for every rouble spent on military-technicalcooperation programs during the period 1981-1990. It should benoted here that a considerable share of these programs was carriedout for free or on terms of credit. These credits have stilt not beenrepaid. Default payments for previously delivered special equipment toIraq and Libya were caused in part by UN sanctions against thesecountries. Libya and Iraq amount for 20% of total hard currency pro-ceeds. In 1990-1992 direct economic losses sustained by Russiaowing to the stoppage of arms deliveries to these countries amountedto $10 billion. Russia did not receive adequate compensation from theworld community.

In 1991-1992, the special foreign trade organizations attached tothe Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations (MFER) underwent restruc-turing during a worsening crisis of the military sector, caused by thebreak-up of the Warsaw Treaty Organization. Owing to these factors,coupled with a curbing in state financing, the state company"Spetsvneshtechnika", organized from the General TechnicalDepartment of the MFER, and the General Department for Cooperationof the MFER failed to discharge their previous duties and began totackle problems, falling within the jurisdiction of the foreign trade asso-ciation "Oboronexport", which in its turn began to discharge duties ofthe former GED.

Owing to ineffective coordination of these three organizations'activity by the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations of Russia,unnecessary competition emerged among these special organizationsexporting weapons on the international market. This caused economicdamage to Russia, as such "competition" brought export prices downand disoriented manufacturers and foreign customers. The lack of asolid legal base and appropriate mechanism for ensuring the coopera-tion of all Russian organizations in the military-technical sector hadserious negative consequences.

The state organizations of foreign countries interested in buyingour arms often wondered: "Who in Russia is authorized to negotiate

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F I R S T L I N E


AB004

MILITARY-TECHNICAL COOPERATION OF RUSSIA WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES:

TODAY AND TOMORROW

arms sales?" They were at a loss when "businessmen", people'sdeputies, entrepreneurs and representatives of various regional foreigntrade organizations, who had no experience in this domain, burst onthe arms market.

Their surprise was genuine, as all competent foreign customersrealized that arms sales should remain the state's prerogative, provid-ing proper guarantees and control.

This competition between Russian organizations developed, as thebattle between leading foreign arms-exporters intensified. Mostpromises and assurances by western politicians, who voiced their sup-port of the reforms in Russia via the restructuring and stabilization ofits economy, formulated in writing by the "G-7", International MonetaryFund, the World Bank and the European Bank of Cooperation, and inbilateral treaties between Russia and a number of foreign countries,not to mention other documents, were in fact mere declarations, whichwere not backed up by practical acts. Credits are often conditioned byterms, which are totally unacceptable in terms of relations betweenequal partners. Overt attempts are being made to impede Russia'spenetration of international weapons markets and undermine the com-petitive capacity of our exports.

At the same time, some Western governmental, military and busi-ness circles pursue a coordinated policy aimed at blocking Russia'spenetration onto new arms markets and actively hampering our activi-ties to safeguard Russia's position in its traditional regions.

Unfortunately, recent measures in this direction were fairly suc-cessful. During the past three years the USA more than doubled itsarms sales and now amounts for at least half the world arms sales. In1993 Great Britain ranked first among European countries in terms ofarms sales.

The results of Persian Gulf War were used for launching an effec-tive propaganda campaign aimed at discrediting Russian arms andattempting to portray the superiority of American arms. At the sametime, they hushed over the fact that it took 6 AD "Patriot" missiles todestroy one Iraqi "Scad" tactical missile, while Russia's similar defen-sive system, for instance, the S-300PMU or S-300V could havedestroyed the "Scad" missiles with its first missile, during the repulsionof a massive enemy assault rather than a single attack. Such propa-ganda quickly yielded results: whereas in 1989 Russia enjoyed paritywith America in arms trade, in 1992 it was pushed back to rank 6thamong Western exporters.

The emergence of new organizations and enterprises, whichenjoyed their right to trade arms on the international markets, wors-ened the situation and sharply hampered the state's prerogative in thisspecific domain, as it clearly led to:

- a loss of effective state control over arms deliveries to foreigncountries. Consequently, our own weaponry could have appeared inhot-spots in the CIS, as well as in countries facing economic sanctionsimposed by the world community and supported by Russia. This couldhave led to accusations from the international organizations like theUN, CSCE and others that Russia was involved in arms contraband;

- a drop in stable prices of our arms and combat equipment. Thisled to a decline in hard currency proceeds from arms exports;

- the unauthorized transfer of state-of-the-art technology used todevelop and produce arms, when developers and manufacturers wereallowed access to the arms markets;

- damage to Russia's reputation as a reliable and honest partner inthe domain of military-technical cooperation. Naturally, to gain theupper hand in the competition, Russia's arms exporters had to displaymore flexibility, smartness, fastidiousness and, most of all, competi-tiveness and unity actions. Obviously, a clear-cut state concept of armsexports should ensure the priority of national goals. The first step inthis direction has been taken.

In November 1993, the President of the Russian Federation issued

a decree to set up ROSVOOROUZHENIE, a state corporation to exportand import arms and combat equipment. This was done to enhance theeffectiveness of military-technical cooperation with foreign countriesand guarantee the state monopoly of exports and imports of arms andcombat equipment. ROSVOOROUZHENIE is successor to Russia's stateforeign trade association OBORONEXPORT, the state foreign tradecompany SPETSVNESHTEKHNIKA and the General Department forCooperation. ROSVOOROUZHENIE is a state-owned corporation, act-ing under the direct authority of the Government of Russia. This decreeeliminates the aforementioned shortcomings, including unscrupulouscompetition among Russian exporters. The corporation has set itselfthe following tasks:

- to export and import all types of arms, combat equipment, logis-tic equipment and dual-purpose equipment and technology;

- to create infrastructural facilities, provide material and technicalsupplies, and perform technical maintenance of the arms and combatequipment abroad throughout their service life;

- to determine contract prices on exported arms and services aspart of military-technical cooperation;

- to invest in enterprises and research organizations to developand manufacture competitive weapon systems, and tackle other tasks.

Some state functions of management and control of military-tech-nical cooperation, previously discharged by the Ministry of ForeignEconomic Relations, will be delegated to the corporation.

Military-technical cooperation between Russia and foreign coun-tries is impossible without the state's support. The most importantsteps are now being discussed. The experience of Russian enterprisesin the domain of the military-technical cooperation with foreign coun-tries over the past two years has revealed the impracticability ofattempts to sell at a profit arms and combat equipment on foreign mar-kets without competent personnel, research into arms markets, adeveloped infrastructure abroad, and a number of other provisions.

Most large local manufacturers of military produce now realize thisfact and prefer the services offered by specialized organizations, asthey believe them to be experienced and reliable partners. The eco-nomic interest of manufacturers comes first, if only because theyreceive virtually all the export proceeds.

Consequently, the centralization of exports of arms and combatequipment in one state corporation ROSVOOROUZHENIE has createdthe requisite conditions to implement the concept of the state monop-oly on exports and imports of arms and combat equipment. This is aflexible concept. It promotes adaptation to market economy's manage-ment and effective coordination of Russia's participants in military-technical cooperation, primarily of the leading developers and manu-facturers. This comprises all operations, from the organization of exhi-bitions of military systems to the receipt of corresponding profits afterthe sale of these systems, while giving priority to state interests overprivate ones.

The mechanism for such cooperation, which was partially tested bysome exporters, has been created in the form of coordination andsupervision councils, including a specialization section attached toROSVOOROUZHENIE. The participation of all these bodies in the devel-opment and implementation of current and future expert programs inthe sphere of military-technical cooperation is envisaged.

Naturally, the practical experience of this new corporation willprompt rational ways to its further development aimed at creatingfinancial and industrial groups, including the establishment of filialsand branches.

All we need is the good will of Russia's participants in military-technical cooperation. We must all bear in mind the projected increasein exports and services, including the discovery of new markets andsupport of traditional ones.

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AB004

VICTOR SAMOILOVDirector General of ROSVOOROUZHENIE State Corporation

t is interesting to notethat throughout its 78-year-long history, NizhniNovgorod TelevisionPlant has never kept alow profile, despite thefact that nearly 80% ofthe hardware it producedwas ordered by the mili-tary. Contrary to usualprocedures, this enter-prise always had fairlyfamous names. Thenames changed, as did

production. Whereas in Spring1917, the Electrotechnical Works

(the plant's first name) commem-orated its birthday by producingmilitary field and outpost tele-phone versions for the warringarmy, now the plant specializes inthe production of unique meter-wave radar sets.

The latest novelties, the radarsets, types 55Zh6-1 and 1L13-3,were shown twice, in 1992 and1993, at Nizhni NovgorodInternational Fair and atMOSAEROSHOW exhibition inMoscow. They attracted the inter-est of experts at the recent exhi-bition of weaponry in Abu-Dhabi.

Times have changed and now theplant can openly demonstrate itsweaponry and offer it for sale.

Now, let us consider thespecifics of the radars, whichimpressed the specialists, bothRussian and foreign, and ledthem to be frequent guests at theplant ever since.

The 55Zh6-1 is a high tech,ground-based, three-coordinatecircular scanner set operating inthe meter-wave band. It detectscurrent (and future) airplanes,helicopters, cruise missiles, bal-loons and other air objects in the

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" T H E I N V I S I B L E "B E C O M E S V I S I B L E

$ I g o r Y a t s e n k o $

I

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E X C L U S I V E S


AB005

The radar boasts one principal plus: its ability to function in the meter-wave bandmakes it invulnerable to homing and anti-radar missiles effective in other wave-bands. Secondly, the radar can detect so-called "invisible" aircraft, includingSTEALTH technology planes.

Diagram depicting the operation of 55Zh6-1 and 1L13-3 meter-wave radar

face of the most intensive clutterand electronic countermeasures.

The radar boasts one princi-pal plus: its ability to function inthe meter-wave band makes itinvulnerable to homing and anti-radar missiles effective in otherwavebands. Secondly, the radarcan detect so-called "invisible"aircraft, including STEALTH tech-nology planes. Indeed, this air-craft's invisibility is based on itsspecial shape, which produces anextremely small signal return. Inthe meter-wave band used inradar technology, an aircraft'ssize is commensurate with wave-length, and its shape is no longerimportant. The "invisibility" ofsuch aircraft is also due to theirradio-absorbent coating.However, to attain a markeddecrease in "visibility" in themeter-wave band, one mustensure a substantial increase inthe thickness of the "smearing".This inevitably ends up with a

greater mass of the aircraft and,consequently, a degradation in itsflying characteristics.

The radar reveals its reliabilityin all meteorological conditions. Itensures failproof performance atminus 50 °C and can withstandalmost unlimited heat.Environmental humidity doesn'taffect its performance. An appar-ently cumbersome antenna mastretains its serviceability underconditions of an ice-slick and 35m/s wind.

The radar reveals good mobil-ity. Its structures, devices andmechanisms are arranged oneight semi-trailers towed bytrucks and can be moved by rail,air and water.

It can be set up by a crewwithin less than 24 hours (22hours, to be precise) without pre-liminary training, by merely look-ing in the manual. After turningon the power, it is operationalwithin seconds.

The radar may be controlledequally well from the radar postlocated in the van and a remotecontrol station equipped withseats for the commander (oroperations duty officer), guid-ance navigator and operator. Theremote station contains radarcontrol equipment and three indi-cators. It uses a cable link and iseffective at a distance of 1 kmfrom the radar. In addition, itallows connection of another sim-ilar radar.

The radar displays targetposition in a three coordinatesystem. Its coverage is 500 km inrange, 40 km in height (16 deg.in elevation) and is unlimited inazimuth. The guaranteed detec-tion ranges for a fighter flying ataltitudes of 10,000 m and 20,000m are 300 km and 400 km,respectively; the targets flying atan altitude of 500 m can bedetected with confidence at a dis-tance of at least 65 km. It has a

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AB005

1.

The mobile radar on march

fighter detection ceiling of 60 km.As well as the numerous indis-putable advantages of the meter-wave band, the radar also pre-serves a coordinate measuringaccuracy. The rms errors do notexceed 500 m in range, 850 m inheight and 24 in azimuth.

The electronic altimeterdetermines target elevation aswell as range and azimuth, andalso ensures a fairly high rate ofoutput of the coordinates in twomodes: in semi-automatic mode,

when the operator singles out thetargets for tracking, and in auto-matic mode - the coordinates ofthe locked-on targets are pro-duced by a special computer. Bysending an interrogation radiosignal via the "Parol" (password)IFF system, the target can beidentified to establish its nationalstatus.

It also provides for an air sit-uation simulator, which displaysthe picture on an indicator screenwithout emitting radio pulses.

This is extremely useful duringthe training of radar crews.

It also comprises a built-infunctional test and diagnosticssystem. Information can beobtained on full readiness of theradar for operation or location ofa trouble within the shortest pos-sible time. As the equipment isbuilt of units and the optimumnumber of spares is furnishedwith a set of spare parts andaccessories, the location andreplacement of the faulty compo-

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2.

The 55Zh6-1 three-coordinate

radar

nent do not affect, for all practicalpurposes, the promptness of thecrew's actions.

The radar may be suppliedwith electrical power from indus-trial mains. If such a powersource is not available, it can bepowered by a self-containedpower supply system, consistingof two Diesel-driven power plants(four 100-kW and three 50-kWDiesel-generator sets, includingthe reserve ones) and a distribu-tor-converter. The self-containedsystem is energized and con-trolled from the radar post.

The radar's designers tookinto account safety and life-sup-port systems and ensured thatcomfortable conditions were pro-vided for the crew. The hermeticsealing of the work stations andequipment used to clean the out-side air provide reliable protec-tion for the crew against theingress of the chemical andradioactive agents. The radar

boasts an effective fire-protectionsystem. An air conditioning sys-tem contributes to the work'sconvenience during combat oper-ations.

The other meter-wave bandradar, 1L13-3, is successfullyemployed to monitor air spaceand integrated in a system usedto ensure air traffic control of mil-itary and civilian targets. It mayalso be used in an automated airdefense or air force control sys-tem, or may be employed inde-pendently (e.g., as part of a rapiddeployment force).

The radar is highly, mobile:its equipment is arranged onthree trucks and one trailer. Thecrew sets up the radar equipmentwithin 45 min. The radar makes itpossible to feed at a high ratedata on the positions of flying tar-gets in two dimensions: inazimuth (unlimited) and in range(up to 300 km). The highest alti-tude a fighter aircraft can be

detected at is 27 km. Like the55Zh6-1, the 1L13-3 is equippedwith an automatically controlledanti-jamming system, which usesmulti-channel self-balancing anddigital scan-mode selectionequipment. It is also providedwith monitoring and automatictrouble location equipment.

The radar may be poweredfrom the industrial mains or itsown electric power plant, com-prising two 30-kW Diesel-genera-tor sets.

The air conditioners guaran-tee operators' comfort, while theautomatic fire-fighting systemand filtering-and-ventilating unitsensure their safety.

The most important feature isits ability to detect "the invisible"aircraft.

Clearly, these radars arerelated to the world's mostadvanced class of military hard-ware. (

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3.

The 1L13-3 two-coordinate

radar

he idea of massair landings wasdeveloped andimplemented forthe first time inRussia in the late1920s. In 1928M. Tukhachevskyheld at the head-quarters of theLeningrad MilitaryDistrict a wargame, entitled"Actions of Air

Landing Forces in an OffensiveOperation", i.e., a landing offen-sive operation mounted by largeforces (thousands of soldiers withartillery, tanks and transport vehi-cles) on a wide front. Soon after-wards, the word "landing" lost itsprevious meaning (debarkation ordescent), and was interpreted as"landing of the ground forces,brought by sea or air, on enemyterritory for the conduct of com-bat operations".

The concept of airborne land-ings was implemented in Russia

with unprecedented speed and inunprecedented quantities. Itshould be noted that 7,500 sol-diers (1,800 paratroopers and5,700 landing troops), broughtinto the rear of the "enemy" atone of the exercises in the mid-

30s would constitute a fairly largeforce even nowadays.

Such operations were facili-tated by new equipment, whichwas designed by the outstandingdesigner P. Grokhovsky. Underhis leadership in the early 30s,

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AIRBORNEI N F A N T R Y W E A P O N R Y

$ S e r g e y R o s h c h i n $T

1

E X C L U S I V E S


AB006

The concept of airborne landings was implemented in Russia withunprecedented speed and in unprecedented quantities... 7,500soldiers (1,800 paratroopers and 5,700 landing troops), broughtinto the rear of the "enemy" at one of the exercises in the mid-30s would constitute a fairly large force even nowadays.

Russian designers managed todevelop within only two to threeyears, test, mass-produce andservice entirely new and uniquetechnology. This success hasbeen continued by future genera-tions of Russian designers. Todaythere are no air-droppable vehi-cles similar to Russian ones else-where in the world. Suffice it tosay that the air-droppable combatequipment (production-typeitems) exhibited in the MilitaryHistory Museum of Armored

Materiel occupies almost onewhole pavilion.

Amidst the wide range ofequipment, a prominent place isoccupied by airborne assaultvehicles, which remain unique inworld practice. These vehicleswere first developed in 1965. In1969 the vehicle designatedBMD-1 became operational. Thisvehicle was a highly maneuver-able light tracked vehicle. Thehull and many of its componentswere made of high-strength alu-minum alloy. It was powerfullyarmed, was adapted forparadropping and could alsoswim. Our paratroopers took animmediate liking to this vehicle. Itwas the first vehicle to be univer-sal in terms of its capacities. Allprevious vehicles were intendedto provide artillery support forparatroopers in combat and wereessentially light self-propelledopen artillery mounts. The assaultvehicle BMD-1 was armed with a73mm gun, an antitank guidedmissile launcher and threemachine guns, which extendedthe range of combat tasks itcould attain. In addition, the vehi-cle was simple to operate, serviceand easy to master. All thesemerits were exhibited in full mea-sure during combat operations inAfghanistan.

In 1985 a more sophisticatedairborne assault vehicle, theBMD-2, began to be mass-pro-duced. It was developed on thebasis of the airborne assault vehi-cle BMD-1, involving a newlydesigned single-seat turretequipped with an armament simi-lar to that installed in the infantryfighting vehicle BMP-2. TheGROM 73mm smooth-bore gunwas replaced by the 30-mm auto-matic gun 2A42, and theMALYUTKA antitank guided mis-sile weapon was replaced by amore sophisticated KONKURSweapon. The vehicle was alsoequipped with a smoke screensystem. The gun and coaxialmachine gun are stabilized in twoplanes. At the same time the ele-vation angles permit effective fir-ing at air targets. The airborneassault vehicle BMD-2 retainedas a whole all prevailing merits ofthe airborne assault vehicle BMD-1 and also acquired a number ofnew features.

Further improvements in thismateriel led to the developmentof the airborne assault vehicleBMD-3, which differs essentiallyfrom the preceding models in allrespects. Many novelties wereused in its design. This vehicle isa highly mobile air-droppablelight-armored swimming tracked

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1.

The BMD-3 airborne assault

vehicle

2.

Ammunition for the BMD-3

vehicle. The vehicle can be trans-ported by military transport air-craft and, unlike the airborneassault vehicles BMD-1 andBMD-2, can be air-dropped viapalletless multicanopy parachutesystem, together with full combatcrew stationed inside the vehicle

on universal seats.The combat crew of the air-

borne assault vehicle BMD-3consists of a crew and landingteam. The crew includes alayer/operator and driver, whilethe landing team comprises acommander, machine-gun opera-tor, grenadier, assistantgrenadier and rifleman. The hullof the vehicle comprises threecompartments: a driver's com-partment, fighting compartmentand engine transmission com-partment. The driver's compart-ment houses the driver's,grenadier's and machine-gun

operator's stations. All work sta-tions of the driver's compartmentare equipped with individualhatches.

The fighting compartment islocated in the middle portion ofthe vehicle's hull. It houses arotating turret, borrowed from theinfantry fighting vehicle BMP-2. Arifleman and assistant grenadierare stationed in the rear of thefighting compartment near theengine bulkhead. The rifleman'sand assistant grenadier's stationsare equipped with ball mounts forfiring submachine guns in lateraldirection. The aft portion of the

hull contains a large landinghatch, which enables the combatcrew to leave the vehicle over theroof of the engine transmissioncompartment. The cover of thishatch is equipped with a ballmount for firing a submachine

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AB006

gun rearward. A great deal hasbeen done to enhance protectionof the crew and landing team.Unlike airborne assault vehiclesBMD-1 and BMD-2, the combatcrew of the airborne assault vehi-cle BMD-3 will not suffer when amine, containing up to 2.5 kg ofexplosive, explodes under thetrack of this vehicle. The radioac-tive-radiation attenuation ratio is2.5 compared to 1.5 for preced-ing vehicles.

The vehicle's armament con-sists of a 30-mm automatic gun2A42 stabilized in two planes, acoaxial 7.62-mm machine gunPKT, and a KONKURS antitankguided missile launcher. Thisarmament is mounted in therotating turret. The vehicle's firepower was extended substantial-ly, using the 30-mm automaticgrenade launcher AGS-17,installed on the front hull-platebow mount to the left of the dri-ver's station. A bow mount for the5.45-mm light machine RPKS islocated to the right of the driver'sstation.

The engine transmissioncompartment is located in the aftportion of the vehicle hull. Thiscompartment is separated fromthe fighting compartment by aheat- and noise-insulating bulk-head. It houses the power plantand transmission accessories.

The vehicle is equipped with anew high-speed multifuel liquid-cooled turbo-supercharged six-cylinder diesel engine 2V-06-2.

This engine proved highlyreliable during trials in highmountains and, especially, in thesands of the Kara Kum desert. Inone of the first prototypes of thevehicle, which was furnished withexperimental air-cleaner car-tridges, the air-cleaning ductbecame unsealed and the engineran for a long time, sucking in aconsiderable amount of dust.However, the performance of theengine was not markedlyimpaired.

This engine has anotheradvantage: unlike the V-typeengines used in airborne assaultvehicles BMD-1 and BMD-2, it iswell balanced. This ensured asubstantial reduction in vibra-tions.

The engine can operate overthe entire ambient temperaturerange, both on its main diesel

fuel and on substitute fuels, suchas the jet fuels T-1, TS-1 and T-2and gasolines with an octanenumber of 72 to 76. This ability toconsume all types of fuel isessential for the vehicle, which isintended for operational employ-ment in the enemy's rear and onits territory.

The engine is provided with aclosed-circuit high-temperatureliquid-type cooling system withforced circulation of cooling liq-uid.

The engine's air-supply sys- “M

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3.

BMD-1 airborne assault vehi-

cles mounted on droppable

pallets

4.

A BMD-3 airborne assault

vehicle negotiates an obstacle

5.

Activation of the parachute

braking system

6.

Movement at top speed

7.

The basic armament of the

BMD-3

8,9.

Ground clearance changes

automatically

10.

The bow mount of the 30 mm

AGS-17 grenade launcher

tem consists of an air intake, aircleaner and air ducts. The airintake is equipped with an exten-sion tube, which can be operatedremotely from the driver's stationto take in air when the vehicle isafloat. During cold seasons theengine is started by efficientheater or burnerless torch heat-ing system. The alert readinesstime of the airborne assault vehi-cle BMD-3 is 5 min at an ambienttemperature of -25 °C and about20 min at an ambient temperatureof -45 °C.

The vehicle has a full-flowhydro-mechanical transmissionwith a differential hydrostaticsteering mechanism. The trans-mission and steering mechanismis integrated with the engine intoone unit, mounted in the vehicle'sengine transmission compart-ment. This mechanism providesfive gears and reverse, permittingboth forward and rearward move-ment of the vehicle in all gears.

The vehicle is controlled whenafloat by disconnecting one of the

water-jet propellers from thepower drive. It goes backwardsby reversing the rotation of theimpellers. To ensure crew's safe-ty when afloat, the vehicle isequipped with an emergencywater-pumping system, whichcan remove from the hull largeamounts of water, which gotinside owing to damage causedwhen the vehicle was afloat.

The vehicle's track and sus-pension system has five bearingsand single rubber-coveredwheels. It comprises a trackedrunning gear, a suspension andhydraulic system. The tracks areequipped with a rubber-metalseries joint. If necessary, thetrack and suspension system canbe provided with anti-skid tires orasphalt-going shoes. The vehi-cle's standard equipmentincludes widened snow- and bog-going track, which permits pas-sage over soft ground. If neces-sary, the vehicle can be fittedwith the tracks, road wheels andtrack drive sprocket wheels,

obtained from the infantry fight-ing vehicle BMP-1.

The vehicle is equipped with aremote-controlled hydraulic trackadjuster. It ensures the requireddegree of track tension in case ofany variation in the track enve-lope, caused by variation of theground clearance.

The vehicle is provided with afilter-ventilating unit, automaticfire-fighting system and a smoke-screen and illuminating flareslaunching system. To protect thecrew and landing team againstpowder gases, the vehicle is pro-vided with a line, which furnishesclean air to the half-masks of the

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E X C L U S I V E S


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11.

The BMD-3 is firing on the

move

12.

A launch of the "Konkurs"

ATGM

personnel.At present such combat vehi-

cles cannot be found elsewherein the world. Only the GermanWIESEL vehicle may be consid-ered, albeit with strong reserva-tions, as counterpart. Russiaremains leading developer ofsuch vehicles. (

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AB006

13.

The driver's station

14.

The universal troop seat is used

during the parachute dropping

of the vehicle complete with

crew

15.

The vehicle commander's seat

BMD-1

7.6+2.5%7 (2 and 5) -100 to 450

1x2A28x73 3xPKTx7.62 MALYUTKA antitank guidedmissile weapon

40

3 4,000

-

-

360 -4 to +30

1,600 1,300 -4,000 Diesel 5D20 177

62 10

BMD-2

8.0+2.5% 7 (2 and 5) -100 to 450

1x2A42x30 2xPKTx7.62

300

3 2,540 in belts 440 in rack -

Two-plane, electromechanical

360 -5 to +56

4,000 1,500 -4,000 Diesel 5D20 177

60 10

BMD-3Tracked, swimming (alsoin sea), air-droppable bymeans of palletless para-chute system with combatcrew stationed inside 12.5+3.2% 7 (2 and 5) 3

100 to 500

1x2A42x30 1xPKTx7.62 1xAGS-17x30

500 in belts 360 in rack

4 2,000

290 in belts 261 in rack

360 -5 to +75

4,000 2,000 1,700 4,000 Diesel 2V-06-2 331

70 10

Type

Combat weight, tCombat crew (crew and landing team), menAdditional seatsGround clearance, mmArmament:number, type, caliber, mm

Ammunition load, pcs:gun

antitank guided missile launchermachine guns

grenade launcher

StabilizerGun laying angles, deg.:directionelevationAiming range of fire, m:gunmachine gun PKTgrenade launcher AGSantitank guided missile weaponEnginePower, kWTraveling speed, maximum , km/h:highwayafloat

Tracked, swimming, air-droppable

KONKURS antitank guided missile weapon

CHARACTERISTICS OF AIRBORNE ASSAULT VEHICLES

n the early 60's, thedesigners of theInstrument Making (PRI-B O R O S T R O Y E N I Y E )Research Institute devel-oped a variety of medi-um-range AD missile sys-tems KUB (or SA-6,according to NATO classi-fication), noted at thattime for their high relia-bility and fire efficiency.

The BUK-M1 is animproved version of the KUB. Itwas first seen by foreign experts

at the MOSAEROSHOW-92 exhi-bition. The system provides airdefense for troops and installa-tions. It can engage army, tacticaland strategic aviation airplanes,fire support helicopters, cruisemissiles and remotely piloted air-craft. The system can break upmass current air attack raidsagainst the back-drop of inten-sive electronic countermeasures.It can accomplish its combat mis-sion in the most adverse weatherconditions. The BUK-M1 is amulti-channel equipment. Owingto its fire capacity, it can simulta-neously engage up to six targetswith each target being locked onby up to four missiles resting onone launcher. The system pro-vides circular fire coverage inazimuth.

The system includes a com-mand post (CP 9C470M1), targetacquisition radar (TAR 9C18M1),six self-propelled launchers (SPL9A310M1) and three launcher-

loaders (LL 9A39M1). All of themare carried by a GM-569-typestandard self-propelled trackedvehicle. It boasts a powerfulengine, hydromechanical trans-mission, hydrostatic drive andindependent torsional suspen-sion, which guarantee high cross-country capacity, good maneu-verability and smooth runningover broken terrain. All thisenables the BUK- M1 to assumefire positions right from a march,without any preliminary organiza-tion of the area. All the compo-nents of the system useautonomous electric power sup-plies driven by gas turbine ortraction engine. They are provid-ed with navigation aids, topo-graphic control and orientationgear, tying in weapon's compo-nents to the unified system ofcoordinates.

Commands, operational andtechnical information areexchanged in the system by wire

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AIR DEFENSE MISSILE SYSTEM

BUK-M1$ S e r g e y S a m o i l y u k $

I1

C O N V E N T I O N A L W E A P O N S


AB007

The BUK-M1 is an improved version of the KUB. It

was first seen by foreign experts at the

MOSAEROSHOW-92 exhibition. The system provides

air defense for troops and installations. It can

engage army, tactical and strategic aviation air-

planes, fire support helicopters, cruise missiles and

remotely piloted aircraft.

1,2,4.

The 9A310M1 self-pro-

pelled launcher

3.

The Buk-M1 air defense

missile system on march

5.

The 9C470M1 command

post

and radio communication links.High-speed digital computers

automate combat operation. Thecomputers distribute the targets,process target information, andproduce the requisite data formissile launches and their guid-ance in flight. It takes five min-utes to set up and close down thesystem, while transfer fromstandby to combat statusrequires no more than 20 sec-onds.

The BUK-M1 revolves aroundthe command post, which con-trols and coordinates the activi-ties of all system's components.It collects and processes theinformation received from the tar-get acquisition radar and self-propelled launchers, locks on andtracks up to 15 targets, automat-ically distributing the six mostdangerous among the launchers.The core of the command post isa digital computer interfaced with

the automated work stations ofthe CP commander and opera-tors. This ensures monitoring ofthe air situation and combatoperation of the system. The CPcan operate in independent con-trol mode and as part of a cen-tralized system (in this case thehigher CP acts as the center).

The TAR is essentially a three-coordinate circular-scan radar,involving a multi-channel digitalprocessing of incoming signals.Functioning together with thedigital computer, it also detects

targets and identifies theirnational status. Then it transmitsthis information to the CP overthe communication links.Depending on the nature of theprevailing interferences, the TARautomatically selects its operat-ing mode (up to 40 or 60 degreesin elevation) and the rate of the

scan.The self-propelled launcher

seeks out targets both in pre-scribed and designated sectors,identifies their national status,launches the missile, illuminatesthe target, and updates radardata. Its launching rails carry fourmissiles ready for firing. Thelauncher's construction allows itto rapidly change combat posi-tions, moving at a top speed of 30km/h over a distance of severalkilometers with its equipment inlive mode and ready to operate

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25

35

100

360 40

400 3-4.5 35,000

Detection zone, km:in heightin range (with zero dead angles and targetflight altitude of 100 m)in range (with target flight altitude of 1 to25 km)Detection zone in angular coordinates, deg:azimuthelevationResolution:in range, min angular coordinates, degWeight, kg

PERFORMANCES OF TAR

85

+60 7, moving in eleva-tion from minus 10to plus 80 1

5

20 4 32,340

Target detection range, kmDetection zone in independent mode:azimuth, degelevation, deg

Number of targets engaged at a timeTime of readiness for combat from march,minTime of readiness for combat after chang-ing position, sNumber of carried missilesWeight, kg

PERFORMANCES OF SPL

within at least 20 s. This featurereduces its vulnerability to preci-sion. guided weapons. In addi-tion, the self-propelled launcherincludes a multi-functional radarset, TV-optical tracker, digitalcomputer, and missile guidancechannel. Most control operationsare carried out by the computer.The radar set provides specialoperating modes, ensuring, goodprotection against various typesof active jamming signals andclutter suppression. The SPL canfunction as part of the system (inthis case it receives target datafrom the CP), or as anautonomous unit operating in aprescribed sector of responsibili-ty.

The launcher-loader is usedto transport and store missiles. Itcarries eight missiles: four areresting on the launching rails,while the others are placed ontransport cradles. If necessary, itcan launch a missile on commandfrom the SPL. The LL incorpo-rates a crane, which is used for

loading and unloading of the SPLand LL. The system uses a sur-face-to-air, medium-range, sin-gle-stage, solid-propellant guid-ed missile (AAGM 9M38M1),which uses coasting at the initialstage and homing on the finalleg. It is also employed with theSHTIL ship-borne multi-channelair defense missile system. Themissile has a maximum flying

speed of 1,200 m/s. The AAGMsare supplied to ground and navalforces in glass-reinforced plasticshipping containers, ready forcombat employment without thechecks of missile-borne equip-ment. They do not require main-tenance during an extended peri-od of service (up to 10 years) invarying climates.

The missile is fitted with asemi-active homing head, anautopilot, active radio fuze, frag-mentation warhead, two-modesolid-propellant motor, turbo-generator and hot-gas-drivenactuators. Before a missile'slaunch, its flight mission is gener-ated by the respective systems ofthe SPL or LL. To fully exploit themissile's capabilities and expandthe destruction zone of the sys-tem, additional information trans-mitted to the missile over the

radio correction link is used. Aspecial channel is allocated toreceive the radio signals requiredfor flight correction. This channelis used to receive and processincoming information.

Combat operations of thesystem include target detectionand identification by the TAR,transmission of the data to theCP, where the route is deter-

mined, the potential threat pre-sented by the target is assessed,and the SPL or LL is selected toattack and engage the target tothe maximum effectiveness. Onreceipt of the target data, the SPLseeks out the designated target,identifies it and determines itsclass, determines the firing tasksand generates the flying missionfor the missile, sets the launcherat computed firing angles inazimuth and elevation, and firesthe missile at the target as soonas the latter reaches "in-range"line. The SPL illuminates the tar-get and transmits radio com-mands to correct the missile'sflight path. Then the missile isplaced at the estimated point,where it starts homing flight, andits radar homing device locks onthe target. When the missile islocated at some preset distance

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AB007

17 70 5,550 690

Destruction zone, mWeight of warhead, kgLength, mmWeight, kg

PERFORMANCE OF AIR DEFENSE GUIDED MISSILE

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6.

The 9A39M1

launcher-loader

7.

Loading missiles

onto the launcher-

loader

8.

The 9C18M1 target

acquisition radar

9.

The 9A310M1

launcher prepares

for firing

35 3 22 0.015 6 830 3 20 48 65 1

35 20 6

Maximum target killing range, kmMinimum target killing range, kmMaximum target killing height, kmMinimum target killing height, kmNumber of targets engaged at a timeMaximum target speed, m/sRate of fire, sMinimum time from target detection to missile lift-off from SPL, s Maximum number of carried missilesMaximum speed on march, km/hMaximum fording depth, mMaximum terrain gradient on march, deg:- longitudinal- lateralMaximum gradient of combat position, deg

PERFORMANCES OF TAR

to the target, its radio fuzeresponds and detonates the war-head.

To maintain the BUK-M1 in astate of permanent combat readi-ness, several systems are supple-mented with maintenance facili-ties and a set of non-standard-ized instruments, an automatedtest station (for a certain lot ofmissiles), a vehicle to carry themissiles (the number depends onthe local missile supply condi-tions), as well as maintenancetrucks to service and repair theCP, TAR, SPL, LL and trackedvehicles. The number and typesof components comprised in the

system depend on the specificrequirements and local conditionsand may vary in terms of thenumber of the SPLs (from two tosix) and LLs (from three to six)used. Individual SPLs andSPL+LL sets may be used as self-contained combat units.

To sum up, it should be notedhere that the BUK-M1 air defensemissile systems are produced inthe Russian Federation at theUlyanovsk Mechanical Works incooperation with a number ofother enterprises. TheUlyanovsk Mechanical Worksboasts up-to-date productionfacilities, which allow mechanical

treatment of parts in unusualconfigurations, made of all typesof metal alloys, high-precisionassembly, as well as the assem-bly of sophisticated electronichardware. According to militaryexperts, the system has revealedhigh reliability and high-strikeeffectiveness. For example, dur-ing military exercises namedDEFENSE-90, DEFENSE-92,AUTUMN-93 and demonstrationsof the system to various foreignmilitary delegations, over 80 dif-ferent class test targets weredestroyed. (

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AB007

10.

Combat firing

pecialists havenever doubtedRussia's prioritydevelopment ofmultiple launchrocket systems(MLRS). Hitler'sarmy witnessed it atfirst sight, over-come by its salvofire near the townof Orsha. This wasthe famous"Katusha" MLRS.

Furthermore, the patent for thisinvention was granted in 1938 tothree Russian designers: Gway,Kostikov and Kleimenov.

For the first time they man-aged to attain an acceptabledegree of combat effectiveness inrocket fire. They did so by salvofire. In the 1940s single rocketscould not be compared withartillery shells in terms of fireaccuracy and consistency.Designated BM-13 by its devel-opers, this combat multiplelaunch rocket system fired rock-ets along its 16 rails in a salvowithin 7-10 seconds, with posi-tive results.

During World War II a numberof multiple launch rocket systemswere developed in the USSR. Aswell as the "Katusha" (BM-13),BM-8-36, BM-8- 24, BM-13-N,BM-31-12 and BM-13 SN weredeveloped. Elite mortar unitscontributed a great deal to thevictory over Germany.

After the war, developers ofcombat rocket systems continuedtheir work. In the 1950s the BM-14 (cal. 140 mm, range of fire 9.8km) and BM-24 (cal. 240 mm andrange of fire 16.8 km) weredeveloped. Their fire consistencywas increased due to in-flightrocket rotation. In the late 1950smost foreign specialists weresceptical about the prospects formultiple launch rocket systems.They held that the MLRS hadattained a maximum level of com-

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According to the Director General of the "Splav", Academician ofthe Russian Academy of the Rocket-Artillery Sciences, NikolayMakarovets, this class of artillery weapon fits in with the newRussian military doctrine and that of any other countries, whichwant to create mobile and powerful Armed Forces in smaller num-bers but boasting more effective manpower strength.

bat effectiveness and could nolonger play the main role in themissile-artillery armament of theArmy.

However, designers from theTula "Splav" enterprise thoughtotherwise. The talented designerAlexander Ganichev and his fol-lowers took the lead in multiplelaunch rocket systems develop-ment. They were commissionedto develop a combat system, 2-3times as effective as operationalones.

In 1963 they developed the"Grad", a new multiple launch

rocket system, which was adopt-ed by the Soviet Armed Forces.For the first time, developersincorporated in this system anumber of technical innovations,which later became standarditems and were used in one formor another in all developed rock-et systems in the world. Theseaffected, first of all, the actualdesign of the rocket. The rocketbody was no longer cast from asteel piece. It was made via car-tridge-production technologyfrom rolled or drawn metalsheets. The rockets also had

folding fins, which ensured in-flight rotation. The fins started torotate inside the launching tube,when the rocket's guiding pinslid along the groove.

The "Grad" system waswidely used by the ArmedForces. In addition to a 40-tubelauncher, mounted on a "Ural-375" vehicle, a number of itsmodifications were introducedfor various combat operations.For instance, the "Grad-V" wasdesigned for Airborne Troops;"Grad-M" - for the landing shipsof the Navy; "Grad-P" - for guer-

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1.

The "Grad" battery at the firing position

2.

"Uragan" prepares for firing

rilla activity.In 1974 a 32-tube (120 mm)

launcher, mounted on a track-laying vehicle and designated"Grad-1", was developed toenhance its cross-countrycapacity in joint actions witharmor units.

The high combat effective-ness, displayed by the "Grad" invarious wars and local conflicts,evoked the genuine interest offoreign specialists. Some pro-duced multiple launch rocketsystems under licence and oth-ers bought them in the SovietUnion. Others developed thisweapon and then sold it abroad.

At the "IDEX-93" exhibition,some countries, including SouthAfrica, China, Pakistan, Iran andEgypt displayed almost identicalweapon systems. Their similaritywith the "Grad" was so close thatsome manufacturers advertisedthe ability of their "developedproduct" to launch Soviet-maderockets.

In the 1960s, owing to anumber of changes in the mili-tary doctrine, some require-ments imposed on the weapon'scombat effectiveness werereviewed. Increased troop mobil-ity on the battlefield led to a dra-matic increase in the tacticaldepth of mission and damageareas. Consequently, the "Grad"could no longer deliver preven-tive blows to the tactical combatformations of the enemy.

This could only be achievedwith a new 220 mm army multi-ple launch rocket system, desig-nated "Uragan" (Hurricane) byits developers from the town ofTula. The "Uragan" was adoptedin the early 1970s. Thisweapon's specifications remainimpressive even today. The"Uragan" covers an area of over42 ha at a range of 10-35 kmwith one salvo (16 rocket tubes).A number of scientific problemswere resolved by the "Splav"

specialists during the develop-ment of this weapon system.They were the first in the worldto design a cluster head anddevelop its combat components.They incorporated many innova-tions in combat and transporter-loader vehicles mounted on a"ZIL-135LM" truck.

The "Uragan" differs fromthe "Grad" in its all-purposeemployment. This is specified byan increased range of fire and adiversified use of ammunition. Aswell as conventional high-explo-sive (HE) heads, this weapon

system also includes clusterheads for various purposes,including incendiary heads,high-explosive above-surface-detonated heads, combat com-ponents for remote mining (anti-personnel, anti-tank and all-pur-pose mines), and a number ofother warheads.

Successful application of themultiple launch rocket system(MLRS) and its high marks mademissile-minded American devel-opers review their outlooks.

The MLRS was adopted bythe USA Army and its allies in the

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AB008

3.

The BM-21 "Grad" launcher

early 1980s. It hardly differedfrom the "Uragan" in terms ofdesign and specifications. SomeMLRS components even sur-passed the "Uragan": it was easyto maintain, some of its opera-tions were automatic and newmaterials were used in its devel-opment. This was not surprising,as the MLRS was developed 10years after its Russian counter-part. In technology, especiallymilitary developments, ten yearsis equivalent to a whole epoch.However, the range of fire anddamage area of the AmericanMLRS (30 km and 33 ha) weresmaller than those of theirRussian counterpart.

Upon developing a MLRS oftheir own, American developersconcluded that the range of fireof 30-40 km was the most thatcould be achieved with a multiplelaunch rocket system. Theyassumed that any increase in therange of fire would lead to agreater dispersion of the rocketsand reduced combat effective-ness. Developers from Tula didnot agree and developed a newrocket for the "Smerch" capableof throwing its 280 kg head overa distance of more than 70 km. Itoffered 2-3 times higher accuracythan foreign counterparts.

The world became aware ofthe existence of such a rocket atan exhibition of weaponry orga-nized in Malaysia and later on atdemonstration firings in AbuDhabi. The night salvo of"Smerch" greatly impressed spe-cialists.

Numerous single launchesand salvo firings convinced suspi-cious guests of the authenticity ofthe unique specificationsdeclared by the weapon's design-ers.

How was this feat achieved?The answer was both simple andcomplicated. The "Smerch" rock-ets are guided. Each rocketincludes a relatively cheap, but

reliable flight control system,which corrects flight trajectory inpitch and yaw. Gas vanes controlthe flight. The vanes are fed withhigh-pressure gas produced bythe onboard gas-generator. Mostimportantly, the rocket rotates inflight about longitudinal axis athigh speed. Russian designerswere the first to develop a rotatedguided rocket for a multiplelaunch rocket system. They man-aged to synchronize the momentof impulse generation in the con-trol mechanism, when it was inthe correct position in the air.

It led to the appearance of a"gas-dynamic machine gun",which corrected the rocket'sflight direction. Due to this sys-tem, the dispersion of rockets insalvo fire doesn't exceed 0.21%of the range of fire.

As well as the flight controlsystem, it incorporates a numberof other innovations, including anup-to-date sustainer engine,burning more power-generatingpropellant, and boasts anadvanced design cluster head,containing 72 submunitions, 2 kgeach.

The ratio of the overall rocketweight (800 kg) to the weight ofits head (280 kg) serves as anindex of the state-of-the-artdesign of this unique rocket.

The combat vehicle can openfire within 3 minutes after itsarrival at the firing position, viathe automation of initial data pro-cessing and pre-launch opera-tions. The salvo of fire from 12tubes takes only 38 seconds.Consequently, the "time of retali-ation" by the enemy side isreduced to a minimum. The"Oplot" combat and transporter-loader vehicles are mounted onpowerful MAZ-543M trucks capa-ble of moving on all kinds ofroads and off the road. This facil-itates their timely arrival at newlaunching positions.

The new rocket system

"Prima", developed recently bythe "Splav" enterprise and adopt-ed by Russia's Armed Forces,constitutes a further developmentof the "Grad" system. The newmultiple launch rocket systemproduces a damage area 7-8times as large as its predecessor;and its time of stay on the firingposition is reduced 4-5 times.Therefore, this doesn't affect therange of fire. Two more innova-tions incorporated in the new sys-tem considerably increase itscombat efficiency. First of all, theweapon comprises 50 launchingtubes. Secondly, the "Prima"fires more effective rockets.

This system can fire all typesof "Grad" rockets, as well assome more effective new types.Thus, the HE rocket of the"Prima" has a separable head. Onthe homing leg of the trajectorythe head drops to the ground vir-tually vertically. Developers haveset the remote-impact fuzeinstead of an impact one. Such adesign of the HE rocket providescircular dispersion of fragments,which increase the killing zone.

Attempts are still being madeto increase the combat effective-ness of salvo fire of multiplelaunch rocket systems. Accordingto the Director General of the"Splav", Academician of theRussian Academy of the Rocket-Artillery Sciences, NikolayMakarovets, this class of artilleryweapon fits in with the newRussian military doctrine and thatof any other countries, whichwant to create mobile and power-ful Armed Forces in smaller num-bers but boasting more effectivemanpower strength. Small com-bat crews enjoy the destructivemight of the weapon they control.Nobody is competitive with themultiple launch rocket systemduring engagements in tacticaldepth.

Each service of the groundforce missile-artillery is assigned

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AB008

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AB008

to perform its own combat mis-sions. The missiles are assignedthe task of defeating enemyobjects of special importancelocated in the rear, includingdepots, control posts, rocketlaunchers and the like. Multiplelaunch rocket systems are usedagainst tank groupings, troopsassembled over large areas,front airfields, and in the remotelaying of mine fields.

New modifications and mod-els of multiple launch rocket sys-tems will no doubt possess anumber of new innovations,making them even more effec-tive. According to NikolayMakarovets, rocket systems canbe perfected in terms of their"intelligence". First, homing andself-aiming submunitions mustbe developed. Secondly, theweapon must be made compati-ble with new systems of recon-naissance, target acquisition andcombat control. Thanks to sucha combination the weapon will beused as a reconnaissance and

strike complex capable ofdefeating small targets within itsoperating range. Such steps arebeing taken. For instance, testson the joint employment of mul-tiple launch rocket system unitswith reconnaissance and strikesystems (the "Zoopark" systemand aircraft A-50, AWACS type)are on the brink of completion.Third, use of more power-gener-ating propellants and the incor-poration of some new designinnovations will soon increasethe range of fire to 100 km with-out adversely affecting the accu-racy of the weapon. Fourth, thepotential reductions in the com-bat crew of multiple launch rock-et systems have not beenexhausted. The automation ofloading and preliminary opera-

tions at combat position will leadto a reduction in the combatcrew and time for setting up andclosing down of the weapon. Allthis will increase its survivability.Last but not the least, increase inthe range of ammunition beingused will considerably extend therange of combat missionsassigned to multiple launchrocket systems.

Russia retains the lead in thedevelopment of multiple launchrocket systems. Today the"Splav" enterprise is ready tooffer multiple launch rocket sys-tems and modernize forprospective customers their ownmultiple launch rocket systems,or develop a new system to meettheir combat and technical spec-

ifications. (

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Uragan 220 16 35 280 100 46.2

Grad 122 40 20.5 66.5 18.4 3.5

Prima 122 50 20.5 70.0 26.0 19

Caliber, mmNumber of tubesRange of fire, kmWeight of rocket, kgWeight of warhead, kgArea covered by salvo, ha

Brief specifications of the AK-630M gun mount are:

4.

The "Smerch" multiple launch rocket

system

5.

"Uragan" delivers fire

odern weaponsenjoy a life anddestiny of theirown. Manysoon becomeobsolete, to bereplaced bymore advancedg e n e r a t i o n s ,which emergeas a rule everyfive or sevenyears. Thereare, however,exceptions to

this rule. The 30 mm automatic

mounted grenade launcher AGS-17, "Plamya" (Flame), is still inservice with the troops aftertwenty years. This unique weaponstands on a par with its foreigncounterparts in terms of specifi-cations and even outdoes them toa certain extent.

The AGS-17 was developed inthe precision engineering designbureau. This weapon is intendedto defeat enemy manpower andfire means on open terrain, intrenches, and behind accidentsof terrain (ravines, depressions,back slopes, and the like).

The AGS-17 automatics oper-ates on the principle of free-boltrecoil energy. A comparativelyweak explosive charge of thegrenade, low rate of the muzzleenergy and short barrel enableddesigners to use a simple layoutfor the grenade launcher auto-matics. A quick-change rifledbarrel of the AGS-17 is fixed by alock with a pin in the receiver.The ribs near the breech ensurerapid dissipation of the heat dur-ing prolonged firing. In latermodifications designers devel-oped thicker barrels with ring-grooves, which played the role of “

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This weapon is intended to defeat enemy manpower and lire means on openterrain, in trenches, and behind accidents of terrain (ravines, depressions,back slopes, and the like).

ribs.The AGS-17 has a selective-

fire lever, regulating the rate offire. Its upper position indicatesthe maximum rate of fire (350-400 rds/min) and its lower posi-tion - the minimum rate of fire(50-100 rds/min). The two hori-zontal hinged grips serve as themain grenade launcher control.The key-shaped trigger is placedbetween these two grips. Theloading mechanism is fixed withinthe receiver.

The AGS-17 is fired in short(up to 5 rounds), long (up to 10rounds) bursts, and automatical-ly, as long as the trigger is heldback. Grenades fly along flat orsteep trajectories. The design ofthe firing-trigger mechanism per-mits single-shot fire. There aretwo types of rounds: VOG-17Aand VOG-17M. The grenadeshave a fragmentation jacket withprefabricated elements in theform of springs manufacturedfrom cut wire. The grenades havean explosive charge, weighingsome 0.036 kg, and a direct-action nose fuze. The VOG-17Mhas a self-destruction device. Theweight of the round is equal to0.35 kg and of the grenade is0.28 kg. When fired, the grenadeis expelled from the barrel underthe pressure of powder gaseswith an initial velocity of 185m/sec. Within a preset period oftime, the fuze is armed in flight.

Upon impact with an obsta-cle, the fuze detonates the explo-sive charge. The grenadeexplodes together with the frag-mentation jacket hitting theenemy's manpower. The radius ofthe killing zone equals sevenmeters with 0.9 kill probability.

The AGS-17 is equipped withan optical sight PAG-17, whichhas 2.7X magnification. Themetallic 29-round link belt feedsthe ammunition to the grenadelauncher from the metallic ammu-nition box. The AGS-17 is mount-ed for firing on a tripod SAG-17.

The tripod comprises traversingand elevating sector mecha-nisms, an ejector, and fine level-ing mechanism. In traveling posi-tion the tripod is folded and car-ried by the crewman No. 2. Incombat the grenade launcher iscarried, mounted on the tripod byslings and legs.

The AGS-17 is serviced by alayer and his assistant. The thirdnumber carrying ammunition maybe included in the crew. TheAGS-17 can be fired from prone,sitting, kneeling positions andfrom standing position in atrench. The AGS-17 can also bemounted on various vehicles fit-ted with special equipment. Forexample, the AGS-17 is installedon a bow mount on the BMD-3(assault vehicle) to the left of thedriver. In case of need, it can bedismounted and used as aninfantry weapon.

The automatic AG-17Agrenade launcher was developedby the same design bureau byorder of the Air Force and adopt-

ed in 1980. This grenade launch-er is mounted in an enclosed podof the production-type Mi-24helicopter. In terms of design it issimilar to the AGS-17, albeit withsome differences. The AG-17A isequipped with an electric trigger.To cool the barrel during pro-longed firing, a special appliancemade of aluminum alloy is used.This grenade launcher weighs 22kg. The pitch of the barrel riflingis reduced from 715 to 600 mm.The AG-17A is belt-fed. Themetallic link belt has a 300-roundcapacity. The rate of fire isincreased up to 420-500 rds/min.The lower part of the grenadelauncher houses a roundscounter to determine the amountof ammunition spent.

To conclude, it is worth not-ing that the AGS-17 and AG-17Ahave proved that they are effec-tive and reliable infantry supportweapons. They stand out owing tothe simple design, consistencyand accuracy of fire. ( “

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AB009

1.

The 30 mm AGS-17

"Plamya" grenade

launcher

2,3,4.

The AGS-17 proves reli-

able in any seasons

MARK 19USA 40 1,600 325-375 240 belt 34 - --

AGS-17RUSSIA 30 1,700 350-400 185 29 18 12 14.5 1.0

AG-17A RUSSIA 30 1,700 420-500 185 300 22 ---

W87 CHINA 35 1,500 -170 9/12 12 8 --

SPECIFICATIONS

Caliber, mm Effective range of fire, mRate of fire, rds/minInitial grenade velocity, m/secCartridge box capacity, rdsGrenade launcher weight, kgWeight of the mount, kgWeight of loaded belt-box, kgWeight of sight, kg

n the early 1970s, thedesigner, EugeneDragunov, developed atest prototype of the sub-machine gun chamberedfor the 9 mm cartridge ofthe Makarov's pistol. In1991-1992 it was modi-fied in terms of techno-logical modernization andwas then mass-pro-duced. This weapon wasnicknamed "Kedr".

According to its spec-ifications, the "Kedr" submachinegun is third generation weapon.Its foreign counterparts are:

Czech "Scorpion M65", Israeli"Mini-Uzi", American "IngramM11" and "CF- 3-AMP".

The submachine gun func-tions on the basis of free-boltrecoil energy. The "Kedr" has aclassic design with the ammuni-tion magazine located in front ofthe trigger guard. During fieldstripping, it can be broken up intoseven parts and assemblies: amagazine, barrel with receiverand butt, receiver cover, recoilmechanism, bolt, firing-triggermechanism and safety lever. Thefiring-trigger mechanism is ofhammer type, provided with a

main spring. The "Kedr" isintended for automatic and sin-gle-shot fire. Its weight and sizecharacteristics ensure that the"Kedr" can be fired from handand shoulder (with butt).

Despite the classic image ofthis weapon, the designer incor-porated many unique innovationsto improve the prototype's relia-bility and easy handling. The"Kedr" has a combined sight,which is automatically switchedduring the folding of the buttfrom portage to firing positionand back. With the butt unfolded,the sight-point with the diopter

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AB010

According to its specifications, the "Kedr" submachine gun is third genera-tion weapon. Its foreign counterparts are: Czech "Scorpion M65", Israeli"Mini-Uzi", American "Ingram M11" and "CF-S-AMP".

1.

The 9 mm "Kedr" submachine

gun with different capacity

magazines

mechanism is up; when folded,the front sight-point comes up.This facilitates aiming at the tar-get when firing both from handand shoulder (due to the shortdistance between the eye andsight-point).

The safety lever, placed in the"Safety" position, blocks the trig-ger and pushes the bolt stop intoits lower groove, thereby prevent-ing the reloading of the subma-chine gun. In this case, the safe-ty lever pin slightly protrudesfrom the hole for the operator'sfore finger in the trigger guard,which makes it possible to deter-mine in darkness the readiness ofthe weapon to open fire. Thesafety lever resting in the middleposition ensures single-shot fire.The "Kedr" is fired automatically,when the safety lever is in upposition. When the ammunition isexhausted, the magazine followerraises the stop, which fixes thebolt in rear-end position. Despitethe high rate of fire (some 1000rds/min), the "Kedr" is fired inshort bursts of 3-4 rounds.

The "Kedr" is characterizedby good consistency of fire dur-ing automatic and single-shotfire. At a distance of 25 meters, itprovides 100% hits within a circleof R = 5 m during single-shot fireand 50% hits during short-burstfire. All this warrants that majortargets are hit by the first shot orfirst burst during close-quartersfighting. (

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"Scorpion"Czechia 9 x 18 270/513 112

1.35/- 10; 20 317 800

"Ingram"USA 9 x 17248/460 129

1.59/2.10 16; 32 293 1,200

"Mini-Uzi"Israel 9 x 19360/600 197

2.70/- 20; 25; 32 350 950

"Yati-Matic"Finland 9 x 19 375 203

1.65/2.25 20; 40 360-400600-650

"Kedr"Russia 9 x 18 305/530 120

1.43/1.87 20; 30 317 850-950

Country of originCaliber/cartridge length, mmLength, overall, folded/unfolded butt, mmBarrel length, mmWeight w/o cartridges, with full magazine of max. capacity, kgMagazine capacity, crt.Initial velocity, m/secRate of fire, rds/minMode of fire Single shots or automatic fire

SPECIFICATIONS OF 3RD GENERATION SUBMACHINE GUNS

n October 6,1977, therenowned test-pilot, AlexanderFedotov, made amaiden flight on anew-type MiG-29fighter. The highlym a n e u v e r a b l e ,two-engine air-craft with an inte-grated aerody-namic configura-

tion and a thrust-to-weight ratioexceeding one unit carried power-ful medium-range (R-27) andshort-range (R-73, R-60) missilesused to defeat maneuvering airtargets, a highly effective integrat-ed aiming system, comprising afoolproof radar, a quantum opticalradar, a helmet-mounted sight,navigation and computingdevices. Its combat performance,both in long-range and close aircombat, and particularly the useof the gun during attacks, sur-passed the characteristics of con-temporary F-14, F-15, F-16,"Mirage" fighters.

Several years later flight test-ing was successfully completedand the fighter, together with itscombat-trainer variant MiG-29UB,was put into mass production(about 2,000 aircraft had beenmanufactured by 1993). This isthe main operational fighter inRussia, a number of CIS and for-eign states (it was supplied to 13countries: Bulgaria, Hungary,Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, China,Cuba, Poland, Romania, Syria,Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia). Anumber of states have acquired anaircraft production license.

However, life goes on, and inthe second half of the 1980s thefighter development proceeded intwo directions. One line of mod-ernization, comparatively smallerin scope, aimed to enhance the

fighter's performance characteris-tics instrumental in securing airsuperiority. For that purpose theaircraft was fitted with six newmedium-range missiles, compris-ing active radar homing heads.Additional electronic counter-countermeasures improved theperformance of the airborneradar. The new fire mode enabledone to engage two targets at a

time with radar homing missiles.The fighter was fitted with addi-tional external fuel tanks, and itsbomb load was increased to 4tons.

Consequently, the upgradedMiG-29S air combat-fighter out-performed America's F-16C, F-15C, F-18C fighters, armed withthe AMRAAM missiles, and the"Mirage-2000-5", with Mika mis-

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MiG-29M:THE FIGHTER

OF THE FUTURE TODAY$ A n a t o l y B e l o s v e t $

Fi rst Deputy Designer Genera l of the ARPC MiG

O

1

A I R F O R C E


AB011

The MiG-29M performance characteristics sur-pass those of the modified foreign "Mirage-2000-5", F-15, F-16 and F-18 fighters, as well as newmodels, developed under the EFA program, andare practically similar to the characteristics ofthe US F-22 fighter (the ATF program).

siles.The MiG-29S is now mass

produced and can be exported.Technology ensures transforma-tion of existing MiG-29 fightersinto modified MiG-29S.

The second modernizationprogram, which was wider inscope, aimed to extend the air-craft's flight range by increasingits fuel capacity and to impart itmultifunction capability, i.e.around-the-clock all-weather

detection and the engagement ofair as well as small ground andsurface targets and radars.

These objectives necessitatedconsiderable structural changes,even though the exterior design ofthe fighter sustained few alter-ations, including the developmentof a new multipurpose "Zhuk"radar, an optical radar, comput-ers, and a weapons control sys-tem. The multichannel Dopplerpulse radar makes it possible totrack up to 10 targets and simulta-neously engage up to four targets,as well as carry out terrain map-ping. It can also perform otherfunctions required to ensure navi-gation, fighting and safe flying.

The number of armament sus-pension points has been increasedto nine, while the total bomb loadhas reached 4.5 tons. The fightercan use a whole range of domes-tically produced "air-to-surface"missiles, including guided missileswith laser and TV homing heads,guided aerial bombs, and otherprecision guided weapons. TheMiG-29M armament also includesa 30 mm aircraft gun, boasting ahigh strike accuracy and 80, 130and 240 mm rockets.

The fighter is fitted with anintegrated electronic countermea-sures system, which incorporatesa radiation alarm system, an active

jamming station, a decoy ejectiondevice, "air-to-radar" missilesincluding the X-31P supersonicones. In addition, the domestic"Stealth" technologies reduce thefighter's radar detectability 10-12times, thereby minimizing the riskof losses from enemy antiaircraftunits and improving conditions forcombatting enemy fighters.

To improve the power-to-weight ratio with somewhatincreased take-off weight, theengines also had to be modern-ized. The improved thrust-to-weight ratio, the new electronicremote flight control system, andthe local structural reinforcementsimprove the fighter's maneuver-ability and increase permissible g-loading. The electronic indicationsystem makes it considerably eas-ier for the pilot to handle theequipment and armament.

The use of some new materi-als, including composite materi-als, as well as pioneer processtechnologies improved certainoperational characteristics, reduc-ing the weight of some units andthe labor intensity of their produc-tion. For instance, the forebodyand the first two lateral sectionsare now all-welded aluminum-lithium alloy constructions.

In general, the aircraft's com-bat potential has increased con-

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AB011

1.

The MiG-29M fighter

2,3.

The three-view drawing of the

MiG-29M fighter

4.

Swift flight

siderably, especially in air-to-sur-face warfare. The fighting andstrike capabilities of the new fight-er (the latter concerns strikesagainst surface and waterbornetargets) exceed 2 and 3.5 times,respectively, those of the MiG-29.In other words, the MiG-29M per-formance characteristics surpassthose of the modified foreign"Mirage-2000-5", F-15, F-16 andF-18 fighters, as well as new mod-els, developed under the EFA pro-gram, and are practically similar tothe characteristics of the US F-22fighter (the ATF program).

The first MiG-29M left theground in 1986 piloled by ValeryMenitsky. The fighter's flight tests(more than 1,000 flights) provedthe most successful. The MoscowAviation Production Group (MAPG)enterprise has already manufac-tured an assigned batch of the air-

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5.

A MiG-29M during testing

6.

MiG-29M fighter's outboard

weaponry

THE MiG-29M FIGHTER ARMAMENT VERSIONS FOR DEFEATING GROUND AND AIR TARGETS

6 x X-29T(L) + 2 x R-73 + ET (external tank)4 x X-29T(L) + 2 x R-73 + 3ET6 x KAB (guided bomb)-500 Kr + 2 x R-73 + ET4 x KAB-500 Kr + 2 x R-73 + 3ET6 x X-25ML + 2 x R-73 + ET6 x S-24 + 2 x R-73 + ET11 x FAB(HE bomb)-500 + 2 x R-7310 x FAB-500 + 2 x R-73 + ET6 x FAB-500 (3B-500, RBK-500) + 2 x R-73 + 3ET16 x FAB-250 + 2 x R-73 + ET4 x B-13 cluster + 2 x R-73 + ET4 x B-8 cluster + 2 x R-73 + ET

FOR DEFEATING SEA AND AIR TARGETS

4 x X-31A + 2 x B-73 + ET2 x X-31A + 2 x B-73 + 3 x ET

FOR DEFEATING ON-THE-AIR RADAR AND AIR TARGETS

4 x X-31P + 2 x R-73 + ET2 x X-31P + 2 x R-73 + 3ET6 x X-25MP + 2 x R-73 + ET4 x X-25MP + 2 x R-73 + 3ET

THE MIG-29M FIGHTER "AIR-TO-AIR" ARMAMENT VERSIONS

8 x RVV-AE8 x RVV-AE + ET (external tank)6 x RVV-AE + 3 x ET4 x RVV-AE + 4 x R-732 x R-27ER(T) + 2 x R-27R1(T1) + 4 x R-73 + ET4 x R-27R1(T1) + 4 x R-734 x R-27R1(T1) + 4 x R-73 + ET2 x R-27ER(T) + 6 x RVV-AE6 x R-73 +3 x ET8 x R-73 + 1ET

craft. In 1992-1993 the fighterwas exhibited at prestigious air-shows in Farnborough, Le Bourgetand Moscow.

The Aviation Research andProduction Complex (ARPC)

"MiG" is completing its develop-ment of a fighter variant, boastingRussian equipment and weapons.The fighter is available for exportand the designers and manufac-turers are ready to consider anyproposals from potential cus-tomers, including further aircraftmodifications:

- installation of additionalarmaments, for instance, long-range and super-long-range "air-to-air" missiles;

- installation of equipment andarmaments, manufactured in theclient's country or any other spec-ified state;

- installation of the equipment,fully adapted to the client's infra-structure, i.e. instrument dials inthe British measuring system;

- installation of auxiliary multi-functional containers, forinstance, for reconnaissance pur-poses and launching night attacksagainst small non-radar-contrasttargets;

- improvement of performancecharacteristics, organization oflicensed production of the aircraftor its units and/or parts, perfor-mance of overhaul repairs, main-tenance and the establishment oftraining centers. (

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MiG-29S15,300 2x8,300

1.09/1.5

1,500 2,450 300 2,800

710 1,500 9 after take-off

75 35/65 10/2

-

15/- 2xR-27R(T)/502xR-27ER(ET)/606xRVV-AE/506xR-73/206xR-60MK/12

6 4 0.97 13.6

1.3 1.1

F-18C16,800 2x7,260

0.86/1.05

1,300 1,900 240 950

2,200 7.5 at 50% of fuel reserve

65 40/60 10/4

120-150

-4xAIM-7M/40 4xAIM-120/50

4xAIM-9M/18

4 x Maverick 4 x Harm 2 x Harpoon 2xGBU-8/10 8 3.8 0.9 3.7

1.15 3.75

MiG-29M15,800 2x8,800 (10,000)*

1.1/1.45

1,500 2,500 310 3,200

900 2,200 9 after take- off

90 40/90 10/4

120-150

30/10 4xR-27Z(T)/502xR-27ER(ET)/60

8xRVV-AE/50 8xR-73/20 6xX-25ML4xX-29T(L)4xX-31A(P)6xKAB-500KR

9 4.5 0.97 13.6

1.5 3.8

Standard take-off weight, kgThrust (with afterburner), kgThrust-to-weight ratio:test bed/mission, H=0, M=1,0 Maximum speed, km/h- at sea level- at high altitudeRate of climb at H=1 km, m/secFerry range, kmFlight range without external fuel tanks, km- at sea level- at high altitudeMaximum g-loadingAirborne radar detection range for fighter-type targets, km- free space- earth background, rear/forward hemisphereChannels, targets tracked/attackedDetection range for surface targets with effectivearea=3000 m2, km Optical radar:- detection range for air targets, rear/forward hemisphere, km"Air-to-air"weapon, type/launch range for targets with effective area = 3 m2, km "Air-to-surface" weapon

Suspension pointsMaximum bomb load, tFailure-free probability per missionMean time between failures, hCombat potential factor (with MiG-29 = 1) in missions:- air-to-air- air-to-surface

COMPARATIVE DATA OF MiG-29S, MiG-29M, F-18C

* Test-bed proved

n 1982 an Americanreconnaissance satellitephotographed a Sovietaircraft of unknowndesign at the Zhukovskiairfield near Moscow.According to the NATOclassification system, air-craft first detected in theRamenski Region (theairfield is located in thisregion) are given thedesignation "RAM". Atfirst, the unknown air-

craft was named "RAM-M".Several years later, when itbecame clear that work on theaircraft was nearing its comple-tion, it acquired the code name"Mystic".

Developed at the V.Myasishchev ExperimentalMachine-Building Factory, the M-17 "Stratosphera" aircraft owedits birth to the global conflict

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"MYSTIC"C L E A N S T H E S K Y

$ S t a n i s l a v S m i r n o v , S e r g e y R e z n i c h e n k o $

I

1

A I R F O R C E


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In less than one month the factory pilots flying the"Stratosphera", managed to substantially improve 25 worldrecords on altitude, speed and load-lifting capacity of such aircraft. Some of them are entered in the Guinness Book ofRecords.

between two superpowers: theUSSR and USA. The Soviet planewas created as a component ofthe reconnaissance and strikesystem similar to the AmericanPLSS system, developed underthe "Assault Breaker" program.

Such systems were intendedto kill with high accuracy the mostimportant stationary and movingtargets. To implement this pro-gram, the combination of an aeri-al reconnaissance system withground-based tactical missilecontrol centers was planned.Reconnaissance data, receivedfrom one or several reconnais-sance aircraft, would beprocessed in real time in the air oron the ground. This would ensurerapid receipt of data, therebyguaranteeing accurate hits. Ifguided weapons were used, thereconnaissance aircraft couldperform the functions of fireadjustment planes.

The first machine was assem-bled in 1978 at the helicopterbuilding factory in Kumertau. InDecember 1978 it became air-

borne for the first time throughthe factory's pilot KirChernobrovkin. Subsequently,the manufacturing process wastransferred to the company'sworkshops: their location next tothe general-purpose airfieldallowed the "Stratosphera" air-craft to "jump" into the sky.Witnesses recall how after a shorttake-off run the aircraft roaredsharply upwards and disappearedlike a mythical bird, owing to itscamouflage coloring. In May1982, the M-17 launched anintensive flight testing program.This was when it was first detect-ed by the American satellite.

In less than one month thefactory pilots flying the"Stratosphera", managed to sub-stantially improve 25 worldrecords on altitude, speed andload-lifting capacity of such air-craft. Some of. them are enteredin the Guinness Book of Records.For example, the old record forthe time required to climb to analtitude of 12,000 m was sur-passed almost twofold.

The specific outlines of the"Stratosphera" are even percepti-ble to people, with little contactwith aviation. Aerodynamics spe-cialists of the Myasishchev com-pany managed to retain the two-boom configuration of the high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft,featuring a short fuselage and a"clean" wing with a 40 meterspan. Two-boom configured air-craft are no longer rare in Russiaand abroad. However, when theM-17 was ordered by the Ministryof Defense, it had only one coun-terpart: America's TR-1 Lockheedaircraft, which used a standardconfiguration.

Thanks to the renown of theMyasishchev company and,above all, the scientific and tech- “

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AB012

1.

Wide wings of the

"Geophysika"

2.

The M-55 "Geophysika" in

flight

nical potential of its designbureau, it has been able to createa machine boasting better flightperformance. Experts are attract-ed by its unique wing design,rather than the airframe configu-ration. A high-lift supercriticalwing was designed specially forthe M-17 aircraft. To performflights at a high altitude in the rar-efied atmosphere, one needs awing, which provides a highdegree of lift and also possessesa drag, thereby ensuring theattainment of preset flight speedsand maneuvering. Its Americancounterparts, the TR-1 aircraftand U-2 prototype, both devel-oped by the Lockheed companyand Kelly Johnson, have a largerwing area and are thereforerestricted in terms of maneuver-ability and piloting modes: theminimum and maximum speeds atsome altitudes are virtually thesame.

To avoid the specific "dis-ease", peculiar to the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft,

the "Stratosphera" uses anadjustable trailing edge. The vari-able-edge wing, also called anadaptive wing, was used in the M-17 much earlier than in foreign

counterparts, as confirmed by ainventor's certificate issued in1971. One can also use high-liftdevices on the leading edge,which may expand aircraft's pilot-

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ing characteristics.The "Stratosphera" employs

an original wing tip with variableleading edge sweep, whichensures an increase of the lift-drag ratio by more than one unit.In terms of weight and aerody-namics this novelty proved to bemore advantageous than theWhitcomb tip, which gained famewith aviation specialists at virtual-ly the same time. Owing to thesetechnical solutions, the"Stratosphera" acquired the high-est level of lift-drag ratio,enabling it to glide from an alti-tude of 1,000 m over a distanceof almost 30 km, with the engineremaining inoperative. At thesame time, the machine can beefficiently piloted over the entirerange of altitudes from 0 to25,000 m.

Flights in the stratosphere

require a special power plant. Insuch conditions a type turbojetengine can achieve only 3% of thethrust, which is normally achiev-able on the ground. The"Stratosphera" used a RD-36-51Vmodified engine, which was firstdesigned by the Rybinsk DesignBureau for the Tu-144 supersonicpassenger airliner. The timerequired to create the M-17 didnot allow for the construction of aspecial power plant, which couldaccount for the peculiarities ofthe new machine.

The company's chief pilotnotes: "The potentials of the"Stratosphera" aircraft's enginehave been fully exhausted,whereas those of the airframehave not. The installation of amore powerful engine will enablethe aircraft to climb still higher".

The operation and mainte-

nance of the U-2 foreign counter-part gave its pilots and mainte-nance personnel a lot of trouble.The American machine can onlytake off and land in still, practical-ly windless weather. This processis duplicated by another aircraft,flying on a parallel course.

During take-off the machinejettisons underwing struts. The U-2 plane's airframe boasts a high-aspect wing and faired aerody-namics, fuel-weight ratio of 0.5,and carries a fixed minimum oflight-weight equipment.According to some sources, KellyJohnson's creation has limitedtake-off characteristics and out-board temperature range.

The "Stratosphera" is builtlike a normally operated aircraft.Take-off at minus 20 °C presentsno difficulties. The flight and nav-igation complex of the M-17 is

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3-

The M-17

"Stratosphera" parked

at the Monino Air Force

Museum

4.

The M-17

"Stratosphera" in flight

designed specially for thismachine, enabling to accomplishtasks placed on the precision-location and strike system. Thepilot's cockpit comprises a stan-dard set of indicators. The air-craft's avionics contains a set ofreconnaissance equipment, whichoperates on various wavebands,as well as a special communica-tions and navigation complex.One M-17 aircraft incorporated abuilt-in 23-mm cannon with asmall ammunition supply.

Work on the development ofthe Soviet reconnaissance andstrike system lasted a long time,but was finally stopped in 1987.

When the famous phantom U-2 and its modifications engagedin radioelectronic reconnaissanceas part of the "Desert Storm"operations, the Soviet counter-part was already functioning inpeaceful mode. By 1990 the M-17 "Stratosphera" was convertedinto a high-altitude ecologicalreconnaissance plane in accor-dance with the "Global ozonereserve" project. The M-17, bear-ing the inscription "HappyChristmas" on its fuselage, wasblessed by the hierarchs of theOrthodox Church and took off intoMoscow's sky to reconnoiter theozone layer above the capital. Therefitted "Stratosphera" can usechemical rockets to cause rainduring the draughts or "dis-charge" hail clouds and take airsamples.

A lone launch of the SpaceShuttle can destroy 0.3% of theozone content. In the same waythe layer is destroyed by super-sonic jet aircraft, flying at alti-tudes above 20,000 m. The UNreport on the environment statesthat by 2,000 the thickness of theozone layer may decrease by 5 to10%, which may engender anecological catastrophe on the

Earth. Consequently, the problemof protection against hard ultravi-olet radiation is now of paramountimportance. High-altitude aircraftwill play a leading role in the solu-tion of this problem. The RussianM-55 "Geophysika" is a specialaircraft used to accomplish suchfunctions. Insignificant externaldifferences between this machineand its predecessor M-17"Stratosphera" made it possibleto designate the M-55 in the Westas "Mystic-A".

The M-55 has another wingand a slightly altered fuselage.The power plant, consisting oftwo engines each with a thrust of5,000 kg, provides a flight dura-tion of 6.5 hours at an altitude of17,000 m. The plane is designedfor hail protection. However, italso can spray ozone into theupper layers of the atmosphere,when it has respective on-boardequipment.

A basically new hail protectionsystem, based on the RussianMyasishchev aircraft, reduces thecost of protecting one hectare ofthe area by 190% and thestrength of personnel 50- to 100-fold. The system is simple andsafe for the population, animalsand buildings. It does not require

any closure of airports and airroutes during the operation.Operating from one base, the air-craft can protect an area over aradius of 100 km, amounting tothree million hectares.

At present, the efficiency ofairborne hail protection methodsin the USA, Canada, Austria, FRGand Greece does not exceed 45to 50%. This can be attributed tothe absence of special aircraft,which may carry the reagent intothe zone. For hail protection, thefront and wings of the plane areusually armored, thereby drasti-cally reducing the operatingradius of conventional aircraft.According to foreign sources,such aircraft can only reach thehail formation zone in three out offive cases, owing to powerfulairstreams in the clouds. TheRussian "Geophysika" flies farabove the upper edge of a cloud.In one mission it can "clear" awaya strip 10 km wide.

Today, special equipment isbeing developed for the M-55"Geophysika" plane, therebyextending the aircraft's capabili-ties in the ecological monitoringof the air media, water basin andland. (

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TR-1USA31.3919.292.911x7,710*18,144--124,830695**--

M-17USSR40.321.08515111x7,00018,4002,50021,3001.5-750--

M-55Russia37.522.7-12x5,00024,0001,50021,0006.5-750900780

Wing span, mLength of aircraft, mWing area, m2Crew, menPowerplant power, kgf Take-off weight, kgPayload, kgMaximum flight altitude, mFlight duration, hMaximum flight range, kmCruising speed, km/hTake-off run, mLanding run, m

Notes:* - uninstalled thrust** - maximum thrust at an altitude of 21,650 m

COMPARATIVE TECHNICAL DATA

he developmentprogram of largea i r c ra f t - ca r r y i ngships (heavy air-c r a f t - c a r r y i n gcruisers), similar inparameters to theaircraft carriers ofthe US Navy,stemmed fromchanges in thestrategic militarysituation in the late1970s. However, to

analyze the current build-up ofthe Russian Navy, one shouldbear in mind that ever since themissions of heavy aircraft-carry-ing cruisers and the reasons pro-posed by the naval authorities fortheir continued construction havechanged radically.

In the postwar period it wasassumed that Europe constitutedthe most likely theater of militaryoperations, with ground forces,front-line and long-range airforces and air defense forcesproviding the main combatgrouping. The tasks to beassigned to the Navy in warfare inthe European theater were con-fined to operational support ofsea-based flanks.

At that time it was assumedthat groups of front-line, long-range and air-defense air forceswould attain all set tasks in thetheater of land operations, andalso provide air cover for navalunits in their combat areas. Thisobjective was assigned to land-based aviation. The leadership ofthe Air Force and Air Defense

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AIRCRAFT-CARRYING

CRUISERA D M I R A L K U Z N E T S O V

$ I g o r S u t y a g i n $

S c i e n t i s t , M i l i t a r y P o l i c y a n d S y s t e m s A n a l y s i s C e n t e r , T h e U S A a n dC a n a d a I n s t i t u t e , R u s s i a n A c a d e m y o f S c i e n c e s

T

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N A V Y


AB013

Owing to considerable reductions in land-based aircraft, in accor-dance with the Treaty on the Limitation of Armed Forces inEurope, and a simultaneous contraction of aircraft basing areas,ensuing from the return of our troops to Russia, air supremacy inthe combat area of naval forces can no longer be achieved, evenin coastal areas, by the Air Force and Air Defense Forces and istherefore now being assured with the Navy's help. This factor pre-determines the need to equip the Navy with aircraft-carryingships, comprising a full-strength fighter park, in numbers suffi-cient to carry out the tasks assigned to the Navy.

confirmed their readiness toachieve this goal. As the Sovietwar doctrine never comprisedcombat operations in overseastheaters, the idea of developingaircraft carriers did not enjoy thebacking of the General Staff. Atsome stages this idea wasblocked by the leadership of theAir Force and Air Defense.

However, the situation variedperceptibly in the late 1970s. Thebuild-up of NATO's military powerled military experts to assumethat the war in the European andother theaters would be protract-ed and that its progress and out-come would increasingly dependupon manpower and materielsupplies from the North America.

The potential convoy combatareas were located beyond Sovietland-based aviation, which sub-stantiated the need to introduceinto the Navy aircraft-carryingships with air groups of mostlyfighters. The weightiness of thissubstantiation was adopted by allservices of the Armed Forces of

the USSR, and the military circlesstopped debating the need topossess aircraft carriers until themid-1980s.

The task of operating onenemy communications was notcompletely withdrawn in subse-quent years, as can be deducedfrom the draft military doctrine ofRussia presented by the militaryleadership. However, in the newconditions, another weighty sub-stantiation of the need to intro-duce aircraft-carrying ships in theNavy appeared.

Following the break-up of theWarsaw Pact, state defenseefforts were shifted onto theinternational plane. Therefore,the Navy's provision of Russia'smilitary security acquired animportance, which had not exist-ed in previous conditions. Navalactions have become far morecomplicated. Owing to consider-able reductions in land-based air-craft, in accordance with theTreaty on the Limitation of ArmedForces in Europe, and a simulta-neous contraction of aircraft bas-ing areas, ensuing from thereturn of our troops to Russia, airsupremacy in the combat area ofnaval forces can no longer beachieved, even in coastal areas,by the Air Force and Air DefenseForces and is therefore nowbeing assured with the Navy'shelp. This factor predeterminesthe need to equip the Navy withaircraft-carrying ships, compris-

ing a full-strength fighter park, innumbers sufficient to carry outthe tasks assigned to the Navy.

The ADMIRAL KUZNETSOVheavy aircraft-carrying cruiser isalready operational with theRussian Northern fleet. The sec-ond VARYAG ship is still underconstruction.

The 1143.5 project cruisersrepresent an improved version ofthe aircraft-carrying ships, creat-ed in the Soviet Navy in the formof MOSKVA antisubmarine cruis-ers (project 1123) and succeed-ed by the type KIEV cruisers (pro-jects 1143 - 1143.4). All theseships were equipped to employVTOL aircraft and helicopters. Inthis respect the 1143.5 projectcruisers can for good reason benamed aircraft carriers, as theshipborne aircraft take off andland in a running mode.

The standard displacement ofthe 1143.5 project cruisers is55,000 tons, while their total dis-placement is 65,000 tons. Themain power plant is a boiler-tur-bine plant, which has a totalpower of about 200,000 hp. Thecruisers have a through flightdeck. The bow portion terminatesin a springboard inclined at a 15°angle. The aft portion of the flightdeck is provided with wirearresters. The aircraft landing onthe deck catches the arresterwire via its ventral hook anddecelerates at a g-force of up to3.5 g, thereby reducing the land-

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AB013

1.

"Admiral Kuznetsov" heavy

aircraft-carrying cruiser

2.

The Su-27K fighter takes off

from the deck

3. In the cruiser's hangar

4.

Landing of the Su-27K fighter

ing strip to 80-100 m. In the bowunderdeck portion of the shipthere are twelve launchers for theGRANIT antiship missiles.

According to original projectof the OREL cruisers (which wasrevised on many occasions), theship would be equipped withsteam catapults: one of them waseven constructed on land.However, the projectors failed toprovide the requisite structuralrigidity of the catapult track.Consequently, the track buckledwhen the cruiser was subjectedto torsional loads on a rough sea,and the catapult failed to func-tion. Therefore, two 1143.5 pro-ject cruisers were equipped withspringboards. The new aircraft-carrying ship, the ULYANOVSKnuclear-powered 1143.7 projectcruiser, was equipped with cata-pults. However, the building ofthis ship was never completedand the ship was scrapped.

According to the springboardscheme, the aircraft takes off

from the deck by accelerating itsengines at augmented power. Atthe end of its take-off run, theaircraft comes to the spring-board, which establishes therequired angle of climb and facil-itates the take-off. Before theengines develop full thrust, theaircraft is held in place on deckby special undercarriage catches,which then sink under the deck,thereby enabling the aircraft tobegin its take-off run. To deflectthe jet of the lined-up aircraft, ajet deflector is raised above thedeck.

The OREL heavy aircraft-car-rying cruiser has three line-uppositions: two of them are locatedalong the starboard consecutivelyat a distance of about 85 meters.However, as takeoff is performedfrom one springboard, only oneaircraft can take off at a time.Naturally enough, to speed upthe aircraft lift-ups, the line-upsfrom the port and starboard arerapidly alternated. The rapid

alternation of line-ups from nearand far positions (with respect tothe bow) is correlated with thequickness of retraction of the jetdeflector of the near line-up posi-tion.

As the OREL cruisers are notequipped with catapults, theycannot compare with America'smodern aircraft carriers in termsof rapid air group lift-up capacity.American aircraft carriers areequipped with four aircraft-launching catapults, located inpairs at an angle to one anotherin the bow and in the angularsection of the deck. This schemepermits the lifting of aircraft intothe air at very short intervals of15 seconds.

The standard air group,based on a heavy 1143.5 projectaircraft-carrying cruiser includes52 aircraft: 18 type Su-27K air-craft, 18 type MiG-29K aircraftand 16 type Ka-27 helicopters.

Shipboard fighters Su-27Kincluded in the air group areassigned the prime task of pro-viding antiaircraft defense for anaval force. These aircraft have amaximum take-off weight of 32 tand a maximum allowable combatweight of 6.5 t, and are equippedwith long-range air-to-air missilesR-27ER, R-27ET, R-27EM and R-77 (missiles R-27EM have a max-imum launching range of 170km). Aircraft Su-27K can also beequipped with close air combatmissiles R-73. In addition, provi-sions are made to equip such air-craft with MOSKIT heavy antishipmissiles. The maximum unrefu-eled range of aircraft Su-27K is3,000 km, provided that the com-bat load is less than its limitvalue.

The MiG-29K aircraft includ-ed in the air group of 1143.5 pro-ject cruisers, act as fighter-bombers. These aircraft, whichhave a maximum take-off weight

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5.

The Su-25UTG makes a final

approach. Note the KA-27

helicopters in the foreground

6.

On the flying deck

of 17,700 kg and a maximumallowable combat load of 3,000kg, are equipped with suspensionpoints for aerial bombs (includingguided bombs), antiship missilesX-31A and antiradar missiles X-31P. MiG-29K aircraft, acting asfighters, can make a major con-tribution to the antiaircraftdefense of a naval force, employ-ing air-to-air missiles R-73, R-27ER, R-27ET and R-77. The"Zhuk" airborne radar installed inMiG-29K aircraft permits theengagement of up to four targetsat a time. The maximum flight

range of this aircraft equippedwith external tanks is 2,600 km,provided that the payload is lessthan its limit value.

The aircraft take-off run overthe deck of the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser comes within102-105 meters for the line-uppositions located near the bowand 190 meters for the line-uppositions located far from thebow. To enhance the take-offdynamics of the aircraft's ship-board versions, they areequipped with engines, enjoyinga thrust rating augmented by 10

to 12%. Therefore, it is reason-able that shipboard aircraft Su-27K and MiG-29K are equippedwith aerial refueling units. Theline-up conditions may wellrequire aerial refueling immedi-ately or almost immediately aftertake-off, particularly if these air-craft are assigned to carry outprolonged flying missions ordeliver a heavy payload (e.g., the4.5-ton MOSKIT antiship missile).The cruiser can also carry modi-fied attack aircraft Su-25.

World practice of aircraft car-riers indicates that radar picketand guidance aircraft or heli-copters should be included in theair group to ensure the efficientoperation, of ship-based aviationand accomplish successfuldefensive missions. The air groupof a heavy aircraft-carrying1143.5 project cruiser may sowell include the radar picket andguidance aircraft projected by theS. Yakovlev Design Bureau. Forthe time being, cruiser-bornepicket and guidance aircraft arereplaced by Ka-27RLD heli-copters, which perform similarfunctions. The air group includestwo or three such vehicles.

Two to four Ka-27PS searchand rescue helicopters are alsobased on the cruiser. They can liftup to 13 people during rescueoperations. The remaining vehi-cles (Ka-27PL helicopters) areintended to seek out, detect anddestroy submarines. Each vehiclehas a three man crew, a maxi-mum take-off weight of 12 tons “

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7.

The "Island" of the "Admiral

Kuznetsov" cruiser

8.

Inside view of the cruiser's

combat information center

and is equipped with two 2,200-hp TVZ-117 shaft-turbineengines. The Ka-27 helicopterhas a maximum flight speed of270 km/h, a cruising speed of230 km/h, a maximum allowableflight range of 800 km and anendurance of 4 h. All modifiedKa-27 helicopters are equippedwith special gas bags, whichenable the helicopters to performwater landings.

As well as antisubmarine mis-siles APR-2E and guided aerialbombs C-3V, the Ka-27 heli-copter may also be equipped withantiship missiles X-35. In case ofneed, the heavy aircraft-carryingcruiser can receive transport andcombat helicopters Ka-29, whichare also developed on the basis

of the Ka-27 helicopter. Theypermit the transportation andlanding of a marine squad, andprovide post-landing backup firefor the landing team.

The heavy aircraft-carryingcruiser is defended by four KLI-NOK all-weather close-in airdefense missile systems andeight KASHTAN missile/artillerysystems.

The KLINOK system will beused to protect the ship againstmassive attacks by low-altitudeantiship missiles and otherunmanned and piloted air assaultweapons.

The KASHTAN systems weredeveloped to protect the shipfrom precision air assaultweapons (cruise missiles, guided

aerial bombs) at altitudes rangingbetween 4,000 m and the lowerlimit. The combat module of eachsystem includes two six-barrel 30mm AO-18 automatic antiaircraftguns (with a total rate of fire of10,000 rds/min and a maximumfiring range of 4,000 to 5,000 m)and eight air defense guided mis-siles 9M311 stowed in launchingand transporting containers.Another 16 air defense guidedmissiles stowed in launching andtransporting containers are keptunder the deck for reloading. Fullautomation of combat operations,right from target detection to itsactual destruction, enables theKASHTAN system to engage up tosix targets at a time. (

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oastal defense isensured by spe-cial coastaldefense units:one of their majorcomponents iscoastal artillery.Current coastalcombat require-ments contributeto the develop-ment of mobilecoastal batteries.These mobile bat-

teries have decided advantagesover fixed artillery systems, asthey provide defense of a much

larger area, not limited by gun fir-ing ranges, and can be impercep-tibly transferred to other areas.

It is pertinent to note thatconventional self-propelledartillery mounts currently in ser-vice with ground forces cannotensure efficient coastal defense.The control systems incorporatedin these artillery mounts are notintended to solve specific prob-lems associated with sea-targetfiring. Consequently, to ensurerapid hitting of small amphibioustargets (fighting vehicles, tanks,boats) normally used for navallandings, the artillery mounts

must be equipped with specialcontrol systems. In many coun-tries promising mobile coastalsystems comprising such firecontrol means are being devised.At present, experts rank as one ofthe most perfect coastal defensesystems that of the CoastalArtillery of Sweden. The coast ofthis country is defended by 70special batteries equipped withartillery mounts with a caliber of25 to 210 mm: more than one-third of these artillery mounts aremobile.

Not surprisingly Russia,whose sea frontiers extend forseveral thousands of kilometers,devotes a great deal of attentionto the development of mobilecoastal systems. Much good canbe said about the antiship missilesystems, which have alreadybeen successfully employed inthe Navy for years. The highpower and long range of theircruise missiles and the jammingimmunity of their fire control sys-tems make sure that these mobilesystems can reliably hit ships ofany class.

Despite continuous improve-ment in cruise missile coastalsystems, the creators of combatequipment do not forget thecapabilities and advantages ofvarious calibers of artillery sys-tems to defend sea frontiers. Onenovelty of the Russian defenseindustry is the 130 mm BEREGself-propelled artillery system,which can defeat surface ships(including fast ships going up to200 knots) and landing forcesand destroy ground targets. TheBEREG system comprises a cen-tral station incorporating a firecontrol system, a combat supportvehicle, and six self-propelledartillery mounts equipped with130 mm guns. All vehicles of theBEREG system are mounted on asimilar cross-country chassis,

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LANDING FORCEWON'T GET BY

$ I g o r D u b r o v i n $

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AB014

It is pertinent to note that conventional self-propelled artillery mountscurrently in service with land forces cannot be used to solve coastaldefense problems. The control systems incorporated in these artillerymounts are not intended to solve specific problems associated withsea-target firing. Consequently, to ensure rapid hitting of smallamphibious targets (lighting vehicles, tanks, boats) normally used fornaval landings, the artillery mounts must be equipped with specialcontrol systems.

1.

The "Bereg" 130 mm self-pro-

pelled artillery system on the

march

MAZ-543M, having a 8x8 wheelarrangement. The high cross-country capacity of the chassisand the use of night vision kitsand navigation equipment enablethe vehicles to change rapidly thefiring position on the accomplish-ment of a combat mission andmove in a dispersed manner to anew area in the presence ofactive and passive jammingemployed by the enemy at anytime of the day in any weatherconditions.

Sea and ground targets canbe sought, tracked and the fire ofthe self-propelled artillery mountscan be adjusted both by the cen-tral station's fire control systemand from one or two observationposts or a fire adjustment heli-copter. Furthermore, the self-propelled artillery mounts candeliver fire decentralized andindependently by using their opti-cal/electromechanical sights,commander's vision and designa-tion devices, ballistic computersand laser rangefinders to obtaintarget data.

The systems of the centralstation placed in a firing positionare supplied with electrical powerfrom the diesel generators of thecombat support vehicle. In addi-tion, all fighting vehicles of theBEREG system have self-con-tained power supplies, whichenhances their survivability con-siderably and enables them to bekept in a state of advanced oper-ational readiness for severaldays.

CENTRAL STATIONThe central station (CS) of the

BEREG artillery system consistsof the fire control system BR-136, with radar and optoelectron-ic acquisition and target-trackingchannels, and auxiliary equip-ment intended to maintain com-munications with the vehicles ofthe artillery system and provide

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The two-channel jamming-proof fire control system is intended to accurately deter-mine the movement parameters of sea targets (including fast-moving targets) andensure effective firing at once at two out of four tracked targets, using discreteinformation supplied by the all-round radar.

The system ensures:- continuous 360° sea-surface situation surveillance and target acquisition- TV-optical surveillance of sea and coast situation in a sector of ±135°- automatic tracking of up to four radar-contrast targets, computation of their movement parame-ters- generation of angles of elevation and traverse for six guns with pointing correction- fire control and fire correction against two targets simultaneously- independent fire of each gun- printing-out of fire parameters- personnel training

C O A S T A L 1 0 0 t o 3 0 5 m m G U N F I R E C O N T R O L S Y S T E M

normal living conditions for thepersonnel.

Fire control system BR-136provides circular or sector radarand TV-optical scanning of thesea surface at any time of theday. It can operate satisfactorilyin the face of passive and activejamming. The fire control systempermits automatic tracking of upto four radar targets: two of themcan be hit simultaneously. Afterhitting a target, the fire controlsystem permits virtually instant

transfer of the fire onto the nextof the targets under tracking.

Using the parameters ofmotion of tracked targets, the firecontrol system computes totallaying angles for six guns in acentral laying mode, with dueallowance made for ballistic andmeteorological corrections andthe separation between each gunand the central station. In thiscase, provisions are made to fullyautomate all parameter computa-tion processes, including auto-matic adjustment of fire, usingradar-observed shell splashes.

During the operation of thecentral station, the informationobtained by circular scanning isdisplayed on a rectangularazimuth scan indicator. This indi-cator also displays two electricalcursors associated with the firstand second tracking channels.They appear as two thin lines,which can be moved by the oper-ators by manual ball-type con-trols. When the electrical cursorsare brought into line with theblips of detected targets, theautomatic tracking is initiated.

The data obtained from theTV/laser tracking channel are dis-played on a TV indicator.Information about the distance todetected objects, obtained fromthe laser rangefinder, is displayedon a special readout panel.

Either of two tracking chan-nels can operate in three opera-tor-controlled modes (manuallaying, aided tracking and coast-ing) and two automatic modes(programmed target lock-on andautomatic tracking). In addition,the first channel has provisionsfor the TV/laser tracking of anydetected targets. When the oper-ators are in controlled mode andthe quality of automatic trackingis being monitored, a special pre-cision azimuth-range sector indi-

cator is used to display radarinformation on the surface situa-tion.

The fire control channels ofthe BEREG artillery system alsooperate in several modes: tie-inof the components of the artillerysystem, operation against sea orcoastal targets. At this time, thefire control system BR-136enables the artillery mounts tofire both in succession and atrates of 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 roundsper minute. The firing processcan be monitored by the com-mander of the artillery system,either by observing the azimuth-range indicator or obtaining perti-nent information from observa-tion posts or a fire adjustmenthelicopter. The firing results arelogged with the aid of digitalprinters.

The central station van isdivided into five compartments:engine, antenna station, high-fre-quency, radio operator and oper-ator. The engine compartmenthouses a diesel-electric set toprovide standby power (in theabsence of power from the com-bat support vehicle or centralizedpower lines) rated at three-phaseAC power of 30 kW, a voltage of380/220 V 50 Hz and comprisingan insulated neutral and rotaryconverter to feed the fire controlsystem rated at a power of 15 kWand a secondary voltage of 220 V400 Hz.

The antenna station compart-ment houses the receiving andtransmitting devices of the firecontrol system: a circular-scanradar antenna with its own rotatorand an optoelectronic targetdetection/tracking channelrange-finding and sightingdevice, mounted on an extensiblebase. The antenna-station drivesystem permits the securing ofthe antenna station in its traveling

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1.

The "Bereg" 130 mm self-

propelled artillery system on

the march

2.

The 130 mm self-propelled

artillery mount

3.

The combat support vehicle

4.

The central station

position, its raising and loweringin the automatic and manualmodes through a van-roof open-ing, closed by covers in the trav-eling position. The antenna sta-tion is supplied with microwavepower through a special movablewaveguide transmission line.

Some fire control systemdevices, including the transmit-ter, polarization controller andwaveguide pressure controller,are contained in the high-fre-quency compartment, which isprovided with special microwave-radiation shield and equippedwith a special shielded door.

The radio operator's com-partment houses a primaryprocessor, a microwave receiver,a digital computer and the equip-ment of the radiotelegraph oper-ator's and electrician-driver'sstations. The radiotelegraphoperator's station is equippedwith a radio set, intercommunica-tion switchgear devices, a linecommunication unit (used tomaintain communications withthe combat support vehicle), anindividual fan and heater.

The radio set's antenna canbe stowed in the traveling posi-tion during any movement of thecentral station. Special controlsare provided in the driver's cab.The electrician driver's station isalso equipped with a diesel-elec-tric set remote control panel andpower-supply, life-support,instrument-ventilation and fire-

extinguishing system control pan-els.

The operator's compartmenthouses stations for the comman-der of the BEREG self-propelledartillery system, central stationcommander, fire control man,artillery electrician and radiome-ter operator. The artillery systemcommander's station is equippedwith navigation, communicationand signaling facilities, an obser-vation and target designationsight, folding tables for work ontopographic maps, a standby firecontrol director and a telephoneset to maintain communicationswith observation posts. To reducethe blind zone during the opera-tion of the observation and desig-nation sight, the commander canraise it via lifting mechanisms,which are mounted on the van'sroof.

The CS commander's stationis equipped with a first fire-con-trol channel director and commu-nication equipment to ensurecommunications with the artillerymounts. Similar equipment, usedto enable the self-propelledartillery mounts to fire on thebasis of data obtained from thesecond channel, is installed atthe fire control man's station. Theguns can be redistributed amongthe fire control channels.

Devices associated with thefirst and second target trackingchannels are located at theartillery electrician's and

radiometer operator's stations.These stations include a range-finding and sighting device con-troller and communication equip-ment.

To facilitate the setting-up ofthe central station on rough ter-rain, the van is provided with spe-cial jacks, enabling the crew toensure horizontal antenna rota-tion. Since the jacks are providedwith both electromechanical andmanual drives, the crew can leveloff the central station even in anemergency. Two air conditionersare mounted in the front of thevan above the driver's cab: onefor the instrument-ventilationsystem and the other for the crewlife-support system.

SELF-PROPELLEDARTILLERY MOUNT

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AB014

5.

The 130 mm A-222 gun is

ready to fire

6.

The self-propelled artillery

mount in traveling position

7.

Deploying the "Bereg"

artillery system

more than 35

3 3 15

5,000 470 235 15 to 25 20

Surface-target detection range, kmError in determining total laying angles,maximum, mradReadiness time, maximum, minPower drawn from 380-V 50-Hz line, kWMass, kg:- fire control equipment- antenna station- TV/laser stationAntenna speed, rpmService life, minimum, yrs

PRINCIPAL TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTROL SYSTEM

The 130 mm gun of self-pro-pelled artillery mount A-222 ismounted in a turret, which canrotate on a rotary support in theform of a special roller bearing.Consequently, naval landingforces can be engaged over awide sector of ±120°. The guncan be laid for elevation in arange of -5 to +50°. Laying of thegun on a target can be carriedout either automatically on thedigital codes received from thecentral station or in aided modewith the sighting device of theartillery mount. In the latter caseit is assumed that self-propelledartillery mount A-222 is engagedin independent combat and doesnot maintain contact with thecentral station and combat sup-port vehicle. The potential inde-pendent functioning of each ofthe six self-propelled artillerymounts enhances substantiallythe survivability of the entireBEREG artillery system.

The turret has speciallyequipped stations for the com-mander, gun layer and four load-ers. The commander's station isequipped with a control unit tocontrol the operation of all sys-tems (i.e., fire control, laying,ammunition supply, case extrac-tion, life-support and fire-extin-guishing systems), an optoelec-tronic commander's vision device

with a night channel, a quantumrangefinder, ballistic data com-puter and a plotting board forindependent operations, radioset, internal and external linevoice communication controlequipment and lighting, heatingand ventilating equipment.

The gun layer's station isequipped with an optical sight, alight signal unit and lighting, andintercommunication equipment. Ifobstacles may get in the field offire, the gun layer allows for thispossibility by entering pertinentinformation into a special no-firearea coordinate input unit, locat-ed at his station.

The stations for two frontloaders are arranged symmetri-cally near the round feed traysabout the gun bore axis. The sta-tions for the rear loaders arearranged, near ammunitionstowage racks and their loadinggear. Two stowage racks arelocated at these stations for thestorage and transportation of atleast 40 rounds.

A power compartment ismounted on the chassis adjacentto the movable turret. It houses apower-generating set, which dri-

ves two rotary amplifiers of thegun laying system, a generatorproviding direct current to thejacks, which ensure the rigidity ofthe chassis during firing, andstorage batteries and power-sup-ply units, laying and fire-controlsystems. This area of the turretalso contains a fan, whichreduces the gas content in the airduring firing. The required venti-lating air is taken in through apipe, which is raised above theroof.COMBAT SUPPORT VEHICLE

This vehicle continuously pro-vides regulated power for theBEREG coastal artillery system. Ithouses a removable power supplyunit with two diesel-electric sets:each one is rated at a voltage of380/220 V 50 Hz and a power of30 kW. The capacity of the fueltanks located nearby ensurescontinuous operation of thediesel-electric sets for sevendays.

In addition, the extensivecapacities embodied in thedesign of the combat supportvehicle permit the use of thisvehicle for other purposes.Consequently, the turret

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130 10 20 40 Fixed HE frag. with basefuze AA with nosefuze Practice (forpractice firing)Training (for trainingcrews and checkingmateriel)

Caliber, mmRate of fire, minimum, rds/minFiring range, minimum, kmAmmunition load, minimum, rdsType of roundTypes of shells

2x30 380/220 50 7.62 260 -8 to +10

Generator power, kWVoltage, VFrequency, HzMachine-gun caliber, mmField of fire, degElevation angle, deg

PRINCIPAL TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF COMBAT SUP-PORT VEHICLE

PRINCIPAL TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SELF-PRO-PELLED ARTILLERY MOUNT

machine-gun mount, equippedwith 7.62-mm machine gun PKT,mounted on the roof, has provenitself capable of providing closedefense of the vehicle.Furthermore, the special equip-ment and navigation equipmentmounted in the van ensure atimely warning of the crew aboutradioactive and chemical contam-ination and the arrival of theartillery system (or some of itsvehicles in case of dispersedmovement) in any designated

area. Convenient two- and four-berth compartments providegood rest for the personnel of theentire artillery system, accordingto a flexible schedule. The van isprovided with special cabinets fordrying clothes and footwear withelectric heaters and a fan and forstowing personal anti-gas equip-ment, an ammunition load, gasmasks, personal arms andportable storage battery lampsand tanks containing drinking andservice water.

The van accommodates amess and a kitchen. The messcan feed four men at a time.Owing to the availability of a fold-ing table for games, books,newspapers and magazines, themess can also be used as a per-sonnel recreation room. The foodstock and equipment of thekitchen enable the kitchen tocater for ten men for seven days.

The combat support vehicle ismanned by a crew of four. (

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AB014

eamen adhere to al o n g - s t a n d i n gbelief that navalships are the visit-ing cards of theirstates. There issomething behindthis view. Indeed,the construction ofa ship capable ofproviding defensefar from the nativeseashore and deal-ing crushing blows

to an enemy, requires a powerfuldefense industry. This can only beafforded by a developed state.

The ships ploughing thewaters of the world ocean may beattacked by other ships, sub-marines and aircraft. They may beengaged by torpedoes, missiles,mines and many other combatmeans, which ship crews need todefend themselves against.

In Russia the ALTAIR StateResearch and ProductionAssociation has developed airdefense systems capable ofensuring a reliable defense ofships, which are some of the bestin the world. They include the KLI-NOK naval antiaircraft missile andartillery self-defense system,which immediately drew the atten-tion of experts at internationalexhibitions, as it has no equal interms of its technical characteris-tics. The system will provide indi-vidual self-defense for naval andcivil ships against massive attacksby low altitude antiship missilesand pilotless and piloted aircraft.The system can hit up to four tar-gets at a time, by launching airdefense missiles in a space sectorof 60 x 60° and by firing 30 mmartillery mounts.

The multichannel operation ofthe KLINOK system is based onthe use of electronically controlledphased antenna arrays and ahigh-speed computer with devel-

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NAVAL AIRDEFENSE SYSTEMS

$ O l e g A n a t o l i e v $

S

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AB015

The specialists of the ALTAIR Association believethat the SHTIL system is the most efficient navalweapon against omnidirectional attacks of currentand prospective air attack weapons. The systemboasts the best technical and economic charac-teristics for a naval medium-range air defenseguided missile weapon. The system is mass-pro-duced and can be installed on the ships, whichare being constructed or refitted.

1.

The "Klinok" air defense

missile system: launcher

hatches

oped software. The system's airand sea target-detection radarfacilities ensure its full indepen-dence and on-hand firing in themost adverse conditions. To pro-vide fuller interpretation on the airand surface situation, informationcan be drawn from any other tar-get designation systems.

The air defense systememploys overall automated func-tional testing. In addition, the TV-optical target tracking equipmentbuilt into the antenna postenhances its noise immunityunder severe ECM conditions.

In view of the high speeds ofthe targets attacking the ship andsubsequently short time availableto take a decision on the employ-ment of the self-defense equip-ment, the designers of the KLI-NOK system have automated thecombat process of this antiaircraftsystem as much as possible.Consequently, the main mode ofmissile and artillery-mount firing isautomatic.

Missile firing is accomplishedby the use of TV-controlled airdefense missiles, weighing 165kg. The missiles are launched ver-tically via a catapult. For this pur-pose, the ship is equipped with an

underdeck launcher, comprisingthree or four drum-type launchingmodules. Each launching modulecontains eight missile transport-ing-and-launching containers. Theammunition load of the airdefense system may comprise 24to 64 missiles, depending on thenumber of underdeck launchersinstalled on the ship.

At the moment of lift-off, thegas dynamic system deflects themissile towards the target. Oncethe missile has reached a safe alti-tude, its engine is started. Thehigh level of allowable g-loads andhigh flight speed of the missileensure effective destruction ofboth straight-flying and high-speed maneuvering targets. Thehigh-penetration HE-fragmenta-tion warhead weighs 15 kg. Itsdetonation is accomplished via acommand from the pulse radiofuze, in close proximity to the tar-

get.The missiles are accommodat-

ed in transporting-and-launchingcontainers, which ensures theirpreservation, instant operationalreadiness, convenient transporta-tion and launcher-loading safety.The missiles do not require checksfor 10 years.

The KLINOK air defense mis-sile and artillery system requires acrew of 13. The KLINOK systemcan be operated in various climat-ic zones. It can defeat targetseffectively even in rough sea (upto five points). The modulardesign of the air defense systemmeans that it can be mounted onships and other vessels of variousclasses, with a displacement ofmore than 800 t. At present the airdefense system is installed on theNavy's most modern ships.

The ALTAIR State Researchand Production Association enjoys

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1.5 to 12 (from 200 min case of use of 30mm artillery mount)10 to 6,000 0 to 700 4 8 Telecontrol 45 8 to 24

Target killing range, km

Target killing altitude, mTarget speed, m/sNumber of targets engaged at a timeNumber of missiles guided at a timeMissile guidance methodTarget detection range, kmResponse time, s

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KLINOK SYSTEM

2.

Work stations of the

"Klinok" AD system

operators

3.

Work station of the bat-

talion commander

4.

An underdeck launcher

good standing as designer andmanufacturer of air defense mis-sile systems intended for variouspurposes. To ensure reliable col-lective defense of ships against

massive enemy air attacks (for anorder of ships on an escort mis-sion), the association has devel-oped the SHTIL medium-rangemultichannel antiaircraft missile

system, which is also unique inthe world. The association hasframed the concept and specificstructure of a multichannel navalair defense guided missile weaponof a modular type, which guaran-tee the weapon's survivability andoperational simplicity and providean opportunity to set up theordered number (up to 12) ofchannels on its carrier ship,depending on the ship's displace-ment and the customer's require-ments. The failure of most devicesand even their accidental or com-bat damage do not render themodular system operationallyinactive.

The ammunition load of theSHTIL system may include 24 to96 missiles, depending on the setpurchased by the customer. Thesingle-stage solid-propellant mis-

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AB015

5.

A destroyer equipped with "Shtil" air

defense missile system

6.

Work stations of "Shtil" air defense sys-

tem operators

7.

A launcher of the "Shtil" AD missile sys-

tem

2 to 12 360 330 to 830 10 to 15,000 3.5 to 25 3

690 70

Number of targets engaged at a timeTarget bearing zone, degTarget speed, m/sTarget altitude, mTarget killing range, kmMissile speed, MWeight, kg:-missile-warhead

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SHTIL SYSTEM

siles are launched automaticallyvia quick-fire single-beam launch-ers. The missiles are guided bysemiactive radar guidancemethod. Missile homing ensurespinpoint firing accuracy in adverseenvironmental conditions, whilethe use of a powerful HE-frag-mentation warhead, equipped withan adaptive proximity fuzeensures effective strikes on vari-ous types of targets. Provisionsare made for the simultaneous

guidance of one, two or three mis-siles (selected automatically) toeach target.

The time needed to preparethe air defense missile system forcombat does not exceed 3 min-utes. During combat, the systemcan be controlled both in a cen-tralized manner from the generalship air defense control systemsand independently. The systemcan also control the combat oper-ations of the shipboard artillery.

The specialists of the ALTAIRAssociation believe that the SHTILsystem is the most efficient naval

weapon against omnidirectionalattacks of current and prospectiveair attack weapons. The systemboasts the best technical and eco-nomic characteristics for a navalmedium-range air defense guidedmissile weapon. The system ismass-produced and can beinstalled on the ships, which arebeing constructed or refitted.

Specialists of the ALTAIRAssociation have developed a RIFcollective air defense missile sys-tem for large surface ships, whichusually lead various strikingforces. This air defense system is,

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N A V Y


AB015

8.

A launching container

and antenna station of

the "Rif" AD missile sys-

tem

9.

Loading launching con-

tainers

90 4,200 6 12 3

Killing range, maximum, kmTarget speed, maximum, km/hNumber of engaged targetsNumber of missiles guided at a timeFiring interval, s

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RIF SYSTEM

in particular, used on the SLAVAguided-missile cruiser which iswell known to sailors all over theworld. Unlike the KLINOK andSHTIL systems, the RIF airdefense missile system can hit airtargets at long ranges well beyondthe self-defense zone of the shipsof the order. Furthermore, the RIFsystem can track up to six targetsat a time and guide up to 12 mis-siles to these targets.

The system uses a single-stage solid-propellant missile,with a maximum flight range of 90km. The high-speed missile withits powerful warhead and proximi-ty fuse permits effective engage-ment of fast-moving aircraft and

cruising missiles at altitudes of 25or less meters.

The missiles are stowed inunderdeck drum launchers. Theyare launched vertically from atransporting-and-launching con-tainer. Their cruising engines arestarted after they leave the con-tainer. This ensures the fire andexplosion safety of the missilemagazine. After the lift-off of themissile, the drum brings the nextmissile to the lift-off line. The ver-tical lift-off of the missile obviatesthe need to lay the launcher. Themissile's direction and depressionangle after lift-off are determinedby the program coded into themissile during final preparation.

The missiles are loaded intothe launcher via a special loaderwhich carries the transporting-and-launching containers withmissiles from the ship deck to themissile magazine and installs themon the guides of the drums. Themissile magazine loading opera-tion is thereby mechanized almostcompletely.

The ammunition supply com-prises 48 to 64 missiles, depend-ing on the complement of the airdefense system.

The air defense missile sys-tems developed at the ALTAIRAssociation in the 70s and 80s

boast one distinctive feature: useof phased antenna arrays. TheAssociation's scientists anddesigners have managed to draftadequate techniques for calculat-ing and building phased antennaarrays, obtain unique design deci-sions and develop simple low-costknow-how to manufacture theseantenna arrays. This has enabledthe designers to use phasedantenna arrays in the developmentof conversion marine navigationsystems and air traffic controlradar systems.

Our scientists have masteredcurrent methods of mathematicaland semiscale modelling used tomove object control systems, anddeveloped the mathematical mod-els of radio control systems. Thispermits a substantial reduction inthe time required to design andtest prototypes.

During the equipment's man-ufacture, thin- and thick-filmtechniques, microassemblies,microstrip lines and multilayerprinted-circuit boards areemployed.

Such air defense systems asthe RIF, SHTIL and KLINOK weredisplayed many times at variousinternational exhibitions and arewell known outside Russia. (

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AB015

10.

The work station of the

"Rif" AD missile sys-

tem's operator

11.

A "Rif" AD missile sys-

tem missile in its

launching container.

Sectional view

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A N E W R O L E

FOR"OKA"$ A l e x e i M e s y a t s e v $

1

A E R O S P A C E I N D U S T R Y


AB016

One of the best accomplishments of Russia's military-industrial com-plex might have disappeared, if it were not for conversion. Based ondesign work and know-how obtained during the development of militarytactical missiles, the bureau's designers offered a brand new article -the "Sphera" geophysical rocket complex.

n 1980 a new tactical mis-sile system, fitted with theOTR-23 "Oka" missile(SS-23 or "Spider",according to the Western-terminology), enteredservice with the RocketForces and Artillery of theSoviet Ground Troops.Developed at the KolomnaMachinery Design Bureauunder the supervision ofchief designer SergeiNepobedimy, this missile

system was unique and remainsas such up to date. Owing to itsoutstanding performance charac-teristics, easy operation and highcombat efficiency, the "Oka" hasproved a masterpiece of domesticand world rocket building.

With a launch weight of lessthan five tons, the missile carrieda 450-kg warhead over up to 400km. Its autonomous inertial guid-ance system and on-board digitalcomputer ensured a hit with ahigh accuracy. The introduction

of special measures to reduce itswarhead's probability of detec-tion by radars made it virtuallyinvulnerable to the fire of hostileair defense systems.

Clearly the missile's perfec-tion, coupled with its extraordi-nary combat efficiency and sur-vivability, made our "potentialenemy" at that time seriouslyworried. Therefore, during thepreparation of the medium-rangeand shorter-range missile treaty,the American side insisted on theinclusion of the OTR-23 missilesystem in the list of weapons sub-ject to destruction.

Consequently, the Russianarmy lost a weapon, which couldhave ensured reliable defense ofthe state borders. It remains oneof the world's best in its class.

One of the best accomplish-ments of Russia's military-indus-trial complex might have disap-peared, if it were not for conver-sion. Based on design work andknow-how obtained during the

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AB016

1.

The OTR-23 "Oka" tactical missile

2.

The OTR-23 missile's launcher

7.50.923,300265 to 41580 to 230

330275

115

Length of rocket, m Diameter of rocket, m Launch weight of rocket, kg Weight of head, kg Weight of payload, kg Injection height, km:- 265-kg head - 415-kg head Deviation from design trajectory at 0.9 maxi-mum height, km, max. Rocket fragments dropping radius, km, max.

TECHNICAL DATA

development of military tacticalmissiles, the bureau's designersoffered a brand new article - the"Sphera" geophysical rocketcomplex.

The complex uses a single-stage solid-propellant rocket. Thecomplex's launch equipment canbe mounted on all types of trans-port. Coupled with easy operationand servicing and operability inany climatic conditions, thetransportability of the complexmakes it possible to select anysites to carry out research work.

The use of a solid-propellantrocket, apart from the ease ofhandling and its safe employ-ment, exerts a less harmful effecton the environmental situation inthe launch site area and on thecondition of the ozone layerabove the launch site, than thelaunch of rockets, which burnhighly boiling propellants. Thelaunch vehicle, possessing acomparatively low launch weight,can inject a payload of up to 415kg into the upper layers of theatmosphere, the ionosphere andeven low-orbit space to carry outa wide range of scientific andtechnical experiments. On thepassive leg of the trajectory, theon-board equipment is placed inmicrogravitational conditions forapproximately 450 sec, depend-ing on the preset flight altitude.

The compartment space,accommodating the payload,allows one to install variousequipment and instruments.

It goes without saying that the"Sphere" geophysical rocketcomplex offers ample scope forconducting high-altitude experi-ments. (

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AB016

3.

Measuring atmosphere and

ionosphere parameters in

the area of influence of

heavy launch vehicle

exhaust products

4.

Measuring parameters of

local disturbances in the

upper atmosphere and

ionosphere, caused by nat-

ural processes or a previ-

ously launched rocket

5.

Measuring parameters of

the upper atmosphere and

ionosphere, affected by

products left by spacecraft

(or substances, which simu-

late these products)

6.

Modeling the influence of

anthropogenic near-space

contamination on the opera-

tion of spacecraft

7.

Creating large-scale ionized

inhomogeneities and diag-

nosing them on the "Space

- Earth" route

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AB016

8.

Diagram showing

practical application

of the "Sphera"

geophysical rocket

complex

9.

The "Sphera" geo-

physical rocket

ENGINE SHOW IN MOSCOWThe interview was taken by Alexander Mozgovoi

Between May 11-15, 1994inclusive, the international exhibi-tion "Engines 94" will be held atMoscow's Krasnaya Presnyacomplex. Victor Chuiko, Presidentof the Association of AeroenginesManufacturers (ASSAD) andChairman of the Exhibition'sorganizing Committee, explainsthe exhibition's aims.

- Until recently no specializedexhibitions have been held onengine manufacturing. This canbe attributed to the treatment ofengines as mere components.Naturally, technical exhibitionsquite understandably focus on thefinished product, be it an aircraft,automobile, locomotive or ship. Atthe same time, engine manufac-turers have problems of theirown, related first and foremost tothe actual functioning of engines,which are noted for exceedinglyhigh pressure levels, peripheralvelocities and high temperatures.For many engine parts functionred-hot; in other words, they areheated to temperatures of up to

1,000 °C and over. All thisrequires special technologies andmaterials. One should also bear inmind the ecological factors andtry to diminish the negativeeffects of the running engines onthe environment. Such problemsare better solved in one go.Consequently, engine designersall over the world are extremelyinterested in cooperation. At theexhibitions we have been organiz-ing since 1990, you can sellknow-how, buy a license, andeven sign contracts on individualengine specimens.

- What makes this exhibi-tion so different front thoseprevious shows organized inMoscow in 1990 and 1992 ?

- The first exhibition in 1990,held in the former Soviet Union,placed emphasis on the conver-

sion process. Now we can talkabout progress in this area. Atpresent, the aeroengine plants ofthe former Soviet Union are someof the largest motor cultivatorproducers. They produce annual-ly 150,000 units. Engines for theMoskvich cars are made in Ufa,while the clutches are manufac-tured in Tyumen and gear boxesin Omsk. The snowmobiles, man-ufactured by the enterprises ofRybinsk and Ufa, are in highdemand. By now aeroenginemanufacturers have masteredproduction of many other sophis-ticated consumer items.

However, I feel that conver-sion is two-faceted. As I alreadysaid, it must cater for the needsof the rank-and-file consumer,and also develop and adapt hightechnologies used to build mili-tary engines for its goals.Consequently, the continuitymust be preserved in the field ofscience and technology. Whetherwe like it or not, aircraft and mili-tary engine building was, is andwill remain for the foreseeablefuture vital to industrial techno-logical progress in this countryand in the rest of the world. Themost recent innovations in gas-dynamics, strength calculationsand materials science, technolo-gies, management of productionand servicing, all flow from thesame source. A one-off lumpsumcontribution to research and thecreation of a perfect engine can

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SPACE & AVIATION

ENGINES

1



AB017

Victor ChuikoPresident of the Association ofAeroengines ManufacturersEngine designers all over the world are extremely

interested in cooperation. At the exhibitions wehave been organizing since 1990, you can sellknow-how, buy a license, and even sign contractson individual engine specimens.

lead to the production of a rangeof sophisticated items, such ascivilian aeroengines, turbines forpower engineering, ships, gaspumping, etc. Incidentally, today60% of gas in this country ispumped by the aviation drives,developed by the company, head-ed by Chief DesignerAcademician Nikolay Kuznetsov.

Russian aeroengine manufac-turers are currently implementingthe Russian Government'sResolution "On Initial Measures toDevelop AeroengineManufacturing in the RussianFederation". Experience hasshown that spending on such pro-grams may be effected in twoways: one-off contributions andmany times. We have proposedthe one-off approach. First of all,we develop next generation mili-tary engines and then use themas the basis for the creation of awhole range of civilian engines.Such an approach saves moneyand resources.

Dual-purpose technologyconstituted the highlight of thesecond Moscow exhibition ofaeroengines in 1992. At that timethe exhibition was already inter-national, reflecting the fact thatwide international cooperation inengine manufacturing was not acurrent trend: rather a faitaccompli. The forthcoming exhi-bition will also focus on innovativetechnologies in the field of aero-engine manufacturing and thedevelopment of missile, automo-bile, tractor and ship engines,power plants, mobile and station-ary power stations and turbineengineering. Building and fueland lub materials, test stands andboat engines will also be exhibit-ed.

- Is it worth combiningsuch different things?

- Each business has top stan-dards. Naturally, this also refers

to the engine manufacturing busi-ness. It goes without saying thataviation technology does notalways provide the right answer tocar or tractor manufacturingproblems. And there are areas,which may interest specialists inthese industries. Take, for exam-ple, high-precision casting andthe turbine blades, based on theuse of directional crystallizationor monocrystals. At the sametime, aviation engine designersmay obtain a lot of useful infor-mation, when they becomeacquainted with the work of theircolleagues, who are developingother types of engines. We aim toarrange a meeting of scientists,designers, manufacturers, sellersand buyers at one exhibition,enable them to make contact anddo business together.

- Our aeroengine makersare frequently subjected toscathing criticism that whileRussian aircraft are amongthe world's best, Russianengines stilt lag way behind

western standards...- Such assertions are far from

sincere. Our engine makersalways produced on commandsplendid engines for the airmen.However, one must consider thetasks they were set and the waythe engines were subsequentlytreated. For example, an enginewith a high bypass ratio, type D-18, was built way back in 1980. Itwas then used with the militarycargo plane An-124 "Ruslan".Unfortunately, no "Boeing-747"class passenger plane with thisengine on board was ever built.Why? I don't know. Admittedly,recently the IL-96, equipped withthe PS-90 engine, began regularflights. However, ten years wereneedlessly wasted. Or you mayhear some people say over andover again that domestic enginesare not economical. First of all, itshould be borne in mind that theywere designed to assure aircrafttake-off from short landing strips.This implies a comparatively high-er thrust. Secondly, the aerody-

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AB017

1.

The NK-93 engine

namic standards of Russianplanes have not always been on apar with high international levels.This led to increased fuel con-sumption. In short, we always hadto produce what we were orderedto.

However, we can produceengines, which satisfy the newestrequirements for weight, life, reli-ability, operability and economy.The value of officially registeredspecific fuel consumption for theaforesaid PS-90 is 0.595. Now,this parameter for the stock-pro-duced engines leaving the plant isequal to 0.58. One version has itset at 0.57. In similar westernengines this value ranges from0.61 to 0.57. In other words, wesatisfy world standards and alsokeep near the top.

Our pilots impress the specta-tors all over the world with theirflying skills, managing the Su-27and MiG-29. However, such aero-batic figures as the "Bell" and"Cobra" should not be attributedmerely to the skill of the aviatorsand aircraft's high aerodynamics.Equal credit is due to the engine'smakers. This fact is often ignored.The L-31 and RD-33 enginesinstalled on the Su-27 and MiG-29 aircraft allow our pilots to usesuch power settings, which west-ern aces flying their fighter planescannot even venture.

We enjoy an undisputed leadin the design of a hypersonicengine, now being developed atthe Central Aeroengines Institute(TsIAM). The TsIAM engine suc-cessfully passed all trials on testbeds and aboard missiles. Aspeed of 5,000 to 6,000 km/h wasattained. Consequently, an air-craft, equipped with such anengine, can reach America within1.5 - 2 hours.

The western manufacturers ofengines hold our achievements inhigh esteem and willingly cooper-

ate with engine designers andmanufacturers in Russia andother CIS countries. Not surpris-ingly, the ASSAD has become aninternational organization, includ-ing such leaders of the worldengine manufacturing industry asthe British corporation "Rolls-Royce", America's "Pratt &Whitney", "Pratt & Whitney ofCanada", the French firm SNEC-MA, Germany's MTU and SouthKorea's "Halla". The SouthKorean firm has become our part-ner in the joint venture"RosKorturbo", which developspower plants, using aircraft gasturbines.

- Will they all take part inthe exhibition ?

- Yes, together with mostASSAD members from Russia andother CIS countries. Now theorganization incorporates about80 enterprises and companies.We think companies, which arenot members of the ASSAD, willalso participate, including smallfirms specializing in casting, forg-ing and servicing. Many of thesecompanies will find that this exhi-bition is the only chance todemonstrate their productionpotential to a wide range of spe-cialists.

- What events do you planto organize as part of theexhibition?

- There will be two scientificsymposiums. The first one is ded-icated to the developmentprospects of the engine manufac-turing industry in the 21st centu-

ry. Engine manufacture is a farmore complicated and labor-con-suming business than aircraftmanufacturing. A new generationaircraft can be developed within 4to 5 years: it requires 8 to 12years to make an engine. Thedesigns of the next century'sengines have already been decid-ed. However, the approaches aredifferent. Consequently, for thesake of economy, efforts must bepooled to develop unified con-cepts. The second symposium willfocus on ecological problemsrelated to engine manufacturing.It will provide a lot of food forthought and help us to determinecriteria. As part of the program,we plan to stage an aeroshow inKubinka near Moscow. Theengines will be demonstrated inreal work on various aircraft.

I would like to point out thatthe exhibition was welcomed bythe Russian government. Theholding of such a vast exhibitionand symposiums will enable theirparticipants to determine integra-tion trends in the engine manu-facturing business. Application ofnew technologies, acquisition ofknow-how, research into the mar-kets of the CIS and other coun-tries, and the establishment ofnew partnerships - these aresome of the results we hope toachieve at the exhibition. (WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE KHIMMASH DESIGN BUREAU?Sergey Medved

According to an enduring tra- “M

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AB017

2.

Base units and

engines used in

pilot-controlled

spacecraft.

3.

Various types of

rocket engines used

in automatic inter-

planetary stations,

artificial satellites

and pilot-controlled

spacecraft.

dition all state space explorationprograms are implemented bysome anonymous entities underthe aegis of the Academy ofSciences, the Space ResearchInstitute, and lately Glavkosmosor the Research & ProductionAssociation "Energiya". Thenames of other contributors havealways been "modestly" omitted.Today we can openly speak aboutthe work of the Design Bureau ofthe Chemical Machine-BuildingIndustry (the Khimmash DB),designer of rocket engines for vir-tually all the domestically pro-duced spacecraft, stations andmodules. Khimmash's designerscreated more than 120 types ofliquid-propellant rocket enginesand power plants. More than 30of them are currently used in civiland military aviation.

Now, when the market rela-tions penetrate the spacecraftindustry, rare visitors both fromRussia and abroad wonder at theproducts manufactured by theenterprise and exhibited in itsown showroom. There one cansee firstborn engines, reusableboosters for the first jet aircraftand liquid-propellant engines forballistic missiles. Next engines of

first and later models of airdefense and airborne guided mis-siles are displayed. They haveensured reliable aerospacedefense of the country.

The history of the DesignBureau is intrinsically linked withits founder, Alexei Isaev, whostands in the same row with suchluminaries of the rocket andspacecraft industry as S. Korolev,V. Glushko, M. Keldysh, M.Yangel, G. Babakin, N. Pilyugin.The bureau was established in1943, when a small group ofdesigners headed by A. Isaevbegan to develop the RD-1 rock-et engine for the first pilot-con-trolled jet aircraft of the Bi series.The creative potential of the DBengineers was revealed duringwork at a joint project with spe-cialists from the S. KorolevExperimental Design Bureau: thetwo groups had to ensure the safelanding of the first manned orbitalspacecraft. For that purpose adescent engine had to bedesigned to ensure the transfer ofthe Earth-return spacecraft fromcircumterrestrial orbit to thedescent trajectory and its finallanding in a designated area. Thetask was completed in the record

time of 18 months - a uniqueaccomplishment for those days aswell as present days. Thus, thefirst world cosmonaut YuriGagarin circled the Earth on the"Vostok" orbital spacecraft andlanded in the assigned placethanks to the descent engine,developed by the bureau's spe-cialists. The showroom alsoboasts a photograph presentedand inscribed by Yuri Gagarin,which says: "To the employees ofthe Experimental Design Bureauwishing it success in the design ofnew engines". Similarly designedretrograde rocket engines wereused subsequently on all "Vostok"and "Voskhod" spacecraft.

The intensive development ofcosmonautics in the 1970-1980snecessitated that spaceresearchers create multiroleengines. Thus, with the help ofthe new adjusting-braking rocketengine KTDU-35, designed by theKhimmash DB, it became possi-ble to return spacecraft to Earthand create thrust impulses fortheir orbit correction, approachand docking. The KTDU-35design ensures repeated (up to25 times) engine starts and oper-ation from several fractions of asecond to several hundred sec-onds. This type of engine wasinstalled on the "Soyuz" space-craft, the "Salyut" orbital stations,the "Progress" automatic trans-port spacecraft and "Kosmos"series artificial terrestrial satel-lites.

A high engineering level of “M

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AB017

4.

The S5-92 liquid

propellant engine

with turbopump

feed system, used

in the automatic

interplanetary sta-

tion "Phobos".

5.

The low-thrust liq-

uid mono- and

bipropellant

engines.

6.

The first liquid-pro-

pellant rocket

engine RD-1.

DOT-552,2550.058,0001.2x10'5.5x10'

6015.80.9

DOT-25

252,3000.056,0002.5x10'6x10'

70 7.91.3

DOK-10

102,2500.056001.5x10'4x10'

40 7.90.6

DOK-50

502,2500.056001.5x10'4x10'

2016.21.1

DST-25252,7900.034,0002.5x10'3x10°

-15.80.9

DST-100

1002,7050.053001.0x10'1x10'

-10.81.1

OST-200

2002,7500.053001.5x10'1x10'

-21.61.3

Nominal thrust, NSpecific impulse, N.s/kgStarting time, s- minimum- maximumTotal operation time, sNumber of missionsEnergy consumption, W- for reactor heating- for electric valve driveMass, kg

SPECIFICATIONS

design characterizes anotherKhimmash liquid-propellant rock-et engine with a pressure feedsystem, which ensures simultane-ous fuel supply for the spacecraftmicroengines. It helped improvethe spacecraft handling charac-teristics in pitch and yaw, raisedthe accuracy of approach anddocking procedures, allowedorbit adjustment and decelerationof the space vehicle to ensure itsreturn to Earth. The high opera-tional reliability of the engineresults from original engineeringdecisions, application of state-of-the-art technologies and newmaterials. For instance, theengine of the S5.80 combinationplant is fitted with a cardan sus-pension, which ensures simplealteration of the thrust force vec-tor during spacecraft maneuver-ing. The fuel and gas-pressurizedfeed systems include main andback-up aluminum tanks and tita-nium bottles. This type of liquid-propellant rocket engine waswidely used in the combinationplants of the pilot-controlled andpilotless spacecraft "Soyuz" and"Soyuz TM", which can operateautonomously or as part of vari-ous complexes (e.g. "Soyuz T" -"Salyut" - "Soyuz", "Soyuz T" -"Salyut" - "Progress", "SoyuzTM" - "Salyut" - "Progress M","Kvant", "Kristall").

In addition to pilot-controlledspace exploration, the DB isdeeply involved in the researchand development of liquid-pro-pellant and other engines for arti-ficial satellites and automaticinterplanetary stations.Equipment with the mark of theKhimmash DB is used in virtuallyall programs of near and outerspace exploration. They includeengines and base units for thevehicles of the "Luna", "Mars","Venera", "Vega", "Phobos"series, as well as the satellites

"Molniya", "Zond", "Kosmos" and"Polyot". Another extremely inter-esting piece of machinery is theS5.51 engine, designed for alunar manned space complex. Itconsists of two self-containedunits with pump feed systems:one is a single-chamber multipleaction unit, the other is two-chambered with single action.This design allows one to create athrust along the vehicle's axis, aswell as the forces and momentsfor its position coordination. TheS5.51 plant is designed topyrotechnically control theengine's start/stop valves, whichensures an automatic starting ofone of them, in case the otherfails.

During the "lunar" program atthe end of the 1960s, the Bureaudesigners created one of the firstoxygen-hydrogen engines in thecountry for a space complexlaunched by the N-1 spacelaunch vehicle. Subsequently itserved as a basic layout model forthe cryogenic engines currentlyused in the boosters of thespacecraft upper stages. They aresimple and unique in design, reli-able in operation, and allow thespace vehicle to carry large pay-loads. These engines havearoused great interest abroad.Indian spacecraft industry expertshave commissioned an oxygen-hydrogen engine and are plan-ning to mount the specially devel-oped KVD-1 engine with a thrustof 7,5 ton-force in the booster ofa space launch vehicle, which willput communication satellites intogeostationary orbit.

Another direction of DBresearch is focused on the devel-opment of low-thrust liquid-pro-pellant engines. These are theDOT-5, DOT-25, DOK-10 andDOK-50 monopropellant engines,used for precise attitude control,orbit correction and spacecraft

stabilization. The DOT-5 andDOT-25 operate on the basis ofthermal and catalytic decomposi-tion of hydrazine by a wire cata-lyst, electrically heated to a tem-perature of 300 °C. The iridiumcatalyst used in the DOK-10 andDOK-50 makes it possible to startthe engines without pre-heatingthe fuel. This type of engine hasthrust and power parameters,which meet world standards. Inaddition, the high flame trans-parency ensures reliable opera-

tion of the airborne astrophysicalinstruments. The DST-25, DST-100 and DST-200 liquid self-ignit-ing bipropellant rocket enginesare designed to control the move-ment of space vehicles. They areoperationally reliable, effective,fast-responsive and multimode.Their operational reliability isensured by the niobium alloycombustion chamber with over-head protective cover.

A new line of the KhimmashDB research is channeled to thedevelopment of an electric rocketengine on the basis of ionicaccelerators with anode coating.Compared to the liquid propellantengine, the latter has higherenergy and service characteris-tics, provides control over a widerange of output data, and inter-faces with the other spacecraft

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AB017

systems.Under conversion, the enter-

prise is manufacturing a range ofconsumer and producer goods.Accumulated expertise in thedevelopment and operation ofturbopumps for various types ofliquid-propellant rocket enginesenabled the enterprise to form asubsidiary company to manufac-ture pumping equipment for high-temperature corrosive liquids(including ammonia water),hydrocarbons and water. Thehigh-pressure jettisonable tur-bopump extracts oil in off-shorefields without conventional off-shore platforms and transports itover distances of up to 200 km tocoastal terminals or refineries.Another highly effective unit isused for gas and oil well killing inemergencies (e.g. fires, earth-quakes) both on land and off-shore. It operates from a self-contained power plant.

However, it should be notedthat the main line of the KHIM-MASH DB activity remains thesame - spacecraft engine build-ing. The available production

capacities, state-of-the-artprocess equipment, testing facili-ties, highly qualified engineersand wide experience in spacecraftresearch and development createopportunities to design liquid-propellant-engines with a thrustrange from several hundredgrams to 60 ton-force, and if nec-essary, up to 100 ton-force. (ENGINES OF THE "SOYUZ" FAMILYSergei Samoilyuk

The aero-engine research andengineering complex "Soyuz" isone of the leading defense enter-prises creating aircraft turbojetengines. Its history dates back toFebruary 18, 1943, when thecountry's first experimental aero-engine plant No. 300 was estab-lished in Moscow. The plant wasentrusted to develop original pis-ton engines for aircraft and orga-nize their commercial production.During the Great Patriotic War thestaff of the plant developed pow-erful aircraft motors AM-39, AM-39B, AM-42, AM-43B, AM-43TRintended for the most popularattack planes of the time - the IL-2 and IL-10, and also for MiG-3fighters.

The plant's researchers anddesigners have made a substan-tial contribution to the develop-ment and commercial productionof various types of turbojet

engines. In 1948, they createdthe turbojet engine AMTKRD-01with a maximum thrust of 3,300kgf. It was the first time in worldpractice that a turbojet enginewas equipped with an 8-stageaxial compressor, a reverse-flowcombustion chamber with 22 indi-vidual flame tubes in a commoncasing, a single-stage turbine anda motor-driven adjustable jet noz-zle. This turbojet engine wasintended for an experimental (atthat time all-riveted) long-rangebomber EF-140. Later on, theAMTKRD-01 served as the basisfor the development of a morepowerful engine, AMTRD-2, witha thrust of 4,250 kgf.

The plant's specialists contin-ued to work actively in the samedirection. Within a short time theydesigned the most powerfulengine of its time - the AM-3, witha thrust of 8,700 kgf; in latermodifications the thrust wasbrought up to 11,500 kgf. Thisengine enjoyed a long service lifeand was convenient for the per-formance of minor and mediumrepairs. It used a special arrange-ment for the admission of air fromthe compressor, which ensuredits stable operation at all ratings.The engines of the AM-3 familywere used on Tu-16 long-rangebombers, M-4 strategic bombersand Tu-104 jet liners, which settwenty six world records. In 1955,a Tu-104 plane with RD-3 engines(a modification of the AM-3)made an intercontinental flightfrom Moscow to New York for 24hours and 3 minutes, covering adistance of 18,000 km.

The AM-5 turbojet engine,which was also designed within ashort period of time, featured arecord low specific mass (0.22kg/kg thrust): it was half the sizeof other turbojet engines pro-duced at the time in this country

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AB017

7.

The R27 lift-sustainer

turbojet two-circuit

engine provided with

afterburner chamber

8.

The R27V-300 lift-sus-

tainer turbojet engine

9.

The MiG-25P interceptor

equipped with R15-300

engines

10.

The RDK-300 turbojet

short-life engine

and abroad. It was the first engineto be equipped with an electricalstarter-generator: this markedone more step forward in theprogress of the country's aero-engine industry. The AM-5 wasintended for all- weather high-altitude interceptors Yak-25. Theturbojet engine RD-9B designedat "Soyuz" on the basis of theAM-5 featured one more innova-tion - an afterburner. It had alarge thrust and was used on all-weather fighters MiG-19. Thisplane was mass-produced as afront-line fighter MiG-19 (modifi-cations MiG-19S, MiG-19P, MiG-19PM, MiG-19PF) and a recon-naissance plane MiG-19R.

The first Soviet-producedtwo-shaft turbojet engine withafterburning, the R11-300, wasalso designed at this enterprise.Its thrust was 5,000 kgf: in latermodifications it was raised to6,250 kgf. These engines wereinstalled on the fighters MiG-21,Su-15, Yak-28P, bombers Yak-28R, and reconnaissance planesYak-25RV. A new turbojet engine,R15-300, was produced for thehigh-altitude interceptor MiG-25.The engine featured an afterburn-er with an all-rating adjustablenozzle and was intended forflights at supersonic speeds. TheMiG-25 plane, equipped withthese engines, has set severalworld records.

Since the early 1970s, manyaircraft designers in variouscountries have concentrated onthe development of vertical orshort take-off and landing planes.The first such machine producedin this country was a carrier-based fighter Yak-38. It wasequipped with a unique lift-sus-tainer turbojet engine R27V-300with a thrust of 6800 kgf,designed at "Soyuz". Its specialfeature involved the provision ofcurved jet nozzles with jetevators

driven by two hydraulic motors.The engine was equipped with ahydromechanical power controlsystem. It has a high gas-dynam-ic stability and operates reliably atextreme variations of temperatureand air pulsation at the inlet.

Specialists at the "Soyuz"complex have designed theworld's first lift-sustainer dual-flow turbojet engine, R79, withafterburning for the supersonicvertical take-off and landing planeYak-141. The R79 is equippedwith an automatic system, whichcontrols its operation and ensurescoupling with the aircraft equip-ment. This lift-sustainer engineuses a two-shaft flow-mixingarrangement and consists of sixmodules. Its rotatable nozzlemixes up the gas flow at all rat-ings, including the maximumreheat rating. Structurally it con-sists of four wedge-shaped sec-tions: two of them are synchro-nously rotated about their axes inopposite directions by hydraulicmotors. The shape of the nozzlecan be changed to deflect thethrust vector within up to 95degrees in five seconds. The noz-zle area can be adjusted by eye-lids controlled by hydraulic cylin-ders. To stabilize the aircraft inbank and yaw during take-off andlanding, the air is tapped throughan annual slot in the compressorand fed to the jet vanes. Thethrust of the engine in the aug-mented mode is 15,500 kgf. TheR79 is equipped with an ecologi-cally clean combustion chamberdesigned at "Soyuz". This cham-ber ensures the absence ofsmoke and a low content of harm-ful substances in the exhaustgases.

Specialists at the aero-engineresearch and engineering com-plex "Soyuz" have designed ashort-life dual-flow turbojetengine RDK-300 intended for

pilotless aircraft. This 350-kgfengine is mounted on the pylon orinside the fuselage. It has a sim-ple design and is convenient andreliable in operation. The PDK-300 has a state-of-the-art elec-tronic-hydromechanical automat-ic system which controls its func-tions: starting, adjustment andstopping. The entire engineequipment is enclosed in onesmall area. The engine is provid-ed with a combustion starter anda small-size built-in electricalgenerator furnishing up to 4 kVAfor the engine and the aircraft'selectrical circuits. "Soyuz" spe-cialists are now working onimprovements to this engine.They believe that in the nearfuture its modifications will findwide application in the light com-mercial aircraft.

A great deal of energy hasbeen devoted by the "Soyuz" spe-cialists to the development of var-ious equipment for the nationaleconomy. They have designed anelectrothermal installation ETU-75/095 based on the RDK-300.This installation can be used asthe main or independent sourceof electrical power at medium-sized and small agricultural enter-prises and farms to dry grain andhay, for refrigeration, and theprocessing of agricultural pro-duce. A portable TSM welder,designed at "Soyuz", is now wide-ly used in the engineering indus-try for contact spot welding ofthin-walled parts made from high-alloy and structural steels, titani-um and nickel alloys. The "Soyuz"specialists have designed aunique oxygen-hydrogen genera-tor to produce an oxygen-hydro-gen mixture for the hard and softsoldering or welding of thin-walled metal structures madefrom stainless carbon steels. (

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AB017

he bombs of the AirForce were consid-ered unguidedweapons for anextended period oftime. To develop pre-cision-guided bombs,it proved necessary toresolve a number offactors affecting theirfree-fall. To lay abomb precisely on itstarget, a bomber hadto be navigated so

that it assumes a precise combatcourse.

To solve this ballistic task, theadverse effects of atmospheric fac-tors were initially reduced and con-sequently eliminated completely.This necessitated creation of a bombcontrol and bomb sight airbornesystem. In this way developers man-aged to introduce corrections to thebomb's trajectory and the weaponbecame guided.

At present guided bombs arethe most effective Air Forceweapons. They combine high accu-racy and warhead power with its rel-atively low cost. Russia produces TVand laser-guided bombs, dependingon the guidance system. Laser-guided bombs have a capacity of500 and 1500 kg.

The powerful guided bomb,KAB-1500L-Pr (1500 kg) hasattracted a great deal of attention. Itis suitable for long-range and front-line aviation aircraft. It can be usedto bomb various important high-strength and underground fortifica-tions, nuclear warhead depots,command posts, and small-size tar-gets.

This bomb comprises a lasersemiactive homing device, whichensures probable round deviationfrom the target of up to sevenmeters (the latest modificationsdeviate only 3 meters). The greaterpart of this deviation is due most ofall to instrumental error.

This bomb lacks a "tail" in termsof aerodynamic configuration. It hasa cruciform fin assembly in the rearfollowed by biplane vanes, whichensure high maneuverability. Thebomb has front and rear folding fins,which permit its external suspensionand arrangement in the bomb com-partments of big aircraft.

The bomb is fitted with a specialsubcaliber HE-penetration warhead,which can "dig" up to 20 meters inthe ground and penetrate field forti-fication overheads 3 meters thick.

Another similar capacity preci-sion-guided bomb, designated KAB-1500L-F, is fitted with HE warheadproduced from the standard unguid-ed bomb FAB-1500. Upon explod-ing, the bomb produces a blastingcone some 20 meters in diameter.This bomb outwardly resembles theKAB-1500L-Pr bomb. The range of1500 kg bomb dropping altitudesvaries from 1,000 to 18,000 metersat a carrier aircraft's flight speed of550-1700 km/h.

The huge variety of foreign guid-

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PRECISION-GUIDED

BOMBS$ S e r g e y Y e g o r o v $

T

1

FROM DESIGN BUREAUS


AB018

Tests revealed that bomb's circular probable error did not exceed3 meters. When the bombs were dropped, the pilots were so sureof success that, once they had been assigned to destroy their tar-gets, they warranted the drop on predicted points.

1.

The MiG-27K frontline

fighter-bomber armed with

the KAB-500Kr guided

bomb

ed bombs is primarily oriented ondiversified guidance systems. Priorto the "Desert Storm" operation,Americans employed mainly HE war-heads for their guided bombs. Whenthe HE warheads struck elevatorshafts in administrative buildings,they destroyed the ground storeys.However, the fortified buildingsremained intact. Then the developerfirm intensified development of pen-etration warheads, similar to theirRussian counterparts.

For all its merits, the laser guid-ance system for guided bomb war-heads also has some drawbacks. Asit is semiactive, this system requiresuninterrupted illumination by thelaser beam up to the bomb'simpact. In addition, when bombs arereleased from high altitudes, thediameter of the laser spot on theearth surface increases, therebyinducing dispersion. The TV guid-ance system has none of thosedrawbacks.

The 500 kg KAB-500Kr guidedbomb is intended to defeat station-ary objectives, including railroadbridges, reinforced concrete fortifi-cations, communications nodes andthe like. TV matching guidanceensures defeat of camouflaged tar-gets. In direct contrast to foreigncounterparts, such as Americanguided bombs AGM-62 Walleye,which lock on optically contrast tar-gets, the homing device of the KAB-500Kr determines mutual location of

optically contrast objectives.Consequently, the target may notcontrast with the background, andthe warhead will be guided to thepoint indicated by the marker.

Tests revealed that bomb's cir-cular probable error did not exceed3 meters. When the bombs weredropped, the pilots were so sure ofsuccess that, once they had beenassigned to destroy their targets,they warranted the drop on predict-ed points. When the KAB-500Krbomb was adopted, it turned outthat even young pilots could hit tar-gets easily.

The bomb is fitted with a 380 kgconcrete piercing warhead intendedto defeat fortified targets. Versionsof thermobaric warheads are intend-ed to hit personnel both in light shel-ters and light-armored vehicles.Although targets may be hidden interrain accidents, caves and otherobstacles, the kill area will make up1500 square meters. The air speedsof bomb carriers, dropping KAB-500Kr bombs, vary from 550 to

1,100 km/hour and altitudes rangefrom 500 to 5,000 meters.

The main storage of Russian TV-guided bombs constitute ammuni-tion with penetration warheads. Theconcept of combat employment ofguided bombs envisages the defeatof priority targets, which are usuallyheavily protected. Housed in thethick-wall envelope, the penetrationwarhead has also a fragmentationeffect. Upon demolishing the obsta-cle, such a warhead penetrates thetarget and hits the environment bypowerful fragments rather than by aHE charge. Experts maintain that theweight of the warhead rather thanthat of the explosive charge isindicative of the fire power of theguided bombs.

The firm "Region" has devel-oped various capacity TV-guidedbombs with multi-purpose war-heads.

The KAB-500Kr-U training guid-ed bomb was developed to practiceskills on the combat use of the KAB-500Kr guided bomb. This bomb per-mitted simulation of a whole cycle ofair bombing and the recording of itsresults. The KAB-500Kr-U consti-tutes a 85 kg non-droppable con-tainer, 1,830 mm long and 350 mmin diameter. The container isequipped with a TV guidance sys-tem, similar to that of the KAB-500Krguided bomb. It is mounted onexternal pylons. The service life ofthis training guided bomb is rated at300 missions.

The TV homing heads for varioustypes of guided bombs are devel-

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AB018

2.

The KAB-1500L-F laser

guided bomb with HE war-

head

3.

The KAB-1500L-Pr laser

guided bomb with HE-pen-

etration warhead

4.

The KAB-500L laser guided

bomb

oped and produced by the StateScientific Production Enterprise"Impulse". They are designed forguidance of various capacity preci-sion bombs, where target is lockedon prior to their dropping. Similarbombs can be dropped both fromRussian and foreign aircraft, namelyfrom the French Mirage fighters,produced by the firm DassaultBreguet, and England's Jaguar, pro-duced by the firm SEPECAT. Targetsare picked out and locked on via TVindicators, located in the pilot cock-pit.

The TV homing head guides pre-cisely air bombs on small-size tar-gets, including mobile launchers ofcruise and air defense missiles, con-trol centers, ships, bridges and thelike. The TV homing head comprisesa gyrostabilized TV camera, micro-processor and power supply unit.The on-board computer correlatesdata supplied by the TV camera. Atcalculated intervals, determined by

the program, the "picture" of thetarget is recorded by the TV cameraduring the bomb's approach to itstarget. Consequently, the TV hominghead design solves the problem ofimage scaling, comprising only onelens with constant focus distance.The "Impulse" firm can modernizeits produce to ensure interface witha specified type of aircraft on thecustomer's order, using his hard-ware.

The TV homing head is tested inreal conditions. The test proved atotal success. Although the TV hom-

ing head operates in optical range, itis reliably jam-free. Experts from thefirm "Region" contend that theRussian bomb, unlike its foreigncounterparts, defeats targets, whichare even protected by smokescreens.

In the course of drills on combatemployment of guided aerial bombs,the Russian Air Force developed anumber of effective tactical methodsaimed at hitting various types of tar-gets during 24 hours a day. (

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FROM DESIGN BUREAUS


AB018

5.

The KAB-500Kr guided

bomb

6.

The KAB-1500 guided

bomb with HE or HE-pene-

tration warhead

7.

Design of the KAB-500Kr

TV guided bomb

KAB-1500L-Pr 1,500 4,600 580

850 1,300 semiactive laser 1,100 subcaliber, HE-penetration 7

KAB-1500L-F 1,500 4,600 580

850 1,300 semiactive laser 1,180 HE

7

KAB-500Kr 500 3,050 350

750 -TV matching 380 armor-piercing

3

KAB-500Kr-U 85 1,830 350

--TV matching - -

-

Caliber, kgLength, mmMaximum cross-section, mmFin assembly span, mm:foldedextendedType of guidance systemWeight of warhead, kgType of warhead

Circular probable error, max., m

TECHNICAL DATA

t the end of the1950s new battletank tactics stipu-lated effectivesupport of tanksfrom the infantry.Consequently, aspecial infantrytransporter wasdeveloped, capa-ble of deliveringfire on the battle-field, both from itsorganic arma-

ments and by the mountedinfantry.

Developers designed twoprototypes. One was built on achassis with a combined propellerand armed with a 76 mm gun.The other was a fully trackedvehicle armed with a 73 mmsmooth bore gun. The secondprototype was chosen. The vehi-cle was developed by designersheaded by P. Isakov. Armed witha gun christened "Grom"(Thunder), it was designed by V.Silin. The combat vehicle wasknown under the code BMP-1.

The BMP-1 had two compart-ments: for the crew and riflemen,who could deliver fire from indi-vidual weapons through the rifleports. The BMP-1 was armedwith a semi-automatic gun, using

an active-rocket round cham-bered for the grenade launcherSPG-9 (basic load equal to 38shells). As well as the gun, itcomprised an anti-tank (ATGM)system "Malyutka".

In actual practice the BMP-1revealed that it had some of thesame shortcomings as its foreigncounterparts. For instance, the"Grom" gun was powerfulenough, but not as accurate.

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FOR AIR AND GROUND$ V i c t o r V l a s o v , Y u r i V o r o n o v $A

1

FROM DESIGN BUREAUS


AB019

The 30 mm automatic guns (2A42, 2A72) aim tohit light armor targets at a range of 1,500 m, ATmeans, unarmored means and enemy manpowerat a range of 2,000 m and air targets flying at2,000 m altitude. They can fire both single shotsand continuously until their ammunition isexhausted.

1.

The 30 mm 2A42 gun installed

on the BMP-2 infantry fighting

vehicles

2,3.

The-BMD-3 airborne assault

vehicle equipped with the

2A42 gun

Although foreign MICVs could hittargets on the first shot due totracers, their combat effective-ness was hampered by the useof 20 mm shells.

In the early 1970s theRussian designers were commis-sioned to increase the combateffectiveness of the BMP arma-ment. Work proceeded in twodirections. First of all, a smooth

bore gun was updated. Its newprototype was nicknamed"Zarnitsa". The HE-I (HighExplosive Incendiary) round wasadded to the ammunitionallowance of the "Grom" gun.This round boasted higher veloc-ity (400 m/sec) and a greaterrange of fire (up to 1,200 m).

Second, a small-caliberrifled automatic gun was alsoupdated.

The gun was developed bythe Tula Design Bureau headedby V. Gryazev. It was chamberedfor the 30 mm cartridge AO-18.The gun's long barrel and shortautomatic receiver facilitated itsarrangement inside the armorand delivery of fire at large ele-vations. To reduce the recoil, the

barrel was shifted rearward dur-ing firing, together with its muz-zle brake. The electric triggermechanism ensured automaticand single-shot fire.Furthermore, the automatic firewas delivered at high and lowrates.

All these factors increasedthe gun's combat effectiveness.

Intensive tests revealed thecombat efficiency of the BMParmed with this automatic gun. Ithad considerable range and fireaccuracy (some 1,500 m). Itslarge ammunition load numbered500 cartridges against 38 for"Zarnitsa". The 30 mm gun wasvery effective against differenttargets. When it hit a tank, itsrange finder, optics and someoutside rigs became inoperative.If the tank was on the move, itsexterior fuel tanks caught fire.

In 1980 a new vehicle cameinto service, named BMP-2. Itsgun received the index 2A42.

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FROM DESIGN BUREAUS


AB019

A.

The 30 mm 2A42 automatic gun

B.


4.


5,7.

A BMP-1 armed with "Grom" 73 mm

smoothbore semi-automatic gun

6.

Loading ammunition for the 30 mm gun

into the BMP-2

The BMP-2 showed its high com-bat effectiveness in Afghanistan,during fighting on flat and moun-tainous terrain.

Some drawbacks of the 2A42gun were uncovered during com-bat. It was manifested in exces-sive exhausts of smoke during fir-ing, especially at a high rate. Thesmoke filled the combat compart-ment of the vehicle. In addition,the gun was pretty ineffectiveagainst enemy grenade launchers"dug" in the ground. Actual com-bat also revealed that a low rateof fire from the BMP-2 gunremained effective in all firingmodes.

Owing to changes in the con-ception of BMP armament appli-cation, annihilation of enemymanpower posing a threat totanks, acquired paramountimportance. To cope with thisproblem, the Design Bureauheaded by V. Gryazev developeda more powerful armament sys-tem, consisting of a small-caliberautomatic gun, a smooth bore100 mm gun, firing guided shellsalong a steep trajectory, and a7,62 mm machine gun. Fire con-sistency increased considerably.The BMP could hit enemy targetson the first shot.

The ammunition supply forthe 100 mm gun comprised 40unguided (HEI and HE) and eight

guided shells. The 30 mm gunhad 500 cartridges. At the end ofthe 1980s, when a new vehiclebecame operational, it wasnamed the BMP-3 and its small-caliber 30 mm gun was coded the2A72. The newer gun possessedsimilar cartridge and ballistics asthe 2A42 gun, but was smaller inweight. Its massive barrel (37 kg)recoiled far more (335 mm),thereby relieving the load off themount during firing.

The 30 mm automatic guns(2A42, 2A72) aim to hit lightarmor targets at a range of 1,500m, AT means, unarmored meansand enemy manpower at a rangeof 2,000 m, and air targets flyingat 2,000 m altitude. They can fireboth single shots and continu-ously until their ammunition isexhausted.

As mentioned above, the2A42 gun permits automatic fireat a high and low rates. Single-shot and low-rate fire is carriedout from a weapon control panel.

To fire a single shot, a gunnermust send an electric impulse bypressing a button on the weaponcontrol panel. To fire another sin-gle shot, he must release thisbutton and press it again. Thegun's design permits manual firein the event of power failure, butcan only be achieved at a higherrate of fire.

The 2A42 gun is gas-operat-ed. The bolt is closed after itsrotation. The gun is belt-fed. Twometallic cartridge belts consist of

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AB019

8.

Suspension fitting for the

30 mm 2A42 automatic gun

provided on the Ka-50

combat helicopter

9.

View of the muzzle brake of

the 2A42 gun

SPECIFICATIONS OF SMALL-CALIBER GUNS

Caliber, mmRate of fire, rds/min.Gun weight, kgInitial shell velocity:HE-I, m/s HE-T, m/sAP-T, m/sNumber of groovesPitch of rifling, mmAmmunition load, rds

2A4230600-800/200-300115

450(150-AP-T;300-HE-I)

THE 30 MM CARTRIDGE(1) the cartridge with the high-explosive incendiary projectile is designed

for firing from the 2A42 gun at ground light-armored targets.

Projectile caliber, mmWeight of cartridge, kgLength of cartridge, mmExplosive charge weight, kgWeight of projectile, kgInitial velocity of projectile, m/sInitial projectile velocity probabledeviation, m/s Time of burning, s

30 0,853 291 0.127 0.400 960 to 980

5 min. 3.5

2A4230350-39082+5

500(200-AP-T;300-HE-I)

970-10950+10980+10

16715+20

The projectile trajectory is marked by yellow-and-red color line. For training fir-

ing the practical cartridge is manufactured.

(2) the cartridge with the one-piece armour-piercing-tracer projectile for firing from the 2A42 and 2A38guns at ground and air targets.

Projectile caliber, mmWeight of cartridge, kgLength of cartridge, mmExplosive charge weight, kgWeight of projectile, kgInitial velocity of projectile, m/sInitial projectile velocity probabledeviation, m/s

30 0.837 291 0.123 0.389 950 to 970

5Additional cartridge variants:- Practical cartridge with inert filler for conducting training firings.- System-test cartridge with inert filler for checking the materiel for proper func-tioning.- Training cartridge for training of personnel.The projectile functions properly during firing at ambient temperatures from minus50 °C to plus 50 °C.Failure-free performance in automatic firing is no less than 0,9999.The projectile is immune to the influence of electromagnetic impulses and ionizingradiation of nuclear explosion.

separate "Crab" type 9H-623links. The links are locked togeth-er by the cartridges. The belts arefed to the gun in succession by aswitch located in the back-plateof the gun. The cartridge isrammed from the belt into thechamber. The cartridge cases areejected forwards along the barrel.

The guns have a blockingmechanism, which stops firing,when the last cartridge of one ofthe two cartridge-belts comes to

the line of the chamber. The boltis stopped at the sear.Consequently, when a gunnerpresses the firing button afterswitchover to another belt, thefiring continues without anyreloading.

The automatics of the 2A72 isbased on the use of the barrelrecoil energy.

The high quality and combateffectiveness of the small-caliberguns, developed by the BMP

designers attracted the attentionof the helicopter designers.

As a result, the powerfulautomatic gun employed by theBMP-2 appeared for the first timein history aboard the Ka-50 tankkiller. Such a move dramaticallyincreased the fire power of thisflying machine and made itindomitable in the struggleagainst enemy armor vehicles. (

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AB019

he earthquake,which struckArmenia at the endof 1988, became atragedy. At that timeour salvagers feltand understood howhelpless man is,when faced by realcalamities.

Soon after theearthquake, workwas launched inRussia to develop

our own new generation salvageequipment. Today we can declarewith confidence that the equip-ment now available to Russiansalvagers sometimes even sur-passes foreign versions in perfor-mance. This fact is confirmed bythe examples of powerful salvageand emergency-salvagemachines developed by special-ists of the Armored VehiclesDepartment of the Russian

Defense Ministry, using tanks,which are due to be removedfrom service and destroyed underrelevant international agree-ments.

It is well known that tanks arethe least suitable type of militaryhardware, which can be adaptedto meet the needs of the nationaleconomy. One can hardly usetanks as farm tractors. From thevery beginning this machine wasintended for operation in extremeconditions (absence of roads,fires, radiation and chemical con-tamination of the locality, etc.).This determined the "civilian pro-fession" of any machines basedon tanks: operation in extremeconditions in zones of naturalcalamities, major industrial acci-dents and disasters (alas, socommon in our industrial age),and other emergencies.

The design of new machinesfor these purposes, let alone the

organization of serial production,is an expensive and time-con-suming process. The use of thetank chassis with armamentsreplaced by the necessary civilianequipment made it possible todevelop quickly, without undueexpenses, a number of emer-gency-salvage machines, whichcan operate where man was untilnow powerless. First postwargeneration tanks T-54, T-55, andT-62 proved the most suitable.Firstly, during many years of ser-vice these tanks have beenbrought up to a very high level ofreliability and trouble-free opera-tion. Secondly, these machinesare simple and easy to service.Thirdly, their transmission gearhas a vertical gearbox, which,can, upon slight modification, beused to drive the salvage equip-ment.

One such machine is a multi-purpose track-type tractor GTU-1

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CONVERSION TANKSC H A L L E N G E

THE NATURE$ O l e g A n a t o l i y e v $

T1

C O N V E R S I O N P R O G R A M S


AB020

Today we can declare with confidence that the equipment nowavailable to Russian salvagers sometimes even surpasses foreignversions in performance. This fact is confirmed by the examplesof powerful salvage and emergency-salvage machines developedby specialists of the Armored Vehicles Department of the RussianDefense Ministry, using tanks, which are due to be removed fromservice and destroyed under relevant international agreements.

(GTU-1A) developed from tank T-55 (T-62). It is designed to per-form salvage and emergency-sal-vage operations in areas of natur-al calamities, major accidents anddisasters. The tractor is equippedwith two winches, a powerfulcrane, electric welding equip-ment and a bulldozer. The crew isreliably protected from exposureto high temperatures, while theprovision of a filtering-ventilation

system enables the crew to oper-ate in zones affected by radiationand chemical contamination.

To crush large concrete andother non-metallic objects duringemergency-salvage operations, aspecial crushing machine hasbeen designed on the basis oftank T-55. The machine is provid-ed with a powerful hydropneu-matic hammer.

Forest fires, fires at log andoil storage areas and other indus-trial sites cause great suffering.Such fires are extremely danger-ous and difficult to fight. A mobile

fire engine greatly eases the taskof fire-fighters and makes theirwork much safer.

Power engineers are preoc-cupied with maintenance of high-voltage transmission lines. As arule, these lines are extremelylong and run through virtuallyinaccessible areas. In this casethe solution was provided by atank chassis carrying all equip-ment required, to maintain powertransmission tines.

It is difficult to clear up theconsequences of accidents anddisasters. Therefore, equipment

designed by tank specialists forthese purposes is not confined tothe aforementioned examplesand includes other machinesintended for universal use andspecific tasks. All these machinesare characterized by high mobili-ty, reliability and trouble-freeperformance.

In salvaging work debris hasto be cleared away, whileattempts are made to save peopleand property. For this purposesalvagers require efficient toolsand gear. The activity of theresearch-and-development firm

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AB020

T-55 (T-62) 30 2 50 80 (110) 250 (25) 5 (0.5) 200 7 270 4 provided

PrototypeMass, tCrewMaximum speed, km/hPower takeoff, kW (h.p.)Pulling force of the main winch, kN (tf)Pulling force of the additional winch, kN (tf)Working length of the main winch cable, mMaximum crane load capacity, tBoom swing angle, deg.Platform load capacity, tWelding equipment

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GTU-1

1.

The GTU-1 multi-purpose

track-type tractor

"Prostor", which designs suchequipment, constitutes a strikingexample of the conversion forpeaceful uses.

Based in the Moscow subur-ban city of Krasnoarmeisk, thisfirm came into being as a resultof the economic reforms appliedto the research complex of thedefense industry. As no budgetfinancing was available, a groupof researchers previouslyengaged in basic research onthermal engineering, enginedesign, and robotics decided togo on with their R&D work.

The researchers tried out var-ious options to attract capitalrequired to continue theirresearch. Eventually, they startedtheir own production as a meansof earning profits.

The first set of multi-purposehydraulic tools produced com-mercially at "Prostor" differedfrom foreign-made counterpartsin its surprisingly wide opera-tional potential and heavy weight.Today "Prostor" manufacturesfifth generation tools, featuringmuch smaller weights and betteroperational characteristics.

This could not have beenachieved within such a short timewithout experience and skills ofthe Russian school of "strength-engineers" who design missilesystems. The production of cut-

ting and power elements isanother field, where the new firmhas its own know-how. Here, italso took full advantage of pastexperience and knowledge accu-mulated by ammunition design-ers.

A victim of "directive" conver-sion imposed from above, nowa-days "Prostor" helps otherdefense enterprises. By placingorders for components ofhydraulic tools with militaryplants, it helps them keep jobsand pay wages. Such compo-nents are manufactured by highlyqualified personnel at well-knownenterprises, which use aviationand space technologies.

Some elements of thehydraulic tools have been bor-rowed from military hardware,now undergoing conversion. TheRN-250 hand pump used in avia-tion has proved itself to be themost reliable, efficient, and con-venient in operation. The snap

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AB020

T-55 35 2.5 360 4.5 hydropneumatic 80 20

PrototypeMass, tBoom overhang, mBoom swing angle, deg.Height of crushed objects, mHammer typeStroke frequency, min-1Stroke energy, kJ

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CRUSHING MACHINE

T-55 36 2 30 360 0 - 75 100 3000 5

PrototypeMass, tCrewBoom overhang, mBoom swing angle, deg.Boom hoist angle, deg.Water pump output, l/sFoam generator capacity, lNumber of foam generators, pcs

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FIRE ENGINE

2.

The "Berezina" transport

vehicle

3.

The "Poleseye" topo-

graphic survey vehicle

hydraulic joints for instantaneousconnection of hoses were previ-ously used only in SS-20 mis-siles.

The set of hydraulic tools pro-duced by "Prostor" is suitable formany other applications, apartfrom salvage work. These toolshave long been used abroad onconstruction, erection, repair,and restoration jobs. In Russiaand former Soviet republics thesetools are popular in utility ser-vices, transport, mining, process-ing, and chemical enterprises.

Whatever .the actual compo-sition, the tools work effectivelyin various climatic and geograph-

ic conditions, within the entirerange of underground depths andmountain altitudes. The toolshave been successfully tested foroperation underwater. First of allthe naval specialists used apumping station mounted on

board a ship, before switching toa fully autonomous version, withthe hand pump submerged inwater. In these conditions eventhe addition of new hose sectionsposed no problem: the construc-tion of the joints is such that the

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AB020

27.5 0.51 250 427 (580) 500 26 12 10 5

Mass, tSpecific soil pressure, kg/cm2Fuel distance, kmEngine power rating, kW (h.p.)Cage load capacity, kgMaximum hoisting height, mTime to hoist cage to 26 m height, minTime to lower cage from 26 m height, minCrew

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CHERRY PICKER "LADOGA"

4.

The "Ingul" salvage vehi-

cle

5.

The "Irtysh" salvage and

transport vehicle

hoses are permanently filled withhydraulic mixture. The systemdoes not require additional flush-ing.

Today the extended set ofequipment includes various loadcapacity pneumatic jacks. With aninitial thickness of 20 mm these"rubber mats" can be blown tothe size of a ball, 260 mm indiameter. During the tests asharpened steel strip was placededgewise between a 10-tonmonolith and a pneumatic jack.The load was repeatedly raised to

the required height, but thepneumojack ball blown at a pres-sure of 0.6 MPa remained intact.

"Prostor" offers a set of pro-tective clothing and footwear.This protective gear has beentested for flame resistance andstability in aggressive media andits world standard is confirmed byauthoritative recommendationsand certificates.

The tools have been testedfor vibration and shock resis-tance, exposure to mudflow, heatflow and open flame in extreme

conditions - in the Polar Northand hot deserts, in sea water anddense fogs. They have success-fully passed all tests carried outby specialists of the Ministry ofInternal Affairs, the Ministry ofDefense, the Committee forEmergencies and Civil Defense.

The design of the toolsensures high efficiency, maxi-mum safety and operational con-venience. The first requirementwas realized in an in-depth studyof the conditions the tools were tobe used in, with due attention

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AB020

6.

Tools set for rescue work

paid to the drawbacks of foreigncounterparts. To meet the secondrequirement, the designers madeprovisions for an optimumstrength margin of the tools andequipped them with various safe-ty devices. The armored plastichoses of the hydraulic system,designed for an internal pressureof 250 atm., have a 4-foldstrength margin and operate in atemperature, ranging from -40°Cto +80°C. The hydraulic locksreliably hold the cutting orexpanding tools in any position.The third requirement is satisfiedby producing tools for right-handed and left-handed opera-tors, by constant improvementsin the design and by reducing thedimensions and weight of thetools.

Sometimes the "Prostor" spe-cialists have to render ratherunusual services using theirtools. For instance, once theywere asked to cut off the tail of afighter plane which crashed tothe ground abandoned by thepilot. It took them a mere 20 min-utes to clear up the site of theaccident. The site was left in abetter state ecologically, as com-pared to what it would have beenif plasma cutters had been usedfor the purpose. The tools provedvery handy for removing oldbuses from bus pools.

The technical level of thetools, as certified by well-knownfirms, confirms the leading role of"Prostor" in the production ofhand-operated emergency andsalvage tools in Russia. (

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AB020

7.

A DG type jack

8.

The KG-250 cutter in

action

9.

Operation with the RKG-

250 expander-cutter

ow can you live inrelative comfortworking in a fieldor forest far fromhome? A mobilecomplex named"Fieldsville" by itsdesigners makes itpossible for geolo-gists, prospectorsand others whohave to work awayfrom sweet home.

The first people to appreciatethe comforts of living in such acomplex were missilemen. It wasoriginally designed to providenormal living conditions for thecrews of missile systems RSD-10(known in the West as SS-20),when on the alert on field launch-ing sites.

Now this mobile complex,comprising a dormobile (AO-543.1) and lunchmobile (AS-543.1), is yours for the asking.

The dormobile is a real homeon wheels. It is 12 meters long,more than 3 meters wide andhigh enough to rule out claustro-phobia. A vestibule divides thedormobile into two parts, housingroomettes which may accommo-date up to 4 people each if pro-vided with double-deckers. All inall, the dorm sleeps 24 peoplewho enjoy as much comfort aspossible when they are far awayfrom cities and frequently on themove. If you want to dry yourclothes or shoes after working inthe rain, there is a special dryerat your service. You feel comfort-able indoors regardless of out-side humidity with air tempera-tures as low as -40 °C and as highas +50 °C.

The lunchmobile looks similarto the dormobile. It comprises asmall dining room, kitchen andadditional premises. Everythinghas been done to make you feel

comfortable whether you eat yourlunch or do the cooking. The din-ing room with its four foldingtables can take care of 16 peopleat a time and may instantly beconverted into a viewing room forTV and video programs.

When you enter the lunchmo-bile, you first go into an anteroomwith a wash-stand and a smallclothes rack, where you can leaveyour street clothes. The cookingis done in a well-ventilatedkitchen with effective smokeejection. The kitchen equipmentserves a variety of purposesincluding bread making. Next tothe kitchen you will find a refrig-

erator with 0.75-ton storagecapacity. The lunchmobile alsohas a shower-room storing morethan two tons of water, which isavailable to all Fieldsvilledwellers.

All premises are provided withheating, air-conditioning andventilation. Nearly everything ispower-operated using as asource a self-contained 30 kW,220 (380) V and 50 Hz powerplant. In other words, it is just likein a city.

To guarantee timely and effi-cient routine maintenance of thecomplex facilities, including theMAZ-543M base carriers, the

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A HOMEAWAY FROM HOME

$ G e n n a d y P e t r o v $H

1



AB021

If it proves necessary to change the base,"Fieldsville" soon becomes a maneuvering truckconvoy and can move with all its dwellers up to850 km without refueling.

1.

"Fieldsville" chang-

ing base

2.

Maintenance shop

MTO-AT-M1

3.

Lunchmobile

4.

Home on wheels

complex is supplied with a main-tenance shop (MTO-AT-M1)mounted on a ZIL-131 truck. The

maintenance shop is equipped forvarious diagnostic operations,adjustments, using electricinstruments, fitting work, assem-bly, cabinet work, tire repair,hoisting, transportation, thecharging of lead-acid batteries,welding and painting. At the cus-tomer's request, the maintenanceshop may be supplied with asmall-sized screw-cutting lathe(IT-1 M).

This maintenance shop is partof the standard complement.

However, if the customer wishes,a more elaborately outfittedmechanical maintenance shop(MRM-M1) can also be supplied.Here is the list of the basic typesof work it can perform: latheoperations, milling, grinding,drilling and fitting work. Theequipment of both maintenanceshops is universal and can meetthe needs of the "Fieldsvillers".

In addition, the customersmay be offered a battery mainte-nance and charging station tomaintain and recharge storagebatteries for all types of equip-ment.

The maintenance shops areequipped with their own powerunits, i.e. three-phase AC gener-ators (50 Hz, 16 kW, 230 V) dri-ven by the main chassis enginethrough power take-off. If itproves necessary to change thebase, "Fieldsville" soon becomesa maneuvering truck convoy andcan move with all its dwellers upto 850 km without refueling. Thiswill not be tiring for the person-nel. The speed depends on thecondition of roads: up to 80 kmper hour on asphalt and up to 40km per hour on dirt roads. Even atotal lack of roads does not makemovement impossible. Waterobstacles up to 1.5 m deep willnot stop the convoy, as long astheir bottom is hard. (

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AB021

Such mobile complexes

are manufactured by

the Shumerlya Special

Vehicle Plant

(Shumerlya, the

Chuvash Republic).

midst the greatarray of small armsproduced all overthe world, there is awhole class of rela-tively unknownweapons. This canbe attributed totheir scarcity in thearms arsenal andthe specific aims oftheir employmentby special units ofthe Armed Forces

and secret services, which don'twant to advertise their activity.

We are talking about specialweapons, capable of deliveringsilent and flameless fire. Their com-bat effectiveness and accuracymust meet the most exactingrequirements, owing to complicatedemployment conditions and thehigh "value" of each shot from suchweapons.

The TSNIITOCHMACH Institutelocated in the town of Klimovsk,near Moscow, is a leading Russianenterprise developing such special-purpose weapons. This Institute

develops special small arms,ordered by the Army, InteriorMinistry and other agencies, whicharm their secret services with simi-

lar weapons. They comprise under-water weapons, pump rifles, pistols,revolvers, submachine guns,machine guns, gas and pyroliquid

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NO NOISE,NO FLAMES &

NO MISSES!$ A l e x e i V a d i m o v $

A

1

T O P S E C R E T


AB022

We are talking about special weapons, capable of delivering silentand flameless fire. Their combat effectiveness and accuracy mustmeet the most exacting requirements, owing to complicatedemployment conditions and the high "value" of each shot fromsuch weapons.

systems, pyrotechnical cutters andmany other weapons. Silent andflameless weapons are in particulardemand.

At recent international weaponexhibitions, the TSNIITOCHMASHsuccessfully exhibited its twoweapon systems: a 9 mm BSKspecial sniper rifle system and a 9mm silent submachine gun system.

The first weapon system com-prises a special VSS sniper rifle,cartridge, optic and night sights.The rifle is automatically reloaded,by using the energy of powdergases, which escape from the bar-rel through the gas-hole. Full bar-rel locking occurs while the bolt isrotated along its axis and rests onits 6 combat stops. The firing andtrigger mechanism uses a firingpin, which permits single shot andcontinuous fire. The rifle has asafety catch to ensure safety dur-ing its handling and prevent acci-

dental firing, caused by any unin-tentional pull of the trigger, strik-ing, dropping or barrel unlocking.The removable magazine accom-modates cartridges arranged intwo rows. The magazines have 10-and 20-round capacity.

The wooden frame rifle buttdoes not unfold. It is easy to han-dle, comfortable and ensures pre-cise target aiming. For convenientand concealed portage the rifle canbe broken up into three parts andpacked into a special briefcase with450 x 370 x 140 mm dimensions. Ittakes about one minute to preparethe rifle for firing.

The rifle has two standardsights: a day-time optic sight 1P43and night sight 1PN75. Othersights can also be used. The 1P43sight permits firing during daytimeat a range, of up to 400 m. The 1PN75 sight is used for night firingat a range of up to 300 m. An open

sight can also be used.The second weapon system

comprises a 9 mm silent subma-chine gun, special cartridge, andtwo sights for day-time and nightfiring. The submachine gun is iden-tical to the sniper rifle in terms ofits main components design. It isalso gas-operated. Its firing andtrigger mechanism permits singleshot and continuous fire.

The submachine gun has afolded, metallic tubular butt. Thepistol hand-grip is handy in firing.The box-like sector-type magazinehas a two-row cartridge arrange-ment. The magazine has a 20-car-tridge capacity. Target test shotsproved that the submachine gunand sniper rifle are similar to theKalashnikov AKM assault rifle interms of reliability.

Silent, effective fire is thesalient feature of these small arms.Developers from Klimovsk com-

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AB022

1.

The 9 mm sniper system complete with

night sight

2.

The 9 mm silent submachine gun sys-

tem with day-time and night sights

bined with great skill these conflict-ing features in one weapon system.

To make the fire almost noise-less, they incorporated some inno-vations in both the cartridge with asubsound initial velocity and opti-mal ballistic characteristics and inthe weapon's general design.Other innovations included thedevelopment of a unique muzzlesilencer and a reduced level ofnoise, caused by moving parts ofthe submachine gun.

The special cartridges for thesniper rifle and the submachinegun weigh 23 g and have a ratherheavy bullet. Despite their low ini-tial velocity, the bullets are effec-tive in firing against remote targets.The submachine gun and sniperrifle also cut through enemy per-sonnel wearing bullet-proof vestsof I, II, and III levels and are effec-tive against unarmored transportmeans at ranges of up to 400 m.The sniper's rifle bullet can pene-trate 2 mm thick steel plate at arange of 500 m, retaining its stop-ping power after penetration.

These powerful silent weaponshave "younger brothers" - pistols.One of them was developed in theearly 1970s for "silent" firing atshort range. It has a low rate of fire,but is very reliable and easy tocarry thanks to its compactness.

The special small-size pistol iscalled MSP. This pistol is a raremodern multibarrel non-automaticweapon. Its simple design, smallsize and weight are matched by its

easy and safe handling. It can befired almost instantly.

The MSP has two verticallyarranged barrels. To load andunload them, the barrel block ispushed forward and up off theframe. During its rotation the pin-like extractor extracts the car-tridges from the barrel. The pistolemploys a hammer-type firing andtrigger mechanism, with two ham-mers housed in the pistol grip. Thehammers are cocked by a cock-lever before firing. The pistol isequipped with a reliable safetydevices: a safety-catch which canbe placed in two positions (ON andOFF); a trigger lock, which pre-

vents firing with partially closedbarrel blocks; a safety-latch for thecocking of the hammer and inertiallock of the trigger mechanism.

Simple effective sights forshort-range fire can be fixed on theupper part of the barrels. The pistolgrip's side plates are connected bya screw. It also holds a ring to beattached to the belt or sling.

The barrel's design and theSP-3 cartridge specification ensuresilent and flameless fire. The ballis-tics are optimized to reduce thesound of the firing and retain theimmobilizing effects of the bullet ata time. (

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AB022

3.

The MSP special-purpose low-noise pis-

tol

7.62

0.56 0.53 115 66 91 6 150 52 15

Caliber, mmWeight, kg:with cartridgesw/o cartridgesLength, overall, mmLength of barrels, mmHeight, mmCombat rate of fire, rds/minFiring range, mLength of cartridge, mmWeight of cartridge, g

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE MSP

SPECIAL SNIPER SILENT SUBMA-RIFLE CHINE GUN

9 9

2.6 2.5894 875/61510/20 20

single/continuous0.58

2.1

Caliber, mmWeight, kg:with magazine, w/o cartridgesLength, mmMagazine capacity, cartMode of fireWeight of optical sight, kgWeight of night sight withbattery, kg

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE MSP

military parade 2

Documents

meter wave band

smaller num bers

phased antenna arrays

simulta neously engage

pur chasing arms

fairly large force

propelled artillery mounts

guided aerial bombs