Check in five seconds: completed tests of the new Russian artillery reconnaissance complex "Penicillin"

In Russia, state tests of the latest automated artillery intelligence complex 1B75 Penicillin have been completed. And the first two samples of this technology are planned to be delivered to the troops already in 2020. This RIA Novosti reported in the press service of the holding "Roselectronika".

It is noted that the Penicillin sound-thermal complex is designed to detect the firing positions of enemy artillery guns, mortars, multiple launch rocket systems, as well as the starting positions of the enemy’s anti-aircraft and tactical missiles. In this case, the system simultaneously conducts the adjustment of friendly artillery firing.

The complex includes several sound receivers installed on the ground and an optoelectronic module. Penicillin receives and processes thermal and acoustic signals from shots and projectile breaks, providing information on the location of the ammunition rupture, accuracy of impact, and reports the location of the enemy’s artillery.

A key feature of the new complex is that it determines the coordinates of a single target within a radius of up to 25 km in just five seconds.

"Penicillin" can conduct maintenance of shooting as one battery, and in turn each battery of a battalion. The installation also provides interaction with subscribers of an automated tactical and operational management system. The range of radio communication with external subscribers is up to 40 km, ”said Ruselectronics.

The structure of the optical-electronic module "Penicillin-OEM", which is a complex of heat-finding equipment (TPA) on a telescopic bar, includes six thermal imaging and six television cameras. All of them are placed in a single housing on a rotating and rocking base.

"The radiation that comes from objects located in the exploration sector, optical-electronic units of the product ... is converted into electrical signals and transmitted to the equipment for receiving and displaying the TPA in real time," - noted in the documents for the development of the module.

For the first time, the existence of the automated sound-thermal intelligence complex AZTK 1B75 Penicillin became known to the general public in March 2017. At this point, tests of a prototype started at the Donguz proving ground in the Orenburg region.

It was reported that the complex is intended to replace the traditional principle of adjusting fire with the help of intelligence officers who work at the front line with the risk to life.

“In contrast, Penicillin can operate at a safe distance from the enemy without the operator’s participation in a fully automated mode, which minimizes the influence of the human factor,” said Rosselectronics.

In addition, the existing artillery reconnaissance complexes are vulnerable to enemy electronic warfare and anti-radar weapons. In turn, AZTK 1B75 performs tasks without unmasking itself with external radiation.

"Artillery remains one of the important factors on the battlefield"

Earlier, the American analytical publication National Interest published a material entitled "Perhaps Russia has a new means for destroying (American. - RT ) heavy artillery." It was about the new artillery reconnaissance complex presented at the Army — 2018 exhibition.

It is noted that Western radar systems - the American Hughes AN / TSQ-51 and the Scandinavian ARTHUR - due to their peculiarities, have difficulty detecting small projectiles and are subject to anti-radar measures. The undetectability of the Russian system by traditional methods makes it insensitive to counteroffensive artillery, NI writes.

Currently, the main artillery weapons in the US Army are the 155-mm self-propelled artillery M109, towed howitzers M119 (105 mm) and M777 (155 mm), as well as several types of mortars and MLRS (HIMARS and MLRS). The firing range of most of them with ordinary shells does not exceed 25 km.

According to Konstantin Sivkov, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences, the main advantage of the Penicillin complex is the availability of a thermal optoelectronic channel, which allows you to react to enemy artillery fire and strike a counter-battery even before it can change location

“According to open data, the range of the complex is 25 km, that is, within the limits of the tactical defense zone. Accordingly, light field artillery, mortars - such facilities will mainly work on such facilities, ”the RT expert said.

In turn, retired Colonel Viktor Baranets, a military columnist for Komsomolskaya Pravda, noted that foreign specialists had rightly paid attention to the fact that the Russian complex would have a very serious influence on the effectiveness of artillery combat.

“Why they called the Penicillin complex an American artillery killer.” All the armies of the world have artillery guns of different caliber and different range, and the artillery remains one of the important factors on the battlefield, - said the interlocutor of RT. - It is very important to have the exact coordinates of the location of a weapon, because the gun makes several shots and immediately changes its position. And if the technologies do not allow instantly detecting his position, then the enemy will simply shift this position, and the shells will fly, in fact, to an empty space. ”

The expert noted that AZTK 1B75 makes it possible in a matter of seconds to determine the firing point with maximum accuracy and cover it with return fire: "This is one of the elements of the new warfare, where the speed of response to enemy fire is reduced to a minimum."

• British 155-mm howitzer M777 and American self-propelled gun M109 (155 mm)
• Reuters

According to Barants, foreign experts point out that the high tactical and technical characteristics of the complex are achieved thanks to the use of the latest technologies, which so far only the Russian defense industry has.

“We need to talk about something else: that in this complex there is not a single bolt or board, which we would buy abroad. In this complex everything is Russian, starting from the most elementary device and ending with complex electronic systems. Possessing such a complex, the Russian army gets very serious anti-artillery "ears and eyes", which is extremely important in the conduct of modern hostilities, where time becomes a very serious factor, ”the expert added.

“The speed of reaction to enemy fire also becomes an additional weapon of our army,” he stressed.

“I would like to congratulate our designers, scientists, technologists, and engineers who invented and completed this complex. We will wait for his massive influx into the troops of the Russian army, ”Baranets summed up.