The US military tested the use of missile weapons against the Russian anti-aircraft missile-cannon complex "Shell". This was reported by the American defense portal Defense News, citing its correspondent who was present at the tests.

“In the mountainous Arizona desert, hiding behind an almost five hundred meter high rocky hill, the AH-64E helicopter launches a missile at a target located on the opposite slope. This target imitates the Russian “Shell” complex, equipped with medium-range air-to-air missiles, ”the publication describes at the training ground.

A link to Defense News is provided by the official account of the multifunctional working group of the Ground Forces, which is developing a new generation of helicopters. It was they who conducted the tests.

To date: @ armyfutures's #FVL CFT successfully fired long range precision munitions with the help of an Air Launched Effect. See the highlights from the article of our demo. https://t.co/ZUIU8cpxgk

- Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team (@FVLCFT) August 27, 2019

It is reported that the Apache helicopter, being outside the zone of destruction of the Russian air defense system, successfully hit the target using the Israeli Spike NLOS guided missile. From August 26 to 28 in Arizona, the US military checks the possibility of using these weapons with military helicopters of the US Army. Earlier, similar tests took place in Israel.

Officially, the main goal of the tests is to test “the possibilities in addition to the promising vertical lift system (FLV-Future Vertical Lift)”. FVL is a program for the construction of two new helicopters for the US Army - the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) and the Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), which should replace the standing ones now in service with the Ground Forces helicopters OH-58 Kiowa Warrior and UH-60 Black Hawk.

Maximum Realism

A few days before the tests in Arizona, experts from the American neoconservative analytical center Heritage Foundation announced the dangers of the Russian Pantsir complexes for US Army aviation. According to them, this is one of the main threats to helicopters that will be created under the FLV program. The main objective of the project is to radically increase the speed and maneuverability of helicopters. However, super-fast helicopters will be an easy target for Russian systems.

  • Helicopter AH-64E
  • AFP
  • © JUNG Yeon-Je

“There is no clarity as to how the invulnerability of products developed under the programs“ Long-range transport and landing aircraft ”and“ Promising strike and reconnaissance aircraft ”will be achieved before elements of an integrated air defense system like the highly effective Russian complex“ Shell-C1 ”(SA -22). Such an aircraft, even with a twofold or threefold increase in speed characteristics, will not be able to get away from the 9M335 rocket mounted on the Shell, ”the Heritage Foundation report on the problems of modernization of the American army notes.

As Director of the Air Defense Museum in Balashikha Yuri Knutov noted in an interview with RT, the United States is concerned about the capabilities of Russian air defense systems.

“This is the biggest threat to American aviation. Therefore, all of their training is conducted on Russian mock-ups, American pilots are training on them to destroy our air defense systems, ”Knutov said.

According to the expert, the purpose of such attacks on mock-ups is to develop military skills.

“The point is that American pilots, while in the air, must in a matter of seconds determine the type of weapon that they will use to counter air defense,” the military expert said.

The observer of the magazine Arsenal of the Fatherland, Dmitry Drozdenko, agrees with this assessment. According to him, the use of prototypes of Russian military equipment suggests that the Americans perceive Russia as a "likely enemy" and are preparing to destroy Russian equipment.

“The Americans are always trying to achieve maximum realism: arrange aerial battles with airplanes and helicopters, painted like ours, use our equipment to train their marines, even build villages for training. It is not surprising that they made the model of the “Shell” and did not put any container for the attack, ”RT Drozdenko said.

Friend help

Now the basis of missile weapons in helicopters of the American army aviation is the Hellfire family missiles. They can hit targets at ranges up to 8 km. The range of the missile systems "Shell" - 20 km. This means that American combat helicopters do not even have a chance to get close to the Russian air defense system at a distance sufficient to strike. The JAGM (Joint Air-to-Ground Missile) missile, which should replace Hellfire since 2020, also does not fly further than 8 km.

In turn, the range of destruction of Spike NLOS missiles, according to the manufacturer, the Israeli company Rafael, is up to 25 km. A "smart" guidance and control system allows you to strike at targets that are not in the direct line of sight of the crew.

  • Spike Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS)
  • © Wikimedia commons / Rhk111

According to experts, the United States, without the necessary weapons systems, is forced to seek help from its Middle Eastern ally, Israel. Only his missiles are able to enable American helicopters to fight the Russian anti-aircraft missile and cannon system.

“Israel is ahead of the United States in this regard,” says Yuri Knutov. “Americans prefer to buy Israeli developments, instead of spending money on creating similar weapons, but only their own.”

Who will win?

In 2017, Rafael in one of his commercials demonstrated how the company's products can overcome anti-aircraft missile systems resembling the Russian S-400 and “Shell-S”. In 2018, the media reported that the Israel Defense Forces used mock-ups of Russian Osa, Kub, and Pantsir-C1 air defense systems in exercises.

  • Land-based self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun systems “Pantsir-S”
  • RIA News
  • © Alexander Wilf

ZRPK "Shell" of various modifications is in service with not only Russia, but also a number of other countries, in particular Iran and Syria. The relations of these powers with the USA and Israel, as you know, are strained. And it was in Syria that the complex demonstrated effectiveness in the fight not only against drones and militant missiles, but also against American and Israeli weapons.

In April 2018, the Shell-C1 systems were used by Syrian air defense to repel a missile strike by the United States, France and the United Kingdom. As the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Major General Igor Konashenkov noted, 25 missiles launched by a complex of missiles hit 23 targets. In May 2018, the Israel Defense Forces released a video in which a Spike NLOS rocket hit a Syrian armored vehicle, Shell-C1. However, according to experts, the blow was dealt on an undeveloped calculation. In January 2019, the Shell and Buk repelled an Israeli air attack on Damascus airport.

Israel and the United States in every way reduce the effectiveness of Syrian air defense, however, as noted by Yuri Knutov, do not show yourself the "Shell" from the best side in Syria, the Pentagon would not be prepared to oppose these complexes.

“The task of combating air defense systems, which have proved to be very effective in Syria, is being worked out,” the expert notes.

In turn, Dmitry Drozdenko emphasizes: the Russian air defense system is in-depth. This means that complexes of different ranges and designed to destroy different targets work together, using both weapons of fire and electronic warfare.

The experience of combating the less equipped Syrian air defense, although there are a number of Russian systems there, is unlikely to be used against Russia.

“It is impossible to consider a separate air defense object separately from everything else. Our air defense system includes early warning and destruction systems S-400, S-300, Buk-M1, M3, which hit targets at long ranges. In addition to the "Shell" complex, we also have the "Tor" complex, which successfully shot down drones. There is a certain set of systems that are interconnected. They all see everything. Therefore, in order to strike a Spike rocket at the “Shell” complex, you still need to get to it, ”explains Drozdenko.

In addition, the complexes of the "Shell" family are constantly being upgraded. In April 2019, the Russian military tested the latest system - the Shell-SM. This complex should go into service with the Russian army in 2021. He will be able to hit targets at ranges up to 40 km, and recognize at 75 km.

“In the new modification, the range of the“ Shell ”will almost double, so that it will be possible to destroy targets at a great distance, and Spike missiles will be ineffective,” says Yuri Knutov.