Russia has a powerful technological basis for creating a system for intercepting hypersonic ammunition, military experts polled by RT said. In their opinion, a fairly wide range of weapons will have the ability to protect Russian targets from the latest weapons.
“With a high degree of certainty, we can say that the S-500“ Prometheus ”, S-400“ Triumph ”in the modified version and the self-propelled laser system“ Peresvet ”in the upgraded version will be able to cope with the interception of hypersonic targets (air defense systems), - Yuri Knutov, a military expert, director of the Air Defense Museum in Balashikha, told RT in a commentary.
A similar point of view is shared by Dmitry Kornev, founder of the Military Russia portal. In an interview with RT, the expert emphasized that during the modernization many Russian air defense systems, as well as the Peresvet complex and other types of advanced weapons created on new physical principles and using the so-called directed energy, will be able to intercept hypersonic ammunition.
“The S-500 initially laid down the function of destroying hypersonic targets, in particular the warheads of ballistic missiles (they reach speeds of more than 5 Machs. - RT ), but with a certain refinement, other air defense systems, such as S-400 and Buk-M3, can also shoot down hypersonic devices ". In the future, laser and microwave weapons will have the same properties, ”Kornev explained.
Earlier in an interview with VGTRK Chief Deputy Director Andrei Kondrashov in the Vesti Nedeli program, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that an effective means of intercepting hypersonic ammunition is being created for the Russian army.
“It (a means of interception. - RT ) will appear. But I think that we will be able to pleasantly surprise our partners with the fact that when they have these weapons, with a high degree of probability we will have a means of combating these weapons, ”Putin said.
According to the president, thanks to progress in the field of military hypersound, Russia was in a unique position, having the opportunity to timely develop systems capable of fighting enemy vehicles flying at a speed of more than 5 Machs.
“I repeat once again: with a high degree of probability we will have a means of combating hypersonic weapons by the time that the leading countries of the world have this hypersonic weapon,” Putin said.
“Improve the hypersonic arsenal”
Russia became the first country in the world to adopt armaments of hypersonic weapons. We are talking about the Kh-47M2 Dagger aviation complex, which is launched from the MiG-31 fighter, and the Avangard planning block, designed for installation on intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), including the Sarmat missile system.
Anchar-RV domestic long-range apparatus is in the process of development, and the Russian Navy is testing the 3M22 Zircon, a sea-based missile capable of speeds of 9 Machs.
- MiG-31 fighter with X-47M2 dagger
- RIA News
- © Andrey Stanavov
In addition to Russia, hypersonic weapons are currently being actively developed by China, Britain, Japan and the United States.
It is noteworthy that in the 2000s, it was the United States that held the status of leader in the field of military hypersound. However, in the process of development work and testing, not all Pentagon projects were successful.
To date, there is not a single hypersonic drill in service with the American Armed Forces, although intensive research and experiments in this area are continuing.
Speaking at the Military Academy at West Point on June 13, U.S. President Donald Trump said that American industry allegedly developed a high-precision rocket capable of flying 17 times faster than modern counterparts in the arsenal of other states. According to him, the ammunition range is 1,000 miles (1.6 thousand km).
Earlier, the head of the White House called this weapon a “super-duper missile,” but none of the US officials have yet to clarify which particular product is in question and at what stage the work is ongoing on it. It is only known that the Pentagon is financing several projects of hypersonic weapons for the Air Force, Navy and Ground Forces. For example, an AGM-183 ARRW aeroballistic missile is being created for strategic B-1 Lancer bombers, and a C-HGB hypersonic glider for the Navy and ground units.
However, in the United States at the beginning of 2019, they started talking about the need to create a system for intercepting hypersonic targets. For this, according to the US military, “high-speed interceptors” and directed energy weapons may be suitable — laser systems and microwave guns belong to this class of products.
Also, according to the United States Space Development Agency, in order to detect "hypersonic gliding vehicles and any next-generation rockets," Americans are planning to launch hundreds of optically coupled orbiting satellites into space.
According to experts, the United States will be able to get some samples of combat hypersonic weapons in the mid-2020s. The implementation of most of the projects in this area, including the work on creating interception tools, will begin closer to 2030.
“Of course, do not underestimate the scientific and technological potential of American industry, but the projects announced in the USA in the field of hypersound are stretched over the next ten years. In principle, such a time period allows our country to improve the existing hypersonic arsenal, create new products and solve problems with the interception of hypersonic targets, ”said Yuri Knutov.
Resource concentration
As Dmitry Kornev explained, an effective means of intercepting hypersonic devices should be equipped with a powerful radar station, a digital signal processing system, high-performance computing equipment, a high-quality false-screening system, and high-speed missiles.
“Intercepting a hypersonic apparatus, especially if it maneuvers, is a very difficult task. For current air defense systems, such an option is only available when anti-aircraft missiles are launched on a collision course, but for this to happen there must still be fast electronics capable of calculating the flight path of the target, ”Kortnev explained.
According to the interlocutor of RT, the interception of hypersonic vehicles will be carried out by the SAM in the traditional way, in which the warhead of an anti-aircraft guided missile explodes near the target. The target is destroyed, falling into a dense cloud of scattered fragments.
- Model of the promising American missile AGM-183A ARRW on the external suspension of a Boeing B-52H bomber
- © US Air Force
“I look at the possibilities of weapons using directed energy with a share of skepticism. Yes, laser systems and microwave guns provide instant damage, but today their power is low. Serious progress is needed in creating compact energy sources, such as small nuclear reactors. I think that the relevant work in Russia is actively ongoing, ”says Kornev.
In turn, Yuri Knutov noted that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are already equipped with means to detect and defeat individual hypersonic targets. According to him, the Opponent-GE mobile radar can cope with the search for such devices, and the interceptors are the missiles included in the arsenal of the Moscow A-135 missile defense system.
“A huge layer of information on promising developments in the field of hypersound is not publicly voiced. However, the data that we possess allows us to conclude that the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and industry have a clear idea of how to properly concentrate resources for the creation of defensive and offensive weapons that are ahead of the specifications for foreign models by at least 5-10 years, ” summarized Knutov.