Specialists of the High-Precision Complexes holding have completed the development of the Birdies, an airborne short-range anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) for the Russian Airborne Forces. This was reported by the press service of Rostec.
The new air defense system is the Sosna combat module mounted on the chassis of the BMD-4M airborne combat vehicle.
"The Sosna-R combat module is equipped with two launchers for 12 Sosna-R missiles capable of hitting air targets at a distance of up to 10 km and an altitude of up to 5 km. The Sosna-R guided missile can reach speeds of up to 900 m / s and be aimed at the target in a laser beam, which the target is accompanied by from the combat module of the air defense system, "the website of the state corporation says.
Analogue of the "Shell"
The Ptitselov anti-aircraft missile system is due to enter service with the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces) in 2024. As Andrei Serdyukov, who at that time held the post of commander of the Airborne Forces, stated in 2021, the supply of air defense systems to the troops will be carried out on a battery-by-battery basis.
"We will purchase such a number of air defense systems that are necessary to equip our four anti-aircraft missile regiments," Serdyukov said.
As reported in the materials of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, "Birdies" is designed to operate directly on the front line. To cover the paratroopers from air attack weapons, the complex is equipped with two classes of anti-aircraft guided missiles (SAMs). The first type of projectiles is guided by the thermal radiation of the target, the second by the laser beam.
As the director of the Air Defense Museum in Balashikha and military expert Yuri Knutov said in an interview with RT, "Birdies" is necessary to significantly strengthen the air defense of airborne units.
"Of the standard air defense systems, our "winged infantry" actually has only portable anti-aircraft systems, sometimes modernized Strela air defense systems are used. Of course, if necessary, paratroopers can be attached to parts of the military air defense, but long before the NMD, the command of the Airborne Forces realized the need for its own self-propelled air defense system, which, if necessary, can be parachuted from the air, "said Knutov.
In a commentary to RT, the founder of the Military Russia portal, Dmitry Kornev, said that initially the airborne troops expected to receive a kind of analogue of the Pantsir air defense missile system. According to the expert, the anti-aircraft complex for the "winged infantry" was supposed to have the combat advantages of the "Pantsir" and at the same time parachute from the aircraft with the rest of the equipment.
"The paratroopers wanted from the industrialists that all the main advantages of the Pantsir were embodied in their own airborne air defense system. It was an extremely difficult task, due to the fact that landing from the air a priori imposes strict limits on size and weight, and the need to deploy a lot of electronics and missiles has not been canceled. Most likely, it is for this reason that the "Birdies" have been created and refined for a long time, "Kornev explained.
- Combat module "Pine" on a tracked base
- © RIA Novosti / Vitaly Belousov
Nevertheless, as the expert suggests, High-Precision Complexes solved key issues related to the placement of the payload on the BMD-4M chassis. According to Kornev, with the adoption of the "Birdman" into service, the airborne units receive almost full-fledged protection against aircraft, UAVs and enemy missiles.
"The value of the "Birdman" is very high, especially for parachute units that land in the rear of the enemy and, of course, risk being under his fire influence. Now it is necessary to wait for the reaction of the military themselves, but if the air defense system really satisfies their requirements, then the "Birdies" can initiate the creation of other airmobile air defense systems, "Kornev believes.
In a single system
According to Rostec, "Birdies" is similar to the military air defense system "Sosna". The main difference is in the ability to parachute by parachute.
As experts noted, the combat capabilities of the complex for the Airborne Forces are no different from the Sosna, since both platforms are equipped with the same combat module with guided anti-aircraft missiles.
The developer of Sosna is JSC Nudelman Design Bureau of Precision Engineering (KBtochmash), which is part of the High-Precision Complexes holding. According to the company, the Sosna air defense system is designed to destroy almost all means of air attack, including high-precision weapons - cruise and guided missiles.
The air defense system consists of a launcher for the use of 12 missiles, means of detecting and tracking a target, equipment for controlling missiles in flight. All onboard equipment is combined into a single automatic optical-electronic weapon control system. The system is multi-channel, high-precision, almost all-weather and capable of autonomously detecting air targets.
The Sosna-R high-speed rocket is built according to a two-stage scheme. It consists of a guided projectile and a detachable solid-fuel engine. SAMs can be equipped with fragmentation-rod and armor-piercing fragmentation warheads.
As reported on the KBtochmash website, the combat effectiveness of the Sosna-R missile was sharply increased "due to an increase in the mass of spaced warheads (warheads. - RT) and the use of a non-contact fuse with a continuous circular radiation diagram with an adaptive detonation time.
The launch weight of the missile defense system is 30 kg, the weight of combat equipment is 7,2 kg, the range is up to 10 km, the maximum height of destruction is 5 km. "Sosna-R" can be used not only for air, but also for ground targets.
- Naval automated anti-aircraft artillery system "Palma" ("Broadsword"), equipped with the Sosna-R missile defense system
- © kbtochmash.ru
In addition to the air defense system for paratroopers and combined-arms units, Sosna-R is included in the arsenal of the new generation Palma (Broadsword) naval air defense system, which was also developed by specialists from the Precision Engineering Design Bureau. The complex can be installed on ships of any class with a displacement of more than 500 tons.
"The Palma complex is designed for almost guaranteed destruction of all means of air attack (SVN), including anti-ship missiles flying at low and ultra-low altitudes, on the near lines of the ship's defense," the materials of KBtochmash say.
As Yuri Knutov explained in an interview with RT, "Birdies", "Pine" and "Palma" belong to the class of anti-aircraft systems that do not use radar, which is vulnerable to aviation anti-radar missiles and electronic warfare (EW). The absence of a radar made it possible to significantly increase the combat survivability and noise immunity of the air defense system.
"Air defense systems equipped with the Sosna-R missile use a laser-beam guidance system. The advantage of such a system is the ability to fire at all types of targets, regardless of what thermal trace the air object leaves. For example, Sosna-R will definitely cope well with UAVs. In general, the laser beam provides almost 100% damage," Knutov said.
At the same time, the disadvantages of air defense systems devoid of radars are usually attributed to the weather factor. According to Knutov, the laser beam does not always pass through precipitation and fog and an aerosol curtain, which is often used by crews of armored vehicles.
"The Pine combat module is not completely all-weather. Yes, this is a certain drawback, but it is very conditional for the reason that drones do not fly in bad weather, air weapons are rarely used, as well as armored vehicles. For the effective use of Sosna, normal visibility is sufficient, which is almost always observed in the NWO zone," the expert emphasized.
According to Knutov, "Birdies" and other air defense systems with combat modules "Sosna" will be very useful air defense systems at the forefront, especially for combating UAVs.
- Automated anti-aircraft missile system "Sosna"
- © kbtochmash.ru
"In addition, the Sosna combat module is compatible with other anti-aircraft systems and is capable of being integrated into a single air defense system. In addition, the "Pine" can be mounted on a huge number of wheeled and tracked platforms (BMP-3, MT-LB, BTR-82A. - RT), which are produced by our industry, "said Knutov.
According to Dmitry Kornev, "Birdies" can quite successfully operate autonomously, receive information from allied radar reconnaissance and become part of a layered air defense system.
"Of course, it is necessary to wait for the adoption of the Birdman and other air defense systems with the Sosna module. If the Ministry of Defense gives them the green light and the industry masters their mass production, then the Airborne Forces and the rest of the army will receive highly effective short-range air defense systems, "Kornev concluded.