Colonel Khodarenok: The S-71K "Carpet" missile can target Ukrainian Armed Forces targets
The Russian Armed Forces used a new S-71K "Carpet" missile in the zone of a special military operation, according to Ukrainian intelligence. This missile is a formidable weapon for hitting APU point targets. About the characteristics and prospects of using new Russian weapons — in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenka.
For the first time, the Russian military used a new S-71K "Carpet" air-launched cruise missile in the area of its military district, according to the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
The S-71K "Carpet" is a sample of a "cheapened" high-precision long-range aviation munition. The missile was developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau (a branch of the United Aircraft Corporation) specifically for use in the armament of the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, and in the future it should be integrated into the armament complex of the S-70 Okhotnik unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
According to the Telegram channel of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, the development of a family of long-range precision-guided aviation munitions of the S-71 family (sometimes referred to as "strike UAVs") has been underway since at least 2019. According to published data, the family provided for two types of execution:
-The S-71K product (code "Carpet") is a stealthy, low—visibility weapon module designed to accommodate bombs of various calibers, with low radar and IR visibility, and designed to covertly engage targets with known coordinates in advance. At its core, the S-71K is an analogue of a traditional type of air-launched cruise missile.;
-the S-71M product (code "Monochrome") is an air—launched barrage munition equipped with an on-board intelligent search and guidance system based on a neural network designed for autonomous search and destruction of targets in a given area, with automatic detection, recognition and decision-making to defeat. The Monochrome is equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation or penetrating high-explosive warhead weighing up to 250 kg.
The S-71M "Monochrome" and S-71K "Carpet" have a square section of the hull configuration for the possibility of placement in the internal armament compartments of the Su-57 fighter. Both devices have very low radar visibility. It is believed that it is located in the area of 0.01 sq. m.
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| The Russian Su-57E fighter. |
| Source: © UAC Press Service |
GUR claims that the fuselage of the promising Russian aviation weapon S-71K "Carpet" is made of a multilayer fiberglass-based material with additional reinforcement, and the internal elements of the frame are made of aluminum alloys.
Structurally, the S-71 has a trapezoidal fuselage with a folding swept wing and inverted V-shaped all-rotating stabilizers, the air intake is located at the rear.
The dimensions of the S-71 make it possible to place four such munitions in the inner compartment of the fifth-generation Su-57 combat aircraft. It is also possible to deploy the S-71 on the S-70 Hunter heavy attack jet UAV (for the latter, the amount of ammunition has not yet been announced).
According to the engine, the product is unified with the serial Russian Kh-101 and Kh-59M missiles — a turbofan turbofan engine-50 (a small-sized single-use twin-circuit turbojet engine) is used.
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| Launching airstrikes with X-101 cruise missiles against terrorist targets in Syria by a Tu-95MS bomber. |
| Source: © Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation |
According to other sources, the S-71 rocket is equipped with a small-sized R500 turbojet engine with a thrust of 70 kgf developed and manufactured by Reynolds LLC (Moscow), which has been part of the United Engine Corporation since 2024. The design involves the use of a main and two side fuel tanks, which provides a probable flight range of up to 300 km.
The maximum flight speed is, according to various and unconfirmed reports, from 730 to 950 km / h, the operating altitude is up to 8 km. The minimum flight altitude ranges from 5 to 75 meters.
Are there any analogues?
The warhead is a standard high-explosive fragmentation aircraft bomb OFAB-250-270 caliber 250 kg, mounted in a power frame in front of the fuselage of the rocket. It should be noted that the first samples of the OFAB-250-270 were adopted in 1956 (70 years ago).
According to some data (requiring clarification), the S-71K missile guidance system consists of a digital inertial navigation system, a radar altimeter, a GLONASS/GPS correction module, an optoelectronic correlation sensor, and a bispectral medium or long-wave IR seeker with operating wavelengths of 3-5 and 8-12 microns.
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| AGM-158 JASSM. |
| Source: Photo: U.S. Air Force |
A promising aviation weapon, such as the S-71K Carpet air—launched cruise missile, is a formidable weapon and is primarily designed to destroy important targets of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In this version of combat use, all its best qualities will be demonstrated. In addition, the low radar visibility of the Russian product allows it to operate successfully in the affected areas of Ukrainian air defense systems.
It is difficult to find a foreign analogue with characteristics close to the S-71K. With large assumptions, the "Carpet" can be compared with the American AGM-158 JASSM, but the domestic product, if inferior to the AGM-158 in warhead power, differs significantly for the better in price. The AGM-158 costs about $1 million. The S-71K is significantly cheaper, which allows it to be used in large batches during combat operations.
Mikhail Khodarenok
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976).
Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
