Experts told why there is no protection from the Whirlwind missile system
During a special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian army uses, among other things, high-precision and long-range weapons. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has published footage of the use of the anti-tank missile system (ATGM) "Whirlwind" from the Ka-52 "Alligator" helicopter. The specifics of the operation of this missile system are in the material of "Gazeta.Ru».
"A flight of Ka-52 helicopters destroyed enemy tanks without entering the enemy's air defense zone from a distance of more than 7 thousand meters during the fire support of the advancing troops from the hover mode with the anti-tank missile system "Whirlwind"," the Russian military department said in a statement.
The "Whirlwind" complex (according to the NATO codification Scallion - "Green Onion") was developed back in the 1980s for arming attack aircraft and attack helicopters. But initially it was not put into the series.
Serial production in the "Whirlwind-M" modification began in 2013. The development of the Tula enterprise NPO "Precision" was embodied in the Izhevsk concern "Kalashnikov". According to open data, the contract for their production amounted to 13 billion rubles. Since 2015, the complex has been put into service with the Russian army.
ATGM is designed to defeat armored vehicles, as well as low-speed air targets. The Whirlwind missiles are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 10 km. Their speed is more than 600 m/s.
In August 2021, the Kalashnikov press service announced the possibility of using guided missiles of the Vortex complex on Orion-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
"The principle of "shot and forget" is implemented in this high-precision aviation ammunition. It is enough for the operator or pilot to capture the target, press the start button, and then he may not accompany either the target or the flight of the rocket," he told the newspaper.Ru" military expert Alexander Khokhlov. - Missiles independently hold and hit the specified object, everything happens in fully automatic mode. These missiles are used to destroy various targets. The Vortex has supersonic speed, it can be used not only for mobile ground targets, such as tanks and armored personnel carriers, or surface, but also for helicopters or light aircraft."
The expert noted that a distinctive feature of the use of the "Vortex-M" complex is the extremely short flight time of a supersonic missile and the high noise immunity of the control system, which ensures the survival of the air carrier in a duel with enemy air defense systems.
"The supersonic speed of the rocket helps to reduce the vulnerability of the carrier during the attack and allows you to hit several targets in one go. The probability of an accurate hit to a small-sized target is ensured by the use of an automatic target tracking system and a high-precision laser-beam control system for the I-251 "Squall" missile, " he told the newspaper.Ru" former deputy commander of the Center for Combat Training and Retraining of flight personnel of the Army Aviation of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, retired Colonel Konstantin Surikov. - There is complete noise immunity of the control system in the conditions of optical and radio interference on the modern battlefield. The tank has no chance against the "Whirlwind". Dynamic armor won't help. Such protection works in the case of the use of portable anti-tank complexes, and here it simply does not have time to work - the rocket is very fast. At the same time, it can be launched outside of the defeat of air defense and missile defense systems."
Surikov added that the "Whirlwind" complex is not the only weapon for attack helicopters.
It all depends on the nature of the tasks performed, in this case, the use of Whirlwind missiles was due to the need to hit a target from a long distance - such exercises have been practiced before at landfills, and in a real combat situation in Syria," Surikov recalled.
So, in May 2017, the Russian Defense Ministry published a video of the destruction of Islamist equipment in Syria southeast of Palmyra. The equipment was attacked by Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters, which also used the "Whirlwind" complex.
Victor Sokirko
