Air Force General Popov told why the missile "product 305" physically can not miss
The Russian army used a high-precision missile "product 305" in Ukraine, designed to strike ground targets with Mi-28NM "Night Hunter" and Ka-52M "Alligator" helicopters. The missile has increased accuracy and is capable of operating in three modes of destruction, guaranteed to destroy targets at a range of 14 km. "Newspaper.Ru" worked out together with experts - how the "product 305" works.
The new missile was "declassified" only in August last year, when it was demonstrated at the International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2021". Observers have not yet seen the missile in combat operation, although it has been tested in Syria.
A curious detail is that this rocket was developed by the Kolomna "Engineering Design Bureau" (KBM), part of the NGO "High-Precision Complexes" of the Rostec State Corporation, in the interests and by order of the FSB of Russia. Initially, it was supposed to be used to equip helicopters during various special operations of this department. However, the "product 305" turned out to be so successful that the Ministry of Defense became interested in it and ordered a batch of missiles for their needs.
Of the known characteristics of the aircraft missile "product 305", we can mention the range of hitting targets - 14.5 km. According to official data, the rocket has a mass of 105 kg, a length of 1945 mm, a body diameter of 200 mm. The mass of the high-explosive fragmentation warhead is 25 kg. The solid-fuel engine provides a flight speed of up to 250 meters per second. The flight altitude ranges from 100 to 600 meters.
This is a purely helicopter missile - designed to arm combat Mi-28NM "Night Hunter", Ka-52M "Alligator" and some modifications of the Mi-8, in particular the Mi-8AMTSh-VN "Sapsan".
As Valery Kashin, KBM General Designer, told reporters at the Army-2021 forum, the Product 305 rocket
"Thanks to the thermal imaging homing head, an inertial navigation system coupled with GLONASS, high hit accuracy is achieved," Kashin noted.
Experts believe that the "product 305" resembles the anti-tank complex "Whirlwind-1".
"In 2015, the military department received high-precision anti-tank missiles "Whirlwind-1", also placed on attack helicopters. With a high degree of probability, the "product 305" was created on the basis of them - a more compact complex, but with a better aiming system," he told the Newspaper.En" military expert, Major General of the Reserve Air Force Vladimir Popov.
The General noted that the similarity of the two aviation ammunition lies in the implementation of the principle of "shot and forgot", but the "product 305" also works according to two other principles.
"The first is an understandable "shot and forgot" mode, when the missile immediately captured the target and then performs the task without the intervention of the helicopter crew. Only the 305th missile has the second and third options. The second is that the helicopter detects the target using its sighting system, transmits the coordinates to the rocket, and then the rocket flies initially in inertial mode, and only then captures the target. The third option is when the helicopter is at a distance, and its own means cannot detect the target. He is given approximate coordinates, he fires a rocket into this area in inertial mode. When approaching the target, the missile transmits an image to the board, which is seen by the homing head.
Russian helicopters are capable of carrying up to four "product 305" missiles, however, according to a military expert, pilot, reserve colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky, this is "not necessary."
"Two are enough to destroy air defense and other enemy firepower at a long range, and then safely approach the main targets of destruction. This tactic is when one or more helicopters disable the air defense, and the rest calmly go out along a safe corridor and solve the main task," Drobyshevsky summed up.
Victor Sokirko
