For the first time in many years, the Russian Navy has received a real tool to aim its long-range missiles at enemy ships. According to a number of reports, the military satellite "Pion-NKS" has finally got up for combat duty. How did it happen that this device was created for so long and why is its work critically important for the security of the whole of Russia? The USSR, which did not have the opportunity to build a large, commensurate with the American ocean fleet, was looking for asymmetric options for the US response.
Since the late 1950s, long-range anti-ship cruise missiles (RCC) have become the main means of the Soviet Navy's struggle with the US Navy. Their carriers were aircraft, surface ships and submarines.
Large, heavy and fast RCC of these machines, with a powerful warhead, which could also carry a nuclear warhead, solved operational-level tasks. For the US Navy, this was a big problem. A salvo of anti-ship missiles with a high probability penetrated the air defense of the US Navy ship compound. The long range of the missiles made it possible to attack the target from a long distance.
But there was a problem. And her name was target designation.
Targeting and aerial reconnaissanceIf we approach the question very simplistically, then it is as follows.
When launched over a long distance, the rocket should eventually get to the point from which its homing head (GOS) will be able to detect the ship on its own.
A ship that can be attacked usually goes at high speed. For example, at 28 knots, in 15 minutes a warship will leave the point where it was located by 12 kilometers. Is it a lot of 15 minutes? This is about as much as it takes to strike the P-35 missile launcher from aboard the Project 58 missile cruiser from a range of 300 kilometers. To this were added errors in determining the coordinates of the target (which then significantly limited the possibility of issuing target designation from aircraft). That is, there was a risk that if there was a big mistake in developing data on the target, the rocket would simply miss. Her GPS will not "capture" the target.
How to send a rocket exactly to its destination? You need the most accurate (with minimal errors) targeting to send the missile to the so-called preemptive target location. It was in such conditions that Soviet commanders would have had to solve combat tasks in the 1960s.
What should I do?At first, the naval reconnaissance and targeting system "Success" came to the aid of the Soviet commanders.
The system consisted of means capable of obtaining accurate data on a target at a great distance – a Tu-95RTS scout-designator aircraft and a Ka-25TS helicopter of a similar purpose.
Both of these aircraft, equipped with powerful radar stations, could detect enemy ship groups, determine their movement parameters (course, speed) and automatically transmit data to the shore or aboard a missile carrier. It was a flexible system. Together with the next generations of Soviet rockets, which had a higher speed and the ability to program different altitude flight profiles, it made it possible to solve the most difficult tasks.
The problem, however, was that the Tu-95RTs had to fly for a long time to some potential ocean areas, and in some cases through dangerous zones. Ships in the North Atlantic or the Mediterranean would have to wait for target data for long hours with the risk of never waiting for them. Increasing the range of the RCC required other means of control center. Therefore, even before the adoption of the MRSC "Success" into service, in 1960 it was decided to take out the means of reconnaissance of naval targets into space. So the "Legend" system appeared.
"Legend" in orbitUnlike the MRSC "Success", which was quickly developed and adopted (from 1959 to 1965), the "Legend" was created for a long time.
18 years have passed since the decision to create and before the start of work. Since 1978, the system has been working.
It included both passive radio-technical reconnaissance (US–P) satellites that detect the radiation of radio-electronic weapons (REV) of ships, and the most interesting - US-A radar reconnaissance satellites. The latter were unique products, nuclear reactors were used as an energy source for the radar station on board. Only the nuclear reactor provided enough energy for the radar of this device. The US-A satellites were in working condition for a very short time after launch (tens of days). But even in this state, they often provided the command of the USSR Navy with all the necessary information about foreign naval groups.
The "Legend" ended its existence in its intended form even before the collapse of the USSR. It was really expensive - 39 almost disposable (service life from eight to 130 days) satellites with nuclear reactors, one of which fell on Canada, polluting a large area with radiation. And the West pressed, demanding to stop dangerous launches. After 1988, no new satellites with radar stations were launched, and the Legend's ground infrastructure was used with radio intelligence satellites and for other purposes.
The collapse of the USSR brought enormous problems to the Navy. There was no space exploration, the Tu-95RTs were decommissioned, the Ka-25TS was long gone. The most powerful Soviet PKR remained without target designation. In fact, they were now completely useless.
In 1993, the creation of the "Liana" system, the successor of the old "Legend", began. The system was conceived to be more rational than its predecessor, its satellites were supposed to have a service life measured in years, not months. It was assumed that the space grouping of the system would consist of five radio reconnaissance satellites detecting working ship radars, and two radar reconnaissance satellites, which themselves would have radars for detecting ships. The creation of the latter was very much delayed.
But on June 25, 2021, the first radar reconnaissance satellite "Pion-NKS" – part of the new Liana system - was successfully launched into orbit for many years. It took more than a year to test it. And finally, on September 10, 2022, the satellite went on experimental combat duty and began to be used to perform real tasks. One of the two satellites in orbit – which means that Russia has limited capabilities to detect enemy ships from space.
"Peony-NKS" and the "Liana" systemThe artificial Earth satellite 14F139 "Pion-NKS" is a large and heavy (weighing 6.5 tons) device with two large radar antennas and solar panels.
Its development began back in 1993, it is one of the most important long-term space projects of our country. The construction of an already developed satellite also took many years. It was a really difficult project.
Unlike the old US-A, the orbit of the "Peony" is higher than 195-466 kilometers, and it should last at least four years from the moment of launching into orbit. The rotation period of 90 minutes and the inclination of 67.15 degrees indicates that critical areas in the North Atlantic and the northern seas washing Russia are viewed from the satellite with sufficient frequency. Coverage, I must say, is insufficient, which is why it was envisaged that there would be two "Peonies", but this is already a huge step forward.
What does the satellite give? Firstly, an enemy ship group that has fallen into the field of view will be promptly detected by the Russian Navy. If everything is specially planned, then it is possible, having ready-made missile carriers, to strike immediately according to the satellite data taken by them at the time of flight.
On the other hand, if it is known that the enemy is, in principle, somewhere in the area of interest, and the satellite that flew over it did not detect it, then in any case the information from the satellite becomes the starting point for an intelligence operation. We know exactly the places where there is no enemy, so we know the places where he can still be, and we know where to look. Without the "Peony" this was impossible, it would have been necessary to "weed" much more extensive spaces.
It gives even more that the system of which the "Pion-NKS" is a part partially functions exactly as a system – together with the "Pion-NKS", four satellites of the "Lotus" series, which are part of the "Liana", out of the five provided, are already in orbit. Where the radars of the "Peony" will not see something, the "Lotuses" may detect radiation from enemy ships.
The disadvantage for real military operations is the incomplete composition of the satellite grouping, and if it is quite possible to hope for another Lotus within a few years, then the second Peony-NKS is questionable. These satellites are very complex, and the first one was assembled for a very long time. It is not known when the second satellite will be available, but it is needed to obtain sufficient coverage.
Above allWith all the gigantic opportunities that the Liana system gives to the fleet, it is worth taking into account what it can really give.
Both the Liana system and the Pion-NKS separately can provide the fleet with target designation for an attack "here and now". Or they may not. Intensive training is needed on the joint use of ships, aircraft and satellite groups, including in simulated strikes against NATO ship groups, which must first be detected. All taking into account the air and underwater threat, as in life.
And then it turns out that the fleet not only has a new, very useful and necessary satellite, but can also use it. And the state is required to ensure the rapid construction of the second "Peony-NKS". Relations between Russia and the West are escalating every day, and no one knows when all of the above may be needed.
Alexander Timokhin
