The leading defense companies of Russia and more than 65 countries of the world are demonstrating their products at the international arms exhibition IDEX 2023, which is being held in the United Arab Emirates. The leader of the domestic optical industry, Shvabe Holding, is presenting modular short—range sights and a pancratic sight for high—precision weapons for the first time abroad at the exhibition. On the eve of the exhibition in Abu Dhabi, Vadim Kalyugin, CEO of Shvabe Holding, told TASS in an interview about the most modern developments in the field of weapons - intelligent optoelectronic ballistic complexes and thermal imaging review devices for armored vehicles, as well as about large—scale astronomical projects and developments in the field of gas-liquid ventilation.
— Vadim Stanislavovich, I suggest we start our conversation with the composition of this year's exposition. Tell us, what new developments is Shvabe presenting at IDEX 2023?— We participate in the exposition of Rosoboronexport and other Rostec enterprises.
That is, visitors have a great opportunity to see all the achievements of the Russian defense industry at once, the whole range of solutions for the modern army and law enforcement agencies. These are military equipment, weapons samples, electronics, and, of course, various types of optical products that Shvabe produces.
In particular, for the first time abroad, we are showing prismatic models of sights of small multiplicity PP1 and PP3. They have a modular design, due to which the user can independently change the seat and, thus, install sights on different types of weapons. Also, the holding presents a pancratic sight with a high light transmission coefficient of 315U to a foreign audience. It is designed for installation on various types of high-precision rifled weapons with a seat in the form of a Picatinny rail.
In addition, night vision devices are presented at the exhibition — a monocular PN21K and glasses PN-14K. They are equipped with third-generation electron-optical converters (EOP) with protection against short-term illumination by an intense light source.
The developer of this product is the Novosibirsk Instrument-Making Plant (refinery) of the Shvabe Holding.
— Today, many companies producing sights for small arms have in their arsenal intelligent sights with built-in ballistic complexes that allow the shooter to make corrections to the calculations of the shot without taking his eyes off the sight and without violating the tab of the weapon. Are similar samples being developed at your company?— Yes, the enterprises of the holding serially produce a wide range of sights, including intelligent models in their arsenal.
Such, for example, is a day sight of variable multiplicity PO315D from the refinery, equipped with a built-in rangefinder and a ballistic calculator. It provides automatic entry and adjustment of the aiming point depending on the external conditions and the target range.
— It is obvious that the nomenclature in your industry is wide, the volumes of production and supplies within the country are impressive. In this regard, how can the success of the holding in the international arena be characterized in general today? What are the prospects, including in the market of Middle Eastern countries?— The holding's products are well known in the Middle East and North Africa.
These regions account for a significant volume of supplies of optoelectronic and sighting devices for various types of weapons. Shvabe's developments have proven themselves from the best side, including in difficult climatic conditions — both on land and in the air.
In general, the holding is now open to cooperation with foreign customers and strives to develop partnerships.
— A few years ago, Rostec presented a modernized complex with a Sodema sight for infantry fighting vehicles of the BMP-3 type. It was clarified that the device can be adapted for other types of domestic armored vehicles. What types of equipment are we talking about?— "Sodema" is a combined day—night (thermal imaging) periscope sight with independent stabilization of the field of view in two planes.
Equipped with a built-in rangefinder, guided projectile guidance channel and automatic target tracking. It has a modular design that simplifies repair and maintenance, and also allows further modernization of the development.
This sight provides the possibility of early detection of targets, high accuracy of aiming and hitting targets at considerable distances, including in conditions of limited visibility. It is designed for infantry fighting vehicles BMP-3 and their modifications, and can also be installed on other types of armored vehicles. Currently, the complex has already proven its effectiveness and reliability. As part of the Shvabe Holding, the Vologda Optical and Mechanical Plant is responsible for its development and production.
— So, the situation with defense products is clear. Along with this, in Russia and abroad, the holding is also known for its participation in space and astronomical projects. How is the development of the National Heliogeophysical Complex, which includes a coronagraph telescope?— The National Heliogeophysical Complex is a large—scale project of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which will allow obtaining the most important information about the processes taking place in near-Earth space.
For its part, Shvabe Holding provides maximum support to this project as an active participant in its implementation. From Shvabe, the Lytkarinsky Optical Glass Plant, a leading Russian manufacturer of large—sized astronomical mirrors, participates in its creation.
It is worth starting with the fact that the development of the complex has been going on since the early 80s. Full completion of its construction is expected before 2030. The complex is global and consists of a number of links. Among them are a complex of passive optical instruments, a radar system, a mesostratospheric lidar, a heating stand, a radioheliograph, a solar telescope-coronograph and a control center.
In 2016, the design was completed and a positive conclusion of the Glavgosexpertiza was received. In November last year, we completed the construction and commissioned the first link — a complex of passive optical instruments for studying the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere.
During 2023, construction will be completed on the territory of the astrophysical observatory of the ISSF SB RAS, located in Buryatia, and a radio heliograph will be put into operation. It is one of the most important tools of the National Heliogeophysical Complex of the Russian Academy of Sciences and will monitor solar activity in the frequency range of 3-24 GHz.
In the same year, in the village of Mondy, literally on the border with Mongolia, it is planned to begin construction of the next link of the heliogeophysical complex. It will be a coronagraph telescope with a mirror diameter of 3 meters. It will allow observing the solar corona outside of eclipses and will help scientists in studying the physics of the Sun, its magnetic fields and the nature of activity in general. This is the most complex of all objects.
The Heliogeophysical complex of the Russian Academy of Sciences belongs to the projects of the "megasience" class. This is a global scale. Thanks to its launch, new opportunities will open up and all processes related to this industry will reach a fundamentally different level — monitoring of what is happening in near space, studying the effects of the solar wind on the magnetosphere and ionosphere, as well as studies of the structure and physics of the Earth's atmosphere.
Summing up, I want to emphasize once again the high importance of this RAS project. The heliogeophysical complex we are building is aimed at advancing the development of research in the field of solar physics and near-Earth space physics. These scientific researches are focused on solving urgent fundamental and applied problems and the development of new technologies within the framework of the Strategy of Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation. The federal budget for 2023-2025 provides for 1 billion rubles annually for the construction of a solar telescope and carrying out design and survey work on the sites where the remaining instruments of the National Heliogeophysical Complex of the Russian Academy of Sciences will be located.
— Are Shvabe specialists currently conducting new developments in the field of space optics and for remote Earth imaging devices? Tell us more.— Optoelectronic equipment for remote sensing of the Earth (remote sensing) of medium resolution "Aurora" was developed by engineers of our Krasnogorsk plant named after S.A. Zverev for the experimental and technological small spacecraft "Aist-2D" in order to solve the problems of monitoring the state of the Earth's surface.
This spacecraft was launched into orbit in April 2016 as a payload for the first launch of a launch vehicle from the Vostochny cosmodrome. The Aurora remote sensing equipment is built on the basis of a mirror-lens lens and has no domestic analogues, which allows you to take pictures in the panchromatic and multispectral spectral ranges in a wide capture band.
Since then, the Aurora remote sensing equipment has taken many pictures of the Earth's surface from space in the interests of civilian consumers, and surveys of space objects of natural origin — the Moon, as well as artificial origin — the ISS, spacecraft and launch vehicles (launch vehicle stages, upper stages) have also been carried out.
If we talk about specific areas of application where such images are most in demand today, then first of all it is worth noting the directions of cartography, emergency monitoring, hydrology, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, ecology and geological exploration. In each of the above areas, our Aurora allows you to solve a wide range of tasks.
— In April 2022, RSC Energia specialists, using a unique material produced by your engineers, sintered silicon carbide, created a new generation of orbital scanning devices for the future grouping of small Earth remote sensing satellites. Is silicon carbide currently used in the development of any new technological systems?— Yes, indeed, sintered silicon carbide is unique, it is one of the most promising composite materials for the aerospace industry.
It has high specific stiffness, strength and thermal conductivity. Such qualities make it promising in the production of optical devices for operation in conditions of extreme temperature changes. Today, the Lytkarinsky Optical Glass Plant produces silicon carbide products as part of the Shvabe Holding.
So, for example, the housing and elements of the optical circuit of a new generation orbital scanning device can be made of this modern material. Thanks to the use of a promising material, it is less vulnerable in space, has significantly less weight and is significantly less susceptible to deformation under the influence of an aggressive environment.
As part of advanced research, RKS specialists are conducting experimental work on the use of silicon carbide in the survey equipment of promising hydrometeorological satellites and other Earth remote sensing systems. Such satellites are necessary for observing the polar regions and organizing navigation in the northern permafrost zones. The use of the new material will improve the quality of the resulting image by an order of magnitude and reduce the total mass of satellites, using the released kilograms to install additional filming subsystems on board and expand the functionality of Russian remote sensing satellites.
— In parallel with this, the civil direction is actively developing in the contour of the Shvabe holding. And in this regard, the question immediately arises about one of the latest projects — this is a ventilator for liquid breathing. Tell me if experimental samples have already been developed, which are being created in cooperation with the Center. Kulakov? Has the device already been used? What kind of work is currently underway on the project?— As part of the fulfillment of the established contractual obligations with the Kulakov Center for this project, we are currently developing two experimental samples of a gas-liquid lung ventilation device: for adults and for newborns.
The experimental sample of the device for respiratory therapy of adult patients is 80% complete — its software is currently being developed. The readiness of the sample of the device for newborns is 60%. It is important to note that the specialists of the Ural Optical-Mechanical Plant of the Shvabe Holding have successfully tested vacuum desaturators for both samples, which is the key moment of work on this project.
