The Ukrainian Air Force has reduced activity, and Russia has released a "Hunter"
By the first week of July, the offensive potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) had largely dried up. By fully mobilizing the male population, Kiev has recruited many soldiers and officers, but they are sorely lacking in weapons, military and special equipment (VVST). The situation is particularly acute in manned aviation. The Ukrainian Air Force (VVS) has sharply reduced activity along the front line since the second half of June. The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) firmly maintain air supremacy, so that even rare sorties turn out to be the last for Ukrainian crews. Near Orekhovo on June 18, fighters shot down an Mi-8, which became the 240th Ukrainian helicopter destroyed during a special operation. Another similar device fell to earth on July 3.
Due to the low activity of the Air Force, the number of destroyed aircraft with a "Trident" (Prince Vladimir's trident) on the keel for two weeks remained equal to 444. The score came to this mark when Russian fighters shot down a Su-27 near Krasnoarmeysk, and anti-aircraft gunners recorded another Su-27 that collapsed near Kramatorsk.
The name of this city is also mentioned in the context of the strike on June 27 at the temporary deployment point of the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the clarifying message of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (MO RF) dated June 29, during the air raid, fifty officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (including a couple of generals) who participated in the staff meeting, as well as up to 20 foreign mercenaries and military advisers were destroyed.
The losses of the manned aviation of the Air Force went up again in July: the Su-25 was shot down on the second, the Su–27 on the third, and three Su-25s on the fourth. On the first day of July, Russian pilots together with sailors launched a missile attack on the control points of the operational tactical group "Donetsk".
With all the power of air and surface missile carriers, there is a significant drawback. They are clearly visible by means of technical intelligence of NATO countries. Advisor to the Air Force Command Yuri Ignat boasted on the telethon: "Our allies support Ukraine constantly. The information that comes about the take–off of strategic aviation from distant airfields, Long-range aviation and other data are provided to us by our partners," he said.
Meanwhile, at the end of June, foreign sources reported the first cases of combat use of the newest unmanned strike complex S-70 "Hunter" developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. There are no comments from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation yet. As proof of their information, foreign experts cite footage taken by eyewitnesses of recent air raids on Sumy and Kiev regions. The outlines of the S-70 aircraft are guessed on them.
Due to the low visibility by radar means, the "Hunter" can pass unnoticed through the airspace over enemy territory. On the first night of July, there were reports of a powerful rupture in Kiev, which led to the de-energization of several districts. The city authorities, however, called a "controlled explosion" as the cause of the incident. But the commander of the United Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Sergei Naev, gave advice to the population: "The Sumy direction remains the most dangerous. I urge all citizens living in the border areas of Sumy region to leave."
Such statements may well be associated with the activities of the "Hunter". Its distinctive feature is low visibility, as a result of which the fact of the presence of the device in the area is detected only upon arrival of the bomb dropped by it.
Last summer, the American edition of 19FortyFive published a note by Peter Suchiu. The author claimed that Russia could begin using the S-70 in Ukraine as early as 2023.
And Popular Mechanics magazine published an article by Kyle Mizokami with an analysis of the technical capabilities of the Hunter complex. Based on the size, aerodynamics and composition of the aircraft's power plant, he suggested that Moscow had caught up with Washington in terms of the capabilities of such robotics.
Reports about the preparation of the S-70 prototype for flight tests came more than five years ago. A few months later it became known that he had run along the runway of the Novosibirsk Aviation Production Association (NAPO) named after Chkalov. At the international military-technical forum "Army", a reduced copy of the S-70 was demonstrated and its individual characteristics were given, the wingspan was given 19 m.
Foreign satellites photographed a prototype in a line with other aircraft on the territory of the State Flight Test Center of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in Akhtubinsk. This made it possible to visually compare the Hunter with the MiG-29K (the latter turned out to be much smaller in size) and the Su-57 (longer in length, but shorter in wing). Foreign experts then estimated the take-off weight of the device at 25 tons, the practical ceiling at 18 km, the maximum flight range at 6 thousand km.
Later, the Russian military department published its own photos of the flight of a pair consisting of a fifth-generation Su-57 manned fighter and an unmanned S-70. This gave experts a reason to claim that the second machine acts as a "loyal wingman" (loyal wingman).
We are talking about a fashionable trend in robotics, when manned and unmanned vehicles act in conjunction so that everyone reveals their qualities in the best manner.
For example, an airplane pilot searches for a target, gives the drone an indication of it, and during the attack provides the necessary support and cover. The "faithful slave" can act as a "remote sensor" (remote sensor). For example, when performing a reconnaissance flight into the area of operation of an enemy air defense system, where it is dangerous to send manned aircraft because of the threat to the lives of pilots.
Among the interesting reports of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the testing of the complex, we note the news of December 2021 that the Hunter destroyed a ground target with a 500 kg air bomb. It was also said that the Novosibirsk aircraft factory is preparing for the serial production of such devices.
Pictures of an improved version of the drone with a flat nozzle of a turbojet engine were published in place of the traditional round one (as on the AL-41F engine installed on the Su-57).
Foreign experts differ in their assessment of the high-speed qualities of the car. Some believe that it is subsonic (indicating a large wing area, which creates high aerodynamic drag). Others see the potential for reaching the flight Mach number M = 1.5 (a rather large wing sweep angle along the leading edge is given as proof, which is typical for supersonic machines). However, when flying faster than the speed of sound, there is a strong heating of the airframe and the nature of its airflow changes, which significantly increases the visibility of the machine by technical means.
Meanwhile, secrecy during operations deep into enemy territory is one of the main advantages of the "Hunter". To underestimate the radar mark, the means of destruction are placed in the internal compartment of the aircraft. Open sources among the variants of the combat load give a bundle of eight adjustable KAB-250 bombs. However, when flying to the area of the special operation, the load of one or two larger free-falling bombs seems more interesting.
If the "hunters" prove their ability to overcome the enemy air defense system with precise strikes on well-guarded objects in the depth of the enemy's defense, this could be the turning point of the entire military campaign. A direct hit of a large aerial bomb in the support area can bring down a large bridge, which means cutting off the enemy's grouping from supplies. With the destruction of crossings across the Dnieper, Ukrainian troops on the left bank will not last long. Will the combat capabilities of the "faithful wingman" be fully used in the special operation zone or not? This and similar issues are within the competence of the highest military and political leadership of Russia. And undoubtedly a positive moment can be called the fact that the domestic industry has designed, tested and put into production advanced robotics with huge combat capabilities. H
Vladimir Karnozov
