Tactical Missile Armament Corporation at the Army-2023 Forum
The International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2023" will work in the difficult conditions of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. But this will not affect the number of events that will take place in the period from August 14 to August 20 at the Patriot Convention and Exhibition Center, at the Alabino training ground and Kubinka airfield.
One of the main participants of the MVTF is traditionally the Tactical Missile Armament Corporation (a member of Soyuzmash of Russia), which is headed by the General Director, Hero of the Russian Federation Boris Obnosov. What will we see this time in the colorfully decorated KTRV pavilion? HBO is the first to tell about it.
IN SEARCH OF INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
The KTRV demonstration center contains almost the entire range of military and civilian (dual-use) products, which are developed and produced by enterprises that are part of the corporation. In addition, an additional special exhibition with a demonstration of the latest samples of civilian products and breakthrough technologies is working in Pavilion "B". Historical samples of aviation and naval weapons and military equipment (IWT) are located on the territory adjacent to the demo center, many of them are in service with dozens of countries around the world. It is almost impossible to list everything, so we will focus only on the brightest and most interesting exhibits.
These are primarily aircraft guided missiles. Among them is a multifunctional unobtrusive high-precision rocket of the new generation X-69, developed by the A.Ya. Bereznyak State Design Bureau Raduga (as part of the KTRV).
Outwardly, it looks very similar to the Anglo-French Storm Shadow missile used by the enemy in its zone. They have partly similar tactical and technical characteristics. But Storm Shadow is prohibitively expensive – more than $ 1.15 million. And our rocket is much cheaper, less vulnerable on the flight path. No wonder it is called inconspicuous.
The maximum flight range is 290 km. It is intended for combat use as part of armament complexes: a promising multi-purpose fighter (PAK-PMI), as well as aircraft such as Su-30MK, Su-32, Su-35, MiG-35, MiG-29K, etc. The X-69 missile strikes a wide range of ground-based stationary targets with location coordinates and information signs of the area known before launch: communication facilities, railway stations and nodes; stationary ground ammunition and fuel depots; ground command posts and communication nodes; naval targets in the bases…
Other novelties include the RVV–MD2 short-range air-to-air missile. This is another modification of the well-known RVV-MD missile developed by the I.I. Toropov State Design Bureau Vimpel, which is currently also working as part of the KTRV. The missile is designed for close-range highly maneuverable air combat, for hitting targets at any time of the day, from any direction, against the background of the earth, with active opposition from the enemy.
The launch range is up to 50 km. The new modification, while maintaining its external similarity with the RVV-MD rocket, "grew" by 18 cm (from 292 to 310 cm) and "gained 11 kg in weight" (from 106 to 117 kg). The wingspan has decreased (from 51 to 43 cm), and the transverse dimension is now 32 × 32 cm – to ensure the use of the product with internal fuselage suspensions. The new combined control system includes an inertial system with radio correction, operating at the initial stage of the trajectory (before the target is captured by the homing head), and an infrared homing system that performs homing after capture.
In addition, a new multi-element dual-band GPS with a more "broad view" of the target in flight has been installed. The targeting angles are ±180° versus ±60°. The target capture range of the F-15 fighter type is 10 km. A new single-mode solid fuel rocket engine (RDTT) has been applied with an increased total thrust impulse, which provided an increase in the maximum launch range to 50 km (against 40 km from the predecessor). The missile has increased noise immunity and is fully digital, it can be placed inside the fuselage of the newest Su-57E aircraft. There are other innovations, thanks to which the probability of hitting an air target of the fighter type was 0.6–0.8.
One of the developments offered for export by the parent site of the corporation is the tactical anti-ship missile X-35UE, which in almost all respects significantly exceeds its predecessor, the X-35E. Now, in addition to surface ships and transport vessels, the missile can also hit ground targets – radiocontrast and non-radiocontrast. According to the latest X-35UE is guided using satellite navigation. The rocket is universal in terms of carriers, including airplanes and helicopters, shipboard and coastal missile systems. The launch range has been doubled to 260 km. Five variants of target selection logic are "sewn" into the digital side of the rocket, the X-35UE can perform a "slide", change the route to the target, go to a given point at a given time and from a given direction. If, for some reason, the missile cannot immediately hit the target, it is able to re-enter three times from different angles. On the marching section, it flies over the crests of waves at an altitude of 10-12 m, before entering the ship, it "dives" up to 4 m and becomes difficult to distinguish for air defense systems. And this is under any weather conditions and at any time of the day and year.
A lot of other KTRV developments are presented at the exhibition. To complete the picture, literally separated by commas, we will name products that have already proven themselves and have been tested more than once in difficult combat conditions. These are the Grom-E1 multipurpose missile, the X-31AD high-speed anti-ship missile, the X-31PD high-speed anti-radar missile, the X-MD-E interspecific multipurpose modular small-size missile, the X-38MLE modular short-range multipurpose missile with a laser guidance system... And the X-22 missile, for example, recently inflicted a "retaliation strike" after Ukraine's attack on the Crimean Bridge.
A novelty of this year is demonstrated from the naval armament – the universal small-sized torpedo UMT. Designed to defeat submarines and ships, including unmanned vehicles. Range – up to 7 km, speed – up to 27 knots, weight of explosives – up to 35 kg. There are also electric and thermal torpedoes, which are characterized by low noise and high accuracy of guidance.
The radar system for detecting surface targets and navigation of submarines MRK-50UE, designed to detect surface targets and illuminate the navigation situation, is extremely interesting. This complex, as well as the integrated Alexandrite-ISPUM-E mine search and destruction system with a self-propelled underwater vehicle (SPA), I think, would be very useful for protecting the Crimean Bridge from surface drones and searching for mines on the roadstead. As well as the Mayak-S hydroacoustic station, as well as the Corvette complex. You can also name the small-sized anti-submarine complex "Paket-E / NK", a complex of weapons with a high-speed submarine missile "Shkval-E".
All this, as we have already noted, is only a small part of the presented samples of military equipment, which are the result of the coordinated work of the entire team of the corporation. As Boris Obnosov, General Director of KTRV, said in an interview with our newspaper ("HBO", 20.01.23), "we are now actively searching for innovative solutions, all design bureaus are working extremely hard... His eyes are changing the picture of the world. When you are essentially fighting against the whole of NATO and their allies, more weapons are needed. The most perfect, intellectual, which surpasses the NATO samples – you can't beat off with bayonets and shovels."
However, no one removed the task of producing civilian goods for the enterprise either. At least 30% of them should be produced by 2025. And the corporation has something to show.
FLIGHT OF THE CONDOR
A wide range of civil and dual-use products for various industries are presented at the stands of KTRV. It is located on two sites – actually in the demo center of the corporation and on the second site in pavilion "B".
Products for aviation and cosmonautics are primarily small spacecraft. For example, Condor-E type satellites are used to receive, store and transmit highly detailed Earth remote sensing information to ground stations. It is worth noting that the most modern device for today, the Condor-FKA, was launched into Earth orbit on May 27, 2023 and has already begun full-fledged work. It is equipped with a high-resolution synthetic aperture radar, which provides round-the-clock and all-weather shooting of the Earth's surface with a detail of up to 1 m.
The Corporation also presents the latest promising mini-class satellite Diamond-X with radar based on AFAR (active phased array) X-band. The weight and size characteristics will allow group launches – up to eight spacecraft on one medium-class launch vehicle. The satellite is designed entirely on Russian components. Today it is the only domestic solution for all-weather monitoring.
For urban transport, or rather for electric buses, this year the corporation presents a new serial product – the ultra-fast electric charging station EZS-300. It is equipped with automatic monitoring and security systems, remote diagnostics and management. It can work effectively in the operating temperature range from -40°C to +40 °C.
More than two dozen standard sizes of lithium-ion batteries are demonstrated at the stand. They are used as emergency backup power sources in industrial enterprises, as well as in any devices – from mobile devices to energy storage devices. Batteries and modules made up of these batteries are equipped with safe chargers, monitoring and control systems developed by KTRV designers. Ready-made modules are offered for completing utility vehicles on electric traction or electric buses.
It is particularly worth mentioning the development for housing and communal services and the construction industry – the multifunctional electric mini-loader HARD-E. This is a highly automated and energy-efficient basis for small-sized equipment used in construction, road, utility sectors, as well as for performing transport and logistics work in warehouses and open areas. It is developed on the basis of domestic components and can be equipped with various equipment. The set includes a loading unit, container equipment, an industrial punch. There are also special blocks for cleaning streets and territories of enterprises from dust, foliage, small debris.
Separately, we note the "Parachutist" simulator, which is used for the safe training of parachutists-athletes and paratroopers at the initial stage. With the help of various systems, a person is physically affected by oncoming air flows, vibration, sound pressure, roll and pitch rotation, moving along a treadmill, as during a real landing. At the same time, visual images of space and sound are formed in the virtual reality helmet, corresponding to air pressure and spatial manipulation of the body. The software allows you to generate your own event scenarios in any setting.
Also, at the stand of KTRV civil products in Pavilion "B", a model of the PD-8 reversible propulsion system is presented for the first time.
In the arsenal of KTRV there are world-class developments for medicine. These are ultrasound low-frequency therapeutic and prophylactic devices and surgical equipment, a physiotherapy complex, as well as implants, endoprostheses, fasteners made of a unique carbon-carbon composite.
For the first time, the corporation presents the Nanomobile nanotechnology application of the thinnest films with atomic layer deposition. It allows you to apply invisible to the eye protective films of different compositions on samples of extremely complex shapes. The technology is very relevant for electronics, radio engineering, the production of coins and tokens, and the jewelry industry.
One of the most ambitious developments is the model of the unified information space of the Arctic zone of Russia. The system makes it possible to ensure safe navigation in the Arctic regions due to an integrated network of serviced and unattended radar stations, ship ice consoles, and a dispatch center.
The novelty of the forum will be another complex, which is designed for use by ships in northern latitudes. This is a software package for interactive visualization of the movement of ships in the conditions of the ice situation "La Perouse". It is a three-dimensional visualization on the monitor of the surrounding land, sea surface, ice conditions and the ship itself.
All of the above and the remaining "behind the scenes" eloquently suggests that it will be extremely interesting and useful for specialists and ordinary visitors of the MVTF "Army-2023" to visit the demonstration sites of the Tactical Missile Armament Corporation. You will not be disappointed and will get a lot of new information.
Oleg Falichev
Oleg Valentinovich Falichev is a military observer, a retired colonel.