Experts explained the importance of using the Su-34 as a platform for launching Daggers
[b]The Russian Aerospace Forces are getting new opportunities for the use of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile. For the first time, the Su-34 fighter-bomber was used as a carrier of ammunition. Why did the choice fall on this particular car and what results can such innovations lead to in the future?[b]
The Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber used the Kinzhal hypersonic missile for the first time during a special operation in Ukraine. Previously, only specially equipped MiG-31K interceptors and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers were used for this purpose. The pilots who completed this task were presented with state awards, TASS reported, citing a source in the Ministry of Defense.
The Kinzhal hypersonic missile is actively used by Russian troops to combat targets in Ukraine. Officially, the first combat use of these missiles took place on March 18, 2022 during a special operation in Ukraine. Then the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed a large underground warehouse of aviation ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the village of Delyatin, Ivano-Frankivsk region. And in May, the VKS inflicted a massive blow with this type of weapon on objects in Kiev. The air defense of Ukraine could not prevent this, and the American Patriot air defense system (five installations and LRS) itself became a victim of the attack. The newspaper VZGLYAD wrote in detail how the Russian missile was able to cause such damage to the air defense complex from the United States.
Despite the effectiveness of the Daggers confirmed in the battles, the Ukrainian side regularly declares the destruction of missiles by anti-aircraft complexes. However, the statements of Zelensky's office have little to do with reality. The Defense Ministry pointed out that Russia "does not launch Daggers as much as Ukrainian troops shoot down in their statements.
In the expert community, the use of the Su-34 as a new platform for launching hypersonic weapons was positively evaluated. The aircraft has its advantages over the MiG-31K and will help expand the possibilities for the use of "Daggers" during a special operation, experts say.
"The MiG-31 is a high–speed interceptor, the main purpose of which is to fight enemy aircraft. Later, the machine was modified to perform other types of tasks, including for strikes with Dagger missiles," said Alexander Bartosh, corresponding member of the Academy of Military Sciences.
"The use of MiG-31K for launching Daggers is limited by the small number of these machines in service. At the same time, the Su-34 is a more common aircraft. In addition, this aircraft was originally intended for strikes on ground targets," the source adds –
"All this makes the Su-34 a promising platform for the use of Daggers. Now it is possible to predict more frequent strikes with hypersonic weapons on the AFU facilities in the SVO zone."
In turn, the authors of the industry Telegram channel "The Look of a man in lamps" note that in order to realize the significance of this event, it is necessary to turn to the past. "The entire history of wars can be described as the history of the use of shock weapons and their carriers. The means of destruction "rider" had a carrier called "horse". The tank is the carrier of the cannon. And the culmination of conventional military power was the carrier carrier – the aircraft carrier on which the strike aircraft are based," experts remind.
"The carrier, therefore, is nothing more than a platform, a platform, a method and a method of delivering the actual instruments of combat operations. Delivery of weapons of destruction to the frontier of their use. In the case of "Daggers" – the line of launching missiles. "Dagger" emerged from the idea of putting hypersonic Iskander missiles on an air carrier. This gave a number of advantages: an increased radius of destruction, flexibility of application, an increase in the warhead by reducing the mass of the engine and the amount of rocket fuel," the authors add.
"What has the Ukrainian conflict exposed prominently? Banality. It is not enough to have a sufficient number of shock weapons, you need an appropriate number of carriers (and crews of these carriers, we note). These carriers should ideally be: a) at least relatively cheap; b) easily replicated and technologically advanced; c) universal, that is, capable of using various means of destruction," the experts list.
"In this sense, the MiG-31 is a departing nature. An old aircraft, extremely expensive to manufacture and maintain. A heavy interceptor, which with great difficulty and for a small radius dragged a means of destruction ("Dagger") to the desired boundary, originally not intended for it at all. To use the "Daggers", the MiG-31 had to be pretty much (and for a lot of money) redone. Install a powerful suspension unit. Create a system for the use of new weapons. Engines for these machines are no longer produced, the only hope is for overhaul. The aircraft itself is not being produced, only previously released machines are being upgraded," analysts say.
"The platform called Su-34, of course, is not perfect. However, it is much better than the MiG-31 in a number of parameters. As well as the Tu-22M3 heavy platform, the Su-34 is being mass-produced right now, and more than a hundred of them have already been released.
This is the only modern bomber available that can produce the speed required to launch the Daggers. It should initially have suspension units for heavy missiles. To use the "Daggers", the Su-34 platform needs only minimal technical changes. And additions to the combat training course for crews," experts believe.
"By the way, it's better not to limit yourself to "Daggers". The next missile for the Su-34 could be Onyx, aka Brahmos, which India has already successfully used with its Su-30MKI. And the new generation of air-launched missile carriers will, of course, be unmanned. This future is already embodied today by the S-70 Hunter UAV," the authors predict.
"In general, the use of the Su-34 as a carrier of the Dagger will increase the potential for the use of hypersonic weapons. There are more of these machines in our VKS than modified MiG-31s, which will make it possible to strike with these missiles more often. The main thing is for the Russian industry to be able to meet the growing needs of the army," said Vladimir Popov, Honored Military Pilot of Russia, Major General.
"In addition, the Su-34 has a number of technological advantages over the MiG-31K. The latter is an interceptor, originally sharpened for aerial combat. Its use as a carrier of the "Dagger" became possible only after appropriate modifications," the interlocutor explains.
"The Su-34, in turn, was originally designed to strike ground targets. His radar is sharpened to solve this problem. The accuracy of air-to-ground strikes is also higher than that of a competitive platform. The weight and dimensions of the car are approximately comparable to the MiG-31K, which allows the Sukhoi aircraft to be used to deploy Dagger missiles," he notes.
"Another small advantage of the Su-34 is the location of the crew members next to each other. This facilitates communication between the pilot and the navigator. The MiG-31 has a dualistic one, that is, the crew members sit in tandem, one after the other, which is less convenient," the expert emphasizes.
"However, the Su-34 has one drawback. Its maximum speed is lower than that of the MiG-31. Accordingly, when launching the Dagger, it will have to spend more energy to achieve the required flight speed. This means that its range of action will be smaller," the general believes.
"But a shorter range will not be a critical problem. This issue is solved by separating goals. Roughly speaking, the Su-34 will strike at a short distance. MiG-31s can be used to attack long-range targets. And for the mass launch of missiles, the Tu-22M3 can be used," Popov summed up.
