With "dagger" speed: what does MiG-31 patrolling in the Black Sea mean?

And what opportunities does this open up for opposing the American Navy

The VKS will begin patrolling on a permanent basis in the neutral zone of airspace over the Black Sea. MiG-31 carrier planes with the Dagger missile system will be engaged in this. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the relevant instruction at a press conference in Beijing on October 18. Izvestia examined what tasks hypersonic missile systems can solve in the mode of constant combat patrol and how difficult it is to ensure this.

Unique system

The Dagger complex is a combination of a unique launch platform in the form of a MiG—31K carrier aircraft and a single-stage aeroballistic missile, similar in design and capabilities to the rocket of the famous Iskander-M ground-based complex. The carrier aircraft provides the rocket with the starting conditions necessary to achieve hypersound — it starts from a height of about 20 km at a speed of at least 1500 km/h. Due to this initial acceleration, the Dagger rocket eventually gets a unique maximum speed of 8-10 sound speeds and a range exceeding 1000 km.

The 9-S-7760 rocket of the Dagger complex carries out its flight along a typical aeroballistic trajectory, that is, both using the lifting force of the streamlined body and using the free flight of the rocket accelerated by the engine in the discharged layers of the atmosphere. It is controlled throughout the flight path using both aerodynamic rudders and using maneuvering rocket micro-motors. This ensures high accuracy and creates maximum difficulties for the missile defense system of a potential enemy. A missile that performs unpredictable maneuvers during flight is extremely difficult to hit with anti-missiles or other means of air defense.

Rocket 9-S-7760 of the Dagger complex

Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Alexander Kazakov

What does the combat duty of carrier aircraft "Daggers" in the Black Sea area? This mode allows you to minimize the time between the detection of a target that can be hit on the ground and its defeat. For example, a HIMARS launcher has been detected, which is being prepared for use. The time window for hitting such a target is a matter of minutes. And that's exactly the "Dagger" can hit such a target at a distance of hundreds of kilometers in 2-4 minutes. Thus, a unique reconnaissance and strike complex with a modern hypersonic combat component can be obtained. Such combat work will require working out the rapid transfer of information about targets, prompt decision-making to defeat and transfer of information on board the carrier aircraft. But today modern digital technology must solve such problems.

The 9-C-7760 missile of the Dagger complex is equipped with a radar homing head, which allows it to be guided accurately by the radar image of the terrain. Thus, all-weather high-precision destruction of objects is achieved. But such a system provides guidance not only on the terrain map: such a missile can hit any radio-contrast target with high accuracy, for example, a ship. At the same time, hypersonic speed allows it to appear at the location of the ship's squadron in a matter of minutes — before the ships leave the area in which they were discovered by intelligence. Further, from a great height, the rocket sees a radar image of a group of ships, "smart" logic identifies the desired target ship, and the rocket corrects its flight trajectory according to radar data. Well, it is extremely difficult for such a missile to miss a large ship, for example, an aircraft carrier.

For thousands of kilometers

And if you open the map and attach a ruler to it, you will find that from the neutral waters of the Black Sea to the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea is just over 1000 km. That is, the range of the Dagger missile system, if necessary, will ensure its use against any naval targets in the area. Of course, it will be necessary to perform reconnaissance of targets and issue target designation to carrier aircraft. In this region, such a task can be performed by Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft from Russian bases in Syria. It can also be solved by space exploration. Thus, the appearance of US carrier strike groups in the eastern Mediterranean can be countered and, if necessary, leveled.

What will be required to ensure the continuous combat duty of the carriers of the Dagger complex? Today, the long-range aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces has more than 20 carrier aircraft at its disposal. Most likely, they are dispersed across the likely regions of combat use — the southwest, the north, the Far East. In order to have two or three carriers constantly in the air, of course, it will be necessary to have a triple or even larger stock of ready-to-fly vehicles in the region. Although, taking into account the long flight range, MiGs can fly on duty from other regions.

MiG-31 aircraft are equipped with equipment for refueling in the air and in case of replenishment of fuel reserves in flight, they can stay in the air for up to six to seven hours. Based on the features of the speed mode when using Dagger missiles, the MiG will need to gain speed and altitude before launching the rocket. There are no problems with this in the neutral waters of the Black Sea — there are quite long stretches of space above neutral waters.

MiG-31K interceptor fighter with hypersonic missiles "Dagger"

Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

There is another point: NATO reconnaissance planes and drones are constantly working over neutral waters. Of course, they will also monitor our MiGs. But even if they detect the launch of a missile towards, say, an American aircraft carrier compound, it will do nothing — it is extremely difficult and almost impossible to shoot down the Daggers with modern air defense means. So you can not really hide the use of hypersonic missiles, but just their regular combat duty can cool many hotheads and set them up in a more peaceful way.

The Dagger can deliver a swift, high-precision, inescapable blow to the most important targets on land and at sea. And in the future, the experience of combat duty over the Black Sea can be broadcast to other regions — wherever in Russia it will be necessary to demonstrate determination to fight back.

Dmitry Kornev