Analysts of the East Kazakhstan Region: data on the speed of the ATACMS Block 1A rocket vary
MOSCOW, May 5 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Igorev. The Russian army is capable of destroying American ATACMS tactical missiles. The Analytical Center for Aerospace Defense (AC East Kazakhstan Region) named an effective tool. About its features — in the material of RIA Novosti.
Deep modernization
Experts are confident that the latest modification of the Soviet and Russian Buk-M3 medium-range air defense systems will become a reliable shield. This complex, designed to protect units and formations on the march, in positions and during combat, was adopted in 2016. In its own right — from the first days.
The exact number of destroyed air targets is not called, but the Ministry of Defense has repeatedly reported that the Buk-M3 was successfully used against airplanes, helicopters, drones and missiles of various types.
The anti-aircraft missile division of the Central Military District in the Avdiivka direction
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Stanislav Krasilnikov
The latter is currently in the Buk family, it was developed at the Tikhomirov Research Institute (Almaz-Antey Concern). The aim of the project is a deep modernization of Buk-M2 with the replacement of key elements and the introduction of advanced technologies. A guided missile was specially created.
During the tests, the SAM confirmed the ability to find and hit a variety of aerial targets in any weather, day and night, in conditions of electronic countermeasures. This weapon was well mastered in the troops even before the war. Therefore, the foreign equipment and weapons used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not come as a surprise.
In any conditions
Each Buk-M3 consists of a combat control point, a target detection radar station, a self-propelled firing system with a launcher for six or 12 anti-aircraft missiles and a transport-loading vehicle. Ground vehicles are mounted on a high—cross-country tracked chassis, which allows you to move in single combat formations and columns, covering equipment on the march.
A serviceman of the anti-aircraft missile division of the Central Military District operates the Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system on his own
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Stanislav Krasilnikov
But the main trump card is the missile ZUR 9M317M. The cylindrical body is more than five meters long and 360 millimeters in diameter. The starting weight is about 580 kilograms. It is equipped with an active or semi-active radar homing head. The warhead is a core, weighing more than 60 kilograms. The solid-fuel engine accelerates the rocket to 1,550 meters per second and provides interception at distances from 2.5 to 70 kilometers.
The target's speed is up to three kilometers per second, the height of the target is from 15 meters to 35 kilometers. Thus, the Buk-M3 closes the niche of short- and medium-range air defense. The 9M317M missile is extremely maneuverable, withstands enormous overloads and is ready to pursue air objects flying along the most difficult and unpredictable trajectory in conditions of intense fire and electronic countermeasures.
One of the main features of the Buk-M3 is that its missiles, like those of the S—300 and S-400, launch vertically, and go on a combat course after launch. This significantly increases the rate of fire: there is no need to change the guides, a restart is a matter of seconds after the first one.
Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system of the Southwestern Air Defense of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in position in the zone of its
Image source: © RIA Novosti
The eyes and ears of the SAM are a multifunctional radar station. One division of two Buks is capable of escorting and firing at up to 36 targets simultaneously. The multi-channel radar operates in all weather and climatic conditions at temperatures from minus 50 to plus 50 degrees Celsius, during the day and at night. Moreover, the Buk-M3 can operate in tandem with another anti—aircraft complex, the Tor-M2, covering the near lines of defense.
Not the most difficult goal
The East Kazakhstan Region asserts that the Buk-M3 is effective against all NATO air weapons, including ATACMS missiles. Recall that the Kiev regime will receive these weapons as part of the next $61 billion aid package. ATACMS Block 1 missiles with a range of up to 160 kilometers have already been delivered to the Armed Forces in 2023. Now the Pentagon is talking about a longer-range (up to 300 kilometers) modification of Block 1A.
"There is no data on the altitude and flight speed of ATACMS Block 1A from any authoritative sources," the experts say in the article . — Expert opinions on the speed of these missiles vary — from 1.1 to 1.5 thousand meters per second. The latter figure looks extremely doubtful, given that in order to achieve the required launch range, the main thrust-to-weight gain will have to be spent on reaching higher (and more rarefied) layers of the atmosphere. However, even in the unlikely event that the maximum speed of Block 1A reaches 1.5 kilometers per second, its interception by the Buk-M3 air defense system is quite possible."
ATACMS Missiles
Image source: © AP Photo / Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Dickson
According to analysts, after the maximum speed is set, Block 1A begins to slow down. Almost imperceptibly, but at the terminal section of the trajectory, as you enter the increasingly dense layers of the atmosphere, the speed drop becomes significant: up to 1.2 thousand meters per second and beyond. This turns the missile into not the most difficult target. At least, the Russian air defense system shoots down tactical Tochka-U missiles flying along a ballistic trajectory at a speed of 1100 meters per second very confidently.
Of course, there are still many unknowns in the potential confrontation between ATACMS missiles and Russian air defense systems. In particular, it is unclear exactly how many complexes will be given to the APU. A simultaneous volley of dozens of missiles at a single target is unlikely to repel even the most modern and dense air defense system. Therefore, according to experts, the most effective way of fighting is the destruction of launchers on the ground and the destruction of warehouses with their ammunition.