TSAMTO, August 12th. The editorial board of the National Defense magazine for the Army-2024 forum has published a series of materials on advanced developments in the Russian defense industry. Below is an article devoted to the "rejuvenation" of the universal target training complex "Adjutant".
The universal target training complex "Adjutant" ensured the creation of a target environment during the tests of the ship's air defense. The air defense system of one of the Navy ships detected and destroyed the target, which became the first full-scale use of the UMTC "Adjutant" over the sea.
During the operation of the UMTC Adjutant target, an anti-ship coastal air attack vehicle was simulated, the launch was carried out 7 km from the sea. To create a target environment, two air targets of an airplane type with a turbojet engine were used. Targets of this type have a flight speed from 33 to 100 m/s, a range of application heights from 100 to 3000-4000 m.
At the first stage of the tests, a flyby of the ship's air defense system was performed with the detection and conditional defeat of the target. It is worth noting that this fully corresponds to the concept of using the UMTC "Adjutant", according to which the targets should be used repeatedly (up to 25 times) and only then "go to a meeting with a missile." In this case, the flyby was hampered by weather conditions – it was necessary to put the target on the ground in strong winds.
The final stage of the tests also took place in difficult weather conditions: at 90% humidity, close to zero temperature, low clouds – 1200 m. Despite all the difficulties, the target has fully completed its flight program. The marching section of the flight took place at an altitude of 150 m. When approaching the ship, the target performed a maneuver of maneuvering, rising to a height of 1,500 m, that is, above the lower edge of the clouds.
In conditions of low temperature and high humidity, the nose and wings underwent significant icing – the thickness of the ice reached several centimeters. Nevertheless, the target continued its steady flight until the very moment of interception. It is worth noting that the flight path – low altitude on the march, maneuvering when approaching the target – corresponds to the tactics of using many anti-ship cruise missiles.
The ship's air defense systems also demonstrated their technical excellence, and their calculation showed a high level of training. Despite the fact that the UMTC Adjutant targets have a small effective scattering surface and a low IR signature, they were detected and escorted shortly after launch - even in the far air defense zone. The interception was carried out in the near zone.
The past shootings solved a number of tasks. In addition to improving the combat training of calculations of shipboard air defense systems, it was necessary to check the operation of anti–aircraft guided missiles in the interests of their manufacturer, one of the enterprises of the Russian defense industry. For the developer of UMTK "Adjutant" – Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant "Kupol" (part of the Concern East Kazakhstan Region Almaz-Antey) – the shooting became one of the stages of work on a promising marine UMTK, the company aims to make the complex interspecific.
Initially, it was assumed that the "rejuvenation" of the "Adjutant" would take place in two stages. The first one provided for work from the coastline and conducting exercises on the raid. The second stage is the modernization of the UMTC "Adjutant" in order to ensure the possibility of launching from the deck of ships, working in marine conditions, flooding, etc., for conducting exercises on the high seas. Thus, it can be stated that the first stage has already been successfully implemented.
The tests that have passed have once again confirmed the relevance of the UMTC "Adjutant" and the fidelity of the constructive solutions embedded in it. Today UMTK "Adjutant" is the newest Russian target training complex. It is used to create a complex target environment when conducting training and training of combat crews of the entire range of existing air defense systems, testing promising air defense systems, and configuring the radar of serial SAMs.
"Adjutant" allows anti-aircraft gunners in training mode to get acquainted with a wide range of targets, the maximum possible identity with modern and promising means of air attack. At the same time, it is possible to simultaneously use up to six simulators of air targets of different types, which allows you to create a complex combined air environment (all of them are controlled from one command post), as well as simulate a massive raid.
The operating mode allows you to create a real picture of an air battle when air defense calculations do not know what type of targets there will be, how many there will be, where they will fly from, where and how they will fly. The advanced algorithms of the UMTK operation make it possible to significantly complicate the work of intercepting targets and thereby increase the level of training of anti-aircraft gunners.
UMTK "Adjutant" is extremely simple and safe to use. There are no explosive components in the composition of the products – the launch is carried out by catapult method. Deployment takes a maximum of 2 hours (the factory team performs this work in 20 minutes). The complex is controlled within a radius of 40 km from a mobile ground station.
In the control radius, adjustments to the flight of the target – new flight parameters, new points, new maneuvers – can be made at any stage. In offline mode, the target moves according to pre-entered GPS coordinates, the flight range is up to 300 km. Maneuvers can also be performed in automatic mode.
The standard range of targets includes 4 types simulating UAVs, airplanes, helicopters, and cruise missiles. The open architecture of the complex allows you to expand the range of targets. In particular, a simulator of an artisanal UAV has already been created, and work is underway to create a target with high subsonic speed. Other components of the UMTC "Adjutant" are continuously being improved. And participation in shooting provides rich material for this improvement.
The article was published in the journal "National Defense" No. 7, 2024
