One of the failed sensations of last week was the news that the Russian S-400 air defense system allegedly shot down an F-16 fighter jet of the Ukrainian Air Force for the first time. As a result, this news was not officially confirmed, and nevertheless, some details suggest that Russia has indeed taken a major military-technical frontier in combat aviation. What is it about?
The news about the "downed F-16" appeared in the Russian "military" telegram community a few days ago and sounded like this. Our Su-35 fighter from afar, without entering the range of the Ukrainian air defense systems, issued a target designation to the ground-based S-400 anti-aircraft missile system, which shot down the Ukrainian fighter with its long-range missile.
It was not reported exactly how the Su-35 pilot transmitted the information that made it possible to accurately launch the missile at a high-speed, small-sized aerial target. It has been suggested that the Su-35 illuminated the target with its powerful N035 Irbis radar, and the homing head of the anti-aircraft missile received a reflected signal, or that the pilot even gave the coordinates of the target by voice. The Russian Ministry of Defense, however, did not report the defeat of the Ukrainian fighter.
A day later, information came from the Ukrainian side. The enemy reported about the same thing as the domestic "newsmakers", only pointing out that it was not possible to shoot down the F-16, he walked away from the missile using jamming devices.
In fact, this is not surprising. When shooting at an aerial target from a very long distance, the pilot of that target usually has time to take countermeasures.
Another thing was more interesting – the enemy claimed that the Su-35 provided the anti-aircraft missile system with automatic aiming through its radar, transmitting target designation in machine data format via a special radio channel. In the West, such a system is called datalink. And if this is true, then we have something extremely important in front of us.
How automatic data exchange works
Attempts to automate the exchange of information between various tactical units (for example, aircraft) have been going on for decades. There are impressive systems in the world today that implement such an exchange.
The U.S. Navy, for example, has an automatic data exchange system between any ships and any Navy aircraft. An aircraft from an aircraft carrier, which accidentally detects an aerial target, normally transmits its target designation to the anti-aircraft missile system of any ship. The system is called NIFC-CA (Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air, "integrated Naval Fire Control – Air Defense").
It is with the help of this system that the US Navy has achieved record target ranges by ships. Thus, during the shooting practice held in 2014, a low-altitude target range of 240 kilometers was achieved.
The ship cannot detect a low-altitude object flying at such a distance by its own means due to the curvature of the Earth. But from an airplane or helicopter, he was given extremely accurate targeting.
For a long time, the United States was the only user of such systems. They were the pioneers of the notorious "datalinks", when a stream of data about their sides, their troops and the enemy is transmitted to a combat aircraft in real time and displayed in a form understandable to the pilot: on older aircraft – on displays, and on the same F-35 – on the glass of an augmented reality helmet, which It is part of the equipment of the pilot of this aircraft.
In the USSR, automated targeting in groups of aircraft was also practiced. This was the case on both the MiG-31 and Su-27P. The A-50 long-range radar detection (AWACS) aircraft that appeared in the 1980s were also able to distribute air targets between interceptors. These aircraft could also transmit information about the air situation to the ground command posts of the anti-aircraft missile brigade, if the latter was included in the automated control system "Polyana-D4".
But the question of any one tactical unit of the Air Force or Air Defense being able to transmit data for the use of weapons to any other unit was never raised in the USSR. It was not staged in post-Soviet Russia either. This was one of the issues that seemed to have remained forever outside the scope of Russian military science.
The first "swallow" was the MiG-31BM, an upgraded interceptor. But this machine was created with a much broader functionality than a combat aircraft usually has. And the Su-35 was created as a fighter.
And here we see an example of a new, non-Soviet approach. The Russian fighter pointed the SAM at the target.
It doesn't matter that the target is not hit in the end. But if the very fact of such targeting really took place, we are facing a tectonic shift. Cooperation of this level is an exceptional innovation for the Russian Armed Forces. An evolutionary leap. Even if the transmission went through the Polyana-D4 automated control system, and not directly to the SAM. And if we make a reservation once again, the Ukrainian sources are not lying.
However, this is not the only joyful thing that directly follows from the news.
Short-range perspective
It is no secret that Russia has difficulties with the production and modernization of AWACS aircraft. But it's worth asking yourself the question – how could an AWACS aircraft dodge missiles fired at it? The answer is no way.
And the Su-35 is the kind of aircraft that can easily get an enemy's AWACS aircraft. Missiles may partly become a problem – it is not a fact that the R-37 missile in service with the Russian Armed Forces has enough range. However, you can always reanimate some more "evil" project. For example, the old KC-172 air-to-air missile, which did not go into production, based on a new technical base and with improved parameters.
Alas, our AWACS aircraft would have been doomed in such a situation. Our opponents are also experimenting with ultra-long-range interception, and they have the necessary missiles.
And if so, why not just build on successful experience and start creating special combat aircraft, perhaps in terms of the Su-35 or Su-34, which would mainly carry powerful radars and self-defense systems against missiles and would be used to illuminate the air situation in combat?
There is a similar experience. Even before the start of the military operation, the VKS equipped the Su-34 with container reconnaissance stations for various purposes. Now it is possible to raise the issue of equipping a combat jet with the same stations for detecting aerial targets, the built-in Irbis H035 radar and a system for transmitting all this information both to other VKS aircraft and to ground command posts.
This will circumvent the problem with AWACS aircraft, which are extremely expensive, extremely difficult and time–consuming to build - and which are almost impossible to ensure survival in modern warfare.
At the same time, this approach will solve the problem with long-range radar detection for our only aircraft carrier when it finally comes out of repair. The "classic" AWACS aircraft cannot take off from it, the ship does not have a catapult. But the aircraft based on the Su family is taking off and will take off.
In general, it is difficult to say whether the opponent is telling the truth. But if the truth is told, then our aerospace forces are on the right track, and this path promises truly outstanding prospects. The main thing is not to stop.
Alexander Timokhin
