here is an article on Russian air to air missile from the Journal Defense and Security, you can find it on the Westlaw database, I cant give a link for obvious reasons

10/25/06 Defence & Security (Pg. Unavail. Online)
2006 WLNR 18472215

Defence & Security
Copyright 2006 WPS Media Monitoring Agency

October 25, 2006

Issue 120

Section: ARMAMENT & MILITARY TECHNOLOGY (Special supplement to the Defense and Security bulletin)

NEW WEAPON FOR A FIGHTER OF NEW GENERATION
NEW WEAPON FOR A FIGHTER OF NEW GENERATION

Ye. Yerokhin

In accordance with the state armament program, Vimpel design bureau is developing future models of air-to-air class missiles of small, medium and long range with gradual increase of their combat characteristics to arm the fighter of the fifth generation.

In accordance with the state armament program, Vimpel design bureau is developing future models of air-to-air class missiles of small, medium and long range with gradual increase of their combat characteristics to arm the fighter of the fifth generation. High technical characteristics of the future models will enable airplanes of the fifth generation to receive stable air superiority over JSF and F-22 airplanes. Gennady Sokolovsky, General Designer of Vimpel, says, “They are developed in the directions of use of advanced technical solutions in configuration, power plants, homing and warhead systems.”

Close-range missiles

Short-range missiles R-73 (item 72) are the main weapon of short-range air combat for modern Russian fighters. This missile commissioned almost a quarter of a century ago, in 1983, was named the best in its class and served as a paragon for creation of similar weapons abroad. There are two main versions of the R-73 missile in service with the Russian Air Force and for export. This is the version with proximity radar fuse Krechet and the version with laser proximity fuse Yantar. Both versions were created back during Soviet years. Series production of the missiles was arranged at the Moscow-based Kommunar plant (now Dux). The heat-seeking self-homing head (Mayak-80 and its modifications) are produced by Arsenal in Kyiv. The missile control system (automatic pilot) for R-73 was designed by Avionika (Moscow) and solid-fuel engine RDTT-295 was developed by Iskra design bureau (Moscow). Check of the missile in the process of its operation and preparation for combat use is done at the technical position Gurt designed by Kyiv-based design bureau Luch.

After breakup of the USSR and related political problems in interaction with Ukrainian partners work on modernization of R-73 could not be done actively for many years. Despite this, at that time designers created an improved version of the missile with improved homing head Mayak-80M with the range of target designation angles increased to +/- degrees (for the series produced R-73 this range amounts to +/-45 degrees) and improved energy characteristics.

The modernized missile (item 760) should become further development of R-73 and K-74ME. This missile developed in the framework of the “second stage of modernization” of the series of missiles of R-73 series is viewed by its developers as a “weapon of equal opportunities” with foreign counterparts, namely British ASRAAM and American AIM-9X. Characteristics of the missile are increased due to its equipment with a combined control system including the heat-seeking self-homing head, inertial control system and receiver of the radio correction line, as well as improved engine with an increased thrust impulse. The transport cross section of the missile was also reduced for provision of location in internal armament bays of the carrier. The self-homing head of the modernized missile can lock on targets already after the launch in trajectory according to target designation. By the moment of the report publication the missile was on the verge of beginning flight tests. It may be commissioned in service approximately in 2010.

Simultaneously with modernization of missile series R-73 Vimpel is also working on creation of a fundamentally new light missile of close-range highly maneuverable air combat and antimissile defense (item 300). It is viewed as a weapon with technical characteristics exceeding characteristics of the foreign future missiles ASRAAM and AIM-9X.

Unlike the modernized missiles of R-73 series it is planned to equip the new missile with a matrix heat-seeking self-homing head with a possibility of target image identification and lock-on range increased 100%.

The new missile will be equipped with the two-mode solid-fuel jet engine providing for increased energy characteristics (duration of work of about 100 seconds) with adaptive warhead and three-channel gas dynamic control device (jet vanes). For the purpose of drag reduction designers plan to improve aerodynamic configuration of the missile. All these measures will allow significant increase of the launch range, provision of the mode of use in any weather, as well as the regime of antimissile defense of the carrier and improvement of jamming immunity. It is planned to accomplish work on the future close-range missile by 2013.

Middle-range missiles

Vimpel design bureau is developing air-to-air missiles of medium range along the line of consecutive modernization of the missile known as RVV-AE in the export version. Its Russian prototype (item 170) was commissioned by the Russian Air Force 12 years ago, in 1994, for arming modernized fighters of the fourth generation and other new airplanes. Despite that series production of the missile was arranged at the Russian plant, Moscow-based Dux (formerly Kommunar), financial and organization difficulties resulted in a significant slowdown of work and after breakup of the USSR, when cooperation of enterprises of Russia and Ukraine was lost the work was practically stopped. A part of manufacturers of important systems and assemblies of the missiles remained on the territory of Ukraine. Hence, there were no more or less significant supplies of these missiles to the Russian Air Force in the last few years due to absence of “imported” components and Vimpel converted a part of its experimental production facilities into series production facilities and started covering the needs for exports of RVV-AE to China and India and afterwards to other countries.

The so-called “small modernization” of the missile is currently being accomplished. The improved missile is in the final stage of the flight and designer tests and may be handed over for state trial this year. Further there will be a deeper second stage of modernization as a result of which, according to Gennady Sokolovsky, the missile will exceed the foreign counterpart AIM-120C7 according to technical characteristics and will be on par with its further modifications.

In the new version (item 180) provisions are made for use of a number of new technological solutions. First of all, aerodynamic configuration is optimized, which includes transition from grated to flat not folding elevators that provide for reduced draft of the missile. Giving up of electric steering drives with grated elevators being a kind of “earmark” of missiles of RVV-AE type is a consequence of the fact that such elevators have been developed and produced in Kyiv. According to specialists, grated elevators are also insufficiently efficient at big angles of attack.

Another peculiarity of the deep modernization of RVV-AE missiles is use of the multimode radar self-homing head with combination of active and passive homing modes. The passive mode will allow homing of the missile at sources of interference and emitting radars of enemy airplanes.

In the new missile provisions are made for use of the two-band radio correction line with a significantly increased quickness of action, prevision inertial guidance system based on a new block of sensors with laser remote control system and power source with an increased duration of work. The new two-impulse solid-fuel jet engine with a controllable pause between the impulses and increased fuel weight will be able to work for almost 100 seconds ensuring increased energy capacity for the missile. Adaptive combat load with controllable effective field will allow improvement of efficiency of target killing with bigger possible miss parameters.

As a result of all improvements the maximum missile launch range in the entire altitude envelope will grow 100-250%. The missile will receive new properties in the form of passive modes of homing on radio emitting targets and a possibility of provision of antimissile defense and protection of the rear hemisphere of carrier airplane. It is planned to accomplish the improved draft project of the deeply modernized missile in 2006, and the new missile may be prepared for commissioning in the Armed Forces approximately in 2010. Sokolovsky says that “This item should be a “weapon of guaranteed superiority” over foreign models of AII-120N7 type.”

Another direction of development of missiles of RVV-AE type is creation of a modification with increased launch range using a combined solid-fuel air-breathing engine. This missile is being developed for the purpose of increase of the maximum launch range at low altitude, which will provide for superiority of the Russian fighter in air combat over enemy fighters with Meteor and FMRAAM missiles. The draft project of the missile was accomplished in 2002. Development of the missile may be accomplished approximately by 2012, but prospects for commissioning of the modification of RVV-AE with a solid-fuel air-breathing engine are not clear yet.

Long-range missiles

The heavy missile R-33 (item 410 with semi-active self-homing head commissioned in 1981 within MiG-31 interceptor) was the first Russian air-to-air missile with maximum range exceeding 100 kilometers. Vimpel design bureau developed this class of missiles further towards gradual improvement of configuration, combat load and homing system of R-33. Item 610 with semi-active – active self-homing head was developed for the modernized interceptor MiG-31M and is passing flight and designer tests since 1989. In the course of a flight experiment in 1994, unique launch ranges exceeding 300 kilometers were achieved with use of this missile. Equipment of this missile with a new homing system based on active self-homing radar head standardized with the head of RVV-AE missile was the next stage. It was planned to use “item 610M” not only in airplanes of MiG-31 type but also in other modernized and new types of gathers. For the airplane of the fifth generation Vimpel is developing new “item 810” on its base complying with requirements of placement in internal compartments of the carrier.

The new missile has improved characteristics both with regard to maximum launch range (bigger at least 50%) and altitudes of the killed targets. Within the armament of the airplane of the fifth generation it should guarantee its superiority in long-range air combat against enemy fighters with a high degree of survivability.

Among the new technological solutions implemented during development of this missile is use of the solid-fuel jet engine with a two-impulse thrust program and regulated pause, as well as use of the energy unit with duration of work increased to 360 seconds. Along with optimization of the aerodynamic configuration this allows achievement of big launch ranges in all altitudes including the small ones, as well as the maximum altitude for killing high-speed target reaching 40 kilometers. It is planned to equip the missile with a multimode radar self-homing head with active and passive modes (prospects of use of the semi-active mode are also considered). The mode of passive homing to the source of interference for the onboard radar of the carrier airplane and at emission of the enemy airplanes is a new combat property for the long-range missiles. The control system will also include precision system with laser remote control and receiver of satellite navigation system signals for correction of trajectory, as well as a two-way line for transmission of signals for radio correction and reception of information about functioning of onboard systems of the missile by the carrier. The adaptive warhead may form a narrow, a broad circular and a directed field depending on information about the type of target. It is planned to accomplish development of the new missile approximately in 2013.

Attachment means

To date, all Russian air-to-air missiles were carried by Russian fighters on attached or aviation catapult devices placed on external under-wing or under-fuselage points. In the airplane of the fifth generation the main armament will be placed inside of the fuselage, that is why a standardized catapult device for placing inside of the fuselage is being developed for attachment of missiles. Previously, such devices were not developed for fighters in the USSR and Russia.

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COMPANY: AGDER ENERGI AS

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REGION: (Europe (1EU83); Russia (1RU33); Eastern Europe (1EA48); Ukraine (1UK09))

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OTHER INDEXING: (AE; ARSENAL; AVIONIKA; FMRAAM; KOMMUNAR; RUSSIAN; RUSSIAN AIR FORCE) (Check; Designer; Gennady Sokolovsky; Krechet; Sokolovsky; Vimpel)

Word Count: 2479
10/25/06 DEFSECURITY (No Page)

Kolchuga type systems can generate a 3-d coordinate when employed in properly in 2’s and 3’s, they do not give you just “there is something flying over texas” information.

Kolchuga type systems are how AWAC’s platforms find S-300’s from the sky! Kolchuga is just a ground based version of the sort of capability the US has had on its aerial platforms for quite some time. If the S-300 is hiding behind brush and obstacles SAR alone wont find it, you need ESM.

That’s not exactly how Kolchuga and Vera works. The concept of RCS reduction hinges that you reflect radar, a form of electromagnetic radiation, away from the transmitting source. However, you know that different frequencies of electromagnetic radiation reflect differently, much like the colors of the rainbow when light passes through a prism. Some bend this way, some bend that way. Same with radar. Stealth is actually a design compromise, you can’t optimize against all wavelengths, you ahve to choose which ones you have to work against. Current “stealth” measures are optimized against X/J band wavelengths, to make it short, they’re optimized against the wavelengths fighters and most SAMs use. But Kolchuga and Vera are designed to work with very long wavelengths, right into the UHF and VHF areas, almost like World War II radar. The problem of this method is that while it can detect a VLO target, the precision isn’t good for use in tracking and fire control purposes. You know they’re there, but you can’t get a lock and fire at them. So again the VLO intruder remains safe.

Other promising developments include passive coherent detection, but I believe the most promising is the development of bistatic and multistatic radar. The concept of stealth is that the plane has to reflect radar away anywhere else except from the source emission. Current radar design is monostatic, meaning both emitter and reciever are in the same station, or the same radar. In bistatic or multistatic design, the emitter and the reciever are not on the same location but different ones. A multistatic network will have, say one emitter, then various receivers located miles away in some pattern. Potentially this can work with any wavelength, and does not preclude those used for precise tracking and fire control.

Kolchuga is not a radar, its is a passive ESM system the comparison to high power low frequency WW2 era radars is entirely wrong. In fact Kolchuga has 3 antenna, 5 meter, decimeter and centimeter band.

Kolchuga and Vera can only generate a 3D coordinate with a minimum of 2 stations (Kolchuga) or 3 stations (Vera), its very similiar to the way an active multi-static system would work but depends on emissions from the source, but in theory can rely on a active “friendly” radar too. If the F-22 emits nothing it should be safe, the problem is even the emissions from its power supplies can be enough for an ESM sysem!

Kolchuga works ideally with rather high frequency, the lowest frequency it will deal with is 130mhz. If it could deal with lower frequencies its range would go well beyond 800km’s

Further, its naive to think that the S-300’s and 400’s today are seriously going to be aiming for the F-22, the S-400 was clearly built with the AWACS killing role in mind. Kill the thing that is finding targets for the F-22 and the F-22 becomes dumb.

The day they make an EC-3 stealthy is the day the S-400 becomes obsolete.

and there were instances in Chechnya wherer T-80’s were hit by a dozen RPG’s and several Konkurs missiles and continued on but there were also instances where a single RPG fired top-down nuked the whole tank. The frontal arc on most modern tanks can take an amazing amount of punishment, so aim elsewhere is the lesson of the past few wars.

making the L-15 supersonic like they did or putting an afterburner on it is just dumb the flight time of these trainers is to low to begin with, putting more fuel eating features in is downright pointless unless you want to stay up in the air for 45 minutes at a time.