When Izhevsk is mentioned in everyday conversation, the first associations that arise in connection with this city for most Russians are Izhmash, Kalashnikov assault rifles and Izh motorcycles. Perhaps only the residents of Izhevsk themselves and specialized specialists will remember the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant (IEMZ), although its products are making waves all over the world.
The famous Tor anti-aircraft missile system is produced at Kupol. A correspondent for the Federal News Agency visited this production facility and saw with his own eyes how the Russian “guardian of the skies” was created.
The product range includes air defense systems and nanocomposites
Kupol, part of the Almaz-Antey concern, is an extremely remarkable enterprise. Founded on June 20, 1957 by a decree of the USSR government on the location of a plant for the production of radio control equipment in Izhevsk, today Kupol is one of the largest enterprises in the domestic defense industry. During its existence, IEMZ produced more than 40 types of military products, including computers, the Lynx artillery reconnaissance complex, active protection equipment for Drozd tanks, etc. But the main strength of the enterprise was, of course, anti-aircraft missile systems "Krug", "Osa" and "Tor".
Federal News Agency / Andrey Soyustov
In addition, as part of diversification, Kupol was also involved in the production of civilian products. To assess the scope of the enterprise’s activities in this direction, it is enough to note that now IEMZ produces solid-state gyroscopes, nanocomposites, highly pure materials, equipment for nuclear power plants and oil production, as well as many other products for civilian use, including... conveyor lines for distilleries.
And yet, the “face” of the plant is, of course, military products. If the Krug air defense system has long since sunk into oblivion, the Osa automated military self-propelled short-range anti-aircraft missile system, discontinued in 1989, is still in service in considerable quantities in the armies of 18 countries around the world, including the Russian Armed Forces.
This opens up great prospects for Kupol both for further service maintenance of these complexes and for their modernization with the replacement of the element base to the level of the Osa-AKM1 modification. According to the general director of the enterprise, Fanil Ziyatdinov , such a transformation of the “Wasps” currently in service will make it possible to extend the life cycle of the complexes by another 10–15 years.
Federal News Agency / Andrey Soyustov
What is the newest Russian MANPADS "Verba"
Rosoboronexport is introducing the newest Russian man-portable anti-aircraft missile system Verba to the international market. It was developed at the Kolomna research and production corporation Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau of the High-Precision Complexes holding (part of Rostec). The Verba MANPADS will be presented for the first time at the largest international exhibition of land and naval weapons, Defexpo India 2016, which will be held in South Goa from March 28 to 31
“We are convinced that Verba will be of interest to both the Indian military and our partners from Southeast Asia and other regions,” they previously reported
"Gazeta.Ru" in the press service of "Rosobornexport" with reference to the deputy general director of ROE Sergei Goreslavsky, who will lead the delegation at the exhibition.
"MiG" waiting
The new lightweight multirole fighter MiG-35 will replace the Russian Army's currently used MiG-29, but...
18 March 13:13
The Verba MANPADS was adopted by the Russian Army quite recently - in 2015. It is designed to destroy air targets, including cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The special exporter explains that the light weight and high level of automation of the Verba combat weapons allow one anti-aircraft gunner to fire at air targets at an altitude of 10 to 3.5 thousand m, at a range of 500 to 6.5 thousand m, while developing speeds of up to 400 m/s (when firing towards) or up to 320 m/s (when firing in pursuit). It is also noted that MANPADS can hit targets maneuvering with overloads of up to eight units.
The newest MANPADS are 2.5 times more effective than their predecessor, the previous generation Igla complex.
The effectiveness of defeating small targets with weak radiation in the thermal range (cruise missiles and UAVs) has been increased, as well as protection from modern powerful pyrotechnic interference has been increased.
Who is hunting for the "Night Stalker"
Serial production of the new export version of the Mi-28NE “Night Hunter” combat helicopters has started at the plant...
17 March 19:19
Improving the combat capabilities of the Verba is achieved thanks to the 9M336 missile with a three-spectral highly sensitive optical homing head (OGS), new instrumentation and a unique warhead with an adaptive contact-non-contact fuse and an increased mass of explosives.
“This is a new generation of MANPADS, which is superior to the Stinger thanks to its three-spectrum homing head with good capabilities, which two or three countries around the world can do,” weapons expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Gazeta.Ru.
In addition to the missile in the guide tube, the Verba includes a launcher, a locator for friend-or-foe recognition, a mobile control point, a small-sized radar detector, planning, reconnaissance and control modules. A portable fire control module is also supplied to the troops.
close
100%
“The combined use of 9M336 missiles from the Verba MANPADS with a set of control equipment and launch modules makes it possible to create on their basis light mobile anti-aircraft missile systems for direct cover or to equip existing anti-aircraft missile and artillery systems with these means,” Rosoboronexport says. “This option of placing the complex’s combat assets on various carriers allows for a salvo launch of missiles, which increases the probability of hitting a target by 1.5 times.” According to KBM general designer Valery Kashin, a whole set of installations for using the new MANPADS has already been developed.
“Verba” can be used not only from the shoulder, but also placed on various land, sea and air carriers.
The complex uses the 1PN97M Mowgli-2M night vision sight, which detects targets at any time of the day and fires at them at the far border of the affected area.
The amphibian has been waiting for three years
The Russian Ministry of Defense will receive the first Be-200 amphibious aircraft under the 2013 contract at the end of this year after...
10 February 10:09
Russian Deputy Defense Minister for Armaments Yuri Borisov previously reported to the President that in 2015, two divisional sets of the Verba anti-aircraft missile system were delivered to the Airborne Forces. Two more brigade sets entered the Ground Forces. According to him, the equipment passed the tests and entered the operating organizations for equipment and training of personnel.
Meanwhile, progress does not stand still and a promising MANPADS is already being developed to replace the Verba, which will be protected from laser jamming systems that are just beginning to enter service with the advanced countries of the world. According to the head of the Air Defense Forces of the Ground Forces, Alexander Leonov, the Armed Forces will receive it “in a few years.”
Deputy head of Rosoboronexport Goreslavsky, who is taking the premiere of Verba to India, is confident that “today this is the best complex on the international arms market in its class in terms of the combination of tactical and technical characteristics and unique technical solutions.”
close
100%
Arms expert Viktor Murakhovsky explained to Gazeta.Ru that the export potential of Verba is good, but there are a number of international restrictions on the supply of MANPADS to some countries. “There is an agreement between leading countries on the non-proliferation of MANPADS. There is an agreed list of states to which man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems cannot be supplied at all. This list is closed, but it is known that it includes the DPRK, Somalia, some African countries where militants of the banned radical Islamist organization Boko Haram operate and others - the list is significant,” the interlocutor said. He also explained that, according to the document, it is impossible to supply MANPADS to non-state armed groups, no matter how democratic they may be, for example, the Free Syrian Army.
“For official buyers with a reliable end-user certificate from countries such as Algeria and Egypt, they will be quite interesting. Including India itself,” added the military expert.
Russia traditionally occupies a leading position among the world's manufacturers of air defense systems, including man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems. For example, the predecessor of the Verba, which is in service with the armies of Russia and the CIS and is designed to destroy low-flying air targets under the influence of false thermal interference, has been exported to more than 30 countries since 1994.
Complex of two buttons
However, it is not “Wasp” that is the main “star” of the IEMZ. This role, undoubtedly, is played by the all-weather tactical short-range anti-aircraft missile system "Thor", which was put into service on March 19, 1986.
There is no need to grin skeptically when looking at the indicated date. Over the past thirty years, not only has our country changed dramatically, but Thor itself has gone through at least three major modernizations.
What is this air defense system today?
The modern "Thor" operates on batteries. One anti-aircraft missile battery consists of four 9A331MU combat vehicles (the ammunition load of each is 8 missiles), two transport-loading vehicles (replenishing the ammo of combat vehicles in 18 minutes), a maintenance workshop, a battery command post "Rankhir" and "Casta" - a mobile three-coordinate radar station of the decimeter range of all-round visibility in standby mode. The maximum speed that such an anti-aircraft missile battery can develop on the march is 65 km/h. This, as they say, relates to the issue of mobility.
The air defense system is fully automated - it’s not for nothing that Igor Ivanov , Kupol’s director for military-technical cooperation, calls “Thor” “a complex of two buttons.” Indeed, the air defense system is capable of doing almost everything itself: detecting, identifying, ranking targets by degree of danger. “Lead” 48 targets and ensure the simultaneous destruction of four of them, while simultaneously selecting the optimal moment of operation of the radio fuse of the warhead missile defense system.
The operator remains to perform only two actions: select from the list of targets proposed by “Thor” those that are to be destroyed first, and give the command to launch the missile defense system.
Federal News Agency / Andrey Soyustov
However, in the event of repelling a massive air strike, when a delay of even a fraction of a second can have fatal consequences, it is possible to switch the air defense system to fully automatic mode.
Another interesting detail is that, if necessary, two SAM combat vehicles can operate in the “Link” mode. This is when one BM can issue target designation via wired or wireless communication to another BM, located at a distance of up to 5 km from the first vehicle and operating with the radar turned off or disabled.
According to Kupol employees, the latest modification of the Russian air defense system is significantly superior in its performance characteristics to all foreign analogues, including the Israeli Iron Dome tactical missile defense system.
History of creation
The emergence of powerful and long-range anti-aircraft missile systems forced combat aviation pilots to descend from sky-high heights and seek protection in close proximity to the ground. However, already in the early 60s, the ground forces began to receive portable air defense systems, which very soon became one of the main enemies of pilots. Mobile, simple, almost invisible from the air, man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems have proven to be very effective weapons. A fighter armed with a MANPADS could easily destroy a large and expensive fighter or attack aircraft with one missile. For the first time, MANPADS were used en masse in the Arab-Israeli war of 1969. These were the Soviet Strela-2 complexes. The effectiveness of their use amazed specialists.
Around the same time, American portable Red Eye systems were adopted. And in the early 80s, the American army received the famous FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS, which spoiled a lot of blood for our pilots in Afghanistan. At the time of its creation, it was an excellent MANPADS, in many ways superior to foreign analogues, including Soviet systems. But if we talk about today, we must admit that the Stinger is already obsolete. In terms of its main characteristics, it is inferior not only to the newest Verba, but also to many later modifications of the Needle.
Portable anti-aircraft systems quickly found their place after the end of the Cold War; these weapons remain in great demand in our era of hybrid wars and local conflicts.
It should be noted that the USSR always paid special attention to this type of weapon; domestic designers managed to achieve significant success in the field of developing MANPADS. Strela-2 was replaced by the more advanced Strela-3, and in the early 80s, the Igla complex was adopted by the Soviet army, which is still used by the Russian army. It is believed that Soviet and then Russian MANPADS have shot down about 700 different aircraft throughout their history. The main center for the development of domestic MANPADS is the Kolomna Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau, which is rightfully considered the world leader in the creation of these weapons.
The Verba MANPADS, in fact, became a further development of the Igla-S complex, which was put into service at the beginning of the 2000s. The first information about Verba appeared around 2008, but for obvious reasons it was very vague and fragmentary. True, it was stated that the new MANPADS would be ready by 2009. However, this did not happen; the completion date of the complex was constantly postponed. Only in 2011 did military trials begin, which lasted for several years. The Verba MANPADS was put into service in 2014. The units of the Airborne Forces were the first to receive it.
You can shoot from the Verba not only from the shoulder, but also install this complex on warships, helicopters or various ground platforms. The Russian military believes that the new complex will allow them not only to more effectively counter the already familiar threats - enemy planes and helicopters - but also to successfully combat enemy cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. Last year, information appeared in a number of domestic media about the destruction of an unmanned aerial vehicle near the Syrian capital using Verba MANPADS. With its help, the rebels adjusted artillery fire. However, information about this incident has not been officially confirmed.
Cleaner
And yet, you need to clearly understand that “Thor” is not a miracle weapon in the manner of the epic treasure sword, but a complex created for a very specific purpose. "Tor" is a highly mobile short-range air defense system capable of performing air defense missions for units of the Russian Armed Forces and protecting strategic targets from air strikes.
The “zone of responsibility,” or more precisely, the zone of destruction of the air defense system, extends up to 15 km in range and up to 10 km in height from the location of the complex’s combat vehicle. Beyond this zone, the Tora’s “big brothers” operate – the S-400, S-300 and Buk complexes. The already mentioned “Osa” operates closer, as well as the “Pantsir” and “Tunguska” self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun systems. The Strela-10 air defense system and MANPADS are located even closer to the covered object. Although “Tor” is quite capable of operating independently, it is still more often considered as a fragment of a single layered air defense system.
"Thor" can confidently detect and destroy combat aircraft and helicopters of any type - including, by the way, those aircraft that are developed using stealth technology. Moreover, by 2016, such goals for new modifications of the Tor air defense system had already become too easy. The main opponents of the Thors are now UAVs and precision weapons, that is, anti-radar missiles, cruise missiles and guided bombs. The SAM target detection station “sees” at 32 km, and the 9M330 SAMs launched by the Tors are capable of overtaking targets moving at speeds of up to 700 m/s.
The increasing likelihood of the enemy's massive use of high-precision air attack weapons forced the Thor designers to sharply increase the "speed" of their brainchild. This is how a modification of the Tor-M2U air defense system appeared with a new control system, a new phased antenna array, increased noise immunity, and a new computer complex with increased performance. The newest air defense system began to enter service with the troops in November 2012 and, due to its high efficiency, almost immediately received the unofficial nickname “Cleaner”.
Weapon of the century. Air defense - missile defense, the best missile defense and air defense systems
The most combative air defense system: S-75 air defense system
Country: USSR Adopted in service: 1957 Missile type: 13D Maximum range to hit targets: 29–34 km Speed of targets hit: 1500 km/h
John McCain, who lost the last US presidential election to Barack Obama, is known as an active critic of Russian foreign and domestic policies. It is likely that one of the explanations for such an irreconcilable position of the senator lies in the achievements of Soviet designers half a century ago. On October 23, 1967, during the bombing of Hanoi, the plane of a young pilot, who came from the family of hereditary admirals John McCain, was shot down. His Phantom was hit by an S-75 anti-aircraft guided missile. By that time, the Soviet anti-aircraft sword had already caused a lot of trouble for the Americans and their allies. The first “test of the pen” took place in China in 1959, when local air defense with the help of “Soviet comrades” interrupted the flight of a Taiwanese high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, created on the basis of the British Canberra bomber. The hopes that the red air defense would be too tough for the more advanced aerial reconnaissance aircraft - the Lockheed U-2 - were also not destined to come true. One of them was shot down by an S-75 over the Urals in 1961, and the other a year later over Cuba. The legendary anti-aircraft missile, created at the Fakel design bureau, has hit many other targets in various conflicts from the Far and Middle East to the Caribbean Sea, and the S-75 complex itself was destined for a long life in various modifications. We can safely say that this air defense system has gained fame as the most widespread of all air defense systems of this type in the world.
The most high-tech missile defense system: the Aegis system ("Aegis")
SM-3 missile Country: USA first launch: 2001 Length: 6.55 m Stages: 3 Range: 500 km Damage zone altitude: 250 km
The main element of this ship's multifunctional combat information and control system is the AN/SPY radar with four flat phased arrays with a power of 4 MW. The Aegis is armed with SM-2 and SM-3 missiles (the latter with the ability to intercept ballistic missiles) with a kinetic or fragmentation warhead. The SM-3 is constantly being modified, and the Block IIA model has already been announced, which will be capable of intercepting ICBMs. On February 21, 2008, an SM-3 missile was fired from the cruiser Lake Erie in the Pacific Ocean and hit the emergency reconnaissance satellite USA-193, located at an altitude of 247 kilometers, moving at a speed of 27,300 km/h.
The newest Russian air defense missile system: the Pantsir S-1 air defense missile system
Country: Russia adopted: 2008 Radars: 1RS1-1E and 1RS2 based on phased array Range: 18 km Ammunition: 12 57E6-E missiles Artillery weapons: 30-mm twin anti-aircraft gun
The complex is designed for short-range cover of civilian and military targets (including long-range air defense systems) from all modern and promising air attack weapons. It can also protect the defended object from ground and surface threats. Aerial targets include all targets with a minimum reflective surface with speeds up to 1000 m/s, a maximum range of 20000 m and altitudes up to 15000 m, including helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles and precision bombs.
The most nuclear missile defense: Transatmospheric interceptor 51T6 "Azov"
Country: USSR-Russia First launch: 1979 Length: 19.8 m Stages: 2 Launch weight: 45 t Firing range: 350–500 km Warhead power: 0.55 Mt
Part of the second generation missile defense system around Moscow (A-135), the 51T6 (Azov) anti-missile missile was developed at the Fakel IKB in 1971–1990. Its tasks included transatmospheric interception of enemy warheads using an oncoming nuclear explosion. Serial production and deployment of the Azov were carried out already in the 1990s, after the collapse of the USSR. The missile has now been withdrawn from service.
The most effective portable air defense system: Igla-S MANPADS
Country: Russia developed: 2002 MANPADS "Igla-S" Destruction range: 6000 m Destruction altitude: 3500 m Speed of targets hit: 400 m/s Weight in firing position: 19 kg
According to many experts, the Russian anti-aircraft system, designed to destroy low-flying air targets of various types in conditions of natural (background) and artificial thermal interference, is superior to all analogues existing in the world.
Closest to our borders: Patriot PAC-3 air defense system
Country: USA first launch: 1994 Missile length: 4.826 m Missile mass: 316 kg Warhead mass: 24 kg Target engagement altitude: up to 20 km
A modification of the Patriot PAC-3 air defense system created in the 1990s is designed to combat missiles with a range of up to 1000 km. During the test on March 15, 1999, a target missile, which was the 2nd and 3rd stages of the Minuteman-2 ICBM, was destroyed by a direct hit. After abandoning the idea of the Third Position Area of the American strategic missile defense system in Europe, Patriot PAC-3 batteries are being deployed in Eastern Europe.
The most common anti-aircraft gun: 20 mm Oerlicon anti-aircraft gun
Country: Germany - Switzerland Developed: 1914 Caliber: 20 mm Rate of fire: 300–450 rounds/min Range: 3–4 km
The history of the automatic 20-mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun, also known as the Becker gun, is the story of one extremely successful design that has spread throughout the world and is still in use today, despite the fact that the first example of this weapon was created by the German designer Reinhold Becker during the First World War. The high rate of fire was achieved due to the original mechanism, in which the impact ignition of the primer was carried out even before the cartridge was chambered. Thanks to the fact that the rights to the German invention were transferred to the SEMAG company from neutral Switzerland, both the Axis countries and the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition produced their own versions of the Oerlikons during World War II.
The best anti-aircraft gun of World War II: Anti-aircraft gun 8.8 cm Flugabwehrkanone (FlAK)
Country: Germany Year: 1918/1936/1937 Caliber: 88 mm Rate of fire: 15–20 rounds/min Barrel length: 4.98 m Maximum effective ceiling: 8000 m Projectile weight: 9.24 kg
One of the best anti-aircraft guns in history, better known as the “eight-eight”, was in service from 1933 to 1945. It turned out to be so successful that it became the basis for a whole family of artillery systems, including anti-tank and field ones. In addition, the anti-aircraft gun served as a prototype for the guns of the Tiger tank.
The most promising air defense and missile defense system: S-400 Triumph air defense system
Country: Russia Developed: 1999 Target detection range: 600 km Number of simultaneously tracked target tracks: up to 300 km Hitting range: Aerodynamic targets – 5–60 km Ballistic targets – 3–240 km Hitting height: 10 m – 27 km
Designed to destroy jamming aircraft, radar detection and control aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, strategic and tactical aviation aircraft, tactical, operational-tactical ballistic missiles, medium-range ballistic missiles, hypersonic targets and other modern and promising air attack weapons.
The most universal air defense and missile defense system: S-300VM "Antey-2500"
Country: USSR Developed: 1988 Hitting range: Aerodynamic targets – 200 km Ballistic targets – up to 40 km Hitting height: 25m – 30 km
The mobile universal anti-missile and anti-aircraft system S-300VM "Antey-2500" belongs to the new generation of anti-missile and anti-aircraft defense systems (BMD-PSO). “Antey-2500” is the world’s only universal missile defense and air defense system, capable of effectively combating both ballistic missiles with launch ranges of up to 2,500 km, and all types of aerodynamic and aeroballistic targets. The Antey-2500 system is capable of simultaneously firing at 24 aerodynamic targets, including low-visibility objects, or 16 ballistic missiles flying at speeds of up to 4500 m/s.
“Exhaustive!..”
Factory bike No. 1, long.
At the next International Aviation and Space Salon, the Tor-M2U air defense system was demonstrated, the performance characteristics of which, among other new products, provided for the possibility of simultaneously hitting four targets with four missiles. Several representatives of foreign military delegations expressed doubt that the new modification of the Russian air defense system is really capable of this. The reaction of the leaders of the RF Ministry of Defense and the Almaz-Antey concern was unexpected - foreigners were immediately offered to look at the Tor-M2U in action.
The next day, both doubters and opponents flew on a special flight to the Kapustin Yar missile military range, colloquially referred to as KapYar. It was the end of August, but despite this, the weather at the training ground was so-so - low clouds, wind, rain. One of the foreigners generously offered to postpone the demonstration to a clearer day. "For what? - our people were surprised. “The complex is all-weather!”
In general, the 9A331MU combat vehicle was driven to the firing position, the guests of the training ground took their places at the observation post, and the demonstration began. Simulators of air targets rushed towards the Tor from four different directions and at different speeds. They moved in an altitude range from 10 meters to several kilometers and not in a straight line, but actively maneuvering.
IEMZ / Press service of IEMZ
The combat vehicle came to life and quickly spun its antenna-launching device. The lids of the transport and launch containers opened. The powder catapult threw four missiles into the air in 10 seconds. From the ground, against the background of a lead cloud, white smoke plumes scattering in different directions were clearly visible. Then, almost simultaneously, the warheads of the missiles went off and... the sky became empty. The vehicle commander reported: “All targets have been hit. Consumption - 4".
About 25 seconds passed from the moment Thor detected the targets to the report. The foreign deputy minister of defense who was at the observation post literally had his lower jaw hanging open. Our people waited until she returned to her regular position and asked if there were any other doubts? Otherwise, the Thor commander still has 4 missiles left in the TPK and he is not averse to “grounding” something else.
Finally, for our dear guests, you can roll out not only one combat vehicle, but a full anti-aircraft missile battery, where there are four such combat vehicles. Is it necessary?.. However, no new launches were required. “Exhaustive,” the foreigners summed it up, and with that they went back to MAKS.
Description of "Willow"
Externally, the Verba MANPADS is not too different from its famous predecessors - the Igla and Strela anti-aircraft systems. However, in fact, this is a weapon with completely different characteristics and capabilities. The new complex is capable of hitting targets at altitudes up to 4.5 km and at a distance of up to 6 km, both on oncoming and catch-up courses. These are the most important characteristics for any MANPADS, and in these respects the Verba is superior to the French Mistral, the American Stinger, and even the more modern British Starstreak. The designers managed to achieve an increase in the range and altitude of hitting targets by using more efficient rocket fuel.
The Russian complex has another advantage - it is the lower limit of the affected area, which is only 10 meters. For comparison, the Stinger can lock onto targets flying at an altitude of at least 180 meters.
The Verba portable anti-aircraft complex (index 9K333) includes the following elements:
- launcher 9P521;
- anti-aircraft guided missile;
- 1L122 surveillance radar, which is capable of detecting targets at ranges from 40 to 80 km;
- “friend or foe” recognition system;
- fire control system;
- mobile gearbox 9V861;
- installation kit 9С933−1;
- automation kit 9С935;
- means intended for training and education of personnel.
The most important part of any MANPADS is the anti-aircraft missile. The combat capabilities of the complex largely depend on its characteristics. The 9M336 missile is equipped with a homing head that operates in three different ranges at once, including ultraviolet. She also received a new instrument compartment. Thanks to such a three-band design, the missile's homing head is capable of distinguishing real air targets from heat traps - a common means of self-defense of modern combat aircraft and helicopters from MANPADS. The missile’s three sensors constantly complement each other’s data, which makes attempts to mislead it and “slip” a false target instead of a combat one practically futile.
In addition, it should be noted the highest sensitivity of the missile's seeker; compared to existing analogues, it has increased eight times. Thanks to this, the probability of MANPADS hitting so-called low-emitting targets - drones and cruise missiles - has significantly increased, as well as the effectiveness of using MANPADS at long distances.
We can also add that the creators of the complex took care of the proper level of protection of the missile's seeker from laser jamming systems, which are only just being adopted by the leading military powers. That is, in this case, the creators of “Verba” worked proactively.
It should be noted that the use of several photodetectors for different spectral ranges is not some kind of special “know-how”; a similar principle is used on most seekers of modern portable anti-aircraft systems. But only Verba has three independent channels for receiving information.
According to the developers, the 9M336 missile is completely digital, it is insensitive to aggressive environments and is completely sealed.
The weight of the missile warhead is 1.5 kg. It is equipped with a proximity fuse that initiates detonation at a certain distance from the object. This scheme is considered more effective, and it does not require a direct missile hit on the object.
Another advantage of the Verba MANPADS compared to its competitors is the presence of a radar and fire control system in the complex. Untimely target detection is one of the main disadvantages of portable anti-aircraft systems. As a rule, a fighter begins to prepare to fire only after visually detecting an enemy aircraft or helicopter. To make life even more difficult for air defense crews, pilots typically use low or high altitudes.
The radar, which is part of the Verba complex, can detect enemy aircraft at distances of up to 80 km, and the fire control system through the GLONASS system determines the exact location of the crews and gives a warning to those who are most effectively able to hit the target. Soldiers receive a sound signal, as well as information about the main characteristics of approaching objects.
The Verba MANPADS is part of the Barnaul-T tactical air defense system, so anti-aircraft crews can also receive information about targets from higher-level detection systems.
The total weight of the launcher with the missile and power supplies is 17.25 kg. “Verba” is equipped with a “Mowgli-2” night sight, which allows it to be used at any time of the day.
Another advantage of the new complex is its ease of maintenance. Unlike previous generations of MANPADS, the missile's homing system does not require regular cooling with liquid nitrogen. This allows you to significantly reduce the cost of its operation.
As mentioned above, the Verba MANPADS can be used not only for shooting from the shoulder. "Needles" are part of the ship's air defense systems "Gibka", and are also used on combat helicopters in the "Strelets" complexes. They plan to use Verba in a similar way.
Either on the deck or on the roof
It is noteworthy that, while making its way into life, “Toru-M2U” had to fight not only at test sites, but also on the sidelines of its native Ministry of Defense. For quite a long time, based on the desire to unify weapons and save budgetary funds, the military discussed the idea of replacing the “Torov” with the development of the Tula State Unitary Enterprise “Instrument Design Bureau” - the modernized self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun complex “Pantsir”.
Fortunately, in the end the opinion prevailed that the IEMZ and PKB complexes fully complement each other as weapons of the “last frontier”, and are not competitors. This made it possible not only to adopt the Tor-M2U, but also to continue the evolution of this air defense system. For example, in 2016, the Tor-M2U modification, for the first time in the history of its family, gained the ability to launch on the move at speeds of up to 45 km/h. Previously, all “Torahs” were forced to hit targets from short stops.
Federal News Agency / Andrey Soyustov
Still in 2015, Kupol reported on the development of Tora-M2KM, a modular modification of the air defense system. The autonomous combat module of this air defense system can be installed by crane on any platform suitable in terms of weight and dimensions in 10 minutes: on the roof of a house, the deck of a ship, a tracked or automobile chassis, or a trailer. The main condition is that the platform must have a carrying capacity of at least 20 tons.
The development of the Tora-M2KM, together with the Tor-M2U, which learned to shoot on the move, turned on the green light for Kupol’s work on the Tor-MF, a naval modification of the air defense system. In case of successful R&D on this topic, in 2022 the Russian Navy will have the opportunity to replace the already outdated Kinzhal air defense systems on warships with the latest Izhevsk-made complexes.
The modernization potential of the Tor is very great and, according to the general director of Kupol, will allow it to successfully hit hypersonic targets in the future.
Meanwhile, the Russian army continues to be saturated with Torami-M2U. It is known that in the first half of 2016, the Russian Armed Forces received two divisional sets of air defense systems from IEMZ. By the end of the year, the Army plans to receive two more such kits.
Lethal weapons of the 21st century: top 10 best cruise missiles in the world
Recently, the cruise missile has become one of the most deadly and sought-after types of weapons. To reach the enemy with a scalpel-type strike, to eliminate his command bunker, to sink a flagship, or to carry out a massive attack on enemy positions - only cruise missiles can accomplish all these tasks at once. Cheap, cheerful, effective, and, most importantly, without any participation from the pilot. It is for these reasons that all the leading world powers and countries of lower rank are trying to effectively develop their technologies aimed at building new models of these formidable weapons. But who among them has gone the furthest? Whose gunsmiths created the world's most advanced cruise missile?
Answers to these questions in a special review of the ten best cruise missiles in the world.
10th place: RGM-84 Harpoon Block II (USA).
Our top “American old man” opens, developed in the middle of the last century, one of the most common cruise missiles in the world, a kind of anti-ship “harpoon” - RGM-84 of the latest modification Block II. The reliable, proven system is truly universal and can be based both on land and in the air, on water and under water. But it is only capable of hitting naval targets, and even then at a very short distance, only 130 kilometers and with a not very high maximum speed of 860 km/h, and it carries only a little more than 200 kilograms of combat load. Agree, very, very modest.
With such parameters, breaking through a modern enemy missile defense system and sinking a serious ship like an aircraft carrier will not help, and all sorts of target approach modes and the small dimensions of the missile will not help. And the rocket carrier will have to approach a dangerous distance. Therefore, Harpoon takes an honorable tenth place, for the sake of respect for the former glory of the “old man”.
9th place: RBS-15 Mk. III (Sweden).
The Swedish arms concern Saab began developing another “old man” from our review at the same time as the RGM-84, but development, alas, was delayed and the first modification of the missile was put into service only in 1985. But it also turned out better than its American competitor. Versatility of launch from all possible carriers, twice the flight range, practically the same warhead mass and higher flight speed: the RBS-15, the third modification, is more lethal than the Harpoon, but also cannot be used against ground targets. Therefore, the Swedish development is confidently pushing aside the American “harpoon” in our rating.
8th place: SOM (Türkiye).
Until now, the Turkish armed forces did not have a cruise missile of their own production, but in 2012 they nevertheless adopted the latest development - the SOM missile. Created in Turkish design bureaus, SOM is a fairly compact universal cruise missile capable of hitting not only sea targets, but also ground targets. The latest electronics, various target engagement modes, firing range and maximum flight speed higher than the level of the legendary RGM-84 - the Turks managed to implement all this in metal. But still, Turkey still lacks experience in the development of such weapons systems. Therefore, it was possible to outdo the Swedish and American analogues of SOM, but nothing more. Diagnosis: study and study again, experience in development comes with time.
7th place: Naval Strike Missile (Norway).
The Norwegians, first of all, care about protecting the maritime borders of their own state and, with their development in 2007, do not lag behind the world's leading manufacturers of cruise missiles. Naval Strike Missile outshines Harpoon, RBS-15, and SOM. The missile flies further, almost reaches the speed of sound, is made of composite materials, destroys all targets and can itself actively interfere with the enemy. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for such a “gift” to be intercepted by the missile defense system.
But for now, Naval Strike Missile can only be based on ships, and it carries only 125 kilograms of combat load. Not enough - the lowest indicator from our rating, therefore only 7th place.
6th place: BGM-109 Tomahawk Block IV (USA).
So, meet the legendary Tomahawk. Where would we be without him... An ageless veteran and one of the most famous cruise missiles in the world opens the list of heavyweights in our ranking.
The longest range of destruction, the most intense history of combat use, a very serious warhead mass of 450 kilograms - the American “tomahawk” is the most serious threat to the enemy. For an enemy that does not have the same modern air defense system, for example, third world countries. Subsonic speed, coupled with the inability to maneuver with high overloads, makes the American “miracle weapon” an easy target for the enemy’s latest anti-aircraft missiles.
But still, the flight range of 1600 kilometers plays a significant role, so place number 6.
5th place: Storm Shadow/SCALP EG (France-Italy-Great Britain).
The joint development of the leading arms concerns of the European Union should have led to something, at least, grandiose. This is how the unique Storm Shadow cruise missile, packed with electronics and made using stealth technology, was born. Its tandem-type warhead, weighing almost half a ton, allows it to penetrate the most serious armor, and the combined guidance system with target recognition mode can hit the most difficult targets.
It would seem that Storm Shadow should be the leader of this rating, if not for one “but”... maximum speed. The missile cannot overcome the supersonic barrier, which means that it remains a fairly easy victim for the latest missile defense systems.
4th place: R-800 “Onyx/Yakhont” (Russia).
"Old Man" of Soviet design in the late 70s earned its place on the list thanks to one advantage - a supersonic flight speed of 3000 km/h. None of the cruise missiles presented above developed in the West has such a characteristic, which means that Onyx has practically no equal in breaking through modern missile defense systems. And the complete unification of the main types of carriers (surface, underwater, ground) and the possibility of use against targets of any location confidently place the Russian missile in 4th place.
3rd place: 3M-54 “Caliber” (Russia).
The newest Russian weapons system, developed at the turn of the century, recently shocked the whole world with its combat capabilities, during the autumn missile launches against the positions of Daesh militants*. Amazing ability to deploy on all types of carriers, including in specially camouflaged containers. Amazing maximum flight speed, almost three times the speed of sound. Amazing targeting and hitting accuracy. One of the highest firing ranges and the largest warhead mass. “Caliber” certainly deserved the highest place in our ranking!
But, alas, most of the data on the Russian cruise missile is classified and we can only be guided by approximate parameters. Therefore - bronze.
2nd place: YJ-18 (China).
Any rating always has its own “dark horse,” and ours is made in China. Very little is known about the YJ-18 cruise missile: the Celestial Empire has always been able to keep its secrets, but, apparently, it is a serious modification of the Russian analogue 3M-54 “Caliber”, the technology of which was acquired by the Chinese along with Project 636 submarines.
Well, what could be better and more lethal than the improved “Caliber”? That's right, practically nothing, which means silver.
1st place: BRAHMOS (Russia-India).
The only things better than mountains are mountains, and the only thing better than “Caliber” and the “Caliber” modified by the Chinese is BRAHMOS. The newest Russian-Indian cruise missile, created on the basis of the R-800 Onyx, leads the ranking.
A maximum speed of 3,700 km/h, a mixed flight profile that provides a completely unpredictable trajectory of approach to a target at ultra-low altitudes at supersonic speed, a 300 kilogram warhead (penetrating, high-explosive fragmentation, cassette) and a launch range of 300 kilometers - save from BRAHMOS is unlikely to be capable of any missile defense. Well, if we add here the possibility of being based on any type of carrier and the ability to destroy absolutely any targets, then it becomes clear why the gold belongs to the Russian-Indian missile.
Well, and finally - a short video with colorful launches of all the presented missiles.
* – The organization’s activities are prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation by decision of the Supreme Court.
Two weekends a year
The genesis of the 9A331MU combat vehicles of the new air defense systems is quite complex and whimsical.
First, Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant OJSC produces the GM-5955.15-01 tracked chassis. Then this chassis is transferred by rail to Izhevsk. From there the chassis travels by motorway to the IEMZ. “Dome” mounts the antenna-launching device and everything else on the chassis with the exception of the missile defense system.
After assembly, initial testing/calibration, after checking the product for resistance to high/low temperatures, humidity and dust, after step-by-step acceptance of all work by military representatives, the machine enters the factory line. It covers the required mileage over the dirt road and obstacles. Then again - tests/calibration, acceptance.
Then the car is driven onto the highway, covered with an awning and transported to the railway. The vehicle goes by rail to KapYar, where it undergoes final tests, including launches of missiles against simulators of air targets “Saman M” and UAV “Cougar”. Only after successful launches is final acceptance and shipment of the product to the customer.
IEMZ / Press service of IEMZ
The full production cycle of a combat vehicle from scratch, including the work of subcontractors, takes up to ten months. Is it a lot or a little? From the point of view of an ordinary person, probably a lot. From the point of view of a specialist who knows that the modernization of production has allowed Kupol to carry out individual assembly work not in days, as before, but in a matter of hours, ten months is quite normal.
As Igor Ivanov told media representatives, IEMZ is fully loaded with the implementation of contracts of the domestic Ministry of Defense and foreign customers. The Kupol production shop operates around the clock in three shifts. The schedule provides for stopping installation work only on January 1 and May 9.
Too good
Factory bike No. 2, short.
Somehow one state really disliked another state. After which the first state began to seriously think about whether to smash the nuclear power plant of the second state to smithereens? However, this idea was never realized. One of the reasons for refusing an air strike on the nuclear power plant was the information that the air defense system of the power plant includes the Tor air defense system supplied by Russia. “The Russian air defense system can become a big problem,” overseas military experts succinctly commented on the situation.
Federal News Agency / Andrey Soyustov
This story had an indirect continuation.
Once, at an international military exhibition site, representatives of “Dome”, as they say, “locked tongues” with the developers of a foreign air defense system. After the initial exchange of pleasantries, the foreigners suggested that their complex, as a newer one, should be superior in performance characteristics to the Russian complex.
One of the directors of Kupol, who was present during the conversation, suggested that instead of exchanging statements, they should be tested in practice. "Duel! Let’s shoot!..” he said. And he explained his thought: “Let our complexes, under the same conditions, shoot at the same target simulators. And then we will compare the results.”
Foreigners were at first delighted with this offer, and then refused. “Simply because our complex is too secret,” said foreign developers. “Simply because Thor is too good,” the foreign argument was translated into IEMZ.
Perhaps we can finish the official part here and move on to the unofficial one. In other words, to personal observations and impressions.
Delight
The first thing you notice when you find yourself face to face with the façade of the Dome is the Osa air defense system, used as a decorative element. To the right of “Osa” there is a cafe, casually called “VosTORg” and decorated with the silhouette of the corresponding complex.
With all the legitimate pride that the air defense systems evoke, General Director Fanil Ziyatdinov is no less proud of Kupol’s civilian products than his military ones:
— Do you know that we are the only ones in Russia who produce ultra-low-level lead for microelectronics? We not only produce this material, but also sell it very successfully. Including abroad.
— Which foreigners buy such materials?
— There are several companies. For example, IBM, Intel, Samsung. Their microchips, microprocessors and memory chips contain our Izhevsk pure lead.
— Doesn’t the sanctions regime interfere with your supplies?
— Of course, the sanctions regime creates certain risks... for our partners. But IBM and the others are still getting out of it.
Federal News Agency / Andrey Soyustov
The “Dome” workshops are a wonderful mixture of high-tech and nostalgia for the 80s of the last century. The latest computer-controlled machines coexist with “old-time” lathes from the period of “developed socialism,” and nanotechnology coexists with machining performed exclusively in the hand-made style.
If anyone doesn’t know what the last term means, let us explain. Obludka is when girls in white coats act out Pushkin’s pantomime “Three girls were spinning under the window late in the evening.” On special plazas they weave a machine harness, and then fasten countless wires onto the circuit boards using mastic.
The assembly of each combat vehicle of the Tor air defense system requires up to 100 km of electrical wires, laid, connected and woven in strict accordance with the drawings. You can guess what hellish patience is required for such work.
- Girls, why do you all have bracelets with wires on your left hands?
- And this is grounding. By the way, our floor is antistatic.
- For what?
- So that your hair doesn’t stand on end!
Empire of Special Products
Manual soldering of the circuit boards that come with Tora hardware units requires no less patience. All this is desperately low-tech, but phenomenally reliable.
In case of damage by electromagnetic weapons, foreign air defense systems, “packed” with printed circuit boards, will with a high degree of probability “go sour.” Whereas "Thor", with its, at first glance, archaic mounted mounting and transistors, after being hit by an electromagnetic pulse, will most likely continue to operate as normal. Well, if some of the hardware still fails, it doesn’t matter. The anti-aircraft missile battery includes a group spare parts kit vehicle that transports spare hardware units...
It is significant that within the walls of the IEMZ it is entirely women and girls who work assembling electrical equipment as they are more careful and attentive. Installation of equipment directly on the chassis of combat vehicles is the job of men. The average age of the staff at Kupol is 41 years old, with a steady trend towards rejuvenation.
Working at IEMZ is considered prestigious in Izhevsk. The average salary at Kupol is perhaps the highest among large enterprises in the city and is about 38 thousand rubles. For comparison, at Izhmash, which is part of the Kalashnikov concern of the Rostec state corporation, they receive less.
The number of Kupol employees is constantly growing and currently exceeds 8 thousand people.
Federal News Agency / Andrey Soyustov
The rosin-smelling kingdom of grounded girls is replaced by the fragrant aromas of machine oil to the kingdom of men. The head of the mechanical assembly shop Roman Petrov , brings the matter up to date:
— The standard time it takes us to mount the antenna-launching device on the base chassis and send the product for further configuration is 4–5 days.
“Product” - you hear this word often at Kupol. Since the enterprise is a sensitive enterprise, in the documents the names related to the technology for creating air defense systems acquire the prefix “special”: “special product”, “special device”, “special equipment”... And even “special house” - this is the name of the anechoic chamber in which the phased antenna is tuned lattice, which is the basis of the missile defense guidance station.
Physics vs.
25 km from Izhevsk there is the so-called. “site No. 3”, or more simply put, a factory run track.
The thirty-ton 9A331MU combat vehicle is capable of literally crushing an unprepared person with its size. The “hump” of the APU, together with the rotating antenna of the target detection station, turns the already not particularly refined silhouette of the machine into something futuristic and obscure.
At the same time, getting inside the combat vehicle is not so easy - the driver's door opening is small and narrow. Until you get used to slipping through it in a “half-bent, hunched, compressed, grouped where necessary” state, you literally have to crawl inside the “Thor” on all fours. Nothing can be done - this is the price that had to be paid in order to first “push” the mass of a combat vehicle into the design one, and then “push” all the necessary equipment into the tracked chassis...
Federal News Agency / Andrey Soyustov
“It’s not so fun now,” the factory mechanic complains.
- In terms of?
- I mean, now our generals are no longer fat. Or maybe it happened before!.. It used to be that not generals, but some “koloboks” came to us. And they made sure to personally climb into the BM. Well, they still got there, chugging, but back...
- And what about “back”?
— And on the way back we often got stuck. The adjutants of the generals had to pull out a turnip from the BM. The picture turned out epic. Eh, the wrong generals have gone now, the wrong ones!..
- Tell me, is it possible to hide from Thor in the sky?
— Theoretically, yes. In practice, to do this you will have to spit on the laws of physics. It won't work, in general.
- Why?
— I’m telling you, physics is against it.
