Rocket complexes of APU: S-300 "Favorite". Characteristics, photo

The number of military scientists specializing in the so-called ATO zone, most not required, does not include air defense station operators. We need drivers, paratroopers, scouts, but not those who passed an urgent or contract service and trained in the handling of air defense missile systems Buk or S-300 Favorit. Photo and video of this technique, crawling along the roads in the east, in recent months flooded news publications and the Internet.

Why "Favorites" near Donetsk?

It turns out that the experts of air defense systems in the Armed Forces are quite enough, as well as the air defense systems themselves. What are they for? After all, everyone knows that the militia of its aviation does not, and its appearance is not expected. How do several thousand soldiers and officers fight with superior enemy forces for more than a year and at the same time do without aviation and modern means of electronic warfare? Whose planes are going to shoot down the calculations that serve missile systems of the S-300 Favoryt? There are more questions than answers. In order to somehow clarify the situation, it would be necessary to understand what these defense systems are like, how Ukraine received them and how many they can be.

General requirements for a modern mobile air defense missile system

Soviet anti-aircraft missiles have always, since its inception, been recognized as the most effective means of combating enemy aircraft. Suffice it to recall the events of the late fifties and early sixties, when U-2 reconnaissance aircraft were considered to be invulnerable. They could fly at high altitudes (over 18 thousand meters), where interceptors could not get away, but anti-aircraft missiles got them there. Then there was Vietnam, which showed the whole world that it would not be possible to bomb Hannoy and other cities of the DRV with impunity even from the American air fleet, which possessed super-powerful technical means. At the same time, the basic requirements for modern mobile anti-aircraft missile systems were formulated, and at the same time, the main problems faced by their calculations were identified. The Shrike anti-radar missiles developed in the United States were guided along the line of active search for the target emitted by their antennas. Immediately after the volley, it became vitally necessary to "maneuver the wheels," that is, leave the combat positions as quickly as possible in order to avoid a retaliatory strike. To bring the complex into the transport position was given several minutes (usually a little over 20), while, as a rule, connecting cables were thrown, for there was no time to reel them.

All this experience was reflected in the design of the S-300 "Favorit" air defense complex. Its first version began to be developed back in 1969, and entered the army in 1978.

Additional conditions

So, the modern mobile air defense complex must, within a short time, unfold and come to the fighting state, and then as quickly (and even, probably, faster), be transferred to the transport position and leave the operational region without waiting for the enemy to retaliate to neutralize it. But there are other requirements, according to which the appearance of the advanced S-300 "Favorit" anti-aircraft missile systems of various modifications was formed. One of them is that initially the fighting position was secretive. If you place the SAM in an open plain, the enemy will be able to detect it in various ways, including the visual. Running a rocket in the forest more often or because of the natural folds of the terrain is difficult, since these obstacles can prevent it. And, in order to save budget funds, it is highly desirable to unify the three main varieties intended for the fleet, ground forces and air defense. These conditions are mostly consistent with the S-300 Favorit missile systems.

Main requirements and characteristics

At the time of starting work on the project, the main problems for air defense were already formulated. Since conventional aircraft and helicopters became elements of a tactical link, the main focus was on intercepting low-flying high-speed targets and missiles attacking from the stratosphere at enormous speeds (in particular, ICBM combat units). In such a wide range, the S-300 Favorit complex can operate. Features take into account almost any type of goal:

• The range of action is 5-90 (later 150 km).
• The height of detection and defeat is from 25 m to 27 km.
• The speed of the target - up to 4140 km / h, later increased to 10 thousand km / h.
• Number of simultaneously fired flying objects - 6.
• The number of missiles per target is 2.
• The probability of destroying the target (ballistic missile) is from 80 to 93%.
• The time between starts is from 3 to 5 seconds.

Interception of low-flying and super-high-altitude targets

In the seventies, the most urgent task of air defense was the possibility of destroying the aircrafts of the trajectory and warheads of ballistic missiles located on the final section of the trajectory. For these purposes, the S-300 Favorit was built, but with its development the prospects for the development of ammunition delivery systems were taken into account. The progress of offensive weapons is inevitable, therefore, such an expensive project - in order to avoid early obsolescence - should be able to shoot down objects that fly faster than modern and above them. Below 25 meters? Perhaps, but then, in the 70's, imagine the possibility of creating an apparatus capable of this, it was simply impossible, and today it is difficult. Complexes S-300 Favorit had a high modification potential, and they are still outdated today - they are mainly based on the Russian air defense system, although there have already appeared Triumphs S-400 with enhanced characteristics. On the approach and S-500.

Division structure

The divisional principle of building an air defense system presupposes an appropriate managerial structure of units.

The structure of the complex complex S-300 Favorit includes several mobile launchers, which form a kind of group, in which one car is considered the main one, and two more are additional ones. In addition to them, radar stations of target designation and means of ensuring combat capability (charging transport vehicles) participate in the division. Management is carried out from a mobile command post equipped with a locator of illumination and guidance. Detection of targets on low-altitude trajectories is performed with the help of a low-altitude HBO detector located on a special pull-out tower of the trailer.

Rocket 5В55Р

The complex is equipped with a variety of missiles, now it is often 5В55Р, designed by KB "Fakel". It is built according to the classical scheme with folding pivots. In transport position up to the very start 5В55Р is in a durable hermetically sealed cylindrical container. For a decade, it does not need to control its condition, since it is equipped with a solid-propellant engine. The missile compartments contain control devices, direction finders and other hardware systems. The S-300 PU "Favorit" can launch from almost any concealed position, including the most complex, thanks to the design feature that provides catapult start. The side in which the target is located is not important. The rocket is pushed out of the container to a height of 20 meters, then it starts the engine, and it turns around where necessary.

Explosive force

The action of the fragmentation-explosive part is devastating: an explosion of vector action creates a directed flow of damaging elements in the form of an expanding funnel. The missile 5В55Р С-300 "Favorit" has a main combat compartment with the mass of the explosive 133 kg, 48Н6 - 143 kg, and the most powerful 48Н6М - 180 kg. Initiation of the charge is made contactless (i.e., touching the target's body), a fuse of radar. The damaging elements are made in the form of metal cubes.

Electronics

The backwardness of Soviet electronic technology in the seventies was not spoken only by the most lazy citizens. Japanese or German tape recorders, televisions and radios were indeed better, but no one could compare the capabilities of military equipment, except for specialists. So, the team led by VS Burtsev already developed the control computer, which became the basis of the 5E26 complex, capable of solving very complex algorithmic problems and generalizing the fragmentary information received from several sources (onboard and external radars). In addition, the combat systems S-300 Favorit have the ability to distinguish true data from false ones. They generate the necessary actions in an automatic mode with a high degree of noise immunity. In the eighties the equipment was improved several times, and this process continued in the XXI century using the most modern element base.

How many "Favorites" in Ukraine?

Until 1991, these and other complexes were on alert duty along the entire perimeter of the state border of the Soviet Union, and after its disintegration some of them were inherited by the APU. The S-300 Favorit requires qualified service: a quarter of a century has passed since the production of even the newest "Ukrainian" missiles, which is twice the established guaranteed shelf life. Only one complex was repaired in 2012 with a five-year extension of the resource. They were going to be removed from armament in 2013, but events in the East prevented these plans. The air defense of Ukraine is currently represented by sixty divisions of systems of different types (S-200, Buk-M1 and others.) How many of them are "Favoritov" -the public is not informed. They are manufactured in Russia, at the machine-building plant. M.I. Kalinina, and for obvious reasons are not sold to countries conducting an unfriendly policy.

Prospects

Whatever it was, and "Favorites" in the Ukrainian army is still a lot. True, their resource is almost exhausted, but given the tremendous vitality and reliability of Soviet technology, it can be assumed that even today most systems are in a combat-ready state. With all this, the pro-Western course of the current Kyiv administration allows us to think that the modernization of air defense will be carried out by Western models. You will need money, which is not enough, so you should not expect a quick update. However, what can be put on combat duty after the last "Favorite"? The newest systems should not be expected, the foreign policy of Ukraine is not so unambiguously predicted that the leading NATO countries would risk delivering them not only for nothing, but for big money. The question arises as to how much American, British or French air defense missile systems will prove effective in the event of a real escalation of the conflict into a "hot" phase? The most common in the Western world of the SAM are "Patriots" made in the United States. Perhaps, they are going to change the missile systems of the S-300 Favoryt?

Comparison with "Patriot"

Practically for all indicators, the S-300 beats Patriot. The radius in which the target can be captured is much smaller (90 to 150 km). The height of the interception is also inferior (24.4 against 30 thousand meters). The area protected by Favorit is ten times larger (150 square kilometers and 15 respectively). If the Russian system of the latest modification is ready to intercept hypersonic targets (up to 10,000 m / sec), then its American rival is limited in capabilities (up to 2200 m / sec). True, the number of missiles directed simultaneously is more than doubled (24 and 12), but the value of Patriot is higher at times. The power of the charge is also higher in the "Favorit" - the American rocket is 80 kg. The time of deployment and curtailment (15-30 minutes) also speaks in favor of a sample from the US. Besides, it is not self-propelled, it needs to be towed. So Russia was again ahead.