Russia is finalizing an advanced air engagement system combining “fire-and-forget” guidance and “single-shot kill” ability within a single air-to-air missile. The system aims to frustrate any missile evasion maneuvers enabling a target to escape.Read the whole story here.
The K-77M air-to-air missile with this advanced guidance system will be fitted on to the fifth-generation fighter jet PAK-FA (advanced frontline aircraft system, also codenamed T-50) and it will start to be delivered to the Russian Air Force by 2017.
The major innovation of the K-77M air-to-air missile is its guidance system, based on an active phased array antenna (APAA) of its own, Izvestia daily reports. With APAA onboard, the missile has zero reaction time to unexpected evolutions of the target, which means that once it locks on an aircraft, it would hit it no matter what aerial acrobatics the target would perform to shake off the inbound killer missile.
The APAA guidance system for K-77M missiles has been elaborated by the Detal design bureau, based in the town of Kamensk-Uralsky in Russia’s Urals. The enterprise is a subdivision of Russia’s state-owned Tactical Missile Munitions Corporation.
Mikhail Vershinin, chief engineer of the Detal design bureau, told Izvestia that the enterprise is currently looking for a contractor which would install a state-of-the-art production line at the facility so that the system could start to be manufactured as soon as 2015.
Propaganda? Maybe. But they're putting together an advanced air system, not just the "shooter" like we are. I lack confidence in the marketing scheme behind the F-35. I despise the way the program is being rolled out and I question the thinking behind its warfighting concept.
Information does not win alone. The right info combined with the right tools wins the fight. Is the F-35 the right tool? I don't think so.
Heard a lot of this before. F-14, Phoenix... We'll wait and see what comes of these predictions as well. Stand easy...
ReplyDeletethe issue isn't the claim being made about the missile. the issue is the thinking behind it. they're designing a 5th gen fighter and a missile to go along with it. we're designing a 5th gen fighter to match up with existing missile designs.
Deletewhich one seems forward thinking?
the concept that is concerned not only with the archer but also the arrow or the one that focuses just on the archer?
Adopt the Meteor to replace the AMRAAM, and the problem is solved. It can be developed further, as well. The ARMIGER passive radar seeker was once planned to go into the Meteor to create an anti-air missile which could also be used against AWACS and ground radars. Big plus: differently from HARM and AARGM, such a dual-role Meteor fits in the weapon bays of the F-35 and F-22, with no impact on RCS.
Deletei thought the meteor wouldn't fit
DeleteClipped fin version fits
DeleteRemember the Russians are also developing the RVV-AE-PD as a METEOR equivalent.
DeleteThe reason why NGM has been delayed is that there is not a perceived threat to warrant its immediate development. They do not want to lock it's design to a threat that is not known. However, they are still developing the underlying technology so that when they think that it will be needed, the NGM missile itself will have a relatively short development cycle.
ReplyDeleteRemember too that they are still improving the AMRAAM with the D (and beyond) and an improved motor is on the way.
Basic F-35 SDD / Block 3 capability is the current goal. Once they get that figured out. IF they get that figured out (not counting if they have to dumb-down Block 3 again), then all the other things can be looked at. Block 4 etc. They are yet to demonstrate proper KPPs in the JORD. All of that is first before more marketing nonsense from the fan-base.
ReplyDeleteNone of what I said could even remotely be construed as "Marketing nonsense". The AMRAAM improvements are budgeted and are currently being worked on. The AMRAAM has always been this way, ie under a constant improvement program, just like the AIM-9.
ReplyDeleteDARPA and other programs are budgeted and being worked on to development the tech behind what NGM will become. It is real money working on real programs.
Remember that the F-35 has been designed from the ground up as a "software" jet where it will be very easy to integrate new weapons on it, especially after UAI goes IOC.
A radar guided missile that comes close to IR in terms of hit percentage will be a big deal .AMRAAM for all its hype has a track record of cca 60% against decades older planes that were normally also outnumbered and in many cases non maneuvering or even equiped with RVR and chaff dispensers.
ReplyDeleteThose were 1st gen AMRAAMs not the latest with dual mode datalinks, GPS INS, better ECCM, etc.
DeleteThey are also working on a new Sidewinder that will extend the range by ~60% not to mention Israel's work on Stunner. Remember that anything that is fitted to one F-35 will fit them all.
Yes yes , they are always advertised with 90+% hit probability but that is not the case operationally or even against target drones. (dual mode datalink,GPS ins and better ECCM not needed against targets that had no RVR ,chaff and ECM and don't even manouver.
DeleteAnd in any case compared to IR missiles ,radar guided missles are great deal easyer to spoof and havent lived up to their hype.
They have never advertised a 90% hit probability for active radar missiles.
DeleteTwo Way datalinks and GPS INS do help with getting the missile closer to the target and keeping it headed to the right target, regardless of weather ECM is in play.
Also, keep in mind that the tide is turning against using WVR in favor of BVR as the ability of the pilot to ID a target and the missile's ability to attack improves.
DeleteFor example, the number of kills (IR vs Radar) in early Vietnam (65-68) it was 2:1 in favor of IR. In late Vietnam (71-73) it is was 1:1 and in Desert Storm it was 2.5:1 in favor of radar guided missiles.
The true nightmare would come when russians would fit heatseeker on R-77 for terminal guidance.
ReplyDeleteWe can design and produce weapons to survive on the 2200 battlefield today if we want, but we aren't going to be able to produce something better than Russia's next design. It's always been that way. Always jostling for 1st place back and forth with never enough tech to safely destroy the other. I could care less if Russia draws a nuclear tipped intergalactic spaceship bomber with warp speed and phasers until they put there money where their mouth is and actually procure the damn things. Then we'll do them one better. Its always been that way. T-62=M60....T-72=M1..... SU-27=Super hornet.....SU-35=F-22.... time marches on. Until they actually buy in to their fighter instead of drawing it for 30 years we wont know which drawing to tweak into a manufacturing line. F-35 is a good enough blower upper until they actually accrue a large quantity of them then we can build our little thing to make them wish they had something new. Same thing with the missiles.
ReplyDelete