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How much will the Kh-35U missiles increase the capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces?
18 August 2021,
Roman Krezul
Alexey Ramm
Photo: Izvestia / Dmitry Korotaev
The Ministry of Defense has completed work on the integration of the latest Kh-35U missiles and Su-34 front-line bombers . This bundle has been tested for a long time in a variety of natural and weather conditions. The test results showed the effectiveness of the use of ammunition from this type of aircraft. Today, there are no systems capable of reliably intercepting such missiles, experts say.
Arctic Verified
The final stage of testing the Su-34 with Kh-35U missiles was the combat launches that the bombers carried out in the Far East this summer . Their results were recognized as successful, sources in the military department told Izvestia. The newest anti-ship missiles were tested by the crews of the 277th Bomber Aviation Regiment, which is based at the Khurba airfield near Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
According to Izvestia's interlocutors, work on the integration of the X-35U began back in 2018. A year later, the newest missiles for experimental combat operation entered service with the 277th regiment of the Eastern Military District. It was on the crews of the Su-34 from Khurba that the main work on the integration of missiles fell. Later, their colleagues from the 2nd mixed air regiment of the Central Military District (CVD) joined the work.
Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Halperin
In April of this year, the Russian military department announced that the bombers of the Central Military District in the Murmansk region had struck at sea targets with air-to-surface missiles . As Izvestia reported , the Su-34 group relocated from the Shagol airfield in the Chelyabinsk region to one of the Northern Fleet airbases in the Arctic. The aircraft carried out a set of test flights at different altitudes and in different weather conditions. In addition, the crews worked out the combat use of weapons in Arctic conditions and confirmed the ability to perform long independent flights over the sea. At that time, practically the entire arsenal of the latest fighter-bombers was also checked.
“ With such missiles, bombers acquire completely different capabilities to combat naval targets ,” military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia. “They will be able to successfully attack not only single warships, but also large formations. There is still no reliable protection from a massive salvo of such ammunition. It is not for nothing that our modern corvettes and coastal complexes are armed with them.
Photo: Izvestia / Alexey Maishev
The expert noted that more than a hundred Su-34s are now in service. With the new missiles, they will all be capable of fighting any enemy in the Russian coastal zone .
- To some extent, they can be considered the heirs of the ideas of the Soviet naval missile-carrying aviation. Aircraft with modern anti-ship missiles are a very mobile means, they can be quickly deployed to any direction, - said Dmitry Boltenkov.
Deadly bunch
The Kh-35U anti-ship missiles have a range of over 250 km and with a weight of 550 kg, the warhead weighs 145 kg. This is enough to sink a medium ship or seriously damage a large one . The product received a combined guidance system: on the cruising phase of the flight, the rocket uses an inertial navigation system and a radio altimeter, and when it enters a given area, it uses an active radar homing head.
It is extremely difficult to intercept such ammunition. The rocket approaches the target at a height of no more than 10-15 m, and at the final stage it drops to four . Due to this, the enemy's radar systems cannot detect it in time, and the air defense systems do not have enough time to react.
The Su-34 is the most advanced Russian fighter-bomber capable of solving a wide range of missions. It was designed on the basis of the Su-27 fighter, from which it got the powerful AL-31F turbojet engines with afterburners. The aircraft is equipped with the Sh-141 radar station, capable of detecting both ground and air targets. The Su-34 can not only strike targets on land and at sea, but also conduct aerial combat under certain conditions .
Photo: Izvestia / Alexey Maishev
A unique feature of the Su-34 is the cockpit in which the pilot and navigator sit side by side, and not one behind the other , as on other two-seater combat aircraft. The crew's workplaces are comfortable, given that the bomber can be in the air for a long time. In addition, the aircraft cabin received additional armor , which allows attacking targets from low altitudes.
As Izvestia reported, the Defense Ministry plans to deploy a squadron of Su-34 fighter-bombers at the airfields of the Franz Josef Land and the New Siberian Islands . At the Nagurskaya and Temp airfields, they create all the necessary infrastructure for their deployment, including closed warm hangars for accommodation and maintenance. There are also open parking spaces for Il-78 tanker aircraft and Il-76 military transport aircraft. Multipurpose combat vehicles will be able to conduct patrols, reconnaissance and strike with precision weapons .
Earlier, Major General Igor Churkin, Chief of Staff of the 45th Air Force and Air Defense Army, said that improving the airfield network in the Arctic significantly increases the possibilities of using the Northern Fleet's aviation. It will be able to control the airspace in the area of the Northern Sea Route and will ensure the safety of this transport artery from the air.
Source iz.ru
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