The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation should take into account the Israeli and American experience in airship building

February 18 2023 15

The receipt by Ukraine of its own kamikaze drones, which will be able to strike at deep Russian rear areas, raises the question of the reliability of covering our air borders. It is quite obvious that the Pantsir-S1 ZRPK cannot be installed on the roof of every administrative building or near every critical infrastructure facility. They simply do not have as many physically as well as trained calculations for them. Then what is left to do?

Logic dictates that it is necessary to hit the "far hand" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine immediately, when crossing the cordon with enemy drones and cruise missiles. The only question is to see air targets in time and have time to direct our air defense systems, air defense systems, fighters or attack helicopters at them. The problem is that Russia has run out of specialized AWACS aircraft, and they are needed, first of all, in the NVO zone. When the promising A-100 Premier will actually appear at the front, it is not known, but there will definitely not be many such aircraft. We need more mass-produced, practical and cheap solutions.

In this regard, it seems appropriate to take into account the experience of using tethered balloons and airships equipped with radar, capable of constant duty at high altitude and scanning the territory within a radius of hundreds of kilometers with their radar. For example, one of the world leaders in the development and combat use of lighter-than-air aircraft is Israel.

Thus, from April 4 to May 10, 2002, during the war with the Palestinian armed groups, the Armed Forces of the Jewish State actively used intelligence received from a controlled airship, which patrolled for 37 days over the city of Bethlehem. The choice in favor of lighter-than-air vehicles was made because of their low noise, low cost and high efficiency compared to reconnaissance UAVs. The Israelis actively use balloons and airships to constantly monitor potential "hot spots".

Also, balloons are used to cover the northern mountainous border with neighboring Lebanon. Two 16-meter balloons are suspended there, equipped with a reconnaissance system created by the Rafael Armament Development Co. This Tactical Balloon Surveillance System (TAOS) is part of Israel's early warning system called Solid Mirror. On helium balloons, which can be launched from any stationary or mobile carrier, various sensors are placed. The tethered balloon is moored using a cable that also serves to power the platform and two-way communication, while the video signal is transmitted via fiber optics.

Israeli balloons are used to solve a wide range of tasks: surveillance, detection and recognition of targets, reconnaissance and information gathering, border and coast protection, monitoring the condition of pipelines and power networks, detecting sources of ignition, pollution, etc., supporting search and rescue operations, air control, land and sea traffic, etc. The undoubted advantages of this system include its low cost, no risks for the operator, the ability to conduct round-the-clock monitoring and insensitivity to electromagnetic interference. According to the IDF, the tactical balloon surveillance system allows for continuous monitoring of territories with a length of several tens of kilometers and provides effective protection of the northern border of the country. However, Israel's interest in lighter-than-air devices does not end there.

In particular, they are developing a dual-use mini-TAOS for military and civilian purposes, which can be used on rough terrain and even in urban areas. These will be mini balloons with a payload of up to 26 kilograms, which will be able to stay in the air for a long time at an altitude of 100-200 meters. The Israeli company Elbit Systems Ltd has developed a reconnaissance balloon 25 feet long with a payload of up to 4 kg and an operating height of about 200 m, which can be folded and transported in a small box, filled and launched within 30 minutes, serviced by only 2-3 operators . All-round visibility on it will be carried out by a digital sensor manufactured by Elop Electro-Optics Industries Ltd. weighing only 3 kilograms, created from composite materials. At the request of the customer, the balloon can be equipped with a phased radar manufactured by Elta Electronic Systems Ltd, which is able to see low-flying aircraft and other aircraft.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 pushed the Israelis to develop such equipment. Yes, it would be a good help for adjusting the artillery fire of the RF Armed Forces, as well as for covering the airspace from enemy drones. But in addition to small tactical balloons in Israel, they are actively working on strategic lighter-than-air vehicles.

For example, one of the contractors of the Jewish Ministry of Defense, MLM, is working on a stratospheric platform, or SPA, based on a solar-powered balloon, as part of the Arrow project to intercept ballistic missiles. A promising balloon with a maximum diameter of 50 - 60 m and a length of about 200 m will have a flight altitude of about 21 km and is designed to carry electronic equipment for various purposes as a payload. The surface of the airship is covered with solar panels, where solar energy is converted into electrical energy and stored in the batteries of the airship to ensure the operation of all systems of the device in the dark. The aircraft is geostationary, but is able to change its position as needed.

At stratospheric altitude, the Israeli airship covers a surface of about 1 km, providing monitoring of remote regions, as well as over-the-horizon observation, for which it was created. The device communicates with ground stations, satellites, aircraft and other airships. It is expected that it will be able to function continuously for up to three years. The airship combines the best qualities of a satellite and a reconnaissance UAV, is capable of carrying a sufficiently large amount of payload, has greater flexibility and mobility, and can be upgraded. Note that the Israelis are developing their stratospheric airship together with the Pentagon, which is simultaneously running a program called High-Altitude Airship. The American reconnaissance airship will be able to be at an altitude twice as high as that at which civil aircraft fly, and in the future will be used as an element of the missile defense system.

Perhaps the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation should also take a closer look at the developments of its potential opponents. Our country also has its own rich experience in airship building. A network of primitive tethered balloons with radar is capable of blocking the Russian-Ukrainian border with a radar field for any enemy low-flying apparatus.

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Bulanov

+3

18 February 2023 18: 29

The choice in favor of devices lighter than air was made because of their low noise, low cost ...

Maybe that's why they don't want to produce because the cost is low?
We have long supported Sergei Marzhetsky on this issue. It's just a pity that Manturov and Shoigu or Putin don't seem to read Reporter. Maybe the RF Armed Forces would already have reliable assistants in the field of defense, and propagandists would have access to the population in hostile territories? And this is not only in Ukraine. Here, the Baltic States, Poland, and Finland can be covered by a TV and radio signal. It's one thing to complain that Sputnik and RT have been banned there, but it's quite another thing to work in this direction.
DO

+2

18 February 2023 19: 29

In the conditions of a military conflict, fixed tethered reconnaissance airships can only be used in the deep rear, where the probability of their destruction by the enemy is quite low.
And of course, such airships are effective for areas where there are no hostilities.
1. skeptic
  
  +1
  
  18 February 2023 23: 00
  
  Quote: DO
  And of course, such airships are effective for areas where there are no hostilities.
  
  Do you think that radar stations on airships, along the perimeter of Ukraine, but on the territory of Russia, will not be effective? By the way, airships not only detect the enemy, but also provide target designation for air defense systems.
Enoch

+1

18 February 2023 19: 40

"Israeli and American experience", but isn't that one and the same.
Otto Davar

+1

18 February 2023 20: 27

For some reason, NATO uses expensive AWACS.
1. DO
  
  +1
  
  18 February 2023 21: 12
  
  The AWACS aircraft is not tied to the ground by a cable, therefore it can be quickly used in the right places.
  However, a large, subsonic and low-maneuverable AWACS aircraft is vulnerable to enemy weapons in almost the same way as a tethered airship.
usm5

+3

18 February 2023 21: 11

Program for determining the horizon: https://planetcalc.ru/1198/. In fact, a stratospheric airship at an altitude of 21 km has a viewing horizon of 550 km. This is also not bad, but not a thousand kilometers (one must still be responsible for the numbers in the article). What do you want! We have capitalism in its ugly form and the same was socialism. Therefore, our MO strikingly resembles a similar organ of tsarist Russia of the 1905 model. I hope everyone remembers how shamefully they blew the war on "backward" Japan and what followed? It seems that history repeats itself only in the form of a bloody farce. Back to the topic. Indeed, airships are the salvation of Russia. At such a height, films with solar cells as part of the shell can produce 100 W or more from each square meter. Disc-shaped airship (flying wing) 10 m thick and with a diameter
250 m, has a surface of 50000 m2 well lit by the sun and can theoretically give out up to
5000 kWh of electricity is enough for radars, engines and a powerful laser. In fact, a stratospheric airship with the indicated dimensions (500000 m3) can lift 41,5 tons under certain conditions, taking into account the weight of the shell itself. But there are nuances here. The specific gravity of passivated hydrogen is 80 g/m3, and at an altitude of 21 km the atmosphere is rarefied to 89 g/m3 (13,5 times compared to the earth's surface). To lift such a load, one must first fill the shell well with light gas, and then, at an altitude of about 10 km, gradually bleed the passivated hydrogen into the surrounding space. Thus, its density at a height of 21 km will also drop by a factor of 13,5 and amount to 6 g/m3. The specific lifting force will be:
89-6=83 g/m3 or 500000* 83/1000000=41,5 t. In principle, it can be raised even higher using this method. There is practically no significant wind there, and such an apparatus, with the presence of stratospheric electric engines, can hang for decades. Try to knock this one down. He will kill whoever you want. But at an altitude of 8 km, the air density is 530 g / m3, and the lifting force of the airship: (530-178) * 500000 / 1000000 \u176d 150 tons. Even if 80 tons is a payload that can be moved over long distances without any roads at a speed 120-XNUMX km/h. But it seems that the modern bourgeoisie of Russia is not interested. They brought in a lot of money, but they spend it all on yachts, pitchforks, expensive cars, football clubs and girls with legs from their necks. They lack imagination for more - primitive consumers. Therefore, most likely, airships will develop anywhere, but not here.
1. vlad127490
  
  +2
  
  18 February 2023 22: 37
  
  I previously proposed to launch a stationary airship at an altitude of 10-15 km, connected to the ground by a cable-rope, through which power is supplied to the airship, control is provided and information is transmitted. The cable-cable is not power, it only holds its own weight. At a given point, the airship is supported by electric motors. All electronics and antennas are taken from AWACS A-100 Premier, no need to invent anything. Such an AWACS airship can be lowered for maintenance once a year. The video horizon is 400 km., the radio horizon at the microwave is 2000 km. Two dozen of these AWACS will cover the entire western border, you can see everything that rides and flies, including small drones. Cheap and angry. AWACS A-100 "Premier" have been developing for 20 years, when it is not known when they will be handed over, but there is a Soviet A-50. The airship is good because it can lift many tons.
Sergey Latyshev

0

18 February 2023 21: 18

Already it was almost about the same thing. And also from Sergei.
1) recent spy balloons - all the same, Meteo balloons have been used by everyone for a long time, including in intelligence.

2) Military airships were used in WW1. Then they refused. For reconnaissance - until the 40s, when the planes also began to fly far. Then they refused

3) They refused because there are a lot of shortcomings. Vulnerability, low mobility, piece product, etc.
The "flourishing of the airship industry" has been promoted since the 90s, but to no avail. No country in the mass does not use them. Nor meticulous Japanese. Nor the developed Chinese. Not rich Americans. Not the countries of Asia or South America.
So there are reasons
1. vlad127490
  
  +1
  
  20 February 2023 15: 45
  
  You are right, every country has goals and they are solved in an optimal way. For example, in the United States, balloons hang on the border with Mexico, guarding the border. The PRC, due to geographical conditions, they are not needed, nor are the countries of Europe. The Russian Federation is not going to attack anyone, Russia's borders are marked by the Helsinki Accords. The neighbors of the Russian Federation are all violent, so you need to see everything from above. Satellites, AWACS aircraft, and airships and AWACS balloons are the cheapest and most affordable, and can be quickly done. The AWACS stratospheric airship can be raised to a height of 35 km and let it fly there, the violent ones will not reach it.
July

+3

19 February 2023 09: 01

Well, everything is simple here. If, for example, "sawing" Armata, or means of communication, or uniforms, then anyone understands that it will be possible to saw off something valuable and useful for someone. And here imagine - to cut the air! Well, no, officials are not fools, they will not subscribe to this!)))
1. Vladimir Tuzakov
  
  +2
  
  19 February 2023 19: 00
  
  I basically agree with you, because there are new models of weapons and equipment, but for decades the troops have not en masse (T-14, Su-57, Coalition, etc.) money is allocated - where does it go? when even for a million sets of uniforms there is on paper, there are none in warehouses. As for balloons (there is no question of airships, because it is orders of magnitude more complicated and expensive), in our reality, unrealizable dreams of creation with our construction speeds will be created a decade later than the end of the NWO, and creating the necessary equipment will be in question for a long time.
Potapov

+1

19 February 2023 09: 13

Oh yes ... And it would be nice if the Moscow Region took into account the Jewish experience of the bombing of Syrian airfields with impunity ... Our Ministry of Defense is the kindest ...
1. Bulanov
  
  0
  
  19 February 2023 21: 49
  
  No longer airfields, but civilians in Damascus. It’s not enough for Syria to have an earthquake, so it’s still necessary to finish off the Syrians with Israeli aircraft. Just like the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donetsk ...
Avarron

0

5 March 2023 09: 28

Yeah, the Russian military knows better what they need, right? :D
Of course, such decisions are needed like air.
Plus, you can also hang Pantsir modules and V-V aircraft missiles on them, so you have an air firing point. Also equip them with parachutes so that when the balloon is hit, expensive equipment does not break when it falls, and here's a reusable device for you. And if you use spare self-inflating cylinders in case the main one is damaged, then try to knock it down altogether. After all, he can snap back, try to him again, get close.