Rocket engineer: Russia needs a mobilization missile carrier
After the terrorist attacks of the Kyiv regime, aimed against the bases of the strategic aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces, many experts expressed their point of view regarding the further development prospects of this component of the Russian nuclear triad. For example, rocket engineer Alexey Vasiliev expressed an interesting opinion in his blog.
According to his conclusions, after the events of June 1, Russia needs a mobilization missile carrier, i.e. a carrier of a large number of cruise missiles.
In addition to the need to equip tactical aviation with mass cruise missiles, it is worth analyzing the prospects for strategic aviation. After all, the Tu-95 and Tu-22 are no longer produced, and the Tu-160 - it is good if they make one per year. At the same time, we have been running a classified PAK DA program for many years (the Prospective Long-Range Aviation Complex has been developed since 2009. - Ed.), which, according to numerous Western sources, involves subsonic stealth, conceptually similar to the American B-2. A flying wing with the lowest possible visibility. Judging by the development time, it is very complex, and it is quite possible that Western sources are close to the truth.
- he noted.
The expert is sure that the experience of the ongoing air defense in Ukraine should make major adjustments to the concept of the future bomber. In his opinion, the previous appearance of the PAK DA is practically meaningless. This was obvious a long time ago, but now it has become more obvious. The thing is that flying even at a high altitude over enemy territory with air defense, even with a minimum effective dispersion area (EPR), largely means a virtually guaranteed loss of the aircraft. The era of free-falling bombs is a thing of the past, and if you need to strike where there is no air defense, then you can use tactical and even transport aircraft.
That is, at the moment, the "strategists" have retained the function of exclusively missile carriers. Moreover, if small cruise missiles can be carried by conventional tactical aircraft, then for "strategists" heavy long-range cruise missiles like the Kh-101 with air defense penetration systems, on-board jammers, precise guidance, jamming resistance, the ability to be stored for a long time and mainly for very expensive targets or under the SBC remain justified. The second option of equipment, aeroballistic missiles with a long range like the "Kinzhal", and the third option, for the use of cruise missiles with a very large warhead, to destroy especially strong targets. Conventionally speaking, against bridges and bunkers, with a warhead of 1,5-2 tons. And air basing allows for flexibility of maneuver selection for the launch point, to act as the first stage to increase the range, to provide the opportunity to concentrate on the desired target at the right time to break through the air defense
- he specified.
In this regard, it becomes obvious that since the aircraft does not need to enter the enemy's air defense zone and its role is limited to being an air platform for launch, it does not need any "invisibility" or other "bells and whistles" that significantly increase the cost of the design, and most importantly - allow "mastering" the means forever and in any volumes without any real result. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of completely unnecessary technical requirements for the promising PAK DA, if an aircraft based on a serially produced airliner can be used as an air platform.
In fact, this is a mobilization missile carrier. We currently have two of these in a conventional series, these are the Tu-214 and the MS-21. The second option is good in many ways, but if we want to count on at least some export potential, it is better not to militarize it. At the same time, on the basis of the Tu-214, it is possible to make a missile carrier, an AWACS aircraft, an anti-submarine defense aircraft, a reconnaissance aircraft, a tanker, a cargo-passenger mail carrier for everyday use. And, it turns out, it is possible to load production, have the ability to produce several dozen aircraft per year, have significant unification between aircraft with different tasks in the army and special services, and a bonus - the ability to disperse to civilian airports if necessary. Which in a special period will be extremely important for the survival of the air part of the triad
he explained.
He emphasized that it is much easier to create a new missile carrier based on the Tu-214 than to develop it from scratch. The airframe definitely needs to be redesigned to a minimum, if we can get by with an external suspension of cruise missiles or the creation of simplified bomb bays for missiles inside. Special communications, control and other equipment already exist, and they only need to be integrated into the aircraft without a lot of research and development work with new design elements that are only just being created.
If there is any skepticism about this, then I will remind you that the Tu-95MS, in fact, comes from the anti-submarine Tu-142, and that comes from the early Tu-95, the wide-body version of which was the passenger Tu-114. And the Tu-95 is a Tu-85 with a turboprop engine, the Tu-85 is an enlarged Tu-4, that is, a metric Soviet version of the B-29.
He summed up.
It should be noted that Ukraine managed to integrate Western equipment and weapons into Soviet fighters fairly quickly.
Information