Hypersonic aviation missile system “Dagger. Aviation missile system "Dagger Dagger missile
On the first day of spring, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the Federal Assembly with his annual message. The head of state spoke about recent successes and set new goals. In addition, he touched upon the topic of strategic weapons designed to ensure the country's security. In the future, all major branches of the armed forces will receive new systems, including combat aviation. Together with existing aircraft it is proposed to use aviation missile system"Dagger".
V. Putin began the story about new weapons for the aerospace forces with a reminder of current trends in the field of aerospace technologies. Now the leading countries with great scientific potential and have modern technologies, are developing the so-called hypersonic weapons. Next, the president gave a short “lecture” on physics and aerodynamics. He pointed out that the speed of sound is traditionally measured in mach, a unit named after the Austrian physicist Ernst Mach. At an altitude of 11 km, Mach 1 is equal to 1062 km/h. Speed from M=1 to M=5 is considered supersonic, more than M=5 – hypersonic.
Weapons with hypersonic flight speed give the armed forces the most significant advantages over the enemy. Such weapons can be highly powerful, and their high speed protects them from interception by anti-aircraft or missile defense. Interceptors simply cannot catch up with the attacking product. As the president said, it is understandable why the leading countries of the world are striving to acquire such weapons. But Russia already has such means.
V. Putin called the development of a high-precision aviation missile system, which is said to have no analogues in foreign countries, the most important stage in the creation of modern weapons. Testing of this system has already been completed. Moreover, since December 1, the new complex has been used on experimental combat duty at the airfields of the Southern Military District.
MiG-31BM takes off with a Kinzhal missile
According to V. Putin, the rocket, with the help of a high-speed carrier aircraft, should reach the launch site in a matter of minutes. After release, the rocket reaches a speed ten times the speed of sound. Throughout the entire trajectory, despite the high speed, the product is capable of performing maneuvers. The ability to change the flight path allows you to protect the missile from enemy defenses. According to the President, new rocket is guaranteed to overcome modern and, possibly, promising air defense and missile defense systems. The hypersonic missile is capable of flying at a range of up to 2 thousand km and delivering a conventional or nuclear warhead to the target.
Unlike some others promising developments, presented last week, the aviation missile system has already received its own name. It was designated as "Dagger". Other names and designations, such as GRAU index, working project code, etc. the president did not bring it.
As is the case with others the latest designs weapons, the president’s words were followed by a demonstration video showing interesting footage from tests of a promising missile system. Video footage most clearly confirms V. Putin’s statements about testing. Some of the stages of one of the test launches, filmed by military cameramen, were allowed to be used in the video for showing to the general public.
Airplane before dropping a rocket
The video begins with footage of the MiG-31BM fighter-interceptor taking off. Already during the takeoff run, it is clear that under the bottom of its fuselage there is not the usual and standard ammunition suspended, but some new weapon. The interceptor lifts a large and massive new type of missile into the air. Part of the further flight to the launch point, however, was shown using simplified computer graphics. But then again there was a video recording of real tests with a real rocket launch.
While on a given course and maintaining a certain altitude and speed, the carrier aircraft dropped the Kinzhal missile. In free flight, it “failed” in altitude, after which it dropped the tail fairing and started the main engine. The flight of the rocket was again not shown in the form of documentary footage and was depicted schematically. In the next episode, a computer model of an aircraft dropped an animated missile, and it headed along a ballistic trajectory towards the mock enemy ship. It is worth noting that the drawn target ship had a recognizable appearance and was similar to some real sample.
Product X-47M2 separated
The final stages of the missile's flight, reaching the target area and then aiming at it, were shown using graphics. Moreover, this time the “camera” was located directly on board the rocket. The product headed towards the enemy ship, went into a dive, and then the video signal, as expected, disappeared. However, the video showed the defeat of a target, albeit a different one. The ammunition fell on a land fortification and blew it up. The MiG-31BM carrier aircraft, in turn, returned to the airfield and landed.
Shortly after the end of the president’s speech, new information about the Dagger project appeared. Thus, the Russian press cited the second designation of the new missile - Kh-47M2. The Commander of the Aerospace Forces, Colonel General Sergei Surovikin, indicated that the new missile belongs to the class of hypersonic aeroballistic weapons. According to him, state tests of the new complex have already been carried out at the training grounds of the Ministry of Defense. During inspections, it fully confirmed its effectiveness. All missile launches resulted in accurate destruction of the intended targets.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces also revealed some details of the combat operation of the Dagger product. Thus, in the final ballistic phase of the flight, the missile uses an all-weather homing head. This ensures the possibility of using the missile at any time of the day while obtaining the required accuracy and selectivity in hitting the target. The maximum speed of a rocket in flight is 10 times the speed of sound. The firing range, as confirmed by the commander in chief, reaches 2 thousand km.
Tail cone reset
Thus, in the interests of the Aerospace Forces, a new aeroballistic missile was developed, suitable for the destruction of various ground or surface objects. The X-47M2 “Dagger” product can carry both conventional and special combat unit, which expands the range of tasks to be solved. MiG-31 interceptors of the latest BM modification are currently used as carriers.
One of the most interesting features Project "Dagger" is the choice of carrier aircraft. They decided to use the air-to-surface missile with a fighter whose armament is based on air-to-air products. The reasons for this are obvious. The maximum speed of the MiG-31BM aircraft at altitude reaches 3,400 km/h, which allows it to reach the launch point in a minimum time. In addition, the high flight speed of the carrier when releasing the rocket allows one to obtain some advantages. At the moment of release, the rocket already has a high initial speed, and therefore the energy of its engine is spent only on subsequent acceleration with access to a quasi-ballistic trajectory.
Engine starting
Thus, the missile's potential, provided by hypersonic flight speed, is not reduced due to insufficient carrier parameters. From the point of view of flight speed, preliminary acceleration of the missile and speed of solving combat missions, the MiG-31BM is the most successful platform.
The X-47M2 product has a very simple shapes and outlines. The rocket received a conical head fairing, which accounts for about half the length of the product. The second half of the body is formed by a cylindrical section equipped with X-shaped planes in the tail section. During the flight under the aircraft, the smooth tail section of the hull is equipped with a disposable fairing in the shape of a truncated cone. Exact information about the design of the product has not yet been provided, but we can already say that it is equipped with a solid propellant propulsion engine. The type of homing head is unknown.
It should be noted that the new aircraft rocket outwardly very similar to the ballistic ammunition of the Iskander operational-tactical complex. In the past, there were rumors at various levels about the possible creation of an aviation modification of this system, but they have not yet received official confirmation. The characteristic exterior of the newest Kinzhal missile can serve as a kind of confirmation of rumors of the recent past. At the same time, similarities can only be due to similar technical requirements and tactical roles.
The rocket headed towards the target
It is alleged that the Kinzhal missile belongs to the aeroballistic class. This means that the product is dropped from the carrier aircraft, after which it turns on the engine and, with its help, enters an upward trajectory. Further flight occurs in almost the same way as in the case of other ballistic missiles. The difference between the Kh-47M2 and other systems is determined by the use of a homing head. The devices, the type of which has not yet been specified, are used to detect the target and correct the missile's course at all stages of the flight, including the downward portion of the ballistic trajectory. In the latter case, the most accurate hit at the specified target is ensured.
The promising Kinzhal, like the already well-known Iskander, has characteristic capabilities: the missiles of both complexes are capable of maneuvering on a trajectory. Because of this anti-missile systems the enemy loses the ability to timely calculate the trajectory of an approaching missile and correctly intercept it. On the descending part of the trajectory, the rocket develops maximum speed, up to M=10, which sharply reduces the permissible reaction time. As a result, the Kinzhal system is truly capable of showing the highest combat characteristics and break through the existing air and missile defense system.
Demonstration of the principles of constructing a flight path
First, Vladimir Putin, and then Sergei Surovikin spoke about recent work within the framework of the project with the “Dagger” code. No later than last fall, industry and the Ministry of Defense carried out all the necessary tests of the newest missile, and also completed its development. Already on December 1, an order appeared to accept the new missile for experimental combat operation. The X-47M2 product is operated as part of a full-fledged complex, which also includes the MiG-31BM carrier aircraft. So far, only aviation units from the Southern Military District have new weapons.
Apparently, in the foreseeable future the armed forces will complete trial operation the latest weapons, and soon after this the Kinzhal complex will receive a recommendation for adoption. The result of this will be the rearmament of aviation units, accompanied by a significant increase in the strike potential of tactical aviation.
The rocket hits the target
It should be recalled that on this moment Russian tactical aviation only has air-to-surface systems with a launch range of tens or hundreds of kilometers. Products capable of flying thousands of kilometers are in service only in strategic aviation. The Kinzhal missile system with a launch range of up to 2000 km will actually occupy an intermediate position between purely tactical and exclusively strategic weapons. With its help, it will be possible to strike enemy targets at operational-strategic depth as quickly as possible.
Greater flexibility of use will be ensured by the existence of special and non-nuclear warheads. Depending on the task at hand and the type of object being attacked, it will be possible to choose one or another warhead. Thus, the combat qualities of the Kh-47M2 missile will fully correspond to its “intermediate” position. Tactical aviation, in turn, will bring its capabilities closer to strategic ones.
All promising samples strategic weapons, presented by Vladimir Putin last Thursday, were created in the interests of nuclear forces and to ensure deterrence of a potential adversary. The Kinzhal aviation missile system fully meets such tasks, although it turns out to be more flexible and versatile in comparison with other systems. Depending on the situation in the theater of military operations, it can become a means of a powerful strike by tactical aviation forces or solve problems inherent in strategic complexes.
The Kinzhal missile system has already passed almost all stages of testing, including state tests. Based on the results of development work, it was placed on experimental combat duty in units of the Aerospace Forces. Thus, the armed forces have already received one of the newest models of strike weapons and are now mastering them. In the foreseeable future, upon completion of all required checks and trial operation, the new missile will be put into service and delivered to parts warehouses. The potential of the Aerospace Forces will increase noticeably, and along with it, the country’s defense capability will improve.
One of the most interesting moments Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent address to the elite and masses became presentation of the latest weapons, which will soon take up combat duty. As it turned out, one of them is already actively guarding the western borders of our Motherland. Aviation missile system (ARK) "Dagger"- our guest today.
On March 11, 2018, the Russian Ministry of Defense published footage of a “combat training” launch of a Kinzhal missile from a MiG-31 carrier aircraft. This plane itself is unique. For more details about it, we told you in the context of the development of its newest replacement called the MiG-41. It is also called PAK-DP (Perspective aviation complex long-range interception).
As it turned out, it is impossible to hang a high-altitude rocket under a regular plane. Even the actually stratospheric MiG-31 in its version, including its anti-satellite version, is not capable of “working” with such a large load without additional changes in the design. The plane was modified, the missile was secured and sent on combat duty.
Many users note a number of inconsistencies in the published video. Why was it necessary to “blur” the rocket elements on the ground and open them in the air? A number of experts, such as the BMPD blog, noticed in the video one of the fighter aircraft used by RSK MiG as a flying laboratory. These facts may indicate the presence of a montage of a plot from several videos that differ in the shooting time of up to several years.Personnel of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Another important fact is the unique similarity of the newest Kinzhal and the relatively middle-aged Iskander-E operational-tactical complex. More precisely, the missiles for it are designated 9M723. Visually, there is virtually no difference between them, and an increase of 70 cm in the length of the product can be caused by the installation of an aerodynamic fairing and a rocket nozzle that is jettisoned after separation from the carrier protection.
MiG-31 with the Kinzhal missile. Personnel of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
As for hypersound! Vladimir Putin, like our military, unanimously call new complex - hypersonic, i.e. flying towards the target at a speed 10-12 times higher than the speed of sound. From a theoretical point of view, everything is correct. Just think about it, 12,000 km/h! Hypersonic is the speed at which an object moves above Mach 5.(Mach 1 = 1062 km/h at an altitude of 11 km) However, American experts interpret the concept of a hypersonic product as using a ramjet engine for propulsion. And our blog frankly doesn’t give a damn what Western “partners” think. No other country in the world has such weapons, operating at such speeds, ranges and altitudes... except OURS!
"Russian newspaper"
She also maneuvers. Despite its enormous speed, the missile is capable of actively maneuvering throughout its flight to the target. If we draw an analogy with the Iskander, then even the developers cannot predict its trajectory... it flies as it wants, it’s a Russian rocket.
What is presented by Putin’s propaganda as the latest hypersonic missile, is an aviation variant ballistic missile Iskander, the development of which began back in 1987.
Here's what Putin said (quote from RIA-NOVOSTI):
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the Kinzhal high-precision aviation missile system in his address to the Federal Assembly. The speech of the head of state was accompanied by footage of tests.According to him, possessing hypersonic weapons provides serious advantages in the field of armed struggle. Its power can be enormous, and its speed makes it invulnerable to today's missile defense and air defense systems, and the world's leading armies strive to possess such an ideal weapon.
Russian-made hypersonic aviation-missile complex has no analogues in the world, Putin said.
He noted that the unique flight performance high-speed carrier aircraft allow the missile to be delivered to the release point in a matter of minutes. At the same time, the missile itself, flying ten times faster than the speed of sound, maneuvers in all parts of the flight, and this allows it to successfully overcome all existing air defense and missile defense systems. The missile can deliver nuclear and conventional warheads to a target at a distance of up to two thousand kilometers.
The missile, which they now call "Dagger", is a ballistic missile that moves along a ballistic trajectory, can only maneuver within this trajectory and acquires hypersonic speed only at the top of this trajectory. It does not have any magical properties of invulnerability “for today’s missile defense and air defense systems.” American system Sea-based Aegis with SM-3 interceptor missiles shoots down satellites in orbit, which, as any high school student should know, move at a speed of 8 km/sec, which is three times the hypersonic speed of ballistic missiles. Moreover, the carrier of the “Dagger”, the MiG-31 aircraft, in the 21st century is an outdated aircraft compared to American 5th generation aircraft and is quite vulnerable. The newest Russian MiG-31 with its old electronics has no chance in combat with the American F-22, F-35 and new air defense systems. It is not to bomb unarmed people in Eastern Ghouta.
When Americans talk about hypersonic missile weapons, they mean hypersonic cruise missile, which differs from a ballistic missile like a penis from a finger. A hypersonic cruise missile can move at extremely low altitudes, avoid obstacles and thus overcome missile defense and air defense systems.
In detail, clearly and with pictures, what this “Dagger” actually is and how it differs from hypersonic cruise missiles of the 21st century in the article by Mark Solonin: Confession
Standard questions:
Who does Putin want to deceive?
Who does Putin want to scare?
American military?
- Putin will not deceive or scare the American military. Americans are well aware of Soviet achievements in the field of rocketry and aviation.
Putin is deceiving the Russians. Creates the illusion of power Russian weapons. And he passes it off as his achievements.
I already wrote that.
The Kinzhal missile is one of the aeroballistic missiles that are delivered to the launch site using a carrier aircraft, and then, after launch and separation from the aircraft, they turn on their own engine and head towards the target. In addition to its speed characteristics, the Kinzhal missile system is interesting because its carrier aircraft - the modernized MiG-31 BM long-range supersonic fighter-interceptors - are capable of launching the missile into the stratosphere.
That is, in order to destroy a target, the Kinzhal launch vehicle does not need to approach the dangerous zone of action of enemy missile defense forces: the missile can be launched from the layers of space closest to the Earth. Maximum range destruction of the X-47M2 missile exceeds 2000 km. And this is at a unique speed developed by the rocket - more than 12,000 km/h (according to some sources - 12,250 km/h).
At the same time, according to information available in the public space, it turns out that the American competitors of the Kinzhal missile being tested cannot yet exceed speed indicators of more than 6 speeds of sound (the speed of sound is measured in mach and at an altitude of 11 km, 1 mach is 1062 km/h ), whereas Russian complex, has 12 speeds of sound.
Such a hypersonic flight speed in itself depreciates a number of capabilities of a potential enemy’s missile defense forces - a missile with such a speed, especially in the case of the Kinzhal during descent, where it develops the highest performance indicators that are extremely difficult to catch up with. But we must not forget about the highest maneuverability of the Kinzhal missile: the combat missile is capable of maneuvering in all areas of the terrain along the entire flight path, which makes it undetectable to detection equipment.
Taking into account the above characteristics, the missile carrier aircraft is capable of launching the missile without entering a dangerous zone and calmly returning to the airfield, while the missile is almost guaranteed to move to hypersonic speed and actively maneuvering, will not fall into the field of view of enemy radars and will calmly destroy the target.
And all this taking into account the fact that the Kinzhal can be equipped with both conventional missiles and nuclear warheads.
Another advantage of the missile is the presence of an all-weather homing head, which allows you to effectively and accurately hit a target at any time of the day and in any conditions. With such capabilities, the Kinzhal can truly be called an “aircraft carrier killer,” and taking into account the nuclear charge, entire aircraft carrier groups (aircraft carrier and large quantity escort ships).
Experts also claim that for a number of both external and tactical and technical characteristics The Kinzhal missile has much in common with missiles from the Iskander family of operational-tactical systems.
According to the magazine " Air&Cosmos" in the article " Le Kinzhal Devoile", during his annual address to the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the existence of several weapons programs in Russia, including the presence of the Kinzhal missile and a nuclear-powered cruise missile power plant.
The Russian President announced that the development of a system consisting of the Kinzhal supersonic air-launched system from the MiG-31 carrier aircraft and the Iskander ballistic missile (mounted on a central hardpoint) has been completed. The video shown by the president shows a MiG-31 taking off with a missile, which then separates from the carrier. Then the video shows the flight trajectory of the missile, which, after separating from the carrier at an altitude of 12 km and a speed of 2M (the exact characteristics were not announced), continues to fly from the stratosphere, then changes course several times to hit targets, which are represented by an American cruiser of the type Ticonderoga and ground targets.
MiG-31 fighter (tail number "93 red") with a Kinzhal missile (c) still from a video of the Russian Ministry of Defense
Vladimir Putin said that the missile's speed is 10 times the speed of sound, can maneuver throughout the entire flight and be invulnerable to existing and future missile defense systems. This allows you to hit targets at a range of up to 2000 km.
The Iskander missile was developed at the Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau in Kolomna. The missile is in service Russian Army since 2007. The missile intended for placement on the Mig-31 has a length of 8 meters, comparable to the length of the 9M723 surface-to-surface missile, which has a length of 7.3 meters. This difference is due to the presence of an aerodynamic nose section, as well as the protection of the nozzle, which is reset after operation. rocket engine aviation version of the missile. The mass of the rocket is 4 tons. Iskander is equipped various types guidance systems - radar with correction or optical with correction. Both options were developed at the Moscow TsNIIAG. There is also an option with an active seeker developed by the St. Petersburg company Radar-MMS, which is installed on anti-ship variants.
According to Vladimir Putin, from December 1, 2017, the complex began to carry out experimental combat duty from the airfields of the Southern Military District (SMD). This means that it has not yet been adopted for service. The fact that the Southern Military District was mentioned deserves additional explanation. In its composition (where aviation is subordinate to the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Army) there are no units armed with the MiG-31. Only the 929th State Flight Test Center of the Ministry of Defense named after V.P. Chkalov in Akhtubinsk has the MiG-31. The Blue 592 aircraft shown in the video belongs to RSK MiG. He has been taking part in tests in Zhukovsky and Akhtubinsk for many years. In 1987, it became the first MiG-31 capable of mid-air refueling. There were no dates indicated on the video, so it cannot be ruled out that it was made several years ago.
The Kinzhal system with the Iskander missile is not the only Russian hypersonic weapons program currently being developed in Russia. For its part, this work is being carried out by the Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation with the GZUR missile (“product 75”), designed for heavy bombers. At the same time, NPO Mashinostroeniya is developing the 3M22 Zircon missile for submarines and surface ships. The priority of these programs is higher than that of “Dagger”. Nobody knows why Vladimir Putin chose “Dagger” for his speech. Maybe because it looks more impressive compared to the GZUR and Zircon.
Various sources report that RSK MiG is working on two new modifications of the MiG-31 - “product 06” and “product 08”. Perhaps one of them is “Dagger”. Possibly passes under a different index a new version interceptor, and for a completely different purpose, for example, anti-satellite weapons. With its cruising speed of 2.5M at high altitude, the MiG-31 is a good platform for a variety of weapons systems that are not standard interceptor weapons.
So, more than 30 years ago, in January 1987, the MiG-31D (“product 07”), which carried the 79M6 anti-satellite missile, made its first flight. The aircraft and missiles were elements of the 30P6 Kontakt anti-satellite weapon system. Two Mig-31Ds were assembled. In 1991, work on the MiG-31D and its improved version MiG-31DM with the 95M6 missile (an upgraded version of the 79M6) was stopped. After the collapse of the USSR, both MiG-31D prototypes remained at the Sary-Shagan training ground in Kazakhstan, that is, in the same place where the tests took place.
In 2005, Russia and Kazakhstan reported the existence of the Ishim project, which had a MiG-31I and a 10.3-ton Ishim rocket, which was suspended from a central suspension point. The Ishim could launch satellites weighing up to 160 kg into orbit. 300 km high. This project was financed from the budget of Kazakhstan and was abandoned due to funding cuts.
Vladimir Putin also announced the presence of other weapons systems, including the Sarmat ICBM, the Avangard missile, a combat laser and, without a doubt, the most amazing program, a mini-nuclear power plant that can be used as a propulsion system for missiles and torpedoes. At the end of 2017, a successful launch of a nuclear-powered cruise missile took place at the Central Test Site of the Russian Ministry of Defense, located in the Arkhangelsk region. During the flight, the reactor worked in accordance with the instructions and produced the necessary thrust. According to Vladimir Putin, the nuclear power plant gives the rocket an unlimited flight range. The video showed the launch of a rocket from a ground launcher, after which the animation showed the rocket flying across the Atlantic from north to south, and then heading towards the United States. A similar compact reactor will also be used on an intercontinental torpedo.
The operating principle of the reactor, which is designed to heat the air that passes through the combustion chambers located on both sides of the tail of the rocket. Due to the sharp increase in temperature, the necessary draft is created. The concept of using a nuclear reactor on a rocket is controversial. It is more expensive than a turbojet engine, and at the same time creates serious environmental risks. And the rocket itself, the temperature of the gases at the nozzle of which reaches several thousand degrees, is easily detected. Is it worth the effort to get unlimited flight range when you have cruise missiles have a flight range of 5000 km?
Vladimir Putin’s speech also mentioned two Su-57 fighters that arrived in Syria on February 21. Most likely these were examples of T-50-9 and T-50-11. For still unknown reasons, two days after appearing in Syria, they were sent to Russia. It is likely that the well-known Su-57 did not make the same impression as a missile with an unlimited flight range. Be that as it may, during his speech, Putin mentioned Syria only once in one sentence: “The operation in Syria demonstrated the increased capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces.”
