To counter the threat of hypersonic missiles of Russia and China, the US is going to improve their anti-missile complex of a movable, ground-based THAAD. About it on may 5 announced the American edition of Washington Free Beacon.
It is noted that last week the armed services Committee of the Congress adopted an amendment to the appropriations bill for national defense, according to which the Agency, the missile defense should develop a program to combat the growing threat from high-speed, maneuvering missiles.
For this step Congress has pushed testing of the “revolutionary hypersonic glide vehicles Russia and China. As noted by active supporter of the amendment , Congressman Trent Franks, such developments “change the paradigm” of modern warfare.
The fastest way to answer the hypersonic challenge of Moscow and Beijing is to improve American anti-missile complex rolling land base for the outer high-altitude intercept missiles, medium-range THAAD, says Trent Franks. Then we could develop a laser weapon that can shoot down hypersonic missiles whose velocity exceeds nine times the speed of sound.
As writes the American newspaper, the 19th of April this year, Moscow has again conducted a test pilot of the glider, u-71 on the Intercontinental ballistic missile UR-100N.
Note that in the press do have evidence that on 19 April from the landfill Clear launched missiles UR-100НУТТХ “Stiletto” with guided hypersonic warheads. It is known as the ROC “4202”, the object “4202”, the product 15Ю71.
This is the new combat equipment is being tested on the “Stilettos”, but in the future, according to experts, they will be equipped with the new heavy ICBM “Sarmat”. Despite the fact that even the retired generals of the strategic missile forces prefer to refrain from comments on the project: “4202”, referring to the closeness of the threads, there are suggestions that “Sarmat” will be able to carry at least three blocks. According to Western military analysis centre Jane’s Information Group, published in the summer of 2015, 24 military unit can be deployed in Dombarovsky located in the strategic missile forces regiment (n. Clear) in the period from 2020 to 2025 years.
As for Russian cruise missiles, in February the media has circulated reports that by 2020, the heavy nuclear missile cruiser “Peter the Great” will be equipped with the latest hypersonic cruise missiles “Zircon”.
Can the American missile defense, and THAAD in particular, to cope with the hypersonic threat that, in recognition of the Americans, comes from the Russian perspective hypersonic cruise missiles and warheads of Intercontinental missiles?
Note that the THAAD system is a key element of a missile defense system the U.S. and is designed to protect American troops and allied forces, as well as important objects from ballistic missiles short and medium range. According to the developers of the giant Lockheed Martin, missiles interceptor is equipped with a kinetic warhead that provides target engagement by direct impact (hit-to-kill), and are the only weapons system capable of intercepting ICBMs, like in outer space and in the atmosphere.
For reference: the United States is trying to ensure the possibility of intercepting ICBMs in all phases of flight, and at each site employs a different system. On the active site — while the engine is running missiles, the interception is provided by ships equipped with CICS Aegis with SM-3 missile, operating at altitudes up to 250 kilometers. Passive — in the cosmos — the destruction of strategic goals provided by the GBI missiles are silo-based. In the fall missile warheads on a downward trajectory there are two kinds of systems: territorial protection is provided by the THAAD system, and object — Patriot air defense system PAC-3.
Deputy Director of the Russian Institute for strategic studies, head of Center for Euro-Atlantic and defense studies military and strategic studies Grigory Tishchenko observes that in 2017, the United States plan to have eight batteries of the THAAD system, and by the end of 2016 on the arms should be 203 missiles.
— At the same time to upgrade the system to THAAD 2.0, which will have significantly higher performance, it was known and earlier. It lies primarily in the improvement of the software of the complex. The result is a system that will be effective in relation to cruise missiles. In General, the problem of cruise missiles is now one of the main in missile defense.
The Pentagon stresses that the possibility of covering the territory of the United States against missile attacks is quite high. However, the results of tests to this quite critical of how the Agency which is directly responsible for these tests and the General accounting office — GAO (in 2015 it issued a report stating that the us missile defense system is not able to resist the strikes of ballistic missiles of Iran or North Korea — “SP”).
However, the development of infrastructure PRO continues. So, now the missile defense system the US Ground-based Midcourse Defense, GMD) consists of 30 GBI interceptors (Alaska and California), and by the end of 2017 must be completed to deploy the additional 14 missiles. Improving the system of command, control and communications.
In this sense, with a limited number of missiles with not manoeuvring warheads, that is, with a relatively simple threat, missile defense of the U.S., in General, to cope. But if to speak about more complex threats — parts of maneuvering hypersonic vehicles, then this, undoubtedly, no missile system, THAAD or ground interceptors GBI will not be able to cope.
Military expert, Colonel Vladimir Evseev believes that the modernization of the THAAD system to the tasks of reflection and hypersonic maneuvering facilities will require major redesign of the whole structure of the complex.
— The THAAD missile have serious limitations on the deviation from the goal. In order to intercept the objects, changing the trajectory, the system needs to have completely different controls.
But even if this is done, first, not very clear how will be provided guidance missile to the interception point. Currently this is done by calculating a ballistic trajectory, followed by the takeover target and the missile follows the interception point (THAAD has a height of interception to 150 km). It is clear that any attacking object maneuvering at high speed nullifies all calculations because there is no certainty that the calculated interception point coincide with that point where will actually be the object. Standing on the armament RVSN Intercontinental ballistic missile and now have blocks that get divorced at a speed of 5-7 miles per second, but quite another thing when the maneuver is performed and managed, and at such speeds.
Secondly, how will be provided on the overload, i.e. whether the missile actually intercept the target at those angles, where is she going?
Thirdly, the big question — how can we ensure that in such circumstances, the kinetic interception? I remind you that this involves a collision with an object, in this case the deviation must not exceed the meter (the Russian means of air and missile defense intercept through the undermining of the warhead, is formed when a cloud of submunitions that even if you miss up to 15-20 meters ensure defeat warheads).
Thus, perhaps, to work in this direction is possible, but the prospect of such developments in the fight against high speed and maneuvering blocks of ICBMs — is highly questionable.
Now for the interception of cruise missiles. Frankly, I do not see how the THAAD system can use them to work. As I said, it is designed to intercept still at fairly high altitudes — up to 150 km away, But planning a cruise to intercept the ICBM unit is one thing, and quite another — work on cruise missiles — aerodynamic targets flying at an altitude below 50 m above ground.
If we talk about the fight against cruise missiles, now the most efficient means — aircraft carriers, as well as system-type rapid-fire cannons, that is air defenses. Rather, it can work the American modernized facility means the protection of the Patriot air defense system with the only option of the incoming missiles PAC-3 MSE and improved radar.
It is worth saying that in the US quite a lot of hypersonic projects in the framework of the concept of “prompt global strike, which is being developed by various agencies: the plane X-43A NASA, the missile X-51A, the air force, the AHW apparatus — the army, the ArcLight missile — DARPA and the Navy, the glider, the Falcon HTV-2 — the DARPA and the air force. But apparently, there are many obstacles to count at least one specified project successful. As for equipping its strategic missiles — ICBMs and SLBMs — complexes to overcome missile defense, the United States in this regard from the us far behind. Their ballistic missiles do not know what a “cloud” of decoys around the real warhead.
