The combat helicopter, equipped with high-precision guided missiles and a round-the-clock surveillance sighting system with thermal imagery, television and laser channels for night battles, is a long-standing dream of the Ukrainian military. Along with modern missile complexes, this is one of those types of weapons that change the generation of the army and defense potential at the strategic level. Experts note that the legendary American helicopters AN-64 Apache in both Iraqi campaigns destroyed more enemy armor than all ground weapons combined, giving way to the palm of the first A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft.
FRENCH HISTORY WITH FURNISH COMPLETION
That is why Ukraine sought to buy such an armament for its army. For this purpose more than a decade ago a quite promising Ukrainian-French project of modernization of combat Mi-24 to the version of Mi-24PU2 started. Modernization was supposed to replace the out-of-date Soviet guided missile “Sturm-V” on the new domestic barrier-B control system produced by the state-owned State Climbing Point “Luch”, as well as the installation of a round-the-clock surveillance and sighting system OLOSP-410LI with thermal imagery and television channels. the production of the French company Sagem. After the project was completed, the army should have been able to fight at night and in any weather.
From the very beginning, the project was moving hard, perhaps because the idea of creating a corvette for the Navy was the first breakdown of the organization of military-technical cooperation (PTS) with foreign powers in favor of the Ukrainian Army. Indeed, until that time the PTS was simply to arms exports. The second reason was the skeptic attitude of Western defense companies to the PTS with Ukraine and, in general, the idea of military reinforcement of Ukraine. In one way or another, after the change of power and creation of 2010, the UCSC “Ukroboronprom” had extended the PTS project with France, and the Sagem company had paid about 23 million, according to well-known people, for its integration into the Mi-24 round-the-clock surveillance sighting system OLOSP-410LI. euro. To be honest, the huge amount of money, considering the competitor of Sagem-Selex, suggested installing one such complex for less than 1.5 million euros. As a result, unfortunately, the expensive project did not help Ukraine improve the quality of rearmament, and two French survey-sizing systems are still waiting for their destiny in Konotop: the Konotop Aircraft Repair Plant Aviocon was the integrator of the helicopter upgrade.
Moreover, the French systems have not a military but a police appointment. Who and on what section did not work – is another story. However, one nuance is worth noting: experts unofficially pointed out that from 2014 on the subjective problems of the project was added a virtually unconditional embargo on the French side for the supply of military systems to Ukraine, considering that part of the ordered Sagem equipment for the helicopter was never received . Although process observers say that at the beginning of 2014, Aviacon still managed to obtain from France a prototype Mi-24PU2 prototype for the installation of a sight-seeing gyrostabilized optoelectronic system Sagem Euroflir 410 in the form of HOSP410L1 with the integrated laser-channel LCC -In the management of “Barrier-B” ATV (manufacturer of equipment LKK-B – DP “Izyum instrument-making plant”).
But “Ukroboronprom” did not retreat from the modernization – it is very necessary for the Armed Forces to acquire helicopters with guided weapons for night battles. Various versions were considered and processed. So, due to problems with supplying from France to Ukrainian developers in 2015, it was decided to reorient the part of the modernized elements of the Mi-24PU2 board to the Polish company PCO SA: the PNL 3 “Bielik” complex and the THL-5NV helmet used on the Polish shock helicopter W -3PL Gluszec. In order to focus the reader on the main aspects of modernization, the author deliberately lowers a number of putative, also very important works: the installation of new engines ТВЗ-117ВМА-СБМ1В-02, installation of the station of opto-electronic counteraction “Adros” CT-01AV for protection against guided missiles with infra-red homing heads, as well as new electronics, which simplifies the control of the propeller.
Either way, in May 2016, observers recorded the completion of work on a prototype Mi-24PU2 and raised it to air for testing. However, doubts were expressed about the possibility of serial modernization under the option of Mi-24PU2 for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the near future.
ALTERNATIVE VERSION: “524R”
It is no accident that at all times, Ukrainian engineers were famous all over the world, and the first helicopter in the world constructed and raised in the air, Igor Sikorsky. So in this case: when it became clear that nobody was interested in transferring key technologies to Ukraine (as it turned out with the notorious sighting gyrostabilized optoelectronic system), domestic companies started to solve this problem.
Of course, they did not take offense, not with the onset of the war. And long before it, and, using the old tried method – external contracts, which traditionally included SCRs – research and development work. Such a contract – for the modernization of Ukraine from 12Mi-24 Party in favor of Azerbaijan – helped to open an account in solving technical problems. So, for three years, while the project was being implemented for Azerbaijan, the State Criminal Code “Luch” SE practically succeeded in carrying out research and development work on the integration of a combat guided missile with a helicopter – with the help of a defense company of South Africa, which was engaged in delivering sighting gyrostabilized optoelectronic systems. As a result, in Azerbaijan, about 30 launches by the Ukrainian helicopter missile RK-2В of the Barrier-B complex were carried out, with the maximum shooting range doubled. The customer was pleased, but Ukrainian performers were satisfied, not only with the payment of equipment and works. The main achievement was the technical results of integrating a new supersonic missile into the helicopter. “The best way to bring the prototype to operation without any problems is an external contract!” According to the Ukrainian defense industry, which, even after four years of the war, remains export-oriented.
As a result, Ukraine has come up with a result that previously seemed unfeasible. Namely: to independently create a complex of guided weapons for a helicopter. “We managed to do this for money, an order of magnitude smaller than Ukraine paid to the French company”, – they are very appropriately noted in the team of developers who took up the project.
Already the legendary State Enterprise “GosKhB” Luch “has become the main enterprise in the project, and the private company” Ramzay “and the Cherkassy plant of the state enterprise NPK” Fotoprilad “- the main adjacents (the State Enterprise” Izyum Instrument-Making Plant “also participates in the project with a well-proven radiator ) In Ukraine, a team of talented aviation engineers, as well as unusual organizers, who managed to correctly approach the creation in Ukraine of a domestic sightseeing gyrostabilized optoelectronic system, gathered in Ukraine.
Clearly, participates in the project and PJSC “Motor Sich”, and the general designer V. Boguslaev also put his signature in the “Decision on the organization of works”. In fact, we are talking about a unique scheme of public-private partnership, in which the resources of private investors play an almost exclusive role. In particular, all work of the DP NSC “Photoprilad” is performed for the money of a private enterprise, in addition all works on co-operation and financing of tests are carried out for the working resources of the participants. Unfortunately, the state is habituated to get a strategic product, investing almost nothing. However, the project is so promising that it is worth it, say its participants. The market for such modernization in the world is truly gigantic, and the dependence of Ukrainian manufacturers will be minimal from now on. “The only product of foreign production in the complex is a thermal imaging camera”, – they say in the team of developers.
Consequently, the complex of 524R armored vehicles, consisting of the main product – helicopters Mi-24, Mi-8, Mi-2, is designed to solve the problems of round-the-clock inspection, detection, recognition and automatic support of ground and air, moving and immobile purposes, as well as for the combat use of rockets RK-2B from the helicopter board. The 524R Controlled Armament Complex with the RK-2B missile provides a target for detection of a tank type up to 10 km, and a missile capable of striking targets at a distance of 7.5 km.In 2017, the complex passed the first stage of flight tests with successful launches of missiles for purposes simulating a tank, DZOT. All officials, including the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff, signed their signatures on a document defining the procedure for conducting state tests and arming of this product. As it is expected, in the near future the complex 524Р will be presented to state tests and transferred to controlled operation in the Armed Forces, and in the current year 2018, will be adopted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
It should be added that even today, due to the use of tandem cumulative combat units, the state corporation “Luch” provided increased armor penetration – it is at least 800 mm in dynamic protection. By the way, if the range of firing a RC-2B-controlled rocket is 7.5 km, the integration of the Alta rocket, which in the future is being developed by the team of Oleg Korostelev, will increase it to 12 km. In addition, guided supersonic missiles of the state corporation “Luch” state enterprise practically do not require maintenance during operation and storage. In addition, along with four guided missiles, the 524P complex will provide uncontrolled missiles of type С-5, С-8, as well as a universal cannon container УПК-23-250 and aviation bombs.
It is worth noting that the developers took care of the complex task solution. For example, the operational training of the flight and the technical composition – for this will be used control-training kit KTK-1M.
The theme of survivability of a helicopter is not forgotten either. Namely: PJSC “Ramzai” has created and offered new exhaust systems (EVP) of its own design. Compared to regular ones, they 10 times reduce the radiation of a helicopter, significantly limiting the opportunities for MANPADS. At the same enterprise, “Kvadros” was created – the modern system of protection of the propeller car from high-precision means of defeat. And the experts of this private enterprise are working on the creation of modern light armor – its integration (and, in essence, the helicopter sheathing) will add about 500 kg of weight, but should protect 12.7 mm from bullets of caliber. And they also think about increasing the number of guided missiles, which, by general characteristics, will bring the modernized Mi-24 car closer to the Mi-35 level.
One way or another, but experts once again became convinced: Ukraine’s potential in the creation of new weapons and military equipment remains at the level of world standards. And the Armed Forces have a real opportunity to re-equip high-tech weapons, and within the limits of the activity of the domestic defense industry.
Last year, 29 Ukrainian weapons were adopted and 33 were put into operation. Among them – the products of member companies of the League: armored combat wheeled vehicle “Kozak-2M1” (PJSC “NGO” Practice “), unmanned aerial vehicle A1-SM” Fury “(LLC” SPE “Athlon Avia”), portable digital radio special purpose trunking communication “Lybid K-1A” (LLC “Dolya and […]
