Scientific-production Association of machine building (NPO Mash) has unveiled a unique plasma gun, made invisible to enemy radar and air defense systems, the strategic supersonic cruise missile 3М25 "Meteorite". At the time of exposure to enemy radar "Meteorite" was created around himself impenetrable to radar radiation of a cloud of ionized gas. Unique guns will be in the next year transferred to the Russian universities as a textbook for future engineers and designers in the design of hypersonic vehicles.

As told "Izvestia" in NPO Mash, currently negotiating the transfer of unique items come with the leadership of the Moscow aviation Institute, State technical University. N. Uh. Bauman, Baltic state technical University "voenmech". D. F. Ustinov and the Ural state University. B. N. Yeltsin.

According to the tactical-technical task 3М25 was supposed to fly at speeds close to hypersonic, and be invisible to enemy radar. But the designers of NPO Mash was faced with the problem.

— Best in the irradiation plane or cruise missiles with radar visible turbine blades of the engine and the edge of the inlet. These design elements like corner reflectors, — says "Izvestiya" editor in chief of Internet project Militaryrussia Dmitry Kornev. — Hiding from the radar, these design elements, we solve the problem with the radar visibility of the aircraft by 70-80%. Therefore, the aircraft is invisible, make the air intake in the form of the Latin letter S. this curve blocks the passage of radio emission, but at the same time not allowing a missile or an aircraft to fly at supersonic speed.

The designers of NPO Mash has equipped the product with a normal intake, allowing you to develop a supersonic speed, and protected him from enemy radar screen of the plasma.

Plasma is an ionized quasi-neutral gas. On the one hand, it fully absorbs radar radiation, on the other — it can be an antenna for transmitting signals.

A plasma screen on the "Meteorite" formed a special electronic device — the "plasma gun", created by specialists of the Research center named after Keldysh. A unique device is within the area of the air intakes of a jet engine of the rocket and in a moment of danger as if unfolds before the rocket "metal radio-network". It is driven by electricity produced by a special generating set fed from the working of the sustainer rocket engine.

One of the developers of "plasma gun" Director of the center named after Keldysh research Koroteev Anatoly described "news" how it works:

— If you throw in the wall of the tennis ball, it will bounce and return back, — said the expert. So is the radar signal reflected from the aircraft and returns to the receiving antenna. If the walls of angular faces and they tilted in different directions, the ball will bounce anywhere, but won't be back. Based on this principle, the American "stealth". If we impose a wall of soft mats and throw them the ball, he just hit on her, you will lose energy and will fall next to the wall. Similarly, the plasma formation absorbs the energy of radio waves.

Complex with a cruise missile "Meteorite" was preparing to adopt. Was made a full load for installation on the rocket underwater cruiser of strategic appointment of the project 667АМ. However, the agreement of the USSR and the USA on the limitation of strategic arms (salt-2) stopped working.

— Specifically to create a plasma screen in front of a cruise missile today is not as important as it was in the 80-ies of the last century, when it developed the "Meteorite", — told "Izvestia" a Professor of the Academy of military Sciences Vadim Kozyulin. — The car has done under the then conditions breakthrough on missile defense, when the enemy can see it only on a collision course. Today radar means is irradiated from the top, bottom, side. Therefore, the only way to remain undetected is to fly at hypersonic speed in six or more swings. At such speeds around the unit itself forms a plasma cloud. And it is important that in Russia already know how to use them and how radar-absorbing protective shield, and as an antenna which can transmit signals of fighting management.

Dmitry Litovkin, Alex Ramm

Source: http://izvestia.ru/news/651212

Tags: Russia , armed forces , AME , missile defense