Pak dp moment. PAK FA, PAK DA, PAK DP: what does the Russian Air Force want to fly in the 21st century? What do we know about the promising ultra-high-speed interceptor

At present the Russian aviation industry engaged in the modernization of MiG-31 interceptor aircraft under the new MiG-31BM project. The proposed replacement of components, components and assemblies allows you to improve the characteristics of equipment, as well as extend its service life. Nevertheless, aircraft manufacturers are already working on the design of a promising machine that will replace existing aircraft in the future. This project is known as the "Promising Aviation Complex for Long-Range Interception" (PAK DP). In addition, the possible name of serial interceptors, the MiG-41, was repeatedly mentioned.

According to reports, work on the PAK DP project started several years ago, but for a number of reasons the program is still in its early stages. Because of this, in particular, various plans of the military and designers have been repeatedly reported, but most of the technical details remain unknown. Perhaps, in some cases, this is due to the ongoing formation of the appearance of the interceptor and the lack of relevant developments.

For the first time, the intentions of the military department to receive a new interceptor to replace the MiG-31 were announced in 2013. Then the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, spoke about the plans of the military department to create a promising aircraft. At that time, the possibility of developing a project within the framework of the current State Armaments Program was considered. In this case, the project should have appeared before 2020. The subsequent mass production of aircraft would allow by 2028 to completely replace all existing MiG-31 type aircraft.

Interceptor MiG-31BM. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

The following messages appeared in early spring 2014. According to that time, the Chief of the General Staff signed a document on the start of the development of a new aircraft designed to replace existing equipment. It was noted that the promising interceptor will be developed on the basis of the existing MiG-31 and will receive the designation MiG-41. The technical details of the new project were not specified, although various assessments were made. For example, it was argued that maximum speed new MiG-41 may exceed M=4.

A few months later, new information about the project appeared, touching on the topic of the timing of its implementation. In August 2014, the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev, said that research work on the PAK DP program had already begun, and development work would start in 2017. According to the commander, production aircraft new type were to go to the troops by 2025. It is easy to see that in about a year the plans changed noticeably, but now they looked more elaborate.

Long before the planned start of development work, in February 2015, the leadership of the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG expressed its readiness to participate in the new PAK DP program. The head of the organization, Sergei Korotkov, noted that a project of this magnitude can only be carried out within the framework of a state program. RAC "MiG" has extensive experience in the development of interceptor aircraft, and therefore could take part in the planned work. Soon, S. Korotkov said that his corporation, on its own initiative, was developing heavy class interceptors that could replace existing equipment in the future.

In August 2015 the command air force announced a change current plans. V. Bondarev stated that development work on the PAK DP topic will begin no earlier than 2019, i.e. two years later than originally planned. At the same time, such a change in the schedule of work should not affect the state of the fleet of interceptors available to the Air Force. To maintain the required potential, it was necessary to continue the modernization of military equipment.

Then, in August 2015, another defense industry organization expressed its intention to participate in the Advanced Long-Range Interception Aviation Complex program. Yury Bely, Director General of the Research Institute of Instrument Engineering named after V.V. Tikhomirov (Zhukorvsky), spoke about the start of work on shaping the appearance of the radio-electronic systems of the future aircraft. He noted that the creation of the Zaslon radar used on the MiG-31 interceptors became a milestone for the NIIP. Tikhomirov, and the station itself eventually turned out to be " calling card» organizations. In this regard, the institute showed interest in the new program and decided to join it.

At that time, research work was already underway to determine the appearance of the avionics of the PAK DP aircraft. The possibility of creating a new complex based on the Zaslon product or newer systems such as Bars, Irbis, etc. was considered. Among other things, the possibility of developing a promising radar and related equipment based on the equipment created for the fifth generation fighter PAK FA / T-50 was studied. At the same time, however, as of August 2015, NIIP them. Tikhomirov has not yet been officially appointed as a developer of on-board electronic systems.

In December 2015, the General Director of RAC MiG again spoke about the progress of work. According to S. Korotkov, the corporation has already started developing a new interceptor aircraft. By this time, experts had an understanding of what should be promising PAK DP, and began to determine its technical appearance. In particular, the project planned to use the most modern materials and new principles of military aircraft construction. Moreover, all the work, as stated, was carried out at the expense of the state budget. Any information about the completion of certain works was not disclosed at that time.

In the future, the topic of developing the PAK DP interceptor was repeatedly raised by various officials and means. mass media, but new information about the timing of the work, the plans of the customer and the industry, or the technical details of the project did not appear. As a result, for the whole of 2016 and the first months of the current 2017, the volume of available information about the promising program has not changed much.

Just a few days ago, on June 14, 2017, Kommersant published an interview with a new CEO Corporation "MiG" Ilya Tarasenko. During a conversation with journalists, the head of the enterprise spoke about the latest transformations, plans for the development of the corporation, as well as the successes in the development and construction of aviation equipment. Among other things, the topic of creating a promising interceptor aircraft was touched upon. According to I. Tarasenko, the MiG designers are currently working on the concept of the project and are working on the appearance of the aircraft. The work is carried out on an initiative basis, but with the involvement of related organizations.

While the new PAK DP aircraft is not ready for serial production and operation, the troops will have to use the upgraded MiG-31 vehicles. According to current plans, in the future, the military department may be offered another project for the modernization of existing equipment. However, by the time the updated MiG-31BM will again need repair and modernization, the new PAK DP is planned to be brought into operation. In the meantime, the appearance of the future interceptor is being worked out, as well as the modernization of the vehicles in service.

The possibility of replacing MiG-31 interceptors in the distant future has been discussed for many years, but until a certain time it did not go beyond conversations and preliminary studies. It was only in 2013 that a fundamental decision was made to develop a new aircraft of the required type. However, due to the presence of a successful project for the modernization of existing equipment, the development of a new PAK DP program was shifted several years ahead. Because of this, as has been repeatedly reported, the first serial interceptors of a new type will go to the troops only in the middle of the next decade.

According to the latest reports on this subject, development work on the topic "Promising aviation complex for long-range interception" will start only in 2019. In the meantime, the aviation industry and related enterprises are engaged in research work, the purpose of which is to form a technical appearance and create requirements for the machine. As a consequence, on this moment early to talk about any technical details of the project. At the same time, over the past few years, some options for a possible approach to the creation of the PAK DP and, as a result, the features of its appearance have been repeatedly mentioned.

Back in 2013-14, it was mentioned several times that the new PAK DP / MiG-41 interceptor could be developed based on the existing MiG-31 aircraft. This version still has its supporters, but has not yet received official confirmation. Moreover, in the course of current research work, a similar approach to creating new technology may be considered disadvantageous. As a result, the new aircraft is unlikely to be based on the ideas and solutions of the existing project. At the same time, a certain similarity due to the implementation of certain concepts cannot be ruled out.

It should be noted that the first attempt to create a replacement for the MiG-31 was made back in the eighties. As part of the project with the working title "701", it was supposed to create a promising long-range interceptor, characterized by a significant increase in the main characteristics. As a result, an aircraft was proposed, built according to the "tailless" scheme with a developed center section and front horizontal tail. Two engines were planned to be placed above the wing in the tail section of the machine. At takeoff weight more than 70 tons, such an aircraft could take on board more than 12 tons of weapons, including long-range air-to-air missiles. It was planned to increase the maximum speed to 2500 km / h, the range - up to 7 thousand km. The project was stopped in the early nineties due to lack of funding.

Possible appearance of the aircraft "701". Figure Bastion-opk.ru

In the current situation, it is virtually impossible to predict the shape of the future PAK DP without making serious mistakes. One can only try to imagine certain features of such equipment, with the help of which it can not only fully replace the existing machines, but also give the aerospace forces new opportunities. Obviously, the current assumptions may coincide with the real result of the PAK DP program, but the likelihood of this is not very high.

The most important feature of the serial MiG-31 is the maximum flight speed of up to 3000 km / h, which allows them to as soon as possible reach the missile launch line. It cannot be ruled out that when shaping the appearance of a promising machine, the military department will consider it necessary to preserve such capabilities. One more feature The existing equipment is the Barrier / Barrier-M radar, which allows detecting large objects at distances up to 400 km. Modern progress in the field of electronic systems, at least in theory, allows you to get a new increase in performance with obvious consequences for combat effectiveness. The most powerful MiG-31 is the R-33 long-range missile, the latest modifications of which are capable of hitting targets at distances of about 300 km.

It is easy to see that a serious increase in the combat effectiveness of interceptors can be obtained even while maintaining the "platform" in the form of a glider with power plant. Thus, the option of a deep modernization of the MiG-31 aircraft, which implies the use of new avionics and advanced weapons, looks very interesting. However, for one reason or another, the authors of the terms of reference for the PAK DP program may reject this possibility and recommend the development of an interceptor from scratch, even if using existing developments.

According to available data, the issues of the technical appearance of the "Promising Long-Range Interception Aviation Complex" are still being considered by specialists, and this stage of the program will continue in the foreseeable future. The development of the PAK DP / MiG-41 project will start only at the end of the current decade, and the first tangible results will be obtained only in the mid-twenties. Until a sufficient number of new aircraft appear, interception tasks will be solved by MiG-31 machines of existing modifications.

The existing plans for the development of the group of interceptor aircraft are not characterized by a high speed of implementation, but their implementation will allow maintaining the required defense capability over the next few decades. The development of the PAK DP project, which will start in 2019, will eventually lead to a gradual replacement of the existing MiG-31s ​​and a corresponding increase in the potential of the aerospace forces. In the meantime, we should wait for new reports on the progress of the program, which, in particular, will be able to reveal and technical features promising project.

According to the websites:
http://ria.ru/
http://tass.ru/
http://tvzvezda.ru/
http://kommersant.ru/
http://bastion-opk.ru/

The concept of "interceptor aircraft" appeared in the USSR in the 1950s of the twentieth century due to the fact that some fighters began to be equipped with radars, which made it possible to detect and destroy air targets without visual contact.

An interceptor is a device whose task is to destroy enemy cruise missiles and bombers.

Today, the Russian Air Force is armed with the MiG-31BM interceptor. It is part of the missile defense system. The MiG-31BM can cope with the destruction of cruise and ballistic missiles in any altitude range in severe weather conditions, bringing the defense up to 100% reliability.

In principle, back in the 80s, simultaneously with the development of the multifunctional MiG 1.42 fighter at the Mikoyan Design Bureau, work was underway on the project of a multifunctional long-range interceptor with the "Product 7.01" index. Its task was to be, like that of the MiG-31, patrolling and guarding the borders of the USSR, but with a higher degree of autonomy. The estimated range in cruising mode was to be 7000 km, in subsonic - 11000 km. Cruising speed - about 2500 km / h. Crew - 2 people. Work on this project was curtailed in 1993.

"Product 7.01"

Since then, many years have passed, the aircraft industry has not stood still, technological progress has taken a huge step forward. There is nothing incredible about the supposed speed of Mach 4 for a new machine. The interceptor, according to its purpose, must be the fastest aircraft.

During the construction of the MiG-41, materials should be used that reduce the radar visibility of the machine. The weapons placed inside the vehicle also help to reduce visibility.

The estimated flight range is likely to be increased to 13,000 km.

The MiG's armament will most likely include the R-37 long-range missile or its new modifications.

One of the main tasks of the new interceptor will be the fight against hypersonic aircraft, which are actively developed in the camp of our rivals - the United States. Their rocket, the "Boeing X-51", is expected to have a speed of 6,000 km/h. Intercepting such targets is a very difficult task.

Boeing X-51

It is assumed that the interceptor will be able to launch microsatellites operating in low orbits.

The possibility of controlling the aircraft in unmanned mode is being worked out, and these are already the capabilities of the sixth generation technology.

alleged appearance of the MiG-41

Most likely, the adoption of such equipment will become possible no earlier than the mid-20s. By this time, new technologies in the field of protection against "hypersound" will also appear.

Experts believe that today we are on the threshold of the birth of a new generation of aviation missiles. Laser weapons are rapidly developing, the Americans are working most actively in this direction. ten years in modern world- this is a huge period, during this time completely new technologies may appear, which we do not even know about today.

To perform air defense missions in the skies of the Arctic, interceptors with a high flight speed and a large range are required. These are the long-range heavy interceptors MiG-31 and MiG-31 BM, which, together with other types of aircraft, form a powerful fist of the Arctic air defense. It is also planned that by the end of the 2020s, promising aviation complexes long-range interception (PAK DP).

As for the MiG-31, it should be recalled that the design of this aircraft was chosen and optimized specifically for the conditions of supersonic flight at a speed of 3000 km / h (Mach 2.8). Its 55% steel, 33% high-strength aluminum alloy, and 13% titanium body can handle kinetic heat well at these operating speeds.

But the PAK DP, which, for example, will have to deal with the type of US-developed SR-72, is seen only as hypersonic. Hero of Russia, test pilot Anatoly Kvochur suggests that the PAK DP should fly at speeds of at least 4-4.3 Mach (4500 km/h). However, under such conditions, the kinetic heating begins to increase sharply. The metal body of the MiG-31 is simply not designed for such loads. This means that there must be other solutions, because the use of the MiG-31 as a PAK DP prototype is excluded. It will be possible to find out how the aircraft for the Arctic interception will actually look like only after waiting for the results of the project development. PAK DP will require solving the problems of hypersonic aerodynamics, thermal loads, the choice of structural materials, layout, engine operation modes, solving the problem of placing weapons on an aircraft and its separation at hypersonic speeds, as well as many other problems that will inevitably arise during the development of an aircraft.