Weapons - Perspective 2040

What will the XNUMXth century be like in the largest armies in the world? It is difficult to predict what will happen in the second half of the century, but it is definitely worth taking a look at the technologies that will enter or be used in the next few years, especially in the US military, which sets the direction of the race of forces.

Weapons of the future is a fascinating topic. However, when talking about new types of weapons, we often fall into pure fantasy that has little to do with current technological capabilities. That's why Our discussion in this report will be limited to the next two decades - that is, projects that military research centers are actually working on and which will most likely result in solutions that by 2040 will become the standard in major armies.

Beyond the F-35

About several projects of the most modern army in the world - the American one - it can be said that 99% of them will shape its strength and importance over the next quarter of a century.

It surely belongs to them B-21 Raider - American low-visibility bomber developed by Northrop Grumman as part of the program (LRS-B). According to assumptions, the B-21 should be able to carry both conventional weapons and nuclear weapons. Initial combat readiness is planned for the mid-20s. In addition, the concept of converting the Raider from a manned vehicle into an optionally manned vehicle is also being considered. The new aircraft should replace the old bombers in US strategic aviation. B-52 i B-1BThe retirement of which is scheduled for the 40s The designation B-21 should signal that it will be the first bomber of the XNUMXth century.

although F-35C (1), that is, the US Navy version of the T-6 reached initial operational readiness this year, the US Navy is already thinking about a completely new project. It will be a US Navy XNUMX+ generation airborne fighter designated F / A-XXwhich, however, will not be built until 2035. In this time frame, the replacement of fleet fighters seems necessary. Many experts point out that fighter gliders, which have been in service since about 2035. F / A-18E / F Super Hornet now they will be in a bad state. It's just that their official usage limit is 6 hours. The average age of the fleet of these fighters is estimated at 25 years. A somewhat "antique" design is no longer suitable for new aircraft carriers.

A few months ago, Lockheed Martin officially admitted that its most mysterious and world-famous branch is Skunk Works (office of advanced technology programs) - working on a successor to the cult SR-71 Blackbird. At the moment, the machine is referred to by engineers as SR-72. While the entire project is a mystery, we do know a few details - an early demonstrator of the technology (estimated at nearly $1 billion in construction) was spotted in the skies over Palmdale, California. According to the concern, the new car will be able to move without problems at speeds up to 7500 km/h. Unlike the SR-71, it will be unmanned, which should significantly improve flight safety and make it easier to carry out risky missions. Thanks to the use of the next version of the technology, it will become invisible to radars. However, little is known about the drive, although in general there are certainly fairly new developments.

Work on the aircraft began about four years ago. The project is carried out in close collaboration with engineers from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). expected the date of entry of the Blackbird successor into service is around 2030., however, the first flights of the finished machine should take place in 2021-2022.

These are not all secret Lockheed Martin projects. The concern is also working on successors U-2, F-117 visa. i B-2. He announced his plans in April at the Aerotech conference in Texas, and in September, presenting a film about the 75th anniversary of the Skunk Works, showed footage representing new combat concepts. aircrafts. There were animations showing visualizations of sixth generation air superiority fighters, i.e. potential successor F-22 Raptor - designs with a more flattened silhouette while maintaining the layout of the airframe.

Outside the American continent, research is also underway on sixth-generation fighters. in Russia - despite the fact that the construction of a full-fledged fifth-generation fighter has not been completed there (Su-57). The Sukhoi Design Bureau prepared the first design schemes for the new machines last year. It is expected that both programs will work in parallel, assuming the implementation of some new solutions in lower generation aircraft, up to the “5+” level.

Twin rotor and convertible wing

In April, the defense companies The Boeing Company and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation demonstrated the concept of a strike version of helicopters on YouTube. SB-1 Defiant (2). They are offered to the military as a family of multi-purpose helicopters of the future, in the assault version as successors AH-64 Apache. The design of the transport version of the SB-1 Defiant, proposed as a successor to the family UH-60 Black Hawk, was introduced in mid-2014. Like the original version, the new one is also a helicopter with two main rotors (a coaxial twin rotor system with counter-rotating rigid propellers) and a pusher propeller.

Boeing-Sikorsky offer competition – faster model developed V-280 Value (3) from Bell Helicopter, which offered the US Army a car in a completely different configuration - like a third-generation folding-wing aircraft. A complete prototype of this model was recently unveiled at the Amarillo Assembly Center in Texas. The V-280 Valor is to be equipped with a triple dual electronic control system, butterfly tail, fixed wings and retractable landing gear.

3. Visualization of the valor of the V-280

The maximum takeoff weight is approximately 13 kg and the maximum speed is approximately 680 km/h. The machine will be able to take on board up to eleven soldiers, and the crew will consist of two pilots and two technicians. The radius of action is more than 520 km. Impact version of the tiltrotor, designated as AV 280, with weapons in internal chambers and on an external sling (missiles), as well as small-sized drones. In the new machine, only the rotors themselves will rotate, and the motors will remain in a horizontal position, which distinguishes the design from the well-known V-22 Ospreya, a floating-wing multirole aircraft from Bell and Boeing. According to experts, this simplifies the design of the machine and should increase its reliability compared to its predecessor.

Ships that never were

Futuristic USS Zumwalt has been swimming since 2015 (4). This is the largest destroyer of the US Navy - its length is 180 meters, and its weight (on land) is 15 thousand. tone. Despite its size, due to the special design of the type's hull, on radar it does not appear larger than a fishing boat.

4. USS Zumwalt in port stories

The ship is notable in many other ways as well. To power the on-board devices, microgrid solutions () were used, based on an intelligent power distribution system from diversified distributed sources. This means that the energy needed to operate the navigation systems, equipment and weapons of the ship does not come from the onboard generator, but from all Wind turbines, natural gas generators, etc. The ship is driven by two Rolls-Royce Marine Trent-30 gas turbines. It is also equipped with a 78 MW emergency diesel engine.

Class DDG-1000 Zumwalt These are vessels designed to operate near the coast. Probably, in the future, wireless power transmission technologies will be used to power them. So far, the project description emphasizes only the diversification of energy sources with an emphasis on "clean" sources.

Zumwalt opens up a new class of naval ships as well as a whole new trend in naval ship building. Startpoint, a team formed by the British Royal Navy and the local Ministry of Defense, has developed the project in recent years. Dreadnought T2050 (5). It is no coincidence that the building is strongly associated with the American Zumwalt. Like the Zumwalt, it was equipped landing area. Also provided hangarwhich houses larger manned helicopters. In the rear part there will be a docking station for uninhabited underwater vehicles. T2050 must also be equipped.

5. Dreadnought T2050 - visualization

A new class of submarine

In September, the US Navy awarded a contract to General Dynamics Electric Boat to design and build a next-generation strategic nuclear submarine capable of carrying Ballistic missiles. That's how it starts Columbia program, which should lead to the construction of successors (currently twelve) to the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines currently in use. Within the framework of it, in particular, design work and the development of components, technologies and prototypes of a new floating craft will begin. The Americans emphasize that Great Britain is also participating in the project.

“y,” says Secretary of the Navy Richard W. Spencer. According to Columbia program manager Rear Admiral David Goggins, the production and deployment phase could begin as early as 2021.

The entire program will cost about $100 billion. Such a huge investment plan highlights the importance of ballistic missile submarines in the US deterrence strategy.

The program concerns not only the ships themselves, but also their nuclear weapons. Each of these units is to receive, among other things, a new reactor and sixteen Trident II D5 ballistic missiles (6). The first Columbia (SSBN 826) is due to enter service in 2031.

6. Trident II D5 compared to previous US naval ballistic missiles

Underwater drones are growing in importance

At the end of September 2017 in Newport, Rhode Island, the first in the US Navy was formed unmanned underwater camera squadron (UUV), which was given the name UVRON 1. At present, in this segment of the military “market”, the Americans have a fleet of about 130 devices of various types (7).

7. American military drone to search for underwater mines

Perhaps it is precisely in view of the development of American submarine forces that the Chinese are planning to create a movable habitable underwater station. The official goal will be to search for minerals, but it may also be possible to adapt it for military purposes. He will have to work in the South China Sea, in a disputed area claimed not only by China, but also by the Philippines and Vietnam. The seabed is there at a depth of 3 meters. m. Never before in such "abysses" not a single inhabited object was constantly exploited.

Many observers note that the station could serve as a base for another initiative - the so-called. Underwater Great Wall of China. This refers to a network of floating and underwater sensors designed to detect enemy submarines. The secret services have known about these plans for some time, but the Chinese have released information about them relatively recently. They will be used to implement the project. During last year's military exhibition, the Chinese government unveiled a fleet of unmanned vehicles - sea ​​dronesthis would be part of the underwater defense system. They would be able to maneuver both on the surface of the water and deep below it. They could also carry weapons capable of hitting submarines, as well as other payloads.

An hour to the other side of the world

2040 does not seem like an unrealistic time horizon for hypersonic weapons (8), which is currently undergoing intensive testing, fueled by the growing fever of the arms race. This is being worked on in the United States, as well as in China and Russia. Hypersonic weapons systems make it possible to strike at objects or people anywhere in the world, the location of which is known only temporarily, no more than an hour.

8. Hypersonic weapons - visualization

In professional terminology, solutions of this type are referred to as HGV class systems (). Information about the work on them is rather mysterious, but we know little about them, and we guess a little, although, probably, in some places we are deliberately misinformed on this topic by the relevant services of the largest powers - after all, only they can experience handling weapons several times faster than the sound allows.

Speaking of this category of weapons, most often they mean maneuvering glide missiles, i.e. gliding. They travel at speeds many times faster than previous missiles and are virtually undetectable by radar. If they were used, most of the world's existing nuclear arsenals would be useless, since missiles of this type would probably destroy missile silos in the first stage of the war. Tracking gliders with radar is almost impossible because they fly at a much lower altitude than traditional ballistic missiles and then hit the target with an accuracy of several meters.

China made its seventh attempt in April Hypersonic missile DF-ZF (formerly known as WU-14). It is believed to reach speeds over 10 million years ago, allowing it to successfully defeat the US missile defense system. Around the same time, a test flight of his hypersonic missile took place. 3M22 Zirconium carried out by the Russians. According to well-known American reports, Russian missiles were ready for use in 2018, and Chinese ones in 2020. In turn, the achievement of combat readiness by the first Russian warhead of this type, expected by the British analytical center Jane's Information Group, is scheduled for 2020-2025 years.

It is worth remembering that in Russia (and earlier in the USSR) technologies related to the process of launching and controlling hypersonic missiles have long been developed. In 1990, tests were carried out with Ju-70 / 102E system. It has already been used in subsequent tests. Yu-71. According to assumptions, this rocket should reach 11 thousand. km / h The Zircon mentioned above is another project, the export version of which is known in the West as BraMos II.

In the United States, the idea of ​​​​creating such weapons arose as a result of a revision of the local nuclear policy () in 2001. For some time, work has been carried out on the concept of using new ultra-fast missiles based on such programs as, for example, Prompt Global Strike (PGS). So far, however, the Americans have focused on hypersonic spacecraft and missiles with conventional warheads, for example, to fight terrorists or North Korea.

Only after learning that Russia and China are working mainly on hypersonic nuclear strikes, the US is modifying its strategy and accelerating work to replace the current intercontinental ballistic missiles with hypersonic missiles. 

In response to information from the United States, the head of Russian air defense, General Alexander Leonov, said that Russia is intensively working on creating a system capable of stopping missiles of this type.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin recently noted, hinting that Russia is seriously thinking about taking a leading position in this race.

More and more powerful lasers

All signs in the sky, on the ground and on the seas indicate that the Americans are currently at the forefront of developing laser weapons. In 2016, the US Army announced large-scale tests Mobile high-energy HELMTT laser (High Energy Laser Mobile Test Truck) rated at 10kW (will eventually be 50kW) manufactured by the Fires Center of Excellence Combat Lab at Fort Still, Oklahoma. They are aimed at testing the possibility of adopting weapons of this class into service with the army in the mid-20s.

This is another version of the American, installed and tested for several years on ships. In 2013, the capabilities of a laser weapon system were demonstrated in the waters off San Diego. Laser weapon system - LaWS (9) installed on the destroyer USS Dewey. LaWS hits aerial targets that are monitored by a radar system.

In 2015, a photo of a car destroyed by a laser gun was circulated around the world, combined with information about successful tests of the laser system. Advanced High Energy Asset Test (ATHENA), Lockheed Martin. A few months later, the plant in Bothell, Washington, began production of modules for laser systems with a power of 60 kW for installation on US Army vehicles.

According to published information, it will be possible to combine two modules to obtain a total beam power of up to 120 kW. The solution uses fiber laser technology and the light from many modules is combined into a single beam using this technology. The powerful beam created in this way destroyed the engine of the car at the test site in a matter of seconds, from a great distance, during the aforementioned tests.

Lasers are considered the ideal way to create artillery weapons. Rockets, shells and bombs fly at great speed, but laser ray it is faster and theoretically should destroy everything that arrives. In 2018, General Dynamics began assembling 18-kilowatt lasers on Stryker military vehicles. In turn, at the disposal of the Navy since 2014. system laser weapon on USS Ponce and intends to place such weapons on AC-130 boats. The US Department of Defense is considering equipping aircraft carriers with laser weapons. It would replace at least some missile systems. Their installation and use will be possible on next-generation aircraft carriers such as the USS Gerald Ford, since these ships are capable of generating electricity of sufficient power and voltage close to 14. volts. Lasers will be used for both defensive and offensive missions.

After successful experiments with laser weapons on ships and combat vehicles, the Americans want to go further and start testing them on aircraft. A prototype onboard laser gun will be built in the near future. would be installed on flying gunboat AC-130 (restored transport S-130 Hercules), owned by US Special Forces Aviation.

Aircraft of this type are usually used to support soldiers on the ground with massed cannon fire and howitzers. The military, however, doesn't want this futuristic weapon because of its destructive power, but because it doesn't make noise, which can be a big advantage in SWAT-type operations.

The goal of the US Air Force is to have laser guns armed with laser guns after 2030, which should ensure their air supremacy. The lasers and the beam guidance system will be tested in flight regardless of the target platform at altitudes up to 20 meters. m and speeds from 0,6 to 2,5 million years.

When we talk about laser weapons, we clearly do not mean any one type of device. The complete US Air Force weapons system consists of three categories of lasers:

1. low power - for "highlighting" and tracking targets and blinding surveillance systems;
2. average power - primarily for self-defense against attacking infrared-guided missiles;
3. high voltage - to combat air and ground targets.

At the end of 2016, information appeared that the defense company Northrop Grumman would help the US Air Force develop laser weapons that would equip the latest F-35B fighters, attack helicopters AN-1 Cobra or the already mentioned B-21 Raider bomber. The company plans to create small laser guns suitable for installation even on board fighter jets. These devices will be extremely sophisticated - capable of not only eliminating distant targets, but also tracking them in flight, and at the same time resistant to interference. The arms concern wants to start the first tests of these weapons in 2019.

In June 2017, the US Army announced that attempts to shoot down an Apache-type helicopter with lasers at a distance of about 1,4 km were successful. The experiment was conducted by the American company Raytheon. In her opinion, for the first time, a laser system from an aircraft hit a target from different positions. It is also the first time a laser has been used from a helicopter, although experiments with this weapon in the United States have been going on for a long time. Last month, the US Army also said it shot down a drone with it.

Who else has a laser?

Of course, not only the United States is working on military lasers. In November 2013, the Xinhua news agency reported that the Chinese military had field-tested the weapon. The Chinese do not stop at military targets on the ground and in the air. Since 2007, they have been testing a laser capable of hitting targets in orbit around the world. This destruction has so far been limited to "blinding" the on-board instruments of reconnaissance satellites, commonly known as spy satellites. However, if you manage to develop powerful lasers, you will probably be able to destroy various objects with them.

With appropriate funding orbital laser She will be able to work in 2023. It should be a system weighing about 5 tons, identifying and tracking space objects using a special camera. The Chinese want to use their previous experience dating back to 2005, for example, with testing a ground-based laser system with a power of 50-100 kW. Such a device was placed at a test site in Xinjiang province, from where an attempt was made to hit a satellite located about 600 km from the Earth's surface with a laser beam.

China surprised with production handheld laser weapon. His appearance in 2016 at the Chinese police exhibition was a real surprise. Then it was presented Rifles PY132A, WJG-2002 Oraz Barbecue-905which, according to the manufacturer's description, work on a principle similar to the Israeli laser anti-missile shield Iron Beam ("Iron Beam") or HELLADS Laser CannonDARPA has been working on this for several years now. However, Chinese rifles are the smallest weapons that use laser technology. According to the manufacturer, it is supposed to be used by soldiers against drones and unmanned aerial vehicles used by enemy armies or, of course, terrorists.

The aforementioned Israeli Iron Beam system is designed to destroy missiles in the so-called. system dead zone Iron dome, that is, Israel's missile defense. Rafael is the supplier of the new protection kits. The Iron Beam will be based on a powerful laser and advanced guidance technology. Day and night, he must fight missiles, artillery shells, drones and ground targets. The technology was created as a continuation of the American-Israeli high-power laser programs - Tel Oraz MTEL.

The Iron Beam is a structure equipped with its own radar that detects, tracks and directs fire, in the command center and two powerful lasers. According to assumptions, the entire system will neutralize objects within a radius of up to 7 km with a laser beam, i.e. below the Iron Dome trigger threshold for a few seconds. Each laser fires 150-200 times before going through a cooling process.

A few years ago, work on combat lasers resumed in Russia. In December 2014, when the Americans announced the results of tests of the LaWS cannon, the then Chief of the General Staff, General Yuri Baluyevsky, spoke about Russian laser weapons. In 2015, the commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Major General Kirill Makarov, admitted that Russia already has weapons to blind observers and destroy military targets. Last summer, local media reported that "the Russian army is equipped with laser weapons."

In addition to great powers, Fr. laser weapon other countries are beginning to speak in their arsenals. Early this year, the South Korean daily The Korea Herald reported that due to the threat posed by North Korean drones, South Korea plans to build its own laser weapons by 2020.

The September DSEI International Exhibition in London, in turn, provided an opportunity to present Dragonfire Laser Cannonwhich can become a model for the European weapons system. A working consortium led by MBDA took part in the construction work. The program known as LDEW () were additionally implemented by three companies - Leonardo (he provided the turret for aiming the laser beam), QinetiQ (responsible for the laser itself) and BAE Systems, as well as Arke, Marshall and GKN. Design work is expected to be completed by the end of this year, laboratory testing should begin in early 2018, and field testing is scheduled for 2019. The first Dragonfire system is expected to be installed on a British ship in 2020 - likely on Type 45 destroyer.

Cannon on rails, i.e.

High-energy systems, in particular laser and electromagnetic guns, are currently being tested at the test sites of the world's greatest military powers. The moment of entry into normal operation of this class of weapons may be very close, but in fact ... already happening. From the application electromagnetic weapons there are great practical advantages in artillery. Powerful artillery shells could be used, for example, in missile defense. This is a much cheaper solution than rockets. If, then not only the traditional anti-aircraft artillery systems, but also most of the types of rocket weapons known to us will turn out to be useless.

The most important advantages of electromagnetic guns include the possibility of achieving high speeds with projectile shots. Thus, high growth is achieved kinetic energy, which leads to a jump in destructive power. There is no risk of an explosion of the transported ammunition, and this, in addition, is significantly smaller in size and weight, which means that with the available cargo space, you can take more of it. High projectile speed reduces the risk of hitting the enemy target, and aiming becomes easier. Acceleration occurs along the entire length of the barrel, and not just in the first part, where the explosion of gunpowder occurs. By adjusting, for example, the current strength, you can also adjust the initial velocity of the projectile.

Of course, one cannot fail to mention the shortcomings of electromagnetic weapons. Above all - high energy demand. There is also the issue of ensuring the required rate of fire or cooling of the entire system, as well as reducing the phenomenon of air friction that occurs at such high speeds when flying in the earth's atmosphere. Designers also have to contend with high and rapid wear on key components due to high temperatures, loads, and supply currents.

Military engineers are working on a solution of type (10), in which the gun is located between two rails that are also its guides. Closing the current circuit - rail, anchor, second rail - creates a magnetic field that gives speed to the anchor and the projectile connected to it. The second idea of ​​such a weapon is a static system of coaxial coils. The electromagnetic field created in them acts on the coil with the projectile.

10. Electromagnetic gun

Intelligent trench munitions

And what awaits the ordinary soldier of the future?

A separate report could be written about projects that concern him. Here we mention about. smart rockets which do not require aiming and go exactly where we want. They have been tested by the US military agency DARPA (11). The project is called shaving and is largely secret so little is known about the technical details. Scant descriptions of Teledyne, which is working on this solution, show that the missiles use optical guidance systems. The technology allows real-time response to weather conditions, wind and target movements. The effective range of the new type of ammunition is 2 km.

11. DARPA Intelligent Rocket

Tracking Point is also engaged in the creation of intelligent weapons. Her smart sniper rifle designed in such a way that the soldier does not need to undergo special training. The company guarantees that literally everyone can make accurate shots - you just need to find the target. An internal computer collects ballistic data, analyzes the image of the battlefield, records atmospheric conditions such as ambient temperature and pressure, even taking into account the tilt of the earth's axis.

Finally, he gives detailed instructions on how to hold the gun and exactly when to pull the trigger. The shooter can check all the information by looking through the viewfinder. The smart weapon is equipped with a microphone, a compass, Wi-Fi, a locator, a built-in laser rangefinder and a USB input. Rifles can also communicate with each other - exchange data and images. This information can also be sent to a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Tracking Point also offered an app called Shotview that enhances the weapon's capabilities with the conveniences associated with it. In practice, the image from the sights is transmitted in HD quality to the shooter's eye. On the one hand, it allows you to aim without folding on a shot, and on the other hand, it allows you to fire in such a way that the shooter does not have to stick his head into the danger zone.

With all our enthusiasm for the technologies and capabilities of the weapons projects described above, we can only hope that they will be created within the time frame planned by the designers and ... will never be used in combat.