AARGM missile or how to deal with A2 / AD air defense systems
Anti-radar guided missile AGM-88 HARM is by far the best missile of this type in the world, which has proven itself in combat operations in many armed conflicts. AGM-88E AARGM is its latest and much more advanced version. US Navy photo
Over the past 20-30 years there has been a great revolution in the field of military capabilities, mainly associated with the development of computer technology, software, data communications, electronics, radar and electro-optical technologies. Thanks to this, it is much easier to detect air, surface and ground targets, and then direct a strike at them with accurate weapons.
The abbreviation A2 / AD stands for Anti Access / Area Denial, meaning in a free but understandable translation: “entry prohibited” and “restricted areas”. Anti-breakthrough - the destruction of enemy combat assets on the outskirts of a protected area by long-range means. Zone negation, on the other hand, is about fighting your opponent directly in a protected zone so that they don't have the freedom to move over or on top of it. The concept of A2 / AD is applicable not only to air operations, but also to sea, and to a certain extent, to land.
In the field of countering air attack weapons, an important progress has been not only a radical increase in the probability of hitting a target with an anti-aircraft surface-to-air missile or an air-to-air guided missile fired from a fighter, but, above all, multi-channel anti-aircraft systems. Back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, most SAM systems in use could only fire at one aircraft in a firing sequence. Only after a hit (or miss) could the next (or same) target be fired upon. Thus, the flight through the zone of undermining the anti-aircraft missile system was associated with moderate losses, if any. Modern anti-aircraft missile systems, capable of simultaneously hitting several or a dozen targets with a high probability of hitting, are capable of literally destroying a strike air group that accidentally fell into their zone of action. Of course, electronic countermeasures, various traps and silencer cartridges, combined with appropriate operational tactics, can seriously reduce the effectiveness of anti-aircraft missile systems, but the risk of significant losses is enormous.
The military forces and resources concentrated by the Russian Federation in the Kaliningrad region are defensive in nature, but at the same time they have some offensive capabilities. All of them - to simplify the control system - are subordinate to the Command of the Baltic Fleet, but there are sea, land and air components.
Ground air and missile defense of the Kaliningrad region is organized on the basis of the 44th air defense division, whose headquarters is in Kaliningrad. The 81st Radio Engineering Regiment with headquarters in Piroslavsky is responsible for airspace control. Parts of countering the air raid - the 183rd missile brigade of the base in Gvardeysk and the 1545th anti-aircraft regiment in Znamensk. The brigade consists of six squadrons: the 1st and 3rd have S-400 medium-range anti-aircraft systems, and the 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th S-300PS (on a wheeled chassis). On the other hand, the 1545th Anti-Aircraft Regiment has two squadrons of S-300W4 medium-range anti-aircraft systems (on a tracked chassis).
In addition, the air defense forces of the ground forces and marines are equipped with short-range anti-aircraft missile systems "Tor", "Strela-10" and "Igla", as well as self-propelled artillery and missile systems "Tunguska" and ZSU-23-4.
The Air Force of the 44th Air Defense Division is part of the 72nd Air Base in Chernyakhovsk, to which the 4th Chekalovsky Assault Aviation Regiment (16 Su-24MR, 8 Su-30M2 and 5 Su-30SM) and the 689th Fighter Aviation Regiment are assigned to Chernyakhovsk (3 Su-27s, 6 Su-27Ps, 13 Su-27SM3s, 3 Su-27PUs and 2 Su-27UBs). Part is being prepared for conversion into Su-35 fighters.
As you can see, the A2 air defense forces consist of 27 Su-27 fighters (double-seat combat training aircraft have the same weapon system as single-seat combat aircraft), 8 Su-30 multi-purpose aircraft, four S-400s, eight S-300PS batteries and four S-300W4 batteries, the air defense force consists of four Tor batteries, two Strela-10 batteries, two Tunguska batteries, and an unknown number of Igla MANPADS.
In addition, it is necessary to add shipborne initial detection systems and medium, short and ultra-short range fire detection systems, which are equivalent to about a dozen missile, rocket-artillery and artillery batteries.
Particular attention should be paid to the S-400 complex, which is extremely effective. A single battery is capable of simultaneously firing up to 10 cells, meaning a total of four batteries can simultaneously fire up to 40 cells in a single firing sequence. The kit uses anti-aircraft guided missiles 40N6 with a maximum range of destruction of anti-aerodynamic targets of 400 km with an active radar homing head, 48N6DM with a range of 250 km with a semi-active radar homing head with a target tracking system and 9M96M. with an active radar homing head with a range of 120 km for aerodynamic targets. All of the above types of guided missiles can be used simultaneously to combat ballistic missiles with a range of 1000-2500 km at ranges of 20-60 km. What do these 400 km mean? This means that if our F-16 Jastrząb aircraft gain high altitude after takeoff from the Poznan-Kshesiny airfield, they can be immediately fired upon from the Kaliningrad region with 40N6 missiles from S-400 systems.
NATO admits that they neglected the development of the Russian Federation of A2 / AD air defense systems. It was not considered a serious threat until 2014, before the occupation of Crimea. Europe was simply disarming, and there were even suggestions that the time had come to withdraw US troops from Europe, especially Germany. They were no longer needed - European politicians thought so. The Americans also turned their attention first to the Middle East and the problem of Islamic terrorism, and then to the Far East, in connection with the development of nuclear missile forces in the DPRK and the creation of ballistic missiles capable of reaching US territory.
