home » Business ideas » Piston aircraft in modern warfare. Alexander Afanasiev

Piston aircraft in modern warfare. Alexander Afanasiev

In the modern age of speed, many of us believe that modern military aircraft should be jet-powered.

The purpose of this article is to show the forum participants that in the modern world there is a place not only for powerful and modern weapons systems, but also for seemingly obsolete, but in-demand types of weapons.

During the fighting in Vietnam, the American military leadership came to the conclusion that they were created for the "big war" with Soviet Union jet supersonic combat aircraft are ineffective against guerrillas operating in the jungle. In part, the problem was solved with the help of the remaining A-1 Skyrader piston attack aircraft and B-26 Invader bombers, as well as training machines and helicopters converted into shock aircraft.

Attack aircraft A-1 "Skyrader".

However, the loss and depletion of the resource of combat aircraft created during the Second World War made their inevitable “leaving the stage” only a matter of time, and armed training aircraft and attack helicopters were very vulnerable to Viet Cong anti-aircraft fire.

Taking into account all these factors, several programs have been launched in the United States to create light "counter-guerrilla" attack aircraft adapted for operations in the conditions of the South East Asia. The result of the work was the creation and adoption of the very successful turboprop OV-10 Bronco and the turbojet A-37 Dragonfly.

OV-10 "Bronco"

Adopted shortly before the end of hostilities in Vietnam, these aircraft for many years became a kind of “standard” for light attack vehicles designed to operate against irregular formations. They optimally combined good security, high maneuverability, a wide range of weapons, the ability to base on unprepared unpaved airfields and low operating costs. In a number of countries that have problems with "illegal armed groups", these attack aircraft are still in operation.

A-37 "Dragonfly"

Another "counter-guerrilla" aircraft that became widespread was the Swiss training turboprop aircraft (TCP) - Рlatus PC-7, launched into mass production in 1978.

In service with the air forces of more than 20 countries, this low-wing monoplane with a retractable tricycle landing gear was popular among the flight and technical staff. In total, more than 450 machines of this type were built.

The aircraft is equipped with a very successful Pratt Whitney Canada PT6A-25A turboprop engine with an HP 650 power. RS-7 could carry up to 1040 kg of combat load on 6 external hardpoints. Including: NAR, machine gun containers, bombs and incendiary tanks.

Despite the initially peaceful training status, the RS-7 vehicles were very actively used in combat operations. Often, hardpoints and sights were mounted on unarmed aircraft delivered from Switzerland already in the operating countries, which made it possible to bypass Swiss legislation restricting the supply of weapons.

The largest armed conflict involving the Pilatus was the Iran-Iraq war. PC-7s were used by the Iraqi Air Force to provide close air support, as reconnaissance spotters, and even chemical warfare agents were sprayed from them.
The Chadian Air Force used Pilatuses to bombard rebel positions, both on their own territory and in neighboring Sudan.
In Guatemala, RS-7s were used to strike rebel camps from 1982 until the end of the conflict in 1996.
In 1994, the Mexican Air Force used the PC-7 to attack the positions of the Zapatista National Liberation Army in Chiapas. This action was considered illegal by the Swiss government, since the aircraft were supplied only for training purposes and without weapons. As a result, Switzerland imposed a ban on the supply of PC-7 to Mexico.
The armed RS-7s played a very significant role in the elimination of the Angolan opposition movement UNITA. They were flown by European and South African pilots hired by the Angolan government through the South African company Executive Outcomes, which specializes in providing security services. The planes delivered assault strikes on the positions and camps of militants, and were also used as advanced air gunners, "marking" targets for the MiG-23 with phosphorus ammunition.

Further development Pilatus PC-7 aircraft became Pilatus PC-9 and Pilatus PC-21.

The RS-9 differs from the RS-7 by the Pratt-Whitney Canada RT6A-62 engine with 1150 hp shaft power, a reinforced airframe structure, improved aerodynamic surface of the fuselage and wings, and ejection seats. Serial production began in 1986. The aircraft carries the same combat load as the RS-7. It was mainly ordered by countries that already have experience in operating the RS-7. A total of about 250 RS-9s were produced. This aircraft, unlike the earlier model, did not have a large combat use. RS-9, which are part of the Air Force of Chad and Myanmar, were involved in reconnaissance flights and operations against the rebels.

RS-9 Chadian Air Force

Currently, the Israeli company Elbit Systems is working to increase the strike potential of the RS-7 and RS-9. It is assumed that after appropriate improvements, the information awareness of pilots will increase and it will become possible to use high-precision aircraft weapons.

On the basis of the Swiss Pilatus PC-9, the T-6A Texan II was built in the USA.
The most significant external difference American aircraft from its Swiss "progenitor" is a modified form of the front of the cockpit canopy.

The avionics of the Texan II aircraft makes it possible to use the machine not only for the initial training of pilots, but also for preparing pilots for various combat missions. Armament is placed on six hardpoints.

A specialized shock version of this machine was also created, which received the designation AT-6V. The aircraft is designed to solve various tasks: surveillance and reconnaissance with the possibility of high-precision registration of coordinates, transmission of streaming video and data, close air support, advanced aviation guidance, participation in operations to combat drug trafficking, as well as for reconnaissance in areas of natural disasters.

Compared to the UTS, the aircraft is equipped with a more powerful turboprop engine, an improved sighting and navigation system and a container with day and night vision equipment. Armored protection of the cab and engine was installed. The system of protection against IR and laser seekers of the ground-to-air and air-to-air missiles may include an exposure warning system and an IR trap firing machine. The aircraft is equipped with: ALQ-213 electronic warfare control system, ARC-210 secure radio communication system, data transmission line equipment.

The equipment available on the AT-6B allows the use of various precision-guided munitions, including Hellfire and Maverick missiles, Paveway II / III / IV and JDAM guided bombs, the payload weight remains the same as on the Pilatus. Built-in armament consists of two 12.7-mm machine guns.

The Pilatus PC-21 made its first flight in 2002, and since 2008 the aircraft has been delivered to customers. When designing the PC-21, Pilatus specialists used all the experience gained with the machines of the PC family. At the moment, not many machines of this type have been produced yet (about 80).

The wing used on the PC-21 provided the aircraft with a higher roll rate and maximum flight speed than in the case of the PC-9. When creating this aircraft, it was assumed that it would be possible to train pilots of any profile on it. The RS-21 is equipped with complex programmable flight control systems that allow simulating the features of piloting aircraft of various classes and performing various combat missions. great attention focused on reducing operating costs and the convenience of aircraft ground handling.

The aircraft has five hardpoints for air-to-ground weapons. In addition to educational and training purposes, the PC-21 can be used in "anti-terrorist operations." Potential customers are offered a specialized "anti-insurgency" version of this vehicle with heavy armament and body armor, which, however, is still only in the project.

The Embraer EMB-312 Tucano became the hallmark of the Brazilian aviation industry. It is one of the most successful modern combat training aircraft that has received well-deserved recognition, both in the Brazilian Air Force and abroad.

Even during the design process, it was assumed that the aircraft would be used not only for the training of Air Force pilots, but also as a light attack aircraft capable of being used effectively, at relatively low cost, in counterinsurgency operations when there is no threat from fighters and modern systems Air defense.

Armament weighing up to 1000 kg was placed on four underwing pylons. The EMB-312 aircraft in the attack version can use machine-gun containers, unguided rockets and bombs.
In many ways, the success of the aircraft was predetermined by the rational layout, the aircraft turned out to be quite light - its dry weight does not exceed 1870 kg and the Pratt-Whitney Canada PT6A-25C turboprop engine (1 x 750 hp). To rescue the crew, the EMB-312 aircraft is equipped with two ejection seats.

Under the designation T-27 "Tucano", the aircraft began in September 1983 to enter service with combat units of the Brazilian Air Force and almost 20 other countries. More than 600 machines of this type were built. countries of the South and Latin America actively used "Tucano" as patrol, counterguerrilla and to fight the drug mafia.

In addition to the training version with the possibility of combat use, a specialized light attack aircraft AT-27 "Tukano" was developed. The aircraft carried a tighter combat load, but had modified sighting equipment and light armor protection.

Light attack aircraft were used by the Peruvian Air Force in an armed conflict with Ecuador on the Cenepa River in 1995.
The Venezuelan Air Force lost several AT-27s that were shot down by anti-aircraft fire and F-16A interceptors during the anti-government mutiny in November 1992.
Participation in full-scale hostilities for this aircraft was not too frequent, patrol and reconnaissance flights and actions to suppress drug trafficking became common use. On account of "Tukano" not one successfully intercepted and shot down a plane with a cargo of drugs.
In most cases, small piston aircraft are used to transport drugs, in comparison with which this turboprop machine looks like a real fighter.

A further development of the EMB-312 Tucano was the EMB-314 Super Tucano, which began production in 2003. The upgraded aircraft received a Pratt-Whitney Canada PT6A-68C turboprop engine with an HP 1600 power. The design of the airframe was reinforced, the cockpit received Kevlar protection and new electronic equipment.
The upgraded aircraft became longer by almost one and a half meters and became significantly heavier (the weight of an empty aircraft is 3200 kilograms).

The single-seat version of the light attack aircraft received the designation A-29A, instead of the co-pilot's seat, the aircraft was equipped with a sealed fuel tank with a capacity of 400 liters.

Single attack aircraft A-29A Super Tucano

Modification A-29B has two pilots' workplaces, and is also equipped with various electronic equipment necessary to control the battlefield.

Like the previous model, the Super Tucano is popular in countries leading the fight against drug cartels and various kinds of rebels. Currently, more than 150 Super Tucano attack aircraft, which are in service with the air forces of several countries of the world, have flown 130,000 hours, including 18,000 hours in combat sorties.

The A-29B of the Colombian Air Force was used most intensively in combat operations. The first case of Super Tucano combat work occurred in January 2007, when aircraft launched a missile and bomb attack on the camp of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia formation. In 2011-2012, they carried out precision strikes with laser-guided Griffin munitions against partisan strongholds. In 2013, Colombian light attack aircraft also flew sorties to fight insurgents and drug trafficking.

Interest in acquiring the Super Tucano was expressed by the US Special Operations Command. After lengthy negotiations, in February 2013, the United States and Brazil's Embraer signed a contract under which the A-29 aircraft will be built under license in the United States. The contract involves the construction of at least 20 attack aircraft in a slightly modified configuration, which in the future will be supported by special units from the air.
Unlike the Brazilian "Super Tukano" of the American assembly, they should be equipped with electronic equipment similar to that installed on AT-6V light attack aircraft. The possibility of night use and the use of light precision-guided munitions is specifically stipulated, which will significantly increase the strike potential of attack aircraft.
Also, negotiations on the purchase or leasing of "Super Tukano" are underway with Afghanistan and Iraq.

The success of the Brazilian Embraer was predetermined by the fact that its light attack aircraft appeared at the right time and in the right place.
Their flight, operational, combat characteristics and cost largely met the requirements of the air forces of countries in need of such an aircraft. Despite the fact that the Tucano appeared later than the Pilatus, the absence of restrictions in Brazilian law on the supply of weapons to combat areas played a significant role.

This article is written as the first article in a series of articles and notes that precede the fourth part of the Burden of the Empire - Time of Heroes. In it, Rear Admiral Vorontsov will have to solve, among other things, the issue of pacifying the large territories of Persia and eastern Iraq (Iraq in the understanding of our world), destabilized as a result of a major armed rebellion. Territory - approximately thirty million people, a mass of refugees who have accumulated around large cities, armed gangs consisting of supporters of the former Shah's regime and Islamic terrorists, both aliens and locals, terrorist groups waging war in cities. In general, this is modern Iraq.

Warning - All of the following is solely my personal opinion and is provided for the purpose of discussion. Perhaps someone will correct me, offer some other solutions.

So, stormtroopers. Oddly enough, anti-guerrilla attack aircraft have now been almost forgotten, and tasks have been assigned to jet fighter-bombers with high-precision weapons and helicopters. The solution is not the best, primarily from the point of view of the criterion of efficiency - cost. Helicopters, as the Afghan experience shows, shoot down perfectly even in the absence of MANPADS - but what will happen if the terrorists have MANPADS? Helicopter turbines become clogged with dust, which reduces their already small resource. The helicopter requires complex and expensive maintenance, consumes a lot of fuel, the weapons used are also quite expensive (if Hellfire missiles are used). Thus, the terrorists manage to impose a war on exhaustion, for the ruble they invest in an attack, they make them spend twenty to thirty rubles on defense. Resistance, given the fanaticism of aggressive Islamists (Shiites and Wahhabis), can last a very long time, few people want to engage in peaceful construction in a country with a sluggish terrorist war - and thus the terrorists sooner or later win, forcing the defenders of order (in this case, the army of the Russian Empire ) and the Sovereign to think about the costs.
What are the options for solving this problem? In my opinion - you need to turn to the experience of the past, to find cheap and effective answers.
Below, I will give the most interesting constructions from my point of view that can be applied in this case.

This is the Focke-Wulf 189, the famous Rama, converted into an assault version. Armament - two hundred kilograms of bombs and eight different machine guns. Engines - two Argus 410 465 horsepower. Partially armored, armor level - can withstand a 12.7 caliber machine gun, the most common air defense weapon at that time.
Modernization: modern armor, armament ... for example, two or four Kord machine guns, two AGS-17 grenade launchers, NURS suspension units instead of bombs, modern PT6A-15AG engines from Pratt & Whitney Canada - seven hundred horsepower, the engine is optimized for agricultural aviation, therefore, with a long resource, easy to operate, unpretentious to the quality of fuel. Here is the first version of the attack aircraft
Second option.
We take the Basler BT-67 as a basis, naturally in the Russian version (this is Li-2, respectively). As you can see, this is an old familiar C-47, but with modern engines and avionics

We install a modern sighting system, local armor and weapons. In the original, the American AC-47 Gunship was armed with either three M134 Miniguns or five 30-caliber machine guns. In our case, I think one gun of 23 mm or 30 mm caliber and a pair of CORDs will be enough.

More powerful gunships like AC-130 or in an alternative history like the Thunderer are also needed

But only for some serious operations. And light gunships - there may be fifty or a hundred of them, they can be on duty in the airspace constantly, replacing each other and provide effective support at the request of platoon-company units at minimal cost.
3. Light landing aircraft - attack aircraft
This is a project of Grunin Design Bureau - a ground support aircraft based on the Su-25 fuselage, called T710

The authors claim three tons of combat load, despite the fact that in the fuselage there is a landing cabin for 7 people. Quite an interesting solution - striking and then dropping paratroopers, an inspection team. Now they don’t do that - but in Rhodesia they did it and not without success.
4. Projects of the same design bureau

T101 and T501. In the T101, IMHO, the main mistake is that the designers provided for forward-firing weapons, instead of putting a couple of machine guns in the cabin, again creating a mini gunship. For a high-wing scheme, it fits perfectly. Well, the T501 is suitable as an ultralight attack aircraft.
5. Heavy turboprop attack aircraft.
This is a North American Piper Enforcer project.

But I bring it here as an example. We will probably need to take something like the Il-2 as a basis, that is, an aircraft with an armored hull integrated into the design.

Aircraft Il10 ( last modification IL-2) is equipped with a 1770 l / s engine, Piper - Lycoming YT55-L-9 with a capacity of 2455 l / s, while it weighs 377 kg. The AM-42 engine weighs under a ton. If the IL-2 is made single-seat (a side gunner is not needed to counter the partisans) and a similar engine is installed, as well as modern armor, you can get an aircraft at the output that will lift up to 4000-5000 kg of combat load (ten or even twelve suspension points on the wings ) and will be invulnerable to 23 mm anti-aircraft guns - the maximum that militants can have.

Many will immediately have a question - why not drones. I answer - such aircraft can be used not instead of, but together with drones. Wherein:
1. Have you seen what airfields drones need and how they take off? The upgraded IL-2 will be able to take off from the primer.
2. Armament. Drones use the same weapons as helicopters, as jets - modern, expensive missiles and guided bombs
3. Drones require complex, costly maintenance by highly trained personnel.
4. Drones are not capable of providing long-term support, which is capable of a gunship.

Even in these days of craze for helicopter fire support for troops, ground commanders around the world with dreary hopelessness dream of a battlefield aircraft. Although the helicopter element, like a jet from rotor helicopter, enchantingly twisted the concepts of military theorists about the participation of aviation in combat clashes between conventional infantry, airborne paratroopers and marines with the enemy, but thoughts about battlefield aircraft, which should be at the direct disposal of the commander on the battlefield - battalion commander, brigade commander or commander - periodically arise at various meetings of land commanders of all degrees. Pyotr Khomutovsky talks about all this.

The idea of a battlefield aircraft or an aircraft for direct combat air support of ground forces on the battlefield, capable of inflicting fire damage on enemy manpower and military equipment under intense enemy fire in order to effectively carry out combat missions with their troops, began to interest infantry and cavalry commanders with the advent of aviation.

During the First and Second World Wars, aviation was widely used not only for confrontation with the enemy in the air, but also for the destruction of enemy manpower and military equipment on the ground. Numerous types of aircraft appeared, which were used with varying success both for air battles and for fire support of troops.

At the same time, already in the first period of the First World War, the Russian armies suffered significant losses not from the machine-gun fire of German airplanes, but also from ordinary iron arrows that German pilots dropped from a great height onto a cluster of infantry or cavalry.

In World War II, aviation became not only the main means of fighting to gain dominance over the battlefield in the tactical depth of defense, but also an effective means of intimidating the population, destroying industry and disrupting communications in the operational-strategic depth of the enemy's country.

Few war veterans who survived to this day remember the sky of June 1941, when enemy aircraft dominated it - Junkers Ju-87 and other German aircraft were especially effective then.

In that terrible summer of 1941, the Red Army had one question: where is our aviation? The soldiers of Saddam Hussein probably felt the same in two Iraqi campaigns, when all types of US aviation “hung” over them, from carrier-based aircraft to helicopters for fire support of troops, since then the situation was characterized by the almost complete absence of Iraqi aircraft in the air.

In order to achieve the superiority of infantry over the enemy in ground battles, such a type of combat aviation as ground attack aviation was established. The appearance of Soviet attack aircraft over the battlefield took the German command by surprise and showed the terrifying combat effectiveness of the Il-2 attack aircraft, which was nicknamed by the Wehrmacht soldiers - "black death".

This aircraft for fire support of the troops was armed with the entire spectrum of weapons available at that time in aviation - machine guns, cannons, bombs and even rockets. The destruction of tanks and motorized infantry was carried out with all the onboard weapons of the Il-2 attack aircraft, the composition and power of which turned out to be exceptionally well chosen.

The enemy tanks had little chance of surviving an air attack with rocket shells, firing from cannons and bombing. From the first days of the war, the tactics of sorties to attack enemy ground forces showed that the pilots of Il-2 attack aircraft, with a successful approach to the target at low level, hit all types of tanks and enemy manpower with an airborne set of missiles.

According to the reports of the pilots, it could be concluded that the action of rocket shells is effective not only when a direct hit on the tank, but also has a demoralizing effect on the enemy. The Il-2 attack aircraft was one of the most massive aircraft, the production of which was one of the main tasks of the Soviet aviation industry during the war years.

However, although the achievements of Soviet attack aviation in the Great Patriotic war were huge, but post-war time it did not receive development, since in April 1956, the Minister of Defense, Marshal Zhukov, presented to the then leadership of the country, prepared by the General Staff and the Main Staff of the Air Force, a report on the low effectiveness of attack aircraft on the battlefield in modern warfare, and it was proposed to eliminate the attack aircraft.

As a result of this order of the Minister of Defense, the attack aircraft was abolished, and all the Il-2, Il-10 and Il-10M in service - a total of about 1,700 attack aircraft - were scrapped. Soviet ground attack aircraft ceased to exist; By the way, at the same time the question of eliminating bomber and fighter aviation units and the abolition of the Air Force as a branch of the Armed Forces was seriously raised.

The solution of combat missions for direct air support of ground forces in the offensive and defense was supposed to be provided by the forces of the developed fighter-bombers.

After the resignation of Zhukov and the change in the priorities of the military confrontation in the Cold War, the high command of the Soviet armed forces came to the conclusion that the accuracy of hitting ground targets with missile and bomb weapons from supersonic fighter-bombers was not high enough.

The high speeds of such aircraft gave the pilot too little time to aim, and the weak maneuverability did not leave the opportunity to correct the inaccuracy of aiming, especially for stealthy targets, even with the use of high-precision weapons.

This is how the concept of field-based near the front line of the Su-25 attack aircraft appeared on initial stage its creation. Most importantly, this aircraft was supposed to become an operational-tactical means of supporting ground forces similar to the Il-2 attack aircraft.

Realizing this, the command of the ground forces in every possible way supported the creation of a new attack aircraft, while the command of the air forces for a long time showed absolute indifference towards him. Only when the "combined arms" voiced the required number of staff units of the Su-25 attack aircraft, did the Air Force command have a reluctance to give the ground commanders along with the plane great amount personnel and aerodromes with infrastructure.

This led to the fact that the aviators took up the project of creating this attack aircraft with full responsibility, of course, in the understanding of aviation commanders. As a result of repeated demands for an increase in combat load and speed, the Su-25 was transformed from a battlefield aircraft into a multipurpose aircraft, but at the same time it lost the ability to be based on small, minimally prepared areas near the front line and instantly work out targets on the battlefield in accordance with the prevailing situation.

This came back to haunt during the war in Afghanistan, since in order to reduce the response time to calls from motorized riflemen and paratroopers, it was necessary to organize a constant watch of attack aircraft in the air, and this led to a huge cost overrun of scarce aviation fuel, which had to first be delivered from the USSR to the airfields of Afghanistan under constant fire from the Mujahideen , or cover vast distances from airfields in Central Asia.

Even more fatal was the problem of the light anti-helicopter attack aircraft. Its appearance in Soviet times did not take place, although several promising projects were proposed for consideration by the military. One of them is a light attack aircraft "Photon", whose unofficial nickname was "Pull-push".

The main feature of the Foton attack plane was a redundant spaced power point, which consisted of a TVD-20 turboprop engine located in the nose of the fuselage, and a double-circuit turbojet AI-25TL - behind the cockpit.

This placement of the engines made them unlikely to be simultaneously hit by enemy fire, and besides, it provided additional protection for the pilot, who, like on the Su-25, sat in a welded titanium cockpit.

The project of this attack aircraft, together with the developed model, was presented to the ordering directorates of the Air Force armament service, but for some reason the aviators did not like it, who repeated - any device that raises less than five tons of bombs is not of interest to the Air Force.

Meanwhile, during the transition to the formation of military units on the basis of the "battalion-brigade" principle, there was a clear disproportion in the availability of aviation, which is at the direct disposal of the battalion commander and brigade commander, more precisely, one can note the complete absence of both combat aviation and Vehicle at the battalion-brigade level.

In Soviet times, they tried to solve this issue by creating airborne assault brigades with the addition of squadrons of Mi-8T transport and combat helicopters and Mi-24 fire support helicopters, but this idea also did not receive wide development, since the "carts" of helicopter pilots turned out to be too cumbersome ...

The fact is that usually the regiments and individual squadrons of helicopter pilots are based on their habitable airfields, which are part of the structure of the army aviation and are at a rather significant tactical distance from the main forces of the air assault brigade.

In addition, the army aviation itself, with its location under the sun, cannot be determined in any way - it is sometimes thrown into the Ground Forces, then transferred to the Air Force, then according to rumors, it may soon be reassigned to the Airborne Forces.

If we take into account that the Russian army aviation is mainly armed with Soviet-era materiel, then the capabilities of regiments and individual squadrons of helicopter fire support for troops look pale, despite the oaths that the army aviation will soon receive the latest helicopters firms Mil and Kamov.

But the point is not only in what structure the army aviation will be organizationally included, but in the fact that army aviators do not quite well understand the essence of modern combined arms combat, which, with the advent of modern tanks and armored personnel carriers, has turned from positional to maneuverable and which requires continuous air cover, both from the impact of enemy combat helicopters and ground fire weapons.

In addition, there is an urgent need for the supply of ammunition and food to the troops on the march and in defense. A typical case is the clash between the Angolan FAPLA army and the UNITA forces in the mid-1980s in Angola. Carrying out a swift attack on UNITA troops, FAPLA units operated in the jungle.

The troops were supplied with pairs of Mi-8T helicopters and Mi-24 fire support helicopters. Since the aviation support of UNITA troops was carried out by the aviation of South Africa, which revealed the FAPLA helicopter supply communication. At the request of UNITA leader Savimbi, it was decided to covertly intercept FAPLA supply helicopters using Impalas light attack aircraft, which had only cannon armament.

As a result of several unexpected attacks on a group of Angolan helicopters, which were not warned in advance by FAPLA reconnaissance, about 10 helicopters were shot down by Impalas light attack aircraft, and the attack on the UNITA group was failed due to the lack of timely supply of troops with ammunition and food.

As a result of the failure of the FAPLA offensive, more than 40 tanks, about 50 armored personnel carriers were lost, and the loss of FAPLA personnel amounted to over 2,500 soldiers and officers. As a result, the war in Angola dragged on for more than 10 years.

Thus, the example of this episode of the armed struggle shows that in the troops on the battlefield, in the tactical depth and on the lines of communication, a situation arises of obvious vulnerability from unexpected enemy air strikes, since fighters of the fourth or fifth generations not only took off too high and turned out to be completely cut off from the battlefield, but also act only at the request of the command with the predominance of the "free hunt" technique to search for enemy aircraft and attractive targets on the ground.

"Large attack aircraft", for quite understandable reasons, cannot "hang" over the battlefield for a long time, working according to the principle: - dropped bombs, shot and - flew away. As a result, the need arises for the appearance of new battlefield aircraft - off-airfield-based light attack aircraft, which should be under the direct command of the battalion commander and brigade commander.

Such aircraft must have one quality - be within the tactical reach of the location of a company, battalion or brigade and be used for timely air cover and escort of military units during a halt, march or combat clash with the enemy, both in defense and in the offensive.

Ideally, off-airfield light attack aircraft should be directly tied to a specific platoon, company and battalion, ensuring the transfer of reconnaissance groups in the tactical depth of an offensive or defense, ensuring the transportation of the wounded to the rear, during the so-called "golden hour", be involved for reconnaissance and observation on the battlefield and perform local missions to suppress enemy firing points.

It is logical, in this case, to teach the technique of piloting aircraft of the battlefield for contract sergeants who are fit for flight work for health reasons. Over time, it seems possible to certify them for the production of officers. Thus, in the Ground Forces, there will be air group commanders in the battalion and brigade who understand the essence of the use of aviation at the battalion and brigade level on the battlefield.

This will be of tremendous importance, especially for mountain brigades, air assault brigades and Arctic special forces brigades. Attempts to use various types of helicopters for these purposes did not have much success. V best case, with the help of "eight" or "twenty-four" it was possible to evacuate the wounded, plant ammunition or food, and also suppress enemy firing points.

Although helicopter pilots in Afghanistan showed massive heroism in the air, the appearance of mobile short-range air defense systems of the Stinger type reduced the effect of the presence of fire support helicopters on the battlefield to a minimum, and transport helicopters did not have a chance to survive when stingers were used. Local conflicts of recent decades also show that the use of "large" military aircraft is limited.

In fact, in many African conflicts, especially in Angola, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, etc., as well as in battles in Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh, light aircraft of various types were used as attack aircraft, as well as converted from sports aircraft (Yak-18, Yak-52), trainer (L-29, L-39) and even agricultural (An-2) aircraft and deltaplanes.

The need for a battlefield aircraft also arises sharply during anti-terrorist operations, when the use of a fire support helicopter completely unmasks the intentions of the attacking side to clean up the area from bandit formations, moreover, the use of a "turntable" is not always possible, especially in the mountains.

Meanwhile, in the United States and NATO countries, based on the information available to me, there are also processes of rethinking the use of aviation in numerous local conflicts of recent times. The US Marine Corps and Air Force recently received $ 2 billion in initial funding to purchase 100 Light Attack Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) light reconnaissance aircraft for use in local conflicts such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

At the same time, the first aircraft should enter the troops already in 2013. Also, British British company Aerospace recently provided information on the development of the SABA light aircraft project designed to combat helicopters and cruise missiles. Three variants of the machine were presented - Р.1233-1, Р.1234-1 and Р.1234-2. The R.1233-1 variation showed a great advantage.

His layout diagram duck type with a small forward sweep wing, front destabilizers and a rear-mounted twin pusher turbofan engine, customers from the British Department of Defense considered the most optimal. Destabilizers are the front horizontal empennage installed in front of the wing and designed to provide or improve the longitudinal controllability of the aircraft.

According to a company representative, the main advantages of this light aircraft are high maneuverability in all flight modes, the ability to be based on unpaved airfields with a runway length of up to 300 m, a very impressive duration (up to 4 hours) of autonomous flight and powerful small arms and missiles.

Aircraft performance characteristics:

aircraft length: 9.5 m
wingspan: 11.0 m
Maximum takeoff weight: 5.0 tons, including the weight of weapons: 1.8 tons
average speed: 740 km / h
landing speed - 148 km / h
minimum turning radius - 150 m
turn time 180 degrees - about 5 seconds

Based on the main purpose of this aircraft - to intercept enemy combat helicopters that appear directly on the battlefield, the aircraft is armed with 6 short-range air-to-air missiles of the Sidewinder or Asraam type and a built-in 25 mm cannon with 150 rounds of ammunition ...

A heat direction finder is installed on board the aircraft as a surveillance and aiming system and a laser range finder as a target designator. The aircraft designers of this aircraft claim that such a powerful weapon with high maneuverability will allow the SABA pilot to conduct air combat on an equal footing at low altitude, even with supersonic fighters.

However, critics of this aircraft believe that this aircraft can become easy prey not only for enemy fighters and attack aircraft, but also for military support helicopters, due to the fact that it is not off-airfield.

A real find and a pleasant surprise for the Ground Forces of Russia can be the use as a light attack aircraft - a light amphibious aircraft of a normal category with an air cushion chassis, which is designed to perform air transport missions with a payload of up to 1000 kg in unprepared areas and flying at a minimum altitude ...

This amphibious aircraft, in addition, can be used to perform various combat missions, to patrol troop convoys in the tactical depth of defense and offensive, for search and rescue operations, aerial reconnaissance, detection of enemy tank columns, landings and landings on water. surface and be a headquarters command post for the management of drones, which will make it possible to determine the occupation of defensive lines by the enemy and their preparedness in engineering, the presence of enemy troops in the forest, to determine the advancement of enemy reserves along highways, dirt roads and their concentration at railway stations.

One of its modifications can be an effective means of combating transport helicopters and helicopters for fire support of enemy troops, as well as enemy tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Modifications:

The base platform of an amphibious aircraft can be easily converted into various modifications of an ambulance, assault, transport, patrol, etc., depending on the type of protection of the fuselage, which will be manufactured in two versions:

based on the use of aluminum alloys
based on the use of titanium alloys with the creation of a welded titanium cockpit in combination with the use of Kevlar fiber

Dimensions:

amphibious aircraft length - 12.5 m
height - 3.5 m
wingspan - 14.5 m

The dimensions of the fuselage can accommodate 8 soldiers with standard weapons and a supply of food.

Engines:

The power plant consists of:

cruise turboprop engine Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65В power - 1100 hp
lifting motor to create air cushion PGD-TVA-200 with a capacity of 250 liters. With

Weights and loads:

takeoff weight - 3600 kg

Flight data:

maximum flight speed up to 400 km / h
cruising speed up to 300 km / h
flight range with a maximum payload of 1000 kg - up to 800 km
flight range - maximum ferry range - up to 1500 km

The program for the creation and serial production of amphibious aircraft involves:

NPP "Aerorik" - project developer
JSC "Nizhny Novgorod aircraft plant" Sokol "- aircraft manufacturer
JSC "Kaluga Engine" - a manufacturer of a turbofan unit (TVA-200) for creating an air cushion

The initial version of the amphibious aircraft was powered by the PT6A-65B main engine of the Canadian company Pratt & Whittney with a rear position on the fuselage. In the future, during serial production, it is planned to install Russian or Ukrainian-made aircraft engines.

Estimated armament:

one 23-mm double-barreled cannon GSh-23L with 250 rounds
2 UR air-to-air R-3 (AA-2) or R-60 (AA-8) with laser homing heads in difficult meteorological conditions
4 PU 130-mm
NURS C-130
PU UV-16-57 16x57 mm
NUR Container with reconnaissance equipment

This aircraft is supposed to be equipped with an ASP-17BC-8 side sight, which will automatically take into account the ballistics of all weapons and ammunition used. Also on board will be installed a warning system for radar exposure SPO-15, with devices for ejection of dipole reflectors and over 250 IR cartridges.

Although in Russia and in the world, discussions do not subside in connection with the possibility of using a light attack aircraft in ground forces, due to the fact that the life of a battlefield aircraft in modern combat conditions is very short, such statements are also found in relation to tanks, armored personnel carriers and even drones.

Therefore, despite the increased risk to the life of the crew of an attack aircraft in modern combat, the role of aircraft for direct support of ground forces will only increase, and over time, the infantry will have such aircrafts which form new class combat aviation - battlefield aircraft.

The concept of "counter-guerrilla aircraft" is usually understood as an assault aircraft special purpose, whose main task is to fight the enemy's partisan forces.

The history of the formation of the specialization of the anti-guerrilla attack aircraft

Combat operation of obsolete aircraft

At the end of the 40s of the last century, there was a sharp activation of the liberation movements, which took place in the colonies of European countries. The most massive confrontations were observed in the countries of East Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

To stifle these confrontations, it was necessary to act decisively. A counter-guerrilla war was waged with the use of ground attack aircraft. It should be noted that partisan movements in rather backward countries at that time did not have an artillery piece that could withstand attacks from aircraft. In the 40s and 50s of the last century, bombers and attack aircraft with piston engines coped with this task quite effectively.

With the advent of aircraft with a jet engine, its capabilities were also tested in the conduct of battles with partisans, but, as it turned out, they were ineffective. The disadvantages of jet aircraft for these missions were:

very high speed flight, which made it difficult to conduct aimed fire at enemy forces, it was almost impossible to escort helicopters due to their low speed;

such aircraft required significantly more maintenance costs than piston counterparts;

insufficient amount of time in the air, which did not allow even patrolling the allotted territory.

Thus, the advantage was given to piston units. Until the 60s, the US Army used an aircraft under the designation A-36 Apache as an anti-guerrilla attack aircraft. A modified version of this aircraft was also used by the Salvadorian army until 1974.

In the fight against guerrilla movements in the Vietnam War, the US Air Force used two types of attack aircraft. The first one was heavy and was designated Douglas A-26, and the second light attack aircraft was Douglas A-1.

Manufacturing of a new generation of counter-guerrilla aircraft

Light stormtrooper

Beginning in 1963, the command of the US Army announced a competition for the best development of an aircraft for conducting counter-guerrilla warfare. The main task was to replace outdated vehicles and achieve significantly better combat characteristics. To develop the machine, a program was created with the designation COIN, which was engaged in the design and manufacture of an object called Counter-insurgency aircraft, which means counter-guerrilla aircraft.

Military requirements for the new car:

low cost and cheap service;
tandem cockpit for two pilots;
the ability to take off and land at a distance of 240 meters;
the possibility of operation on aircraft carriers and unpaved airfields; during the development process, the requirement for basing on a ship was canceled by the customer;
the possibility of an excellent overview;
the ability to take off from snow and water due to the installation of the appropriate type of chassis;
the minimum flight for patrolling should be 2 hours.

The winner of the program at the end of the summer of 1964 was the aircraft with the designation OV-10 Bronco, which was manufactured by North American Aviation. The first baptism of fire of the aircraft took place in the summer of 1968 in Vietnam.

The creation of the OV-10 light attack aircraft for counter-guerrilla warfare pushed most of the advanced countries of the world to create such aircraft. The next aircraft of this type was created by Argentine designers in 1966, it was designated as FMA IA 58. Military use was carried out by the armies of Sri Lanka and Colombia.

Heavy stormtrooper

To create a heavy attack aircraft, a transport aircraft of the Douglas C-47 type was used, this is an analogue of the domestic Li-2. On the basis of the transport vehicle, an attack aircraft was created with the designation AC-47 Spooky. The basis of the armament was three machine guns with a caliber of 7.62 mm. They were first tested in Vietnam. A more advanced attack aircraft was the AC-119G Shadow vehicle, which was made on the basis of the Fairchild C-119 transport model. This device was manufactured in 1968, it had fewer machine guns, but significantly more armor and navigation equipment for night flights.

Further, it became clear that such an attack aircraft should have greater striking power. Because of this, the converted C-130 Hercules aircraft with installed cannons was designated the AC-130. In addition to 4 machine guns, it was also equipped with four cannons with a caliber of 20 mm. This is a fairly powerful and successful development, since some modifications are still in service today.

Among other countries, it should be noted the works of the Italians, who in 2012 presented the world with a counter-guerrilla attack aircraft with the designation MC-27J, which was developed on the basis of the Alenia C-27J aircraft.

Developments of the CCCP and RF

The active development of assault aviation on the territory of the USSR began only in the 70s of the last century. It was in these years that the country's leading design bureaus presented their models, namely the Su-25, Il-102 and Yak-38. Yet these were jet devices that did not meet the requirements of the counter-guerrilla aircraft.

Since 1978, the production of an attack aircraft with a piston engine on the basis of the Yak-52 training machine began. Combat use was carried out in Afghanistan, the attack aircraft was designated as Yak-52B, it had 2 UB-32 missile blocks under its wings. During operation, it turned out that the aircraft was ineffective, since it was unstable when firing. This project was stopped to finance and develop in 1983.

At the time of the collapse of the USSR, a high-quality counter-partisan aircraft had not been manufactured. Sales That is, during the counter-patisian struggle on the territory of the North Caucasus, an attack aircraft of a similar model was never made. Russia does not have its own counter-partisan aircraft even now.

The current situation

Due to the appearance of a large number of unmanned aerial vehicles, they took over most of the tasks for conducting the counter-patisian war. Nevertheless, aircraft without a pilot have a number of disadvantages when performing such missions. That is why the relevance of counter-guerrilla attack aircraft remains today.

The latest world developments of counter-guerrilla assault aircraft:

The United States introduced the Archangel Border Patrol Aircraft in 2015.
South Africa - Their Ahrlac plane took off in 2014.
Turkey introduced the TAI Hürkuş attack aircraft in 2013.
Serbia - 2013, UTVA Kobac.
Italy - MC-27J assault aircraft was ready in 2012.
Brazil - Embraer EMB 314 performed its maiden flight in 1999.

Aircraft classification:

AND

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The modern face of combat aviation is complex and expensive aviation systems. But along with such aircraft as the F-35 and PAK FA, now they are increasingly talking about other - inexpensive, but effective attack aircraft, created for "small" wars. Behind the humble appearance These machines have great potentialities, and they do not plan to disappear from the arms market in the foreseeable future. Design engineers from the Sukhoi Design Bureau Pavel Makarov and Andrei Stakhovich told the Zvezda TV channel about their future.

Small aircraft for large tasks

Oddly enough, but in the modern world, the prospects for turboprop attack aircraft are the highest, and this is dictated precisely by combat experience and the demand for international market weapons. All countries of the world are interested in the development of their own aviation, but many simply cannot afford the aircraft of the 4th and even more so the 5th generation. At the same time, counter-guerrilla aviation makes it possible to simply and cheaply solve local tasks to ensure patrolling, combat smuggling and terrorism.

It is important to note that not a single drone is now fully capable of solving these tasks. With all the advantages of UAVs, in terms of their strike potential, they cannot be compared with manned aircraft. Drones are a means of reconnaissance and surveillance, they are excellent for single point strikes, but due to their limited carrying capacity, they are not able to provide effective fire support during special operations or "press down" attacking militants, unlike anti-guerrilla aircraft.

In addition, as it turned out from the American experience of operating drones in the Middle East, the communication and data transmission channels of the UAVs turned out to be vulnerable to interference and interception of the information they broadcast, there are also problems with the recognition of civilians and objects by operators. In addition, the lightweight design and the inability of shock-reconnaissance UAVs to perform sharp anti-aircraft maneuvers, combined with a narrow field of view of the camera and the presence of a delay in reaction to operator commands, make them very vulnerable even in the event of minor damage.

This, combined with a fairly high accident rate and high cost, makes the costs of replenishing the fleet of lost UAVs quite comparable to the costs of replenishing the fleet of manned aircraft.

It is also important that anti-guerrilla aircraft can be used as training aircraft, since they can fulfill all the tasks of a basic training aircraft for flight schools. At the same time, due to the lower fuel consumption per flight hour, their cost will be lower than that of jet training aircraft.

From World War II to Vietnam

The concept of counter-guerrilla aviation was born in response to a request of the time and contrary to the forecasts of military analysts. At the end of World War II, a world political system was established with two pronounced centers of power - the USA and the USSR. The global conflict did not have clear perspectives for both sides. But even with the realization of this fact, all participants in the process were preparing for a new war, developing more and more sophisticated weapons.

But imperceptibly for everyone, the type of military conflicts was changing: the war ceased to be massive and widespread - conflicts broke out in certain regions, where paramilitary (partisan) formations very often acted against army units. In such conditions, it turned out to be inexpedient, expensive and in some cases ineffective to use the aviation equipment developed for the "big" war to support the advancing ground forces.

The US Air Force in Vietnam was the first to face the problem of supporting the advancing ground army units. The jet aircraft created for the war with the USSR turned out to be ineffective for supporting the army in the jungle or striking an enemy using partisan tactics, and helicopters were not mobile enough and too noticeable during military operations. In turn, the converted training aircraft turned out to be poorly protected from air defense fire.

At first (for example, during the Korean War), the problem was solved by "old stocks" - aircraft that remained in service since the Second World War, for example, the A-26 Invader piston bombers and A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft. These aircraft were designed for completely different purposes and did not meet the requirements of the military: combat losses and the development of a resource made them "leaving the scene" only a matter of time.

Under these conditions, several programs were launched in the United States and Europe to create specific strike aircraft, called COIN (Counter-Insurgency) in the United States. main idea of the program was that against small-sized and poorly protected targets, a light, cheap and multifunctional aircraft should be used, which can strike at "soft" (that is, poorly protected by air defense means) targets, carry out patrolling, perform the functions of a light transport / liaison aircraft, and also various non-combat special missions.

The result of these programs was a number of different combat vehicles to fight the enemy, poorly protected by air defense systems.

A product of time

Until the early 1980s, the United States and France were the "locomotives" in creating attack aircraft for the requirements of the COIN program. France sought to maintain influence in its African colonies, the United States used these machines for local wars for its interests in other countries.

Gradually, for France, the relevance of creating such aircraft for its Air Force fell away (the colonies were lost) - all machines were discontinued and decommissioned (for example, the Potez-75 anti-guerrilla aircraft, the T-28S Fennec training aircraft).

But the French, it seems, are not going to leave the market: in 2011, the French company ATE presented the light reconnaissance and attack aircraft Pulsatrix at the Le Bourget air show. The company expects that the project will attract the attention of states that do not have sufficient funds to purchase specialized light attack aircraft.

In the United States, on the contrary, interest in anti-guerrilla aviation only intensified over time, and in the 1990s, a kind of boom in such machines began: over the next 20 years, several new aircraft were developed by private firms at once - A-22 Pirahna, Cessna AC- 208 Combat Caravan, V-1-A Vigilant, Scorpion, AT-802U, Archangel BPA, AT6-B.

One of the most famous aircraft created under the COIN program was the American OV-10 Bronco attack aircraft, which the Americans in Vietnam called the "workhorse".

Russian light attack aircraft

For a long time in the USSR, the military rejected the very idea of creating military equipment to fight partisan (liberation) forces, and the creation of aircraft of this class abroad was explained by the desire of the capitalists to exploit and oppress the captured colonies. The situation changed during the war in Afghanistan.

Just like in the United States, domestic military leaders have come to the conclusion that the military equipment created is not fully suitable for this conflict. But even then, the concept of an anti-guerrilla aircraft (the military did not introduce this classification into the official lexicon) did not find a large number of supporters. Nevertheless, the work was begun - the first result was the Yak-52B aircraft (a shock modification of the Yak-52 TCB).

The collapse of the USSR and subsequent transformations in our country put an end to all undertakings in this direction... Nevertheless, in the last decade of the XX century, several interesting projects were created, such as, for example,. None of the samples went beyond flight prototypes, and some remained on paper. A partial implementation of the COIN concept in Russia can be considered the light civilian aircraft produced in the 1990s and 2000s, converted for patrol and strike missions.

For example, the FPS of Russia ordered a small batch of SM-92P patrol aircraft, which are armed with machine guns and bombs or NAR, a modification of the SP-92 Finist civilian aircraft, to control the state border. But such aircraft have low survivability due to the relatively low flight speed and lack of protection and are a temporary solution on the principle of "cheap and cheerful".

The main burden of the fight against illegal armed groups in Russian aviation still rests on the shoulders of the gradually aging Su-25 attack aircraft and army aviation helicopters. But it should be noted that with a combat load comparable to anti-guerrilla aircraft, combat helicopters, due to their design features and lower speed, are an easier target for anti-aircraft fire, while having a higher cost price.

In addition, the time spent by a turboprop attack aircraft in the target area, due to the significantly lower specific fuel consumption, can be several times longer than that of a helicopter or Su-25. An important factor is that the cost of a flight hour of a turboprop attack aircraft can be several times less than that of combat helicopter or a jet combat aircraft while performing the same mission.