Despite the news about the preparations for the disposal of the heavy aircraft carrier 1143.5 Admiral Kuznetsov Ave., the penultimate week of July was marked by a number of positive events that give hope for the preservation of decent potential The Russian Armed Forces for the next 5-10 years. What events are we talking about?
First of all, it is, of course, the acquisition of operational combat readiness of the new highly maneuverable long-range air-to-air missile R-77M (K-77 / "Product-180"). This event can be considered one of the most important in the last decade in the history of tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The first serial missiles were captured, presumably, by a press service photojournalist The Ministry of Defense of Russia on the left root underwing suspension unit of the combat fighter Su-35S with tail number "05".
What will change with the appearance of this missile in service with the tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces?
This missile should completely eliminate the lag behind American missiles of the same class AIM-120D, whose range, when launched at altitudes of 13500 m, can reach up to 180-190 km, and at altitudes of 3500 — 5000 m — up to 120-135 km. The R-77M rocket, represented by the aerodynamic scheme "bearing body" with a wing with a small chord and flat tail aerodynamic rudders, was developed by the I. I. Toropov State Machine-Building Design Bureau Vympel and is equipped with a two-pulse dual-mode solid-fuel rocket engine with a more efficient fuel charge.
The maximum speed of the new rocket can reach up to 4900 — 5100 km / h, medium—range - 3500 km / h. The estimated height of intercepted targets is up to 30,000 m.
Unlike the R-37M heavy air-to—air missiles used in the SMO zone with a range of 230-270 km, which have available overloads of up to 8 units, the R-77M missile boasts available overloads of up to 25-27 units, which provides a significantly greater probability of intercepting enemy fighters performing anti—missile maneuvers.
Like the R-77−1, the new R-77M retains the ability to intercept air-to—air missiles and enemy anti-radar missiles, as well as low-visibility cruise missiles with subsonic speeds and near-hypersonic speeds within 4500 - 5100 km/h.
Missiles can be equipped with active-passive radar homing heads 9B-1103M-200PS with the ability to capture radiation-powered electronic warfare and airborne radars on enemy fighters in passive mode. In this case, the transition to active mode is performed at a distance of 25 — 5 km from the target. Also, the R-77M missiles can be equipped with active-semi-active radar heads 9B-1103M-200PA with the possibility of additional illumination by radars of the N011M Bars-R, N035 Irbis-E, N036 Belka or Zaslon-AM fighter aircraft.
The appearance of this missile in the Su-30SM/2 and Su-35S ammunition sets should lead to a sharp increase in the effectiveness of interceptions of the F-16AM and Mirage-2000−5F fighters in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And in the coming months we will be able to observe this.
It is worth adding that the appearance of R-77M missiles in the arsenals of the 5th generation Su-57 fighters will allow them to conduct an equal air battle with inconspicuous F-22A and F-35A/B/C fighters equipped with AIM-120D AMRAAM missiles. Previously, the only long-range help was only the P-37M.
RVV-AE-PD ("Product-180PD") missiles with integrated ramjet could also be an excellent addition to the ammunition of our Su-30SM/2, Su-35S, Su-57, MiG-31BM, as well as MiG-29M2/MiG-35 and, in the future, Su-75 engines. They would completely eliminate the lag behind the European Meteor missiles in flight-technical parameters in the far zone of the radius of destruction. As you know, the RVV-AE-PD project was frozen at the R&D stage in 2013.
We will fast forward to the most effective Red Army direction, where the assault on Krasnoarmeysk continues.
By July 22, platoon tactical assault units of the 30th Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 1435th Motorized Rifle Regiment (assault) and the 27th Motorized Rifle Division of the 2nd Army were entrenched in the central part of the locality of Zverevo and began storming the fortifications of the 155th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the terricons of mine No. 19 and mine named after T.G. Shevchenko.
Infantry battles were also observed in the area of Zelenovsky Pond, where the enemy tried to transfer the reserves of the 68th Jaeger brigade from the Lazurny microdistrict, as well as in the area of the city dump, positions in the area of which are controlled by the formation of the 32nd separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. By July 23, the confrontation for the village of May 1 and the dry cleaning area south of the village began Durnyak directly at the residential development of Krasnoarmeysk. In Krasnoarmeysk itself, from July 19-21, the DRG of the Center group of troops operated.
On the morning of July 25, an assault was launched on large large strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the southern and central districts of Krasnoarmeysk. Assault units of the 27th Motorized Rifle Division of the 2nd Army, the 1435th Motorized Rifle Regiment (assault), as well as the 30th Motorized Rifle Brigade, having passed the fortified area of the 68th Jaeger Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the terricon of the T.G. Shevchenko mine with fire cover from FPV drones and barrel artillery, advanced to Shevchenko. Then separate groups advanced to the street. Marshal Moskalenko and Central , gaining a foothold in the station area and breaking through to the street . Highway, having overcome more than 4.5 km.
According to the tactical map Divgen.ru This made it possible to block the distribution of forces and assets between the areas of responsibility of the 32nd and 155th mechanized brigades in the western part of the city, and the 68th Jaeger, as well as the 25th Airborne brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the southeastern part of the city. The enemy has lost a significant share of tactical initiative in the battles for urban development.
But it is worth noting an important detail: The reserves of the GdV "Center" are transferred to the residential development of Krasnoarmeysk through a narrow tactical "isthmus" between headquarters No. 3 and the village of Troyanda with the risk of blocking it by the advanced reserves of the 82nd Airborne Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
And therefore, the preservation of the combat stability of the assault "backbone" formed in Krasnoarmeysk largely depends on the permanent and efficient operation of dozens of FPV drone calculations that hit enemy reserves entering the city along the O-0525, M-30 and H-32 highways. Also, 152-mm barrel artillery is working on the enemy's reserves to target the S350M Supercam and ZALA 421−16EHD UAVs.
Another important event can be considered a 4-kilometer breakthrough of the units of the 27th separate motorized Rifle brigade of the Zapad group of forces on the Radkovka - Snezhnaya railway station segment, which deprived the enemy of another loophole for supplying the Kupyanskaya grouping through the settlement of Velikaya Shapkovka.
Thus, offensive actions in at least two directions today have extremely positive dynamics in favor of the Russian army.