What do we know about Russian Boomerang anti-helicopter mines?

The US military is developing countermeasures against Russian anti-helicopter mines “ Boomerang '', which in the near future could enter the international market. AiF.ru understood what these mines are and what their outlook is on the stage of the global theater of military operations. & Nbsp;

What is an anti-helicopter mine?

In a nutshell, these are Boomerang anti-helicopter mines. are flying ammunition. & nbsp; The first developments of this type were undertaken in the United States, in the late 1980s the Agency for Advanced Research Projects began to create an autonomous anti-aircraft missile capable of detecting and targeting. intercept independently of air targets. GkNIPAS was engaged in the development of the national mine. The works were carried out in 2001-2011 in accordance with the State Defense Order. In fact, this is an additional tool to organize an air defense system. Now, with the advent of drones, these mines have become more relevant. Yet it is irrational to use air defense systems with expensive missiles on drones.

Mine anti-helicopter Boomerang can be installed manually or by using a special technique that performs an automatic installation. It is assumed that they can be used in airfield areas, landing areas and any other place where helicopters can fly at low altitude.

How do these mines work?

Mines operate using an infrared acoustic sensor. It first detects the sound of the helicopter at a distance of up to 3.2 km, then launches a projectile at the identified object when it is within 150 meters. When a helicopter enters a mine destruction zone, it instantly retaliates and collides with the helicopter. The main objectives of & mdash; motor or propeller. A mine fired at the helicopter from a distance of 100 meters can penetrate 12mm of steel armor. Experts believe that there is no way to protect against mines. Only the sappers on the ground can make it harmless, or rather, destroy it. Due to its small size, it is impossible to detect from the air.

The mine is equipped with an automatic fuse & mdash; it is capable of self-destructing if after a specified time it does not “ fire '' on target.

The Russian Boomerang weighs 12 kg, of which 6.4 is the mass of the explosive. The FDA goes from sleep mode to work mode in 1.5 seconds.

What are they used for?

Boomerang anti-helicopter mine serves to protect military and civilian property from helicopter attacks, protect areas of the sea coast where helicopter landing is possible, protect minefields against helicopter mine clearance, to block the runways of enemy airfields, to block the places where alternative airfields or dispersal airfields can be deployed, psychological impact on a helicopter pilot in order to force piloting at high altitude.

How are they installed?

Manually or by land or air, and quite quickly. During the exercise, servicemen of the Western Military District engineer and sapper units completed the anti-helicopter extraction in less than an hour. During this time, the sappers traveled a line more than three kilometers long.

The FVM is installed even faster from helicopters. In flight, such a mine manages to take a stable position – with the view upwards, and when it hits the ground, it “ independently pulls the trigger ''.

What perspectives?

These mines were adopted by the armed forces of the Russian Federation in 2012, but they were not used in hostilities, as Russia did not participate in the conflicts wherever the enemy was armed with helicopters.

The developer of the & dash; State Treasury Scientific Test Line of Aviation Systems named after L.K. Safronov (GkNIPAS), whose founder and owner is the National Research Center “ Institute named after N.E. Zhukovsky. & # 39; & # 39; At present, GkNIPAS specialists are carrying out preparatory work with JSC Rosoboronexport. promoting anti-helicopter mines in international markets. & # 39; & # 39; Which ones exactly & mdash; unknown. In theory, the Russian PVM could be of interest to countries in conflict and where combat drones are used (Syria, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan). Recall that such a mine can react not only to helicopters, but also to unmanned aerial vehicles, and there are many in this area. Also, Russian PVM customers can be Southeast Asian countries, China, India, Vietnam.

Источник aif.ru

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *