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- Behind the Citadel Wall: how the latest air defense system destroys drones and cruise missiles
Behind the Citadel Wall: how the latest air defense system destroys drones and cruise missiles
The steel module suddenly starts turning the cannon. At some point, the barrel almost freezes — and immediately the roar of shots is heard. The drone that appeared on the horizon falls on its wing and falls into the forest. This is how the latest ZAK-30 Citadel anti-aircraft artillery system works. These combat systems are already protecting the Russian skies from enemy drones. Recently, anti-aircraft gunners of a unit visited by Izvestia correspondents destroyed a Flamingo cruise missile. Only two "smart" projectiles with remote detonation were enough for this.
"Fierce" in the crosshair
The Citadel complex includes two combat modules with 30-millimeter cannons, a radar station, an optical target detection system, and a secure command post where operators are located. From here, the battle looks completely different: businesslike silence, no roar of guns. Two operators are on combat duty at the same time, one for each anti—aircraft module. In front of them are large screens that display information from radar and optical stations. The equipment detects enemy aircraft and takes them to escort.
The new complex can use artificial intelligence to determine the type of drone in the field of view of the optical station by silhouette.
"I see a target — two Maya and Fierce type UAVs," the operator with the call sign Bely reports. Then he names the height and direction of movement of the enemy drones. They are heading towards the central regions of Russia.
There are only a few seconds to make a decision on destruction. The command to open fire immediately follows. The operator presses a button and the silence is broken by the sound of anti—aircraft guns.
The combat modules with guns are located far from the control center, and the sound of their work is barely audible here. But the calculation keeps the situation under full control.
On the screen, which receives the image from the optical station, you can see how the enemy drone shudders, begins to tilt and falls into the nearby forest.
One short burst was enough to defeat the enemy UAV — just a couple of shells.
There are smiles on the faces of the fighters: they are satisfied with their work. It worked flawlessly — both drones were destroyed.
— We are happy now, but we are well aware of the responsibility and we are not going to relax, we have no right to make mistakes, — the operators say.
The battalion commander with the call sign Spartak expresses gratitude to the soldiers of the calculation. He had no doubt about their professionalism. These young men have more than 40 destroyed enemy UAVs, which is the most effective calculation in the battalion.
— In our department, the effectiveness coefficient of destruction of unmanned aerial vehicles is 99%, — says Spartak.
— Does another one percent break through? — I'm interested.
"I don't think so. These are UAVs that enter our area of responsibility for a few seconds and change direction, but they will not be able to bypass our air defense: they will be met by neighbors," the commander explains.
He says that with the introduction of new complexes with elements of artificial intelligence, the work of anti-aircraft gunners has become easier.
— Recently, domestic software has moved far ahead, — he says. — The Citadel not only recognizes the target, but also calculates the pre-emption itself when firing. The work of the operators is now somewhat like computer toys - they need to choose the type of projectile and give the command to destroy it, and the electronics will do the rest themselves.
Anti-aircraft gunners against the Flamingos
Spartak says that his calculations include not only the UAV, but also the Ukrainian-British FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile. She was moving at an extremely low altitude — up to 100 m above the forest, with a speed of over 500 km / h. The target was detected by the Citadel radar station.
— The head of the calculation has fixed the target. The decision to destroy it was made specifically by him. The combat module fired," the officer recalls the details of that battle.
A short burst of two 30-millimeter shells of a new type with remote detonation was enough to destroy the Flamingo. In the military, they are also called smart. Citadel actively uses such ammunition. Each combat module of the complex is equipped with two belts of 150 rounds of ammunition: one loaded with classic high-explosive fragmentation, the second with "smart" shrapnel ammunition.
— Such a projectile flies up to the drone, explodes a meter and a half away from it, and the striking elements destroy the target with a directed stream of fragments. Despite its size, a 30-millimeter munition is powerful — a Gazelle—type minibus will simply tear apart," says Spartak.
A ton of explosives, which made up the Flamingo's warhead, detonated in the sky — the explosion was large and loud. The debris fell into the forest, there was no damage or casualties on the ground, the commander recalls.
"The high qualification of the crew and the capabilities of the new complex decided a lot in that battle," says Spartak.
The AI did not disappoint
After the battle, the military personnel of the engineering unit bring the wreckage of the destroyed drones to the anti-aircraft gunners. They're safe now.: The sappers removed the warhead preserved in one of the drones.
The inspection confirms that the Ukrainian UAVs Maya and Fierce were shot down. The artificial intelligence of the Citadel was not mistaken in determining the models of aircraft.
"There are a lot of jagged holes in the Maya's wing, which is how the shrapnel from a smart shell pierces it," explains an officer, a company commander with the call sign Hedgehog.
Not a united "Citadel"
The unit that we managed to visit is part of one of the newly created regiments as part of the anti-drone air defense units. Such units are armed with the most modern weapons systems — Zubr, Strelets, Enclave anti-aircraft artillery (or machine gun) systems, Verba MANPADS, Barrier-L and Diona laser installations, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
In addition, mobile firing groups were formed in the troops. Their share in the destruction of drones has increased 3.5 times since the beginning of the year.
There is also an increase in downed UAVs using FPV interceptors - they destroy 4.5 thousand drones every month. The role of army aviation UAVs in repelling attacks has also increased significantly. Its effectiveness has increased almost 2.5 times, the military department noted.
For situational awareness, the density of the radar field was significantly increased and an integrated air defense information environment was created. These measures make it possible to destroy 98% of drones used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces every day.
So, on the night of October 15, the Russian air defense forces repelled the most massive attack on an oil refinery in Ryazan using drones and Flamingo cruise missiles. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, anti-aircraft missile forces, fighter and army aircraft, as well as mobile firing groups intercepted and destroyed four Flamingo missiles and 69 aircraft-type drones. As a result of the fall of the UAV debris, a fire broke out on the territory of the refinery.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
