Experts from the United States evaluated the new intelligence complex "Penicillin. Russian "Penicillin": a pill is guaranteed for enemy artillery

The international military forum "Army-2018" continues. A significant part of its exposition is occupied by artillery and rocket systems. Visitors can see the latest Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled gun, the Iskander tactical complex, the 203 mm Malka cannon and many other interesting developments. But artillery is not only what shoots, its effective work is impossible without high-quality target designation and reconnaissance means.

It is for this reason that at the stand of the main missile and artillery directorate of the RF Ministry of Defense you can see a model of a new reconnaissance complex, which is known to the general public under the name "Penicillin". Experts believe that its appearance can lead to the same revolution in artillery that its "namesake" in medicine once made. Thanks to the sensitive sensors of the complex, the military will be able to determine the location of enemy batteries with great accuracy, while remaining invisible to the enemy. "Penicillin" will be able to detect even the launchers of anti-aircraft and tactical missiles.

It is planned that next year the reconnaissance complex will begin to enter the troops.

What is "Penicillin" and what is it for

Today, enemy artillery positions are detected using radar systems. A typical example of such equipment is the Zoopark-1 anti-battery radar, adopted by the Russian army in 2008. Its principle of operation is quite simple: the radar detects the trajectories of projectiles or missiles, and then the computer calculates where they were launched from. The problem is that the use of radar instantly reveals the location of the station itself, making it vulnerable to enemy fire. In addition, it can be suppressed using various electronic warfare systems.

True, there are advantages: the "Zoo" is able not only to calculate enemy batteries, but also to effectively adjust the fire of its own artillery.

The Penicillin complex works quite differently. Its main part is a remote optoelectronic module of thermal direction-finding equipment, designed to detect radiation in the infrared and visible spectrum from the terrain and various objects. It is located on a special bar, which unfolds during combat use.

In addition, this complex incorporates special sound receivers that literally “listen” to the ground, like acoustics on submarines. The information received from the sensors is sent to the receiving equipment and displays the situation in real time.

"Penicillin" is able to pinpoint the positions of mortars at distances of 10 km, the location of self-propelled guns and towed artillery - up to 18 km, rocket launchers - up to 40 km.

Up to 30 targets can be detected at the same time. The reconnaissance strip is 20-25 km wide. During the tests, the complex showed a very high accuracy, reaching one and a half minutes of arc. More precise data on its characteristics are still kept secret.

The samples of the complex shown earlier were installed on the chassis of a KamAZ-6350 truck. At the Army-2018 forum, another version was demonstrated - using an armored car

There is no escape from artillery fire! Or is there anyway? Recently, state tests of the latest 1B75 Penicillin artillery reconnaissance complex have been completed in the Russian Federation. What is it and what is it for?

How to find a gun

Fighting enemy artillery is a long-standing and honorable occupation. Even before the First World War, they invented a miracle unit called the Le Boulanger sound rangefinder. We take a glass tube with a mixture of water and alcohol, in addition to the liquid inside - a light float-pointer. Seeing the flash of a shot, put it vertically. The float descends at a known speed, and when the sound of a shot arrives, it is displaced by a certain number of divisions. After that, you can calculate the distance. The accuracy of this gadget - you can imagine.

The staff captain of the Russian army Nikolai Benois in 1909 came up with a more cunning sound receiver. A thick paper membrane is hung on a tripod, "facing" to the enemy. A sound wave approaches, after which the contacts of the membrane break and stop the time counter. We set up three or four sound posts over several hundred meters - we get the approximate distance and direction to the source of the sound, that is, the enemy battery. And we shoot back.

In World War I, sound intelligence was used with might and main. If the instruments are properly adjusted and corrections are taken into account, neither the night, nor the fog, nor the relief will save the enemy. And you can also adjust your shots!

Experiments with radar to fight against enemy artillery began in World War II. First in the navy, and then on land. And off we go… Vietnam, Afghanistan, then everywhere.

An enemy projectile flies - we immediately calculate the trajectory back: to a cannon, mortar or rocket launcher. And we also send warm greetings in return.

(On the photo: Zoo artillery reconnaissance complex)

In our army, for this, there are installations of artillery reconnaissance "Zoo" and "Aistyonok" (both of which were used in Syria). In the USA - AN / TPQ-53 of the famous Lockheed Martin company. Sweden and Norway have ARTHUR (Artillery Hunting Radar). In addition to shells, some samples are also able to detect drones.

Why then do we need "Penicillin"? Do not rush to conclusions!

"Do you see the gopher? And I don't see. And he is"

First, radars are not omnipotent. Their effectiveness against different targets varies greatly. In the real conditions of the war in Afghanistan, the Soviet ARK-1 stations turned out to be too complicated, and they often refused.

Secondly, radars can be interfered with. Or just detect their radiation and cover the positions of reconnaissance stations. Finally, you can simply not shoot when the enemy radar is working.

(In the photo: "Penicillin" on the KAMAZ-6350 chassis)

But "Penicillin" is a completely different matter! We put several sensitive sound sensors on the ground. The developers claim that they will be able to detect even the bang of the door. A shot of a gun or a burst of a projectile - even more so. At a distance of up to 25 kilometers.

Modern computers allow you to give out the coordinates of enemy guns in five seconds, as soon as they open fire.

The direction finding error does not exceed one and a half minutes of arc.

Mortars, for example, are detected at a distance of up to 10 kilometers, self-propelled guns - up to 18, rocket launchers - up to 40. The reconnaissance strip is 20-25 kilometers, and Penicillin can simultaneously conduct three dozen targets.

In theory, "Penicillin" is easily integrated into artillery fire control systems. The radio communication range is up to 40 kilometers.

The work of Penicillin itself cannot be detected by radar. And no one knows if this "gopher" is nearby - or not.

And Penicillin also has an optoelectronic module. These are six thermal imaging and six television cameras in a single housing and on a retractable telescopic rod. The viewing angle of the camera is at least 70 degrees.

Instead of sending scouts to the front line, now you can put the car in cover and raise the module. After full deployment, the complex does not even require the intervention of operators - it works automatically.

The novelty was immediately noticed abroad. The National Interest magazine broke out on Penicillin in a separate article. And if the Su-57 fighters are usually scolded there - they say, they are not so scary and will cost a lot (so the reader does not need to be afraid), - then this time the tone of the article was quite respectful.

For the first time about "Penicillin" was told in March 2017, when a prototype was tested at the Donguz test site in the Orenburg region - based on KAMAZ-6350. At the Army-2018 forum, they showed an already modified version, on the Typhoon-K chassis.

Recently completed state tests. What will be next? We will see. But the fact that new artillery requires new methods of dealing with it is a fact.

The new Russian 1B75 “Penicillin” sound-thermal artillery reconnaissance complex can become a breakthrough “method for eliminating American heavy artillery” and thereby revolutionize weapons, just as its namesake turned all medicine upside down, writes the American analytical publication National Interest.

The authors of the article note that in order to detect noise and kinetic energy, this fixation system uses four sound-thermal locators, a huge stabilization platform and an optoelectronic module. In addition, Penicillin is equipped with six conventional and six thermal imaging cameras for lightning-fast sorting of information.

Experts point out that the complex can find targets in just five seconds within a radius of up to 25 kilometers, and also prematurely determine the places where enemy shells fall. As noted in the Russian, the detectors of the complex are so accurate that they can even detect a bang with a door. At the same time, Penicillin is fully automated.

According to reports, among the advantages there is a low probability of its detection by enemy artillery. This is due to the fact that "Penicillin" does not use the electromagnetic waves inherent in the radar. The complex was first presented last year, now it is completing test tests and expects serial production in 2019.

On the eve it became known that a new-generation over-the-horizon detection radar station of the Container type was deployed in Mordovia, which can track hypersonic missiles at a distance of three thousand kilometers.

“The radar is capable of controlling the flights of any air targets at a distance of about 3 thousand kilometers.

and can simultaneously accompany more than 5,000 air objects of various types, including small ones,” the ministry said.

The ministry also emphasized that the station will have to provide reconnaissance of hypersonic air objects over the territory of Western European states and in the southwestern region.

Two months earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense published a video with footage of tests of the latest Russian combat robot Nerekhta and combat robotic systems Uran-9. The publication was dedicated to the Day of the Ground Forces, which is celebrated in Russia on October 1st.

The Nerekhta robotic complex is equipped with a tracked chassis, armored hull and mounts for special equipment. Three modules have been developed for the robot: combat, transport and artillery reconnaissance.

"Uran-9" is used for reconnaissance, fire support of motorized rifle units and counter-terrorism tasks. It is noted that the armored vehicle is armed with a 30-mm automatic cannon and Ataka anti-tank guided missiles.

In June of this year, U.S. Army Secretary Mark Esper said that his department is considering long-range precision weapons as the number one priority for modernizing the U.S. ground forces.

“Even the US military hospital in the German city of Landstuhl is within range of Russian missiles.

It is at this range that the missile troops of the RF Armed Forces can hit our targets. We currently have practically no such thing as a "deep rear".

All our facilities in Europe could suddenly find themselves under deadly enemy fire, ”one of the high-ranking officers of the US Ground Forces assessed the current situation.

U.S. Army weapon designers have said design bureaus and industry intend to design and deploy an integrated series of weapons to the U.S. Army to fully meet the priorities outlined by Mark Esper.

Such a series will include a long-range precision missile, hypersonic weapons for the ground forces and long-range artillery. For the latter, the task is to double the firing range of 155-mm projectiles and reach the kill line of 60 km.

To solve this problem, it is planned to use a longer barrel, active rockets with ramjet engines and new materials. This, according to the developers, will allow shooting at a distance of 60 km and beyond.

In May, Western experts analyzed how Russia plans to shoot down American F-22s and F-35s. NSN. We are talking about the Struna-1 bistatic radar system, which is capable of tracking stealth fighters equipped with stealth technology, including fifth-generation F-22 and F-35 aircraft of the US Air Force.

There is no escape from artillery fire! Or is there anyway? Recently, state tests of the latest artillery reconnaissance complex 1B75 "Penicillin" were completed in the Russian Federation. What is it and what is it for?

How to find a gun

Fighting enemy artillery is a long-standing and honorable occupation. Even before the First World War, they invented a miracle unit called the Le Boulanger sound rangefinder. We take a glass tube with a mixture of water and alcohol, in addition to the liquid inside - a light float-pointer. Seeing the flash of a shot, put it vertically. The float descends at a known speed, and when the sound of a shot arrives, it is displaced by a certain number of divisions. After that, you can calculate the distance. The accuracy of this gadget - you can imagine.

The staff captain of the Russian army Nikolai Benois in 1909 came up with a more cunning sound receiver. A thick paper membrane is hung on a tripod, "facing" to the enemy. A sound wave approaches, after which the contacts of the membrane break and stop the time counter. We set up three or four sound posts over several hundred meters - we get the approximate distance and direction to the source of the sound, that is, the enemy battery. And we shoot back.

In World War I, sound intelligence was used with might and main.

If the instruments are properly adjusted and corrections are taken into account, neither the night, nor the fog, nor the relief will save the enemy.

And you can also adjust your shots!

Experiments with radar to fight against enemy artillery began in World War II. First in the navy, and then on land. And off we go ... Vietnam, Afghanistan, then everywhere.

An enemy projectile flies - we immediately calculate the trajectory back: to a cannon, mortar or rocket launcher. And we also send warm greetings in return.

Artillery reconnaissance complex "Zoo" ()

In our army, for this, there are installations of artillery reconnaissance "Zoo" and "Aistenok" (both of which were used in Syria). In the USA - AN / TPQ-53 of the famous Lockheed Martin company. Sweden and Norway have ARTHUR (Artillery Hunting Radar). In addition to shells, some samples are also able to detect drones.

Why then do we need "Penicillin"? Do not rush to conclusions!

"Do you see the gopher? And I don't see. And he is"

First, radars are not omnipotent. Their effectiveness against different targets varies greatly. In the real conditions of the war in Afghanistan, the Soviet ARK-1 stations turned out to be too complicated, and they often refused.

Secondly, radars can be interfered with. Or just detect their radiation and cover the positions of reconnaissance stations. Finally, you can simply not shoot when the enemy radar is working.

But "Penicillin" is a completely different matter! We put several sensitive sound sensors on the ground. The developers claim that they will be able to detect even the bang of the door. A shot of a gun or a burst of a projectile - even more so. At a distance of up to 25 kilometers.

Modern computers allow you to give out the coordinates of enemy guns in five seconds, as soon as they open fire.

The direction finding error does not exceed one and a half minutes of arc.

Mortars, for example, are detected at a distance of up to 10 kilometers, self-propelled guns - up to 18, rocket launchers - up to 40. The reconnaissance strip is 20-25 kilometers, and Penicillin can simultaneously conduct three dozen targets.

In theory, "Penicillin" is easily integrated into artillery fire control systems. The radio communication range is up to 40 kilometers.

The work of Penicillin itself cannot be detected by radar. And no one knows if there is this "gopher" nearby - or not.

And Penicillin also has an optoelectronic module. These are six thermal imaging and six television cameras in a single housing and on a retractable telescopic rod. The viewing angle of the camera is at least 70 degrees.

Instead of sending scouts to the front line, now you can put the car in cover and raise the module. After full deployment, the complex does not even require the intervention of operators - it works automatically.

Inside the Penicillin cabin

The novelty was immediately noticed abroad. The National Interest magazine broke out on "Penicillin" in a separate article. And if the Su-57 fighters are usually scolded there - they say, they are not so terrible and will cost a lot (so the reader does not need to be afraid), - then this time the tone of the article was quite respectful.

For the first time about "Penicillin" was told in March 2017, when a prototype was tested at the Donguz test site in the Orenburg region - based on KAMAZ-6350. At the Army-2018 forum, an already modified version was shown, on the Typhoon-K chassis.

Recently completed state tests. What will be next? We will see. But the fact that new artillery requires new methods of dealing with it is a fact.

Vladimir Smirnov, Marianna Chursina

State tests of the new automated artillery reconnaissance complex 1B75 "Penicillin" have been completed. This system allows for five seconds to determine the coordinates of the firing position of enemy artillery within a radius of up to 25 km. In addition, "Penicillin" is adjusting the firing of fire weapons against friendly forces. The delivery of the first sound-thermal complexes to the troops is expected in 2020. Experts call the key feature of the new systems the ability to quickly respond to enemy artillery fire and destroy it even before it changes its location.

• YouTube

In Russia, state tests of the latest automated artillery reconnaissance complex 1B75 "Penicillin" have been completed. Moreover, the first two samples of this equipment are planned to be delivered to the troops as early as 2020. This was reported to RIA Novosti by the press service of the Ruselectronics holding.

It is noted that the Penicillin sound-thermal complex is designed to detect firing positions of enemy artillery pieces, mortars, multiple launch rocket systems, as well as launching positions of enemy anti-aircraft and tactical missiles. At the same time, the system simultaneously adjusts the firing of friendly artillery.

The complex includes several sound receivers installed on the surface of the earth and an optoelectronic module. "Penicillin" receives and processes thermal imaging and acoustic signals from shots and shell explosions, providing data on the location of the explosion of the ammunition, the accuracy of the hit, and reports the location of enemy artillery.

A key feature of the new complex is that it determines the coordinates of a single target within a radius of up to 25 km in just five seconds.

"Penicillin" can maintain fire as one battery, and in turn each battery of the division. Also, the installation provides interaction with subscribers of the automated control system of the tactical and operational level. The range of radio communication with external subscribers is up to 40 km,” Ruselectronics said.

The actual optical-electronic module "Penicillin-OEM", which is a complex of thermal direction finding equipment (TPA) on a telescopic rod, includes six thermal imaging and six television cameras. All of them are placed in a single housing on a rotating and oscillating base.

“The radiation that comes from objects located in the reconnaissance sector, optoelectronic units of the product ... is converted into electrical signals and transmitted to the equipment for receiving and displaying the ROV in real time,” the documents for the development of the module say.

For the first time, the existence of the automated sound-thermal reconnaissance complex AZTK 1B75 "Penicillin" became known to the general public in March 2017. By this time, tests of a prototype have started at the Donguz test site in the Orenburg region.

It was reported that the complex is designed to replace the traditional principle of fire adjustment with the help of scouts who work on the front lines at the risk of their lives.

“Unlike them, Penicillin can operate at a safe distance from the enemy without the participation of an operator in a fully automated mode, which minimizes the influence of the human factor,” Ruselectronics said.

In addition, existing artillery reconnaissance systems are vulnerable to enemy electronic warfare and anti-radar weapons. In turn, AZTK 1B75 performs tasks without unmasking itself by external radiation.

"Artillery remains one of the important factors on the battlefield"

Earlier, the American analytical publication National Interest published an article entitled “Perhaps Russia has a new means to destroy (American. — RT) heavy artillery. It was about the new artillery reconnaissance complex presented at the Army-2018 exhibition.

It is noted that Western radar systems - the American Hughes AN / TSQ-51 and the Scandinavian ARTHUR - due to their characteristics, experience difficulties in detecting small projectiles and are subject to anti-radar measures. The undetectableness of the Russian system by traditional methods, writes NI.

Currently, the main artillery weapons in service with the US Army are the 155-mm M109 self-propelled artillery mount, the M119 (105 mm) and M777 (155 mm) towed howitzers, as well as several types of mortars and MLRS (HIMARS and MLRS). The firing range of most of them with conventional shells does not exceed 25 km.

According to Konstantin Sivkov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences, the main advantage of the Penicillin complex is that it has a thermal optoelectronic channel, which allows you to quickly respond to enemy artillery fire and deliver a counter-battery strike even before it has time to change location.

“According to open data, the range of the complex is 25 km, that is, within the tactical defense zone. Accordingly, light field artillery, mortars - these are the objects that will mainly work, ”the expert said.

In turn, the military observer of Komsomolskaya Pravda, retired colonel Viktor Baranets, noted that foreign experts rightly drew attention to the fact that the Russian complex would seriously affect the effectiveness of artillery combat.

“Why did they call the Penicillin complex the killer of American artillery. All the armies of the world have artillery guns of different calibers and different ranges, and artillery remains one of the important factors on the battlefield, - said the interlocutor of RT. - It is very important to have the exact coordinates of the location of a particular gun, because the gun fires several shots and immediately changes position. And if the technology does not allow you to instantly detect his position, then the enemy will simply shift this position, and the shells will fly, in fact, to an empty place.

The expert noted that the AZTK 1B75 makes it possible in a matter of seconds to determine the firing point with maximum accuracy and cover it with return fire: “This is one of the elements of the new warfare, where the speed of response to enemy fire is reduced to a minimum.”

• British 155 mm howitzer M777 and American self-propelled guns M109 (155 mm)
• Reuters

According to Barants, foreign experts pay attention to the fact that the complex's high tactical and technical characteristics have been achieved through the use of the latest technologies, which so far only the Russian defense industry has.

“We need to talk about something else: that in this complex there is not a single bolt or board that we would buy abroad. Everything in this complex is Russian, from the most elementary device to complex electronic systems. With such a complex, the Russian army gets very serious anti-artillery "ears and eyes", which is extremely important in modern combat operations, where time becomes a very serious factor, ”the expert added.

“The speed of reaction to enemy fire is also becoming an additional weapon for our army,” he stressed.

“I would like to congratulate our designers, scientists, technologists, engineers who invented and brought this complex to the end. We will wait for his massive entry into the troops of the Russian army, ”concluded Baranets.