Portable anti-aircraft missile system "Stinger. Echo of the "stinger": why are American MANPADS in Syria dangerous for Russian aviation What is a stinger

FIM-92 Stinger (English FIM-92 Stinger - Sting) - This man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) American production. Its main purpose is to defeat low-flying air targets: helicopters, aircraft and UAVs.

Development MANPADS "Stinger" hosted by General Dynamics. It was created as a replacement for MANPADS FIM-43 Redeye. The first batch of 260 units. anti-aircraft missile systems were put into trial operation in the middle of 1979. After that, the manufacturing company ordered another batch of 2250 units. for .

"Stingers" adopted in 1981, they became the most common in the world MANPADS, with which the armies of more than twenty states are equipped.

In total, three modifications were created "Stinger":

• Basic ("Stinger"),
• "Stinger"-RMP (Reprogrammable Microprocessor),
• "Stinger"-POST (Passive Optical Seeking Technology).

They have the same composition of means, the height of the target and the firing range. The difference between them is in the homing heads ( GOS), which are used on anti-aircraft missiles FIM-92(modifications A, B, C). At the moment, Raytheon makes modifications: FIM-92D, FIM-92E Block I and II. These upgraded variants have better seeker sensitivity as well as interference immunity.

The device and performance characteristics of MANPADS "Stinger"

GOS POST, which is used on SAM(anti-aircraft guided missile- approx. Last Day Club)FIM-92B, operates in two wavelength ranges - ultraviolet (UK) and infrared (IR). If in a rocket FIM-92A The IR seeker receives data about the position of the target relative to its optical axis from a signal that modulates a rotating raster, then the POST seeker uses a non-raster target coordinator. UV and IR radiation detectors work in a circuit with two microprocessors. They can conduct rosette-shaped scanning, which provides a high possibility of target selection in conditions of strong background interference, and is also protected from countermeasures operating in the IR range.

Production SAM FIM-92B with GSH POST launched in 1983. However, in 1985, General Dynamics began developing SAM FIM-92C, so the production rate has slightly decreased. The development of the new missile was completed in 1987. It uses the GSH POST-RMP, the processor of which can be reprogrammed, which ensures that the guidance system is adapted to the target and interference conditions using the appropriate program. The body of the launcher of the Stinger-RMP MANPADS contains replaceable memory blocks with typical programs. Latest improvements MANPADS provided for the equipment of the rocket FIM-92C a lithium battery, a ring laser gyroscope, and an upgraded roll rate sensor.

The following main elements can be distinguished MANPADS Stinger:

• Transport and launch container (TPK) with missiles;
• An optical sight that allows visual detection and tracking of a target and determining the approximate range to it;
• Starting mechanism and cooling and power supply unit with a capacity of liquid argon and an electric battery;
• Also installed equipment "friend or foe" AN / PPX-1 with electronic media, which is attached to the shooter's belt.

On rockets FIM-92E Block I dual-range noise-proof rosette homing heads (GOS) are installed, which operate in the UV and IR ranges. In addition, high-explosive fragmentation warheads, the weight of which is three kilograms. Their flight range is 8 kilometers, and the speed is M = 2.2 V missiles FIM-92E Block II an all-angle thermal imaging seeker is installed, in the focal plane of which the optical system of the IR detector array is located.

In the production of rockets, the "duck" aerodynamic scheme was used. The nose contains four aerodynamic surfaces: two play the role of rudders, while the other two remain stationary relative to the missile body. When maneuvering with the help of one pair of rudders, the rocket rotates around the longitudinal axis, while the control signals that they receive are consistent with the movement of the rocket around this axis. The initial rotation of the rocket is provided by inclined nozzles of the launch accelerator relative to the body. Rotation in flight is maintained by opening the planes of the tail stabilizer at the exit from the TPK, which are also located at an angle to the body. The use of a pair of rudders for control significantly reduced the weight and cost of flight control instruments.

The missile is propelled by a solid propellant Atlantic Research Mk27 dual-mode sustainer engine, which provides acceleration to a speed of M = 2.2 and maintains it throughout the flight to the target. This engine starts to work after the launch booster has separated, and the rocket has moved to a safe distance from the shooter - about 8 meters.

Weight of combat equipment SAM is three kilograms - this is a high-explosive fragmentation part, a percussion fuse, as well as a safety-actuator that ensures the removal of the safety stages and gives the command to self-destruct the missile if it does not hit the target.

To accommodate SAM a sealed cylindrical TPK from TPK is used, which is filled with an inert gas. The container has two lids that are destroyed upon launch. The material on the front allows both IR and UV radiation to pass through, allowing for target acquisition without the need to break the seal. The container is sufficiently reliable and airtight to provide maintenance-free storage of missiles for ten years.

To attach the launcher, which prepares the rocket for launch and launches it, special locks are used. In preparation for launch, a cooling and power supply unit with an electric battery is installed in the body of the trigger mechanism, which is connected to the onboard missile system using a plug connector. The container with liquid argon is connected to the cooling system line by means of a fitting. At the bottom of the trigger there is a plug connector that is used to connect the electronic sensor of the "friend or foe" system.

There is a trigger on the handle, which has one neutral and two working positions. When the hook is moved to the first working position, the cooling and power supply units are activated. Electricity and liquid argon begin to flow on board the rocket, which cool the seeker detectors, spin the gyroscope and perform other operations to prepare SAM to launch. When the hook is moved to the second operating position, the onboard electric battery is activated, which provides power to the electronic equipment of the rocket for 19 seconds. The next step is the start of the igniter of the rocket's starting engine.

During the battle, information about targets is transmitted by an external detection and target designation system or a calculation number that monitors the airspace. After the target is located, the shooter operator puts MANPADS on the shoulder, starting aiming at the selected target. After capturing the target of the missile's seeker, an audible signal is triggered, and the optical sight begins to vibrate using a device adjacent to the operator's cheek. After that, by pressing the button, the gyroscope is turned on. In addition, before starting, the shooter must enter the necessary lead angles.

When the trigger guard is pressed, the on-board battery is activated, which returns to normal mode after the cartridge with compressed gas is fired, discarding the tear-off plug, thereby cutting off the power transmitted by the cooling and power supply unit. Then the squib is turned on, starting the starting engine.

MANPADS "Stinger" has the following tactical and technical characteristics:

• Damage zone:
  • Range - 500-4750 m
  • Height - 3500 m
• Kit weight: 15.7 kg
• Rocket weight: 10.1 kg
• Rocket dimensions:
  • Length - 1500 mm
  • Case diameter — 70 mm
  • Span of stabilizers - 91 mm
• Rocket speed: 640 m/s

As a rule, calculations MANPADS during combat operations, they perform tasks independently or as part of a subunit. The fire of the calculation is controlled by its commander. It is possible to select a target autonomously, as well as using commands transmitted by the commander. The fire crew performs visual detection of an air target, determines whether it belongs to the enemy. After that, if the target reaches the calculated range and the command to destroy is given, the calculation launches the rocket.

In the current instructions for the conduct of combat, there are methods of firing for calculations MANPADS. For example, to destroy single piston aircraft and helicopters, a method called “launch-observation-launch” is used, for a single jet aircraft “two launches-observation-launch”. In this case, both the shooter and the crew commander simultaneously shoot at the target. With a large number of air targets, the fire crew selects the most dangerous targets, and the gunner and the commander fire at different targets using the “launch-new target-launch” method. The following distribution of the functions of the members of the calculation occurs - the commander fires at the target or the target flying to his left, and the shooter attacks the leading or rightmost object. The fire is carried out until the ammunition is completely consumed.

Fire coordination between different crews is carried out using pre-agreed actions to select established firing sectors and select a target.

It is worth noting that fire at night unmasks firing positions, so under these conditions it is recommended to fire on the move or during short stops, changing position after each launch.

The track record of MANPADS "Stinger"

First battle baptism MANPADS "Stinger" took place during the British-Argentine conflict in 1982, which was caused by the Falkland Islands.

With help MANPADS cover was provided for the British landing force, which landed on the coast, from the strikes of the attack aircraft of the Argentine army. According to the British military, they shot down one aircraft, and disrupted the attacks of several others. At the same time, an interesting thing happened when a missile that was fired at the Pukara turboprop attack aircraft hit one of the projectiles fired by the attack aircraft instead.

But the real "glory" this MANPADS received after it began to be used by the Afghan Mujahideen for attacks on government and Soviet aviation. Since the beginning of the 80s, the Mujahideen have used American systems "Red Eye", Soviet "Arrow-2", as well as British missiles "Bloopipe".

It should also be noted that until the mid-1980s, with the help of MANPADS no more than 10% of all aircraft belonging to government troops and "limited contingent" were shot down. The most effective rocket at that time - supplied by Egypt "Arrow-2m". It surpassed all competitors in speed, maneuverability and power of the warhead. For example, an American rocket "Red Eye" there were unreliable contact and non-contact fuses, otherwise the rocket crashed against the skin and flew off from a helicopter or aircraft. In any case, successful launches occurred quite regularly. However, the hit probability was almost 30% lower than that of the Soviet "Arrows".

The range of both missiles did not exceed three kilometers for fire on jet aircraft, two for Mi-24 and Mi-8. And they did not hit the Mi-4 pistons at all due to the weak IR signature. Theoretically, the British MANPADS "Blowpipe" there were much more opportunities.

It was an all-aspect system that could fire on a combat aircraft on a collision course at a distance of up to six kilometers, and on a helicopter up to five kilometers. She easily bypassed heat traps, and the weight of the rocket warhead was three kilograms, which provided acceptable power. But there was one thing, but ... Guidance through manual radio commands, when a joystick moved by the thumb was used to control the rocket, with a lack of experience from the shooter, meant an inevitable miss. In addition, the entire complex weighed more than twenty kilograms, which also prevented its wide distribution.

The situation changed dramatically when the latest American missiles hit the territory of Afghanistan. "Stinger".

The small 70 mm rocket was all-aspect, and the guidance was completely passive and autonomous. The maximum speed reached values ​​​​of 2M. In just one week of use, four Su-25 aircraft were shot down with their help. The thermal traps could not save the car, and the three-kilogram warhead was very effective against the Su-25 engines - they burned out the cables to control the stabilizers.

During the first two weeks of hostilities using MANPADS "Stinger" in 1987, three Su-25s were destroyed. Two pilots were killed. At the end of 1987, losses amounted to eight aircraft. When firing at the Su-25, the "shift" method worked well, but it was ineffective against the Mi-24. Once a Soviet helicopter hit two at once "Stinger", and in the same engine, but the damaged car managed to return to base. To protect the helicopters, shielded exhaust devices were used, which reduced the contrast of IR radiation by about half. A new generator for supplying pulsed IR signals called L-166V-11E was also installed. He diverted the missiles to the side, and also provoked a false capture of the GOS target. MANPADS.

But "Stingers" There were also weaknesses, which were first attributed to pluses. The launcher had a radio rangefinder, which was detected by the Su-25 pilots, which allowed the use of traps preventively, increasing their effectiveness. Dushmans could use the "all-angle" of the complex only in the winter, since the heated leading edges of the wings of the attack aircraft did not have enough contrast to launch a rocket into the hemisphere in front.

After the start of use MANPADS "Stinger" it was necessary to make changes in the tactics of using combat aircraft, as well as to improve its security and jamming. It was decided to increase the speed and height during the fire on ground targets, as well as to create special units and pairs for cover, which began the shelling, in which they were found MANPADS. Very often, the Mujahideen did not dare to use MANPADS, knowing about the imminent retribution from these aircraft.

It is worth noting that the most "indestructible" aircraft were the Il-28 - hopelessly outdated bombers of the Afghan Air Force. This was largely due to the twin 23-mm gun emplacements installed at the stern, which could suppress the firing positions of the crews. MANPADS.

The CIA and the Pentagon armed the Mujahideen with complexes "Stinger", pursuing a number of goals. One of them is testing new MANPADS in real combat. The Americans correlated them with the supply of Soviet weapons to Vietnam, where Soviet missiles shot down hundreds of American helicopters and planes. However, the USSR helped the legitimate authorities of a sovereign country, while the US sent weapons to anti-government armed Mujahideen - or "international terrorists, as the Americans themselves now classify them.

The official Russian media support the opinion that subsequently the Afghan MANPADS were used by Chechen fighters to fire on Russian aircraft during the “counter-terrorist operation”. However, this could not be true for some reason.

First, disposable batteries last for two years before they need to be replaced, and the rocket itself can be stored in a sealed package for ten years, after which it needs maintenance. The Afghan Mujahideen could not independently replace the batteries and provide qualified service.

Most "Stingers" bought in the early 90s by Iran, which was able to put some of them back into operation. According to the Iranian authorities, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps currently has about fifty complexes. "Stinger".

In the early 90s, units of the Soviet military were withdrawn from the territory of Chechnya, and after them many warehouses with weapons remained. Therefore, there is a special need for "Stingers" did not have.

During the Second Chechen campaign, the militants used MANPADS different types that came to them from different sources. For the most part, these were "Needle" and "Arrow". sometimes met and "Stingers" that got into Chechnya from Georgia.

After the operations of international forces began on the territory of Afghanistan, not a single case of the use of the Stinger MANPADS was recorded.

Late 80s "Stingers" used by soldiers of the Foreign French Legion. With their help, they fired on Libyan combat vehicles. But there are no reliable details in "open sources".

Currently MANPADS "Stinger" has become one of the most effective and widespread on the planet. Its missiles are used in various anti-aircraft systems for close-range fire - Aspic, Avenger and others. In addition, they are used on combat helicopters as a weapon of self-defense against air targets.

It is designed to defeat visually observed low-flying aircraft and helicopters on head-on and overtaking courses. The air defense system is a means of air defense of troops in the link up to the battalion (motorized infantry and infantry) and separate support groups operating on the front line or near it. It is supposed to be used in the defense of some of the most important objects, as well as during airborne operations (especially in the initial stage). The complex ensures the defeat of air targets flying at a speed of M not more than 2, at ranges up to 4.8 km and altitudes up to 1500 m.

The concept was formulated in 1967, and development work began in 1972-1973. Initially, the project was called 2. The work included the modernization of the Red Eye air defense system, which does not have an air target identification system and can only hit them on catch-up courses. In January 1974, the first launch of a guided missile took place. From February to September 1975, six missiles were launched, the results of which American experts consider successful. In particular, in the conditions of infrared countermeasures, a missile without a warhead intercepted a QT-33 air target flying at an altitude of 500 m. The slant range to the meeting point was 1.5 km. A launch was also carried out on an unmanned maneuvering PQM-102 aircraft flying at an altitude of 500 m at a speed of 1040 km / h. He was intercepted at the time of the maneuver with acceleration 7g. The slant range to the meeting point was 1.8 km.

As indicated in the American press, the tests will continue until July 1978, and then it will be put into service, and it will enter the troops to replace the Red Eye air defense system. It is noted that due to technical difficulties, development is delayed by 14 months. This complex is of great interest to the command of the ground forces, Belgium, Norway, Israel and other countries.

Initially, the cost of the program for the development and production of the complex was 476.4 million dollars, and now it has increased to (660 million dollars, of which 107 million are R & D expenses. The cost of the complex in the process of further work is expected to be reduced from 6.2 thousand up to 4.9 thousand dollars.

The composition includes the following main elements: an anti-aircraft guided missile, a launcher and an identification system "friend or foe". In the stowed position, the complex is carried on belts. Its weight is 14.5-15.1 kg (without the identification system 13.6-14.2 kg).

ZUR XFIM-92A is made according to the aerodynamic design of the "duck". The weight of the rocket is 9.5 kg, the maximum body diameter is about 70 mm. Compared to the Red Eye SAM, it is equipped with a new engine, has an improved fuse, and a more sensitive IR sensor is used in the homing head. The design of the Stinger missile, like the Red Eye missile, consists of compartments: guidance equipment, warhead, sustainer engine, tail engine, starting engine.

In the guidance equipment compartment there is an IR homing head (wave range 4.1 - 4.4 μm), a block for signaling the operator about target acquisition, a block for generating control commands and an onboard battery. Electronic equipment occupies 15 percent of the volume. less than in the Red Eye missile system.

In the same compartment, two pairs of planes are built in, which are opened and fixed after the rocket leaves the container. One pair of planes is fixed, the second is movable and is used to control missiles in flight. The planes are rotated with the help of the electric drive system according to the signals coming from the block for generating control commands.

Prior to the launch of the SAM, the electronic equipment is connected to the power supply and gas cooler unit using a detachable plug. At the time of launch, it is connected to the onboard battery, which starts working simultaneously with pressing the starting bail.

The warhead consists of an explosive charge, a fuse and a safety-actuator. One stage of protection against premature detonation of the warhead will be removed immediately after the missile launches from the container and when it is removed to a safe distance from the shooter.

Four folding stabilizer planes are attached to a special ring in the tail compartment of the missile defense system with the help of hinges. After leaving the launcher, they are opened and fixed under the action of springs and centrifugal force.

The starting device consists of a transport and launch container (TPK) and an attached handle.

The transport and launch container is made of fiberglass, its length is 1.52 m. It serves for storage, transportation and launch of the rocket. The ends of the container are closed with sealing caps. The front cover is made of a material that is transparent to IR radiation, which makes it possible to search for a target and capture it with a homing head.

To protect against impacts, special plastic shock absorbers are used. An optical sight is attached to the transport-launch container, which serves to detect the target and track it. With its help, the range is approximately determined and, when aiming, lead angles are introduced in elevation and azimuth. There is an indicator in the body of the sight, which fixes the capture of the target by the homing head. It consists of a vibration device and a sound source (at the front end). In the stowed position, the sight with the indicator is removed and folded into a special shipping container.

The attached handle contains a socket for a power supply unit and a gas cooler, a pulse generator, a trigger guard (hook), a switch, elements of the “friend or foe” identification system and an electronic control unit for the gyroscope caging device. The handle, together with the identification system antenna, is attached to the front of the transport and launch container while the complex is being brought into a combat position. The source of electricity for all the equipment of the complex, except for the “friend or foe” identification system, is a battery, which, together with a refrigerant cartridge, is mounted in a single unit (power source and gas cooler).

The "friend or foe" identification system consists of an interrogator, an antenna and a power source. The interrogator and power source (weight 2.7 kg) are attached to the waist belt of the shooter-operator and are connected by a cable to the attached handle. Additional elements of the identification system are software and chargers, as well as an electronic computing unit for encoding request commands.

In the process of combat work, data on targets are received via communication lines from an external detection and target designation system or from the number of the calculation that monitors the airspace. After detecting the target, the shooter-operator removes the safety cover from the front of the TPK and puts the air defense system on his shoulder. With a special toggle switch, the SAM equipment and the starting device are connected to the power supply unit and gas cooler. Power is supplied to the homing head, after the rotor spins up, the gyroscope is locked, ensuring that the field of view of the homing head is aligned with the field of view of the sight. In addition, a refrigerant (argon) is supplied to the PC detector under pressure, the identification system is turned on.

An air defense missile system is aimed at the selected target. At the moment when the homing head captures the target and begins to accompany it, the signal from the IR sensor, amplified by a special block, which is located in the sight handle, turns on the sound source and the vibration device. The signal about the capture of the target is perceived by the shooter by the operator by ear, as well as from the vibrating device of the sight, to which the operator presses his neck. Such an alarm is more reliable, according to American experts, in combat conditions with significant external influences (artillery firing, the noise of tank engines, aircraft), as well as when wearing a gas mask. Then, by pressing the button, the gyroscope is unlocked. Despite the displacement of the TPK, the homing head follows the target.

Before launch, the operator, by deflecting the launcher in space, introduces the necessary lead angles in order to take into account the direction of the target's flight, as well as the SAM sag in the initial flight segment after the launch under the influence of gravity. With the index finger of the right hand, the operator presses on the trigger guard, and the on-board battery starts to work. The output of the battery to the normal operating mode ensures the operation of the cartridge with compressed gas, which discards the tear-off plug, turning off the power from the power source unit and the gas cooler and turning on the starting engine starting squib. The rocket is thrown to a distance equal to an average of 7.6 m, after which the main engine is started.

According to the requirements for, all its elements must withstand the effects of powerful pulses of electromagnetic radiation, and its shelf life must be 10 years. A periodic selective check of its suitability for use according to a specially developed program is provided. Routine maintenance includes visual inspection, troubleshooting and replacement of individual parts. In this case, auxiliary equipment, except for a screwdriver knife, is not required. American experts believe that reliability will be higher than provided for by the tactical and technical requirements.

One firing unit (calculation) consists of two people. Six sets of missiles in transport and launch containers are placed on a light vehicle. The personnel are trained in shooting and, as reported in the foreign press, with the help of special simulators they relatively quickly master the technique of detecting targets, preparing the air defense system for launch and firing.

In 1974, under the Alternative Stinger project, American firms began to develop air defense systems with slightly different principles for guiding missiles. In one version, it is supposed to direct missiles along a laser beam, in the other, with the help of a semi-active homing head operating on a laser radiation signal reflected from the target. Since the end of 1975, flight tests of both options have been carried out, based on the results obtained, a decision will be made on choosing one of them for further development and production. Development and the "Alternative Stinger" are being carried out as part of the program (Man Portable Air Defense Systems), which provides for the creation of wearable short-range ZURO systems for the US ground forces.

The extensive measures being taken in the United States to develop new weapons systems, including the Stinger air defense system, are aimed at further increasing the firepower of units and formations of the American army and are an important link in the ongoing arms race in this country.

Among modern weapons widely used in local conflicts, MANPADS play an important role. They are widely used both by the armies of various states and by terrorist organizations in the fight against air targets. The American MANPADS "Stinger" is considered a true standard of this type of weapon.

History of creation and implementation

MANPADS "Stinger" was designed and manufactured by the American corporation General Dynamics. The beginning of work on this weapon system dates back to 1967. In 1971, the MANPADS concept was approved by the US Army and accepted as a prototype for further improvement under the FIM-92 index. The following year, its common name "Stinger" was adopted, which is translated from English. means "sorry".

Due to technical difficulties, the first real ones from this complex took place only in the middle of 1975. Serial production of the Stinger MANPADS began in 1978 to replace the obsolete FIM-43 Red Eye MANPADS, which had been produced since 1968.

In addition to the basic model, more than a dozen different modifications of this weapon were developed and produced.

Prevalence in the world

As noted above, the Stinger MANPADS became the successor to the Red Eye MANPADS system. Its missiles are an effective means of combating low-altitude air targets. Currently, complexes of this type are used by the armed forces of the United States and 29 other countries, they are manufactured by Raytheon Missile Systems and under license from EADS in Germany. The Stinger weapon system provides a reliable weapon for modern land-based mobile military formations. Its combat effectiveness has been proven in four major conflicts, in which more than 270 combat aircraft and helicopters were destroyed with its help.

Purpose and characteristics

The considered MANPADS are light, autonomous air defense systems that can be quickly deployed on military platforms in any combat situation. For what purposes can the Stinger MANPADS be used? The characteristics of missiles controlled by reprogrammable microprocessors make it possible to use them both for launching from helicopters in the air-to-air mode to combat air targets, and for air defense in the ground-to-air mode. Immediately after launch, the gunner can freely take cover so as not to fall under return fire, thereby achieving his safety and combat effectiveness.

The missile is 1.52 m long and 70 mm in diameter, with four 10 cm high aerodynamic fins (two of them swivel and two fixed) in the nose. It weighs 10.1 kg, while the weight of the missile with the launcher is about 15.2 kg.

Variants of MANPADS "Stinger"

FIM-92A: first version.

FIM - 92C: rocket with a reprogrammable microprocessor. The influence of external interference was offset by the addition of more powerful digital computer components. In addition, the missile software has now been reconfigured in such a way as to respond quickly and efficiently to new types of countermeasures (jamming and decoys) in a short time. Until 1991, about 20,000 units were produced for the US Army alone.

FIM-92D: Various modifications have been used in this version in order to increase the resistance to interference.

FIM-92E: Block I Reprogrammable Microprocessor Missile. The addition of a new rollover sensor, software and control revisions resulted in a significant improvement in the missile's flight control. In addition, the effectiveness of hitting small targets, such as unmanned aircraft, cruise missiles and light reconnaissance helicopters, has been improved. The first deliveries began in 1995. Almost the entire US stock of Stinger missiles has been replaced by this version.

FIM-92F: further improvement of the E-version and current production version.

FIM - 92G: Unspecified update for D variant.

FIM - 92H: D-variant upgraded to E-version level.

FIM-92I: Block II Reprogrammable Microprocessor Missile. This variant was planned based on version E. Improvements included an infrared homing head. In this modification, target detection distances and the ability to overcome interference have been significantly increased. In addition, changes in the design can significantly increase the range. Although work reached the testing stage, the program was terminated in 2002 for budgetary reasons.

FIM-92J: Block I reprogrammable microprocessor missiles have upgraded obsolete components to extend service life by another 10 years. The warhead is also fitted with a proximity fuze to increase effectiveness against

ADSM, Air Defense Suppression: A variant with an additional passive radar homing head, this variant can also be used against radar installations.

Rocket launch method

The American Stinger MANPADS (FIM-92) contains an AIM-92 missile enclosed in a shock-resistant, reusable rigid launch canister. On both ends it is closed with lids. The front of them transmits infrared and ultraviolet radiation, which is analyzed by the homing head. During launch, this cover is broken by a rocket. The back cover of the container is destroyed by a jet of gases from the starting accelerator. Due to the fact that the booster nozzles are inclined relative to the axis of the rocket, it acquires a rotational motion even when it exits the launch canister. After the rocket leaves the container, four stabilizers are opened in its tail section, which are located at an angle to the body. Due to this, a torque acts on its axis in flight.

After the rocket departs at a distance of up to 8 m from the operator, the launch accelerator is separated from it and the main two-stage engine is started. It accelerates the rocket to a speed of 2.2M (750 m/s) and maintains it throughout the flight.

Method of guidance and detonation of a rocket

Let's continue to consider the most famous US MANPADS. The Stinger uses a passive infrared airborne target finder. It does not emit radiation that aircraft can detect, but instead captures the infrared energy (heat) emitted by an aerial target. Since the Stinger MANPADS operates in a passive homing mode, this weapon complies with the “fire and forget” principle, which does not require any instructions from the operator after the shot, unlike other missiles that need to adjust their trajectory from the ground. This allows the Stinger operator to start hitting other targets immediately after firing.

The high-explosive type warhead has a weight of 3 kg with an impact type fuse and a self-destruct timer. The warhead consists of an infrared target finder, fuse section, and one pound of high explosive contained in a cylinder of pyrophoric titanium. The fuse is extremely safe and does not allow the missile to be detonated by any type of electromagnetic radiation in combat conditions. Warheads can only be detonated on impact with a target or due to self-destruction, which occurs between 15 and 19 seconds after launch.

New aiming device

The latest versions of MANPADS are equipped with a standard AN / PAS-18 sight. It is durable, lightweight, which is attached to the launch container, providing the ability to launch a rocket at any time of the day. The device is designed to detect aircraft and helicopters beyond the maximum range of the missile.

The main function of the AN / PAS-18 is to increase the effectiveness of MANPADS. It operates in the same range of the electromagnetic spectrum as the missile's infrared finder and detects any that the missile can detect. This feature also allows for auxiliary functions of night observation. Working passively in the infrared spectrum, the AN / PAS-18 allows the gunner to give target designations to fire from MANPADS in complete darkness and in conditions of limited visibility (for example, fog, dust and smoke). Day or night, the AN / PAS-18 can detect aircraft at high altitude. Under optimal conditions, detection can be at a distance of 20 to 30 kilometers. The AN/PAS-18 is the least effective at detecting low-altitude aircraft flying directly towards the operator. When the exhaust plume is hidden by the body of the aircraft, it cannot be detected as long as it is outside the zone of 8-10 kilometers from the operator. The detection range is increased when the aircraft changes direction to show its own exhaust. The AN/PAS-18 is ready for use within 10 seconds of power up. It is powered by a lithium battery which provides 6-12 hours of battery life. The AN/PAS-18 is an auxiliary night vision device and does not have the resolution needed to identify aircraft.

Combat use

When preparing for use, a trigger mechanism is attached to the launch container with the help of special locks, into which the power supply is preliminarily installed. It is connected to the battery via a cable. In addition, a cylinder with liquid inert gas is connected to the rocket's onboard network through a fitting. Another useful device is the Friend or Foe (IFF) Target Identification Unit. The antenna of this system, which has a very characteristic "grid" appearance, is also attached to the trigger.

How many people does it take to launch a missile from a Stinger MANPADS? Its characteristics allow it to be done by one operator, although officially two people are required to operate it. In this case, the second number monitors the airspace. When the target is detected, the operator-shooter puts the complex on his shoulder and aims it at the target. When it is captured by the missile's infrared seeker, a sound and vibration signal is given, after which the operator, by pressing a special button, must unlock the gyro-stabilized platform, which in flight maintains a constant position relative to the ground, providing control of the instantaneous position of the missile. This is followed by pressing the trigger, after which the liquid inert gas for cooling the infrared homing seeker is supplied from the cylinder to the rocket, its on-board battery is put into operation, the detachable power plug is discarded, and the starting accelerator launch squib is turned on.

How far does the Stinger shoot?

The firing range of the Stinger MANPADS in altitude is 3500 m. The missile searches for infrared light (heat) produced by the engine of the target aircraft, and tracks the aircraft, following this source of infrared radiation. Missiles also detect a target's ultraviolet "shadow" and use it to distinguish the target from other heat-producing objects.

The range of the Stinger MANPADS in pursuit of the target has a wide range for its different versions. So, for the basic version, the maximum range is 4750 m, and for the FIM-92E version, it reaches up to 8 km.

TTX MANPADS "Stinger"

Russian MANPADS "Igla"

It is of known interest to compare the characteristics of the Stinger and Igla-S MANPADS, adopted in 2001. The photo below shows the moment of the shot from

Both complexes have similar missile weights: the Stinger has 10.1 kg, the Igla-S has 11.7, although the Russian missile is 135 mm longer. But the body diameter of both missiles is very close: 70 and 72 mm, respectively. Both of them are capable of hitting targets at altitudes up to 3500 m with infrared homing warheads of approximately the same weight.

And how similar are the other characteristics of the Stinger and Igla MANPADS? Comparing them demonstrates an approximate parity of capabilities, which once again proves that the level of Soviet defense developments can well be raised in Russia to the best foreign weapons.

On September 26, 1986, Soviet aviation in Afghanistan for the first time came under attack from a new weapon - the American Stinger man-portable anti-aircraft missile system (MANPADS). If earlier Soviet attack aircraft and combat helicopters felt like complete masters in the Afghan sky, now they were forced to operate at extremely low altitudes, hiding behind rocks and terrain folds. The first use of the Stinger cost the Soviet troops three Mi-24 helicopters, in total, 23 combat vehicles were destroyed by the end of 1986.

The appearance of the Stinger MANPADS in service with the Mujahideen not only seriously complicated the life of the Soviet and Afghan Air Forces, but also forced the command of a limited contingent to change tactics in the fight against partisans. Previously, special forces units were used to fight partisan groups, which were thrown by helicopters into the desired area. New MANPADS have made such raids very risky.

It is believed that the appearance of the Stinger MANPADS seriously affected the course of the Afghan war and significantly worsened the situation of the Soviet troops. However, this issue is still highly debatable.

Largely thanks to the Afghan war, the Fim-92 Stinger MANPADS became the most famous man-portable anti-aircraft system in the world. In the USSR, and then in Russia, this weapon turned into a real symbol of that war, it got into the literature, several films were even shot about the Fim-92 Stinger.

MANPADS Fim-92 Stinger was developed by the American company General Dynamics in the late 70s, the complex was adopted by the US Army in 1981. The Stinger is the most famous and popular weapon of its class: since the start of production, more than 70,000 complexes have been manufactured, and it is currently in service with thirty armies of the world. Its main operators are the armed forces of the USA, Great Britain and Germany. The cost of one MANPADS (for 1986) was 80 thousand US dollars.

"Stinger" went through a huge number of "hot spots". In addition to Afghanistan, these weapons were used during the fighting in Yugoslavia, in Chechnya, Angola, there is information about the presence of the Fim-92 Stinger in the Syrian rebels.

History of creation

Man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems appeared in the early 60s and were first massively used in the Middle East during the next Arab-Israeli conflict (1969). The use of MANPADS against low-flying aircraft and helicopters proved so effective that in the future MANPADS became the weapon of choice for various guerrilla and terrorist groups. Although, it should be noted that the anti-aircraft systems of that time were far from perfect, their characteristics were insufficient for confident destruction of aircraft.

In the mid-60s, the ASDP program was launched in the United States, the purpose of which was to develop the theoretical foundations for creating a new portable anti-aircraft complex with a missile equipped with an all-aspect seeker. It was this program that launched the creation of a promising MANPADS, which received the designation Stinger (“Sting”). Work on the Stinger began in 1972 under General Dynamics.

In 1977, the new complex was ready, the company began to manufacture an experimental batch, the tests were completed in 1980, and the next year it was put into service.

The first armed conflict in which Stingers were used was the Falklands War of 1982. With the help of this portable complex, the Argentine Pucara attack aircraft and the SA.330 Puma helicopter were shot down. However, the real high point of the Fim-92 Stinger was the war in Afghanistan, which began in 1979.

It should be noted that for a long time the Americans did not dare to supply the latest (and very expensive) weapons to the poorly controlled groups of Islamic fanatics. However, in early 1986, the decision was nevertheless made, and 240 launchers and a thousand anti-aircraft guided missiles were sent to Afghanistan. The Mujahideen already had several types of MANPADS in service: the Soviet Strela-2M delivered from Egypt, the American Redeye and the British Blowpipe. However, these complexes were rather outdated and not very effective against Soviet aircraft. In 1984, with the help of portable anti-aircraft systems (62 launches were made), the Mujahideen managed to shoot down only five Soviet aircraft.

MANPADS Fim-92 Stinger could hit aircraft and helicopters at a distance of up to 4.8 km and an altitude of 200 to 3800 meters. Arranging firing positions high in the mountains, the Mujahideen could hit air targets located at much higher altitudes: there is information about the Soviet An-12, which was shot down at an altitude of nine kilometers.

Immediately after the appearance of the Stingers in Afghanistan, the Soviet command had a strong desire to get to know these weapons better. Special detachments were formed, which were tasked with obtaining captured samples of these MANPADS. In 1987, one of the groups of Soviet special forces was lucky: in the course of a carefully prepared operation, they managed to defeat a caravan with weapons and capture three Fim-92 Stinger units.

Shortly after the start of the use of the Stingers, countermeasures were taken that turned out to be quite effective. The tactics of using aviation was changed, aircraft and helicopters were equipped with systems for jamming and shooting false heat traps. To put an end to the dispute about the role of the Stinger MANPADS in the Afghan campaign, we can say that during the fighting, Soviet troops lost more aircraft and helicopters from the fire of conventional anti-aircraft machine guns.

After the end of the Afghan war, the Americans faced a serious problem: how to get their Stingers back. In 1990, the United States had to buy MANPADS from former Mujahideen allies, for one set they paid $183,000 each. In total, 55 million dollars were spent for these purposes. The Afghans handed over part of the Fim-92 Stinger MANPADS to Iran (there is information about 80 launchers), which also hardly pleased the Americans.

There is information that the Stingers were used against coalition forces in 2001. And even about the American helicopter shot down with the help of this complex. However, this looks unlikely: in more than ten years, MANPADS should have run out of batteries and a guided missile should have become unusable.

In 1987, the Fim-92 Stinger was used during the military conflict in Chad. With the help of these complexes, several aircraft of the Libyan Air Force were shot down.

In 1991, UNITA militants in Angola shot down a civilian L-100-30 aircraft with the help of a Stinger. Passengers and crew members were killed.

There is information that the Fim-92 Stinger was used by Chechen separatists during the first and second campaigns in the North Caucasus, but these data cause skepticism among many experts.

In 1993, with the help of this MANPADS, the Su-24 of the Air Force of Uzbekistan was shot down, both pilots ejected.

Design Description

The Fim-92 Stinger MANPADS is a light portable anti-aircraft missile system designed to destroy low-flying air targets: aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles. The defeat of air targets can be carried out both on a collision course and on a catch-up course. Officially, the calculation of MANPADS consists of two people, but one operator can also fire.

Initially, three modifications of the Stinger were created: basic, Stinger-POST and Stinger-RMP. The launchers of these modifications are absolutely identical, only the homing heads of the missiles differ. The basic modification is equipped with a rocket with an infrared seeker, which is guided by the thermal radiation of a running engine.

GOS modification Stinger-POST operates in two ranges: infrared and ultraviolet, this allows the missile to avoid interference and more confidently hit air targets. The Fim-92 Stinger-RMP modification is the most modern and has the most advanced features, its development was completed in 1987.

MANPADS of all modifications consists of the following elements:

• anti-aircraft guided missile (SAM) in a transport and launch container (TLC);
• trigger mechanism;
• sighting device for searching and tracking the target;
• power supply and cooling unit;
• detection system "friend or foe", its antenna has a characteristic lattice appearance.

SAM MANPADS "Stinger" is made according to the "duck" aerodynamic configuration, with four aerodynamic surfaces in front, two of which are controllable. In flight, the SAM is stabilized by rotation; to give it rotational motion, the nozzles of the launch booster are located at an angle relative to the central axis of the rocket. The rear stabilizers are also located at an angle, which open immediately after the rocket exits the launch canister.

The missile is equipped with a solid-propellant dual-mode propulsion engine that accelerates the missile to a speed of Mach 2.2 and maintains its high speed throughout the flight.

The missile is equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead, an impact fuse and a safety-actuator that ensures self-destruction of the missile defense system in case of a miss.

SAM is in a fiberglass disposable container, which is filled with an inert gas. The front cover is transparent, which ensures that the missile is guided by IR and UV radiation directly in the launch canister. The shelf life of a rocket in a container without maintenance is ten years.

A trigger mechanism is attached to the TPK with the help of special locks, and an electric battery is installed in it in preparation for firing. Also, before use, a container with liquid nitrogen is connected to the launch container, which is necessary for cooling the GOS detectors. After the trigger is pressed, the gyroscopes of the missiles are launched and its GOS is cooled, then the missile battery is activated and the starting engine starts to work.

The acquisition of an aerial target is accompanied by an audible signal, which lets the operator know that a shot can be fired.

The latest versions of MANPADS are equipped with an AN / PAS-18 thermal imaging sight, which makes it possible to use the complex at any time of the day. In addition, it operates in the same IR range as the missile seeker detector, so it is ideal for detecting airborne targets beyond the maximum range of the missile (up to 30 km).

Ways to deal with MANPADS "Stinger"

The appearance in Afghanistan of the Fim-92 Stinger MANPADS became a serious problem for Soviet aviation. They tried to solve it in different ways. The tactics of using aviation was changed, this applied to both attack vehicles and transport helicopters and aircraft.

Flights of transport aircraft began to be carried out at high altitudes, where the Stinger missile could not reach them. Landing and takeoff from the airfield took place in a spiral with a sharp climb or loss of altitude. Helicopters, on the contrary, began to cling to the ground, using ultra-low altitudes.

Soon there were systems that acted on the IR detectors of the missile seeker. Usually these are sources of infrared radiation. The traditional way to deceive a missile is to shoot thermal decoys (TLS) from an airplane or helicopter. However, heat traps have many disadvantages (for example, they are quite fire hazardous), and it is quite difficult to deceive modern MANPADS using TLC.

Immediately after the shooting of the TLC, the aircraft must perform an anti-missile maneuver, otherwise it will still be hit by a missile.

Another way to protect aircraft from being hit by MANPADS can be to increase their armor. The creators of the Russian attack helicopter Ka-50 "Black Shark" went this way.

Characteristics

Below are the main performance characteristics of the Fim-92 Stinger MANPADS.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

Chronicle of the "Afghan war". "Stinger" against helicopters: special forces against the "Stinger"

When in 1986 the United States began to supply the Stinger MANPADS to the Afghan Mujahideen, the OKSV command promised the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to anyone who captured this complex in good condition. During the years of the Afghan war, Soviet special forces managed to get 8 (!) Serviceable Stinger MANPADS, but none of them became a Hero.

"Stinging" for the Mujahideen

Modern combat operations are inconceivable without aviation. From the time of World War II to the present day, air supremacy has been one of the primary goals for victory on the ground. However, air supremacy is achieved not only by aviation itself, but also by air defense, which neutralizes enemy air forces. In the second half of the XX century. anti-aircraft guided missiles appear in the air defense armament of the advanced armies of the world. The new weapon was divided into several classes: long-range anti-aircraft missiles, medium, small and short-range anti-aircraft missile systems. The main short-range air defense systems, which are entrusted with the task of combating helicopters and attack aircraft at low and extremely low altitudes, have become portable anti-aircraft missile systems - MANPADS.

Helicopters, which became widespread after the Second World War, significantly increased the maneuverability of ground and airborne units in defeating enemy troops in its tactical and operational-tactical rear, pinning down the enemy in a maneuver, capturing important objects, etc., they became the most effective means of combating tanks and other small targets. Airmobile actions of infantry units became the hallmark of armed conflicts in the second half of the 20th - early 21st centuries, where irregular armed formations, as a rule, become one of the warring parties. In the new history of our country, the domestic armed forces faced such an adversary in Afghanistan in 1979-1989, where the Soviet army for the first time had to conduct a large-scale counter-guerrilla struggle. The effectiveness of military operations against the rebels in the mountains without the use of army and front-line aviation was out of the question. It was on her shoulders that the entire burden of aviation support for the Limited Contingent of Soviet Forces in Afghanistan (OKSVA) was placed. The Afghan rebels suffered significant losses from air strikes and airborne operations of the infantry units and OKSVA special forces, so the most serious attention was paid to the issues of combating aviation. The armed Afghan opposition constantly increased the firepower of its air defense units. Already by the mid-80s. of the last century in the arsenal of the rebels there was a sufficient number of short-range anti-aircraft weapons that optimally corresponded to the tactics of guerrilla warfare. The main means of air defense of the armed formations of the Afghan opposition were 12.7-mm DShK machine guns, 14.5-mm ZGU-1 anti-aircraft mountain mounts, ZPGU-2 twin anti-aircraft machine gun mounts, 20-mm and 23-mm anti-aircraft guns, as well as portable anti-aircraft missile systems.

Rocket MANPADS "Stinger"

By the beginning of the 1980s. in the United States, General Dynamics created the second-generation Stinger MANPADS. Portable anti-aircraft missile systems of the second generation have:
an improved IR-GOS (infrared homing head), capable of operating at two separated wavelengths;
long-wave IR-GOS, providing all-aspect guidance of the missile at the target, including from the side of the front hemisphere;
a microprocessor that distinguishes a real target from fired IR traps;
a cooled IR sensor of the homing head, which allows the missile to more effectively resist interference and attack low-flying targets;
short reaction time to the target;
increased range of fire on targets on a collision course;
greater missile guidance accuracy and target engagement efficiency compared to first-generation MANPADS;
identification equipment "friend or foe";
means of automating the processes of launching and preliminary target designation for gunners-operators. The second-generation MANPADS also include the Strela-3 and Igla complexes developed in the USSR. The basic version of the Stinger FIM-92A missile was equipped with a single-channel all-angle IR seeker
with a cooled receiver operating in the 4.1-4.4 µm wavelength range, an efficient mid-flight dual-mode solid-propellant engine that accelerates the rocket within 6 s to a speed of about 700 m/s.

The Stinger-POST (POST - Passive Optical Seeker Technology) variant with the FIM-92B missile became the first representative of the third generation MANPADS. The seeker used in the missile operates in the IR and UV wavelength ranges, which provides high performance in the selection of air targets, in conditions of background noise.

Since 1986, both versions of the Stinger missiles have been used in Afghanistan.

Of the entire listed arsenal of air defense systems, MANPADS were, of course, the most effective for combating low-flying targets. Unlike anti-aircraft machine guns and cannons, they have a long range of effective fire and the probability of hitting high-speed targets, they are mobile, easy to use and do not require long-term preparation of calculations. Modern MANPADS are ideal for partisans and reconnaissance units operating behind enemy lines to fight helicopters and low-flying aircraft. The most massive MANPADS of the Afghan rebels throughout the "Afghan war" remained the Chinese anti-aircraft complex "Hunyin-5" (an analogue of the domestic MANPADS "Strela-2"). Chinese MANPADS, as well as a small number of similar Egyptian-made SA-7 systems (MANPADS "Strela-2" in NATO terminology) began to enter service with the rebels from the beginning of the 80s. Until the mid 80s. they were used by the Afghan rebels mainly to cover their facilities from air strikes, and were part of the so-called air defense system of fortified base areas. However, in 1986, American and Pakistani military advisers and experts in charge of Afghan illegal armed formations, after analyzing the dynamics of the losses of the rebels from air strikes and systematic airborne operations of Soviet special forces and infantry units, decided to increase the combat capabilities of the air defense of the Mujahideen by supplying them with American Stinger MANPADS ("Stinging"). With the advent of the Stinger MANPADS among the rebel formations, it became the main fire weapon in setting up anti-aircraft ambushes near the airfields based on the army, front-line and military transport aviation of our Air Force in Afghanistan and the Afghan government Air Force.

MANPADS "Strela-2". USSR ("Hunyin-5". DPRK)

The Pentagon and the CIA of the United States, arming the Afghan rebels with Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, pursued a number of goals, one of which was the opportunity to test the new MANPADS in real combat conditions. By supplying modern MANPADS to the Afghan rebels, the Americans "tried on" them for the supply of Soviet weapons to Vietnam, where the United States lost hundreds of helicopters and planes shot down by Soviet missiles. But the Soviet Union provided legitimate assistance to the government of a sovereign country fighting an aggressor, and American politicians armed the anti-government armed formations of the Mujahideen (“international terrorists” - according to the current American classification).

Despite the strictest secrecy, the first media reports on the supply of several hundred Stinger MANPADS to the Afghan opposition appeared in the summer of 1986. American anti-aircraft systems were delivered from the United States by sea to the Pakistani port of Karachi, and then transported by Pakistan Armed Forces vehicles to the Mujahideen training camps. The supply of missiles and training of Afghan rebels in the vicinity of the Pakistani city of Rualpindi was carried out by the US CIA. After preparing the calculations at the training center, they, together with MANPADS, went to Afghanistan in pack caravans and vehicles.

Rocket launch MANPADS "Stinger"

Gafar strikes

The details of the first use of the Stinger MANPADS by the Afghan rebels are described by the head of the Afghan department of the Pakistan Intelligence Center (1983-1987), General Mohammad Yusuf, in the book “The Bear Trap”: located only one and a half kilometers northeast of the runway of the Jalalabad airfield ... Fire crews were at a shouting distance from each other, located in a triangle in the bushes, since no one knew from which direction the target might appear. We organized each team in such a way that three people fired, and two others held containers with rockets for quick reloading .... Each of the Mujahideen selected a helicopter through an open sight on the launcher, the "friend or foe" system signaled with an intermittent signal that in An enemy target appeared in the coverage area, and the Stinger captured the thermal radiation from the helicopter engines with its guidance head ... When the lead helicopter was only 200 m above the ground, Gafar commanded: "Fire" ... One of the three missiles did not work and fell, without bursting, just a few meters from the shooter. The other two crashed into their targets... Two more missiles went into the air, one hit the target as successfully as the previous two, and the second passed very close, as the helicopter had already landed... In the following months, he (Gafar) shot down ten more helicopters and planes with the help of "Stingers".

Mujahideen of Gafar near Jalalabad

Combat helicopter Mi-24P

In fact, two rotorcraft of the 335th separate combat helicopter regiment, returning from a combat mission, were shot down over the Jalalabad airfield. On approach to the airfield on the pre-landing direct Mi-8MT captain A. Giniyatulin was hit by two Stinger MANPADS missiles and exploded in the air. The crew commander and flight engineer, Lieutenant O. Shebanov, died, pilot-navigator Nikolai Gerner was thrown out by the blast and survived. A helicopter of Lieutenant E. Pogorely was sent to the area where the Mi-8MT fell, but at an altitude of 150 m his car was hit by a MANPADS missile. The pilot managed to make a rough landing, as a result of which the helicopter collapsed. The commander was seriously injured, from which he died in the hospital. The rest of the crew survived.

The Soviet command only guessed that the rebels used the Stinger MANPADS. We were able to materially prove the use of the Stinger MANPADS in Afghanistan only on November 29, 1986. The same group of Engineer Gafar set up an anti-aircraft ambush 15 km north of Jalalabad on the slope of Mount Vachkhangar (elev. 1423) and as a result of firing five Stinger missiles "The helicopter group destroyed the Mi-24 and Mi-8MT (three missile hits were recorded). The crew of the driven helicopter - art. Lieutenant V.Ksenzov and Lieutenant A.Neunylov died after falling under the main rotor during an emergency escape from the side. The crew of the second helicopter hit by a missile managed to make an emergency landing and leave the burning car. The general from the headquarters of the TurkVO, who was at that time in the Jalalabad garrison, did not believe the report about the defeat of two helicopters by anti-aircraft missiles, accusing the pilots that "helicopters collided in the air." It is not known how, but the aviators nevertheless convinced the general of the "spirits" being involved in the plane crash. The 2nd motorized rifle battalion of the 66th separate motorized rifle brigade and the 1st company of the 154th separate special forces detachment were alerted. The special forces and infantry were tasked with finding parts of an anti-aircraft missile or other material evidence of the use of MANPADS, otherwise all the blame for the crash would have been placed on the surviving crews ... Only after a day had passed (the general took a long time ...) by the morning of November 30 in the area of ​​​​the fall of helicopters arrived on armored search units. There was no longer any question of intercepting the enemy. Our company did not manage to find anything except burnt fragments of helicopters and the remains of the crew. The 6th company of the 66th Motorized Rifle Brigade, when examining the probable missile launch site, quite accurately indicated by helicopter pilots, found three, and then two more launch expelling charges of the Stinger MANPADS. These were the first physical evidence of the supply of anti-aircraft missiles by the United States of America to Afghan anti-government armed groups. The company commander who discovered them was presented to the Order of the Red Banner.

Mi-24 hit by fire from the Stinger MANPADS. Eastern Afghanistan, 1988

A careful study of the traces of the enemy's stay (one firing position was located on the top and one in the lower third of the slope of the ridge) showed that an anti-aircraft ambush was arranged here in advance. The enemy waited for a suitable target and the moment of opening fire for one or two days.

Hunt for Gafar

The OKSVA command also arranged a hunt for the Engineer Gafar anti-aircraft group, whose area of ​​\u200b\u200bactivity was the eastern Afghan provinces of Nangar-har, Laghman and Kunar. It was his group that was battered on November 9, 1986 by a reconnaissance detachment of the 3rd company of 154 ooSpN (15 obrSpN), destroying several rebels and pack animals 6 km southwest of the village of Mangval in the province of Kunar. The scouts then also seized a portable American shortwave radio station, which was provided by the CIA agents. Gafar took revenge immediately. Three days later, from an anti-aircraft ambush 3 km southeast of the village of Mangval (30 km northeast of Jalalabad), a Mi-24 helicopter of the 335th "Jalalabad" helicopter regiment was shot down by fire from the Stinger MANPADS. Accompanying several Mi-8MT, performing an ambulance flight from Asadabad to the hospital of the Jalalabad garrison, a pair of Mi-24s overcame the ridge at an altitude of 300 m without firing IR traps. A helicopter shot down by a MANPADS missile fell into a gorge. The commander and the pilot-operator left the board, using a parachute from a height of 100 m, and were picked up by their comrades. Special forces were sent to search for the flight engineer. This time, squeezing the maximum allowable speed out of the infantry fighting vehicles, the 154 oSpN scouts arrived in the helicopter crash area in less than 2 hours. and its right ridge) simultaneously with the arriving helicopters 335 obvp. Helicopters entered from the northeast, but the Mujahideen managed to launch MANPADS from the ruins of a village on the northern slope of the gorge in pursuit of the leading twenty-four. "Spirits" miscalculated twice: the first time - making a launch in the direction of the setting sun, the second time - not finding out that an unknown helicopter of the pair was flying behind the lead machine (as usual), and four links of combat Mi-24s. Fortunately, the rocket passed just below the target. Her self-liquidator worked late, and the exploding rocket did not harm the helicopter. Quickly orienting themselves in the situation, the pilots inflicted a massive air strike on the position of the anti-aircraft gunners with sixteen combat rotorcraft. The aviators did not spare ammunition ... From the place of the helicopter crash, the remains of the flight engineer of st. Lieutenant V. Yakovlev.

At the crash site of a helicopter shot down by a Stinger

The commandos who captured the first Stinger. In the center is Senior Lieutenant Vladimir Kovtun.

Wreckage of Mi-24 helicopter

Parachute canopy on the ground

The first Stinger

The first Stinger portable anti-aircraft missile system was captured by Soviet troops in Afghanistan on January 5, 1987. During aerial reconnaissance of the area, the reconnaissance group of senior lieutenant Vladimir Kovtun and lieutenant Vasily Cheboksarov of the 186th separate special forces detachment (22 obrSpN) under the overall command of the deputy commander detachment of Major Evgeny Sergeev in the vicinity of the village of Seyid Umar Kalai noticed three motorcyclists in the Meltakai Gorge. Vladimir Kovtun described further actions as follows: “When they saw our turntables, they quickly dismounted and opened fire from small arms, and also made two quick launches from MANPADS, but at first we mistook these launches for RPG shots. The pilots immediately made a sharp turn and sat down. Already when they left the board, the commander managed to shout to us: “They are shooting from grenade launchers.” Twenty-fours covered us from the air, and we, having landed, started a battle on the ground. Helicopters and special forces opened fire on the rebels to kill, destroying them with fire from NURS and small arms. Only the leading board landed on the ground, on which there were only five special forces, and the leading Mi-8 with the Cheboksarov group insured from the air. During the inspection of the destroyed enemy, Senior Lieutenant V. Kovtun seized the launch container, the Stinger MANPADS instrumentation unit and a complete set of technical documentation from the rebel he had destroyed. One combat-ready complex, strapped to a motorcycle, was captured by Captain E. Sergeev, and another empty container and a rocket were captured by the group's scouts, who landed from a slave helicopter. During the battle, a group of 16 rebels was destroyed and one was captured. "Spirits" did not have time to take up positions for an anti-aircraft ambush.

MANPADS "Stinger" and its regular capping

Helicopter pilots with special forces on board were ahead of them by several minutes. Later, everyone who wanted to become the heroes of the day “clung” to the glory of helicopter pilots and special forces. Still, “Special Forces captured the Stingers!” - thundered the whole of Afghanistan. The official version of the capture of the American MANPADS looked like a special operation involving agents who tracked the entire route of delivery of the Stingers from the US Army arsenals to the village of Seyid Umar Kalai. Naturally, all the “sisters received earrings”, but they forgot about the true participants in the capture of the Stinger, paying off with several orders and medals, but it was promised that the first to capture the Stinger would receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The first two MANPADS "Stinger", captured by special forces 186 ooSpN. January 1986

national reconciliation

With the capture of the first American MANPADS, the hunt for the Stinger did not stop. The GRU special forces were tasked with preventing the saturation of the enemy armed formations with them. All winter 1986-1987. special forces units of a limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan hunted for the Stingers, with the task not so much to prevent their entry (which was unrealistic), but to prevent their rapid spread throughout Afghanistan. By this time, two special forces brigades (the 15th and 22nd separate special forces brigades) and the 459th separate special forces company of the 40th combined arms army were based in Afghanistan. However, the special forces did not receive any preferences. January 1987 was marked by an event of "tremendous political importance", as the Soviet newspapers of the time wrote, the beginning of a policy of national reconciliation. Its consequences for OKSVA turned out to be much more devastating than the supply of American anti-aircraft missiles to the armed Afghan opposition. Unilateral reconciliation without taking into account military-political realities limited the active offensive operations of OKSVA.

How mockery looked like the shelling of a Mi-8MT helicopter with two MANPADS missiles on the first day of national reconciliation on January 16, 1987, making a passenger flight from Kabul to Jalalabad. On board the "turntable" among the passengers was the chief of staff of 177 oSpN (Gazni), Major Sergei Kutsov, currently the head of the Intelligence Directorate of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, lieutenant general. Without losing his cool, the commando officer knocked off the flames and helped the rest of the passengers to leave the burning board. Only one passenger could not use the parachute, as she was wearing a skirt and did not put it on ...

The unilateral "national reconciliation" was immediately taken advantage of by the armed Afghan opposition, which at that moment, according to American analysts, was "on the verge of disaster." It was the difficult situation of the rebels that was the main reason for the supply of the Stinger MANPADS to them. Starting in 1986, the airmobile operations of the Soviet special forces, whose units were given helicopters, so limited the ability of the rebels to supply weapons and ammunition to the interior of Afghanistan that the armed opposition began to create special combat groups to fight our intelligence agencies. But, even well-trained and armed, they could not significantly affect the combat activities of the special forces. The likelihood of them detecting reconnaissance groups was extremely low, but if this happened, then the clash was of a fierce nature. Unfortunately, there is no data on the actions of special groups of rebels against the Soviet special forces in Afghanistan, but several episodes of clashes according to a single pattern of enemy actions can be attributed specifically to the “anti-special forces” groups.

The Soviet special forces, which became a barrier to the movement of "caravans of terror", were based in the provinces of Afghanistan bordering Pakistan and Iran, but what could the special forces, whose reconnaissance groups and detachments could block no more than one kilometer of the caravan route, or rather, directions. The “Gorbachev reconciliation” special forces, which limited their actions in the “reconciliation zones” and in close proximity to the border, took it as a stab in the back, during raids on the villages where the rebels were based and their caravans stopped for the day. But still, due to the active actions of the Soviet special forces, by the end of the winter of 1987, the Mujahideen experienced significant difficulties with food and fodder at the "overcrowded" transshipment bases. Although in Afghanistan it was not hunger that awaited them, but death on mined paths and in special forces ambushes. In 1987 alone, reconnaissance groups and special forces intercepted 332 caravans with weapons and ammunition, capturing and destroying more than 290 heavy weapons (recoilless guns, mortars, heavy machine guns), 80 MANPADS (mainly Hunyin-5 and SA- 7), 30 PC launchers, more than 15 thousand anti-tank and anti-personnel mines and about 8 million small arms ammunition. Acting on the communications of the rebels, the special forces forced the armed opposition to accumulate most of the military-technical cargo at transshipment bases in the border areas of Afghanistan, which are hard to reach for Soviet and Afghan troops. Taking advantage of this, the aviation of the Limited Contingent and the Afghan Air Force began to systematically bomb them.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of a temporary respite, kindly granted to the Afghan opposition by Gorbachev and Shevardnadze (at that time the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR), the rebels began to intensively build up the firepower of their formations. It was during this period that combat detachments and armed opposition groups were saturated with 107-mm rocket systems, recoilless rifles and mortars. Not only the Stinger, but also the English Blowpipe MANPADS, Swiss 20-mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns and Spanish 120-mm mortars are beginning to enter their arsenal. An analysis of the situation in Afghanistan in 1987 indicated that the armed opposition was preparing for decisive action, the will for which the Soviet “perestroika” had no will to do, who headed for the surrender of international positions by the Soviet Union.

It was on fire in a helicopter hit by a Stinger missile. Chief of the RUVV of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General S. Kutsov

Special forces on caravan routes

Limited in conducting raids and reconnaissance and search operations (raids), the Soviet special forces in Afghanistan stepped up ambush operations. The rebels paid special attention to ensuring the safety of caravan escort, and the scouts had to show great ingenuity when leading an ambush to the ambush area, secrecy and endurance - in anticipation of the enemy, and in battle - stamina and courage. In most combat episodes, the enemy significantly outnumbered the special forces reconnaissance group. In Afghanistan, the effectiveness of special forces operations in conducting ambush operations was 1: 5-6 (scouts managed to engage the enemy in one case out of 5-6). According to data published later in the West, the armed opposition managed to deliver to its destination 8090% of the goods transported by pack caravans and vehicles. In the spetsnaz areas of responsibility, this figure was much lower. The subsequent episodes of the capture by the Soviet special forces of the Stinger MANPADS fall precisely on the actions of scouts on caravan routes.

On the night of July 16-17, 1987, as a result of an ambush by the reconnaissance group 668 ooSpN (15 arr. Special Forces), Lieutenant German Pokhvoshchev, a pack caravan of rebels was scattered by fire in the province of Logar. By morning, the ambush area was blocked by an armored group of the detachment led by Lieutenant Sergei Klimenko. Fleeing, the rebels unloaded their horses and disappeared into the night. As a result of the inspection of the area, two Stinger and two Bluepipe MANPADS were found and captured, as well as about a ton of other weapons and ammunition. The fact of the supply of MANPADS to Afghan illegal armed groups, the British carefully concealed. Now the Soviet government has the opportunity to catch them in the supply of anti-aircraft missiles to the Afghan armed opposition. However, what was the point when more than 90% of the weapons to the Afghan "mujahideen" were supplied by China, and the Soviet press bashfully hushed up this fact, "stigmatizing" the West. You can guess why - in Afghanistan, our soldiers were killed and maimed by Soviet weapons marked "Made in China", developed by domestic designers in the 50-50s, the production technology of which the Soviet Union transferred to the "great neighbor".

Landing WG SpN in a helicopter

Reconnaissance group of Lieutenant V. Matyushin (in the top row, second from the left)

Now it was the turn of the rebels, and they did not remain indebted to the Soviet troops. In November 1987, two anti-aircraft missiles shot down a Mi-8MT 355 obvp helicopter carrying 334 ooSpN (15 obvp) scouts. At 05:55, a pair of Mi-8MT under cover of a pair of Mi-24s took off from the Asadabad site and went to outpost No. 2 (Lahorsar, mark 1864) with a gentle climb. At 06:05, at an altitude of 100 m from the ground, the Mi-8MT transport helicopter was hit by two Stinger MANPADS missiles, after which it caught fire and began to lose altitude. The flight technician Captain A. Gurtov and six passengers died in the crashed helicopter. The crew commander left the car in the air, but he did not have enough height to open the parachute. Only the pilot-navigator managed to escape, landing with a partially opened parachute canopy on a steep slope of the ridge. Among the dead was the commander of the special forces group, Senior Lieutenant Vadim Matyushin. On this day, the rebels were preparing a massive shelling of the Asadabad garrison, covering the positions of 107-mm multiple launch rocket systems and mortars with MANPADS anti-aircraft gunners. Winter 1987-1988 the rebels practically won air superiority in the vicinity of Asa-dabad with man-portable anti-aircraft systems. Before that, Major Grigory Bykov, the commander of 334 Special Forces, did not allow them to do this, but his successors did not show firm will and determination ... Front-line aviation still attacked rebel positions in the vicinity of Asadabad, but acted ineffectively from extreme heights. Helicopters, on the other hand, were forced to transport personnel and cargo only at night, and during the day they made only urgent medical flights at extremely low altitudes along the Kunar River.

Patrolling the area of ​​​​the inspection WG Special Forces by helicopters

However, the scouts of other special forces units also felt the restrictions on the use of army aviation. The zone of their airmobile operations was significantly limited to the safety of army aviation. In the current situation, when the authorities demanded a “result”, and the capabilities of the intelligence agencies were limited by directives and instructions from the same authorities, the command of 154 oSpN found a way out of a seemingly impasse. The detachment, thanks to the initiative of its commander, Major Vladimir Vorobyov and the head of the engineering service of the detachment, Major Vladimir Gorenitsa, began to use complex mining of caravan routes. In fact, the intelligence officers of 154 ooSpN created in Afghanistan back in 1987 a reconnaissance and fire complex (ROK), the creation of which is only talked about in the modern Russian army. The main elements of the system for combating rebel caravans, created by the special forces of the "Jalalabad battalion" on the Parachnar-Shahidan-Panjshir caravan route, were:

Sensors and repeaters of reconnaissance and signaling equipment (RSA) "Realiya" installed at the borders (seismic, acoustic and radio wave sensors), from which information was received on the composition of caravans and the presence of ammunition and weapons in them (metal detectors);

Mining lines with radio-controlled minefields and non-contact explosive devices NVU-P "Okhota" (seismic target movement sensors);

Areas of ambush by special forces reconnaissance agencies adjacent to the lines of mining and installation of SAR. This provided a complete blockage of the caravan route, the smallest width of which in the area of ​​crossings over the Kabul River was 2-3 km;

Lines of barrage and areas of concentrated artillery fire from outposts guarding the Kabul-Jalalabad highway (122-mm self-propelled howitzers 2С1 "Gvozdika", on the positions of which the operators of the RSA "Realiya" were located, reading information from receiving devices).

Helicopter-accessible patrol routes with special forces screening reconnaissance groups on board.

The commander of the inspection Rg SpN, Lieutenant S. Lafazan (in the center), who captured the Stinger MANPADS on February 16, 1988

Combat-ready MANPADS "Stinger", captured by reconnaissance 154 oo Special Forces in February 1988

Such a troublesome "economy" required constant monitoring and regulation, but the results showed up very quickly. The rebels more and more often fell into a trap cleverly arranged by the special forces. Even having their observers and informers from among the local population in the mountains and nearby villages, probing every stone and path, they faced the constant “presence” of special forces, suffering losses in controlled minefields, from artillery fire and ambushes. Inspection groups on helicopters completed the destruction of scattered pack animals and collected the "result" from the caravans crushed by mines and shells. On February 16, 1988, the inspection reconnaissance group of special forces 154 oSpN, Lieutenant Sergei Lafzan, discovered a group of pack animals 6 km northwest of the village of Shahidan, destroyed by mines MON-50 of the NVU-P "Hunting" set. During the inspection, the scouts captured two boxes of Stinger MANPADS. The peculiarity of the NVU-P is that this electronic device identifies the movement of people by ground vibrations and issues a command to sequentially detonate five fragmentation mines OZM-72, MON-50, MON-90 or others.

A few days later, in the same area, scouts from the inspection group of the "Jalalabad" special forces detachment again captured two Stinger MANPADS. This episode ended the epic hunt of the special forces for the Stinger in Afghanistan. All four cases of its capture by Soviet troops were the work of special forces and units, operationally subordinate to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces.

Since 1988, the withdrawal from Afghanistan of a limited contingent of Soviet troops began with ... the most combat-ready units that terrified the rebels throughout the "Afghan war" - separate special forces. For some reason (?), it was the special forces that turned out to be the “weak link” in Afghanistan for the Kremlin democrats ... Strange, isn't it? Having exposed the external borders of Afghanistan, at least somehow covered by Soviet special forces, the short-sighted military-political leadership of the USSR allowed the rebels to increase the flow of military aid from outside and gave Afghanistan to them at their mercy. In February 1989, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from this country was completed, but the government of Najibullah remained in power until 1992. From this period, the chaos of a civil war reigned in the country, and the Stingers provided by the Americans began to spread to terrorist organizations around the world.

It is unlikely that the Stingers themselves played a decisive role in forcing the Soviet Union to withdraw from Afghanistan, as is sometimes portrayed in the West. Its reasons lie in the political miscalculations of the last leaders of the Soviet era. However, after 1986, the trend towards an increase in the loss of aviation equipment as a result of its destruction by MANPADS missiles in Afghanistan was traced, despite the significantly reduced intensity of flights. But, to attribute this merit only to the "Stinger" is not necessary. In addition to the same Stingers, the rebels still received large quantities of other MANPADS.

The result of the hunt of the Soviet special forces for the American "Stinger" was eight combat-ready anti-aircraft systems, for which none of the special forces of the promised Golden Star of the Hero ever received. The highest state award was awarded to Senior Lieutenant German Pokhvoshchev (668 oSpN), who was awarded the Order of Lenin, and then only for capturing the only two Blowpipe MANPADS. An attempt by a number of public veteran organizations to obtain the title of Hero of Russia to reserve lieutenant colonel Vladimir Kovtun and posthumously to lieutenant colonel Evgeny Sergeev (died in 2008) runs into a wall of indifference in the offices of the Ministry of Defense. A strange position, despite the fact that at present, out of the seven special forces awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for Afghanistan, no one is left alive (five people were awarded it posthumously). Meanwhile, the first Stinger MANPADS samples obtained by the special forces and their technical documentation allowed domestic aviators to find effective methods of confronting them, which saved the lives of hundreds of pilots and passengers of aircraft. It is possible that some technical solutions were used by our designers in the creation of domestic second and third generation MANPADS, superior to the Stinger in some combat characteristics.

MANPADS "Stinger" (above) and "Hunyin" (below) the main anti-aircraft systems of the Afghan Mujahideen in the late 80s.