Spies and secrets of the military operation

Writes lj-user Yegor Lavrentiev: I continue to talk about airplanes and helicopters. Today we will talk about what makes combat aviation all-powerful and invulnerable. It's rare for a photographer to shoot at a military equipment factory. I confess that I have been to many places, but the most difficult thing was to get to the secret production in my hometown of Moscow. However, this bastion also surrendered.

(Total 15 photos)

1. There are a lot of things at the enterprise with the sci-fi name "Phazotron-NIIR": luminous screens, wires, incomprehensible devices and people in white coats. It's hard to believe, but Fazotron was founded practically under the tsar, in the summer of 1917, becoming the first aircraft instrument-making enterprise in the country.

2. In the photo - the stand of the Arbalet radar complex, which (not a stand, of course) is installed on Ka-52 Alligator helicopters. The main functions of the "Crossbow": detection of attacking aircraft and enemy missiles, correction of the navigation system, low-altitude flight and mapping.

3. Here, in fact, is the Alligator. Ka-52 is a further development of the Ka-50 Black Shark helicopter. "Alligator" is a new machine, produced since 2008.

4. Perhaps the design of the system is rather weak, but here, in fact, it’s useless - it’s not all done for admiration. The main thing is that in terms of technical characteristics, the Arbalet surpasses the similar American TADS complex.

5. "Crossbow", for example, is capable of detecting enemy aircraft at a distance of 15 kilometers at night in any weather. In this case, the viewing angle is a full circle, 360 degrees. The device simply does not have "blind" zones. So you can’t get close to the Alligator unnoticed.

6. Until 1991, everything was going great at the enterprise: new planes and helicopters appeared, on which modern equipment was installed. But in the 90s, orders from the state came to naught. Only ten years later there was some revival - the Chinese and Indian armies began to order Spear radar stations and Zhuk airborne radars.

7. And here is the "Beetle" itself - on the right in the photo. Zhuk-ME FGM129 will be installed on the MiG-29K/KUB carrier-based fighter, which will go to the Indian customer.

8. MiG-29K is a fourth-generation multipurpose fighter, which is a further development of the MiG-29.

9. Radar "Zhuk" is necessary for the detection and tracking of targets, terrain mapping, airspace control and missile fire.

10. Now Fazotron-NIIR is one of the leaders in the production of airborne radar systems for military aviation. This year, the enterprise became part of the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern (Rostec Corporation). Now KRET is engaged in the consolidation of the industry in order to launch the production of integrated on-board equipment systems.

11. Assembling the transmitter of the Zhuk-ME radar system is practically a piece of jewelry work.

12. Setting up complex equipment is a rather laborious and responsible process, but young engineers do everything smoothly and confidently.

And here is a curious fact: the former chief designer of the enterprise, Adolf Tolkachev, was the most American spy: from 1979 to 1985, he passed secret information to the CIA on the projects of the enterprise. I anticipate comments about the name. Yes, and names too)

13. And this is the assembly of another "Beetle" - which is AE. "Zhuk-AE" is installed light front-line fighter of the "4 ++" generation MiG-35. The yellow thing is not a honeycomb, but an active phased antenna array. It allows you to increase the target detection range, recognize and classify group and single objects, simultaneously attack several targets with high-precision weapons, and also provide electronic countermeasures.

14. Assembly and adjustment of the radar station, which will be installed on the upgraded MiG-29UPG aircraft. The peculiarity of the Zhuk radar is that it has a modular design - it can be easily and inexpensively adapted to new aircraft modifications.

15. As part of Radioelectronic Technologies, Fazotron will continue to produce radar systems. True, now the enterprise will become a link in a single chain for the production of integrated on-board equipment systems.