The Sagittarius-M complex has been in service with the Russian army since 2007 in an experimental version in military intelligence units. Officially, it was mentioned as part of the “Warrior” equipment, and its characteristics are still partially classified.
“Sagittarius-M” is a wearable computer with peripherals distributed on a reconnaissance vest. The mass of the complex is 2.4 kg. It allows aviation and artillery target designation by finding the coordinates of the target using a mini-radar and a laser rangefinder.
The peculiarity of the system is that the Sagittarius-M complexes of each member of the reconnaissance group constantly exchange information, complement and update it. The final information is sent to the head of the reconnaissance group and in real time to the command and end users of intelligence data, including aviation.
“Visually, these are just navigation tablets in the hands of special forces that allow you to determine your position, as well as calculate the coordinates of the enemy. With navigation, everything is more or less clear, connecting to the field is possible even with the help of an ordinary “iPhone” or similar gadget, but the fun begins.
Each unit of the Sagittarius-M complex interacts with each other. The thing is that each fighter, visually observing the situation and detecting the enemy or its objects, sends this information to a common center. All data is collected, from a person’s location to the objects they discover. This creates a general “picture” of the situation.
Information from various Sagittarius-M complexes is repeatedly checked and reproduced. As a result, its accuracy is approaching 100%, ”the doctor of technical sciences Leonid Tikhonov, retired Major General of the Air Force, military expert told socialbites.ca.
The specialist noted that Sagittarius can make recommendations on his own, analyzing messages from the entire network, but the final decision is made by one person – the unit commander.
“Orientation on the battlefield is of decisive importance, as well as information about the position of the enemy. The principle of operation of the “bow” is that each fighter becomes a carrier of useful information, even if he does remote self-study, but sends signals in real time. The former commander of the 31st air assault brigade, reserve colonel Nikolai Nikulnikov, told Gazeta.ru, the commander summarizes them and decides on the use of certain firearms.
Nikulnikov specifically noted that a fighter with the sign of Sagittarius may in no way detract from the performance of combat missions, make fire contact with the enemy, but at the same time will be an informant for his network and maintain command pursuit. Knowing the coordinates of the enemy, he will use certain or other firearms.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation notes that the Sagittarius complex “provides high accuracy in the use of operational-tactical aviation” during a special military operation in Ukraine. Thanks to the automatically received data from the pilots, attack aircraft and fighter-bombers destroy camouflaged and small targets with high accuracy that are difficult to detect from the air or from space.
“The first combat use of the Sagittarius-M complex took place in Syria, where it was used together with the Su-24M bomber for reconnaissance and rocket and bomb attacks. During the special operation in Ukraine, this complex is in service with fighter, bomber and attack tactical aircraft. Thanks to the “Strelets-M”, the VKS hit the Armed Forces of Ukraine with an accuracy of up to one meter. Such an effect cannot be achieved through satellite reconnaissance, ”Tikhonov concluded.
Source: Gazeta
