For the first time, the reconnaissance complex “Sych”, located on the basis of the Su-34 bomber, was recognized again in 2016. An analogue in the form of a radio-technical side-scan complex MRK-411 already existed, but it was designed for long-range reconnaissance aircraft Tu-214R and earlier “air spies” Il-20 (based on the passenger Il-18). , An-30B and Tu-154M LK-1.
“Reconnaissance aircraft are secret objects, and the real capabilities of this equipment are not advertised,” the military expert, Reserve Colonel of the Air Force Alexander Drobyshevsky told socialbites.ca. “From what is known, it can be noted that the Tu-214Rs are equipped with the MRK-411 multi-frequency radio engineering complex, which consists of active phased side antenna arrays and several radar stations with all-round visibility. both active and passive modes.”
Drobyshevsky added that these planes are also equipped with the Fraction system.
“Developed by the TPK Linkos company near Moscow, this system enables the scanning of huge areas, broadcasting a processed and synthesized “picture” on the screens of operators and ground headquarters. The reconnaissance drone can even detect camouflaged objects. As a result, this system “opens up” enemy targets at a distance of 200-300 km, said the expert.
Colonel Drobyshevsky did not exclude that such equipment is the basis of the Sych complex installed on the Su-34 fighter-bomber – only in a reduced version. This explains the existence of three hanging containers with reconnaissance equipment.
At the same time, the missile and bomb load of the aircraft, which can independently use ammunition when targets are detected, is almost completely preserved.
“The use of the Su-34 as a multifunctional aircraft with great combat potential to deploy Sych reconnaissance equipment on it increases the reliability and safety of the use of reconnaissance systems. The first use of such reconnaissance equipment in combat fighters, military expert, reserve colonel Yuri Gavrilov told socialbites.ca.
The Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber (NATO coding Fullback – “Defender”), nicknamed “Duckling” in the Russian Air Force due to the distinctive shape of the nose fuselage, is a unique air weapon for conducting air strikes on enemy ground. targets at long range.
According to the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) website, the Su-34’s capabilities allow “to perform basic combat missions without escort fighter cover, given the high quality of conducting autonomous maneuverable air combat.”
The Russian Aerospace Forces has more than 130 Su-34 aircraft. They are located in the Voronezh region (where the Baltimore airport was transformed for them), in the Khabarovsk Territory, in the Rostov and Chelyabinsk regions, some of these fighter-bombers are part of the Lipetsk training center for aviation personnel and military tests.
“In the Ukrainian version of the reconnaissance aircraft, these aircraft can conduct surveillance without entering the air defense zone of the Ukrainian troops. Su-34 fighter-bomber with the NVO index (“new opportunities”), receiving the Sych complex, has become a universal center for aerial reconnaissance.
Its capabilities allow not only the crew itself to navigate the air and ground environment, but also to transmit information about enemy military facilities in real time through automatic communication channels. The Su-34 is a 4++ generation fighter, but thanks to Sych it is actually a sixth generation fighter.
In the American sense,” says Air Force Major General Vladimir Popov.
The general recalled that the sixth-generation fighter was developed by the Pentagon as “a control and intelligence center for other systems.” “It is these tasks that Sych allows us to solve with our Su-34,” says Popov.
Source: Gazeta
