GarryB 28/06/15, 04:26 pm
you both are helo-porn addicts
Mop for Collegeboy16... not me...
So the laser defence system will be DIRCMS, but that last article on the multi channel laser system for helos and UAVs and MANPADS sounds very interesting... only point of multi channel is to allow several targets to be lased at one time, so for a helo like Ka-52 that would mean being able to hit several different targets at one time with Vikhr, or for Mi-28 to target several targets with Krisantema at one time... but more importantly I suspect it will allow the full use of Ugroza type laser beam homing kits for unguided rockets of all calibres to be used by a range of platforms including UAVs.
There is a light 7 shot 80mm rocket pod for light aircraft that could be carried by a UAV, and 14 x 80mm rockets would be a potent little load with a range of warheads... made all the more effective with guidance adding pinpoint accuracy to make them vastly more effective and able to be fired from standoff ballistic ranges further improving the safety of the launching UAV.
From very high up a rocket could be used to hit a point target quite some distance away almost silently, and indeed it should also allow the use of missiles like Kornet-EM and indeed laser guided small bombs for UAVs which will make up for lack of HE power with high accuracy.
Dropping 5 x FAB-50 bombs in an area with enemy vehicles would not be a particularly effective way of dealing with enemy armour, but with a multi targeting laser aiming system and KAB-50 guided bombs aimed to hit the rear turret area of an Abrams would be devastating... the higher up they would be released the higher their kinetic energy... but the 50kg of HE should ensure the ammo in the rear turret bustle explodes too...
The fact that these guidance systems can be fitted to older aircraft just adds to their value and would allow the rapid widespread introduction of new more effective weapons.
Note a laser guided package for 80mm rockets might triple the cost of the rocket, but you will need 20 times less rockets for point targets so it makes it much cheaper to use rockets. More importantly the guidance means you can fire from greater standoff distances which makes the aircraft safer...
We have seen 20 shot 80mm rocket pods mounted on the back of light trucks in Syria... with laser homing kits you could mount one near a MANPADS site and use it as backup for shorter range shots at targets that appear rapidly... the 4-5kgs of HE an 80mm rocket carries should be far more effective than the 2-3kgs of modern MANPADS warheads...
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