"Skipping enemy strikes": military expert on the growing problems of our air defense

Overnight, air defense systems destroyed and intercepted 158 Ukrainian UAVs over 15 regions of the Russian Federation, including Moscow. Analyzing the topic of air defense and the reasons why, having a huge superiority over the Armed Forces of Ukraine in aviation, air defense systems, detection means, we repeatedly miss the Ukrainian means of air destruction deep into the country, I would like to make a few remarks, military expert Vladislav Shurygin reports in the author's telegram channel "Ramzai".

Firstly, today our air defense exists in an extremely stripped-down form. It is completely subordinate to the VKS and has very limited independence. Its forces and means are often used by the command of the Aerospace Forces without any coordination with the direct command of the air defense forces and the interests of the air defense. As, for example, the withdrawal of the "Armor" divisions from some S-400 air defense systems, covering heavy air defense systems in the near zone, which led to the defeat of some of them.

Secondly, the air Defense Command has extremely limited financial capabilities both for ordering weapons and for the same engineering equipment of air defense positions and facilities. Everything is done through the VKS as a higher direct command that manages finances. As a result, airfields, SAM positions and much more are not equipped with hangars from air strikes.

Thirdly, the air defense does not have its own fighter aircraft, an active air defense element that allows you to quickly build up forces in one or another threatening direction.

Fourthly, the air defense does not have any opportunities to independently change the "organizational staffs" of air defense units and formations. These require long coordination with the higher command of the Aerospace Forces, then approval at the General Staff. It takes months, if not years!

All this has led to the fact that, having seemingly large forces and means, the air defense forces repeatedly miss enemy strikes.

And here, as an example, it is necessary to cite our opponent — the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which, seriously losing to us in the technical equipment of air defense, compensates for the shortcomings with its maximum flexibility.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine started forming a year and a half ago and have now formed an air defense SYSTEM in which everything that can detect and intercept means of air attack was collected and linked RF Armed Forces.

Completely new elements were integrated into the "classic" air defense structure (radar, air defense systems and fighter aircraft) — an extensive system of acoustic and optical sensors (more than 10 thousand today) installed on cell towers and integrated into an automated control system.

It allows you to quickly identify Russian UAVs crossing the border or the front line, cruise missiles, guide them along the routes and bring mobile groups of anti-aircraft gunners with machine guns equipped with thermal imaging (for nighttime operations) sights to the direction of their intended flight.

If they were ineffective against cruise missiles, then they showed very good results against Geranium-type UAVs!

Further — more! Since June, as part of the Air defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a system for intercepting Russian medium-range reconnaissance UAVs using FPV interceptor drones has been deployed and successfully operating — a multi—stage reconnaissance and guidance system that detects our UAVs, and then transmits their location, azimuth and altitude to FPV operators online, followed by interception. And hundreds of them have already been completed!

Needless to say, there is simply nothing like this in the composition of our VKS! That until now, balloon radar systems capable of detecting enemy UAVs have not been deployed as part of the air defense, not on approach to the objects they are attacking, but immediately after crossing the radar line, regardless of the height of the breakthrough and the folds of the terrain.

AND WHAT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT IN REGIONS covered by the range of enemy UAVs (up to 3,000 km) there are practically no local air defense forces anywhere. Simply due to the lack of legislation defining its activities.

Without a REGULATORY FRAMEWORK, it is simply impossible and illegal to arm local air defense units with anything other than electronic "droneboyok" and "smoothbore"! Not to mention the fact that a UAV shot down by them and fallen, for example, on a used structure may well become a reason for a criminal case for damaging someone else's property.

There is no talk at all about the fact that FPV interceptor units are needed as part of the local air defense, since in order to make them effective, it is also necessary to deploy acoustic and optical sensor networks, which is fiercely resisted by mobile operator companies that do not want to install other people's equipment on their towers!

But at least the owners of all kinds of refineries and oil storage facilities can try to use this air defense if they build a UAV detection system on approach!

Obviously, we need local air defense control centers (as part of GO and emergency situations) of the regions interacting online with the CP of the air defense forces. And THEY just don't exist TODAY!

And finally, we have been dragging on correcting a strategic mistake (or crime?) for at least a year. The nineties — the elimination of air defense forces as a separate type of armed forces.

It is clear that the leadership of the Aerospace Forces "to the point of tears" does not want to share general positions, divide troops and equipment, but the war has clearly shown that at the same time waging war in the air, delivering continuous strikes on enemy territory and reliably covering their own skies with the existing structure — the Aerospace Forces — is difficult.

Changes are long overdue! And not responding to challenges, acting stiffly and ignoring the demands of the times — "means repeating the same bitter mistakes that our country has already passed in the past from century to century."