Scientific School of Radiolocation.
Phazotron’s Scientific School of Radio-location takes its root in the years
of the Great Patriotic War. After the successful repulsion of the first mass
bombing raid on Moscow with the help of the Pegmatit radar (General Designer A.
Slepushkin, Deputy General Designer V. Tikhomirov), the interest of the military
command of the country to radiolocation has grown sharply. It was decided to
arrange serial production of Pegmatit radars and specifically since 1943 at
Moscow plant No. 339 (that was Phazotron’s name at that time). Simultaneously
the plant started production of radar IFF transponder SCH-3 (General Designer E.
Genishta) and by the end of the War – of the airborne Gneis-5s radar (General
Designer G. Zonnenshtral), which was created on the basis of the first national
airborne Gneis-2 radars (General Designer V. Tikhomirov).
Victor V. Tikhomirov has laid down the foundations of a national scientific
school of aviation radiolocation. A talented Chief Designer Gedaly Kunyavsky,
who created a number of radars (Socol, Oryol, Sapphir-23), started to work at
the plant since 1955 and Chief Designer Fedor Volkov (Smerch, Smerch-A,
Sapphir-21 radars)- since 1958. In 1962 a section for development of homing
heads for ”air-to-air” missiles headed by Chief Designer, the laureate of the
State and Lenin Prizes Evgeny Genishta was formed. The cause of the three times
laureate of the State Prize V. Tikhomirov was continued and developed by his
disciples, who were later chief designers of airborne radars: F. Volkov, V.
Grishin, A. Rastov, Yu. Kirpichyov. The development of homing heads for air
defense missile systems was headed by I. Akopyan. The leading participant as
Deputy Chief Designer of a number of radars was Yu. Guskov, and later he was
appointed the Chief Designer of H-010 radar in which many options, used at
present in modern radars, were approved. Under the leadership of the General
Designer A. Kanashchenkov the development of the first radar on the basis of
Phazotron’s technical requirements – Kopyo (the Chief Designer Yu. Guskov) was
commenced. All general and chief Designers mentioned above were honoured with
the titles of laureate of the Lenin and State Prizes and high governmental
awards for the development of new radars. During the last 10 years a new
Phazotron′s school of development and production of radar systems under the
guidance of A. Kanashchenkov (Yu. Guskov, V. Frantsev, V. Babichev, A.
Matyushin, V. Ratner, V. Kustov, I. Ryzhak, I. Tsivlin and others) was founded.
Another feature of modern radars’ development at Phazotron is the creation of a
unified system of basic radars and unified parts and components. Instead of
designing radars according to the principle ”one radar type for one aircraft
type”, we develop only two or three types of basic radars which are then adapted
to each new type of aircraft (antenna’s diameter corresponds to radar’s
mid-section, transmitter’s power corresponds to its range, etc.). The role of
radars has grown: from simple radar sights in the 1950s – 1960s they evolved
into ”radar sight systems” in the 1960s – 1970s, then into ”weapon control
systems” in the 1970s – 1980s, and finally into ”weapon control and defense
systems” (this term was introduced by Phazotron in the 1990s). In addition to
weapon control systems ensuring attack of targets by aircraft, these systems
comprise means of defense. An airborne radar system, in effect, has turned into
the intellectual center of combat aircraft which manages its radio-electronic
system, since radar still remains the only radioelectronic means capable of
acquiring a target (or even several targets) at long ranges, at day and night
and in any weather. Radars receive flight and navigation data from other
aircraft systems to select critical threats and the type of weapon to destroy
them.
The first Sokol radar was one-frequency pulsed system intended for the control
of shooting-gun weapon (on air targets) of fighter.
Later there appeared other tasks – control of ”air to air” missiles, as well as
protection against active noise and pulse jamming (Oryol, Oryol-D radars).
Later on similar radars became multi-frequency, sometimes with two frequency
channels, and it essentially increased their jamming immunity (Smerch, Smerch-A,
Sapphir 21 radars).
Then emerged most complicated task of a defeating flying targets in the
look-down mode. This task was resolved in two directions:
- development of pulse coherent radars with selection of moving targets
(Sapphir-23 and Sapphir-25 radars);
- development of radars with quasi- continuous signal, filtration system and
processing of information by digital on-board computer,; usage of antenna arrays
providing work on several targets simultaneously (SUV-29 based on airborne N-019
radar with slotted array, SUV-27 based on on-board N-001 radar with slotted
array and on-board Zaslon radar with phased array).
Modern airborne radars produced by Phazotron are multifunctional, quasi-con-inuous,
pulse–Doppler, multimode systems, capable to control all kinds of airborne
weapons (or to give them the target designations), to destroy air targets (from
two to six) as well as ground and sea ones (operation in the mapping mode). They
also provide flight informational support on low heights to overfly obstacles.
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