Multiple launch rocket system "Polonaise": a Chinese-Belarusian military product. Polonaise multiple launch rocket system The latest Belarusian Polonaise multiple launch rocket systems

On May 9, a military parade was held in Minsk, dedicated to the Day Victory. During this event, the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus showed for the first time their new Polonaise multiple launch rocket system. Two self-propelled vehicles were involved in the festive parade launchers and two transport-loading vehicles of the new MLRS.

The first reports of new Belarusian weapons appeared at the end of March this year. Then the Belarusian military department announced its plans for the upcoming parade on May 9. Among other things, the participation of the new Polonaise MLRS was mentioned. A few weeks after this, the first photographs of promising technology became publicly available. Finally, on May 9, the first official display of the new combat vehicles took place. Perhaps in the future Polonaise combat vehicles will again take part in various similar events, and will also be adopted by the Belarusian army.

A combat vehicle of the new Belarusian MLRS "Polonaise" during a military parade in Minsk 05/09/2015 (c) kp.by

Most of the information about the new Belarusian MLRS has not yet been announced, but some details of the project have already become known. This information, as well as photographs of new combat vehicles, allow us to imagine the approximate appearance of the Polonaise system and make some assumptions. In particular, versions are already being expressed about the possible joint development of a new Belarusian MLRS. Chinese engineers are called co-authors of the Belarusian specialists.

All elements of the Polonaise multiple launch rocket system are based on the MZKT-7930 Astrologer wheeled chassis. Such vehicles are actively used as a base for various weapons systems, primarily Russian-made. In particular, Russian Iskander operational-tactical missile systems are being built on four-axle Belarusian-made chassis.

As follows from the available data, the MZKT-7930 chassis is equipped with a 500 hp diesel engine. and can carry a payload weighing up to 24 tons. Maximum speed base vehicle, depending on the load, up to 70 km/h. The maximum possible range is up to 1000 km.

The base chassis houses all the necessary components of the combat and transport-loading vehicle (TZM). A platform is mounted in the middle and rear parts of the vehicle chassis, on which all the necessary components are installed. During shooting fighting machine must be stabilized by four outriggers installed between the front and rear axles. For the convenience of calculations, there are small ladders on the outrigger niches, which also serve as protective covers.

The TZM platform has fastenings for transporting transport and launch containers (TPC) of missiles. In addition, a crane is installed at the rear of the transport-loading vehicle, with the help of which the calculation of the complex must reload the TPK with transport vehicle to the combat launcher.

Combat and transport-loading vehicles of the new Belarusian MLRS "Polonaise" (c) www.abw.by

A rotating platform with a lifting boom, which is the basis of the launcher, is mounted on the platform of the Polonaise MLRS combat vehicle. The boom has fastenings for installing two packages of four TPKs each. The existing mechanisms apparently allow container packages to be aimed in horizontal and vertical planes. A curious feature of the launcher, which reveals some details of its design, is the gap remaining between the two TPK packages.

The missiles of the Polonaise complex are supplied in transport and launch containers, facilitating their transportation and use. Oblong containers have square section, which may indicate some features of the missiles used. When launching rockets, the end caps of the TPK are obviously released, after which the container serves as a guide that sets the initial trajectory of the rocket.

There is no reliable information about the design and characteristics of the Polonaise missiles yet. Only the maximum firing range and some features of the intended use are known. During a recent parade, a commentator at the event said that the Polonaise system is capable of attacking targets at ranges of up to 200 km. In addition, it was announced at the parade that new system salvo fire can simultaneously deliver precision strikes on eight targets. No other details were provided.

Missiles with a maximum firing range of up to 200 km are of great interest. On this moment only a few countries can boast of ammunition for MLRS with similar characteristics. Until recently, the Republic of Belarus was not included in the list of owners of this type. In addition, there are reasons to doubt the ability of the Belarusian industry to develop and master the production of weapons with such high characteristics. Thus, the question arises: in collaboration with whom was the Polonaise MLRS created?

Versions regarding possible participants in the development of the Polonaise project have already appeared on Russian specialized resources. The authors of the Nevsky Bastion website and the BMPD blog write about possible cooperation between Belarus and China. At the beginning of April, the Belarusian delegation visited China and held negotiations on the topic of military cooperation. Reporting on the results of the trip, Belarusian officials mentioned some support for the defense capabilities of Belarus from China. The details of these negotiations, however, were not published.

Combat and transport-loading vehicles of the new Belarusian MLRS "Polonaise" during a military parade in Minsk 05/09/2015 (c) Vitaly Dembovsky / news.tut.by

Such information, as well as already known information, became the reason for the emergence of a version of Belarusian-Chinese cooperation. IN Lately The Chinese defense industry is actively promoting the new A200 missile on the international market. This product was developed by CALT (China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology) and is designed to deliver high-precision strikes against enemy targets at ranges of up to 200 km.

Some are known specifications A200 missiles. This product has a body diameter of 301 mm (slightly larger than the “Soviet” 300 mm caliber used by the Smerch MLRS) and a total length of about 7.26 m. The middle and tail parts of the cylindrical rocket body are equipped with stabilizers and rudders that can be folded out in flight. The tail X-shaped planes after opening have a span of 615 mm. The launch weight of the rocket is about 750 kg and probably depends on the type of warhead.

Chinese sources mention that the A200 missile can hit targets at ranges from 50 to 200 km. Due to comparatively long range the missile is equipped with a guidance system designed to correct course along the trajectory. The A200 product has a combined guidance system based on inertial and satellite navigation systems. According to Chinese sources, the probable circular deflection of missiles does not exceed 50 m. It is known that there are three types of warheads. In the future, new variants of combat load may appear.

As far as is known, the Chinese A200 missiles were created for use as weapons of modern multiple launch rocket systems. Thus, the use of such missiles as part of the Polonaise MLRS of Belarusian design looks like a completely logical and justified step. In addition, the use of such ammunition seriously expands the range of tasks performed.

301-mm A200 rocket developed and produced by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), part of the Chinese state aerospace corporation China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) (c) Poly Technologies (via Jane's)

If the version about the use of Chinese A200 missiles is true, then the new jointly developed MLRS can be used both to attack area targets and to strike relatively small objects. In this case, the multiple launch rocket system can perform combat missions, typical for operational-tactical missile systems. The statement of the commentator at the parade about the possibility of simultaneous attack on eight targets to a certain extent confirms this version of the tactical role of the new complex.

It should be noted that assumptions about the joint development of the Polonaise system by specialists from China and Belarus have not yet been confirmed by official sources. The Belarusian side claims that the project of the new MLRS was developed only by domestic enterprises, without the involvement of foreign specialists. Such features of the project give rise to new questions that remain unanswered.

A few days after the May 9 parade, the first reports appeared about future fate new MLRS. Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Ravkov said that the Polonaise systems will be put into service in 2016. Other details, such as the number of complexes planned for purchase, have not yet been reported.

The new Belarusian Polonaise multiple launch rocket system is of great interest for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Belarusian industry has not yet created weapons with such high characteristics. The second reason is high performance. At the moment, only a few countries are developing MLRS projects with missiles capable of flying at a range of up to 200 km. Also attracting attention to the project is possible cooperation with Chinese specialists.

It can already be argued that the start of mass production of Polonaise complexes will be a useful and important step for the Belarusian industry. It will allow several defense enterprises to be loaded with orders. First of all, orders will be received by the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant, which will be responsible for the production of base chassis. Other enterprises will be involved in the production of other components of the complex.

However, if the version of cooperation with China is true, then the production of some components of the complex will remain outside Belarus. At the same time, we cannot exclude the possibility in principle of launching the production of some products, including missiles, at Belarusian enterprises, however, such a development of the project raises serious doubts.

Information on tests of the Polonaise MLRS is not yet available. Moreover, there are reasons to doubt Belarus’s ability to conduct full tests of new weapons with full-range missile launches. The country simply does not have training grounds of suitable sizes, which could negatively affect the progress of testing new weapons.

It should be noted that, regardless of further events, the Polonaise multiple launch rocket system project will definitely remain in the Belarusian defense industry. Currently, the Belarusian army is armed with only MLRS of Soviet design and production. “Polonaise” became the first system of this class developed in the Republic of Belarus over the decades of independence.

Based on materials from sites:
http://nevskii-bastion.ru/
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/
http://vpk-news.ru/
http://russkaya-sila.rf/
http://janes.com/

In Minsk new rocket to the Belarusian complex “Polonaise” attracted significant attention from the expert community, giving rise to a wide range of assessments.

The first combat launches of Polonaise missiles took place in the summer of 2016. Photo belta.by

What almost all experts were unanimous in was that the prototype of this powerful ammunition is a Chinese M20 missile. True, some believe that the Belarusians simply borrowed it from their Chinese partners. Others believe that they have created their own product based on the original design.

This is not just a scholastic discussion. In the first case, in accordance with international agreements, the missile's flight range cannot exceed 280 km, in the second it can reach 500 km. We agree - there is a difference. Such weapons can already be called Eurostrategic.

For the first time, the model and photographs of the complex with the M20 ballistic missile, which was proposed for export, were presented to the PRC at the Idex-2011 exhibition held in Abu Dhabi. Besides appearance, there was no information about the Chinese missile.

At the same time, the layout of the missile was very similar to the ammunition used in the Russian operational-tactical complex (OTRK) 9K720 - Iskander. True, in the Chinese version, each of the two missiles was placed in a separate transport and launch container (TPC).

Five years later online edition The city of Zhuhai promises to be an export version of the DF-12 OTRK, called the M20.

The DF-12/M20 missiles are equipped with inertial and satellite guidance systems and can change direction throughout the flight. They are capable of hitting targets at distances from 100 to 280 km in the export version. In the version for personal use, according to unofficial data, the flight range exceeds 400 km.

The length of the DF-12/M20 missile is 7.8 m, diameter - 0.75 m, take-off weight - 4 tons, warhead weight - 400 kg. The missile can be equipped with various types of warheads (high-explosive, cluster, penetrating, etc.), and the deviation from the aiming point does not exceed 30 m.

The DF-12/M20 complexes are placed on an eight-axle chassis that simultaneously carries two missiles, ready for launch. Unlike Russian system The Chinese Iskander is armed with missiles located in individual TPKs.

Comparing this description with the tactical and technical characteristics of the new missile for the Belarusian Polonez missile system, it is easy to see that they basically coincide. Which, indeed, raises the question of the degree of localization of this ammunition by the domestic military-industrial complex.

It is worth noting that the emergence of a powerful missile weapons did not happen spontaneously: Alexander Lukashenko repeatedly stated the desirability and even necessity of its acquisition. Back in November 2008 in an interview The Wall Street Journal The Belarusian leader said: “Right now we don’t have the funds for this, but we are planning to get such weapons - I’ll now give away the secret.”

And although then there was a long pause, as it turned out, this did not mean that Lukashenko abandoned his ambitious intentions. On January 29, 2015, during a dialogue with media representatives, the President of Belarus announced the imminent creation in the country own production modern means fire damage.

“We are working to ensure that Belarus has its own weapons. Now the main production of weapons used by our army is concentrated in Russia. We only create some parts of weapons: electronics, optics and others. We need to have good weapon so that the future aggressor does not even think about fighting against Belarus. We will have such systems in a few months.", - Lukashenko assured.

And on May 9, 2015, in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Victory, the first domestic cars were officially shown to the public. missile system multiple rocket launcher (MLRS) "Polonaise".

And on June 16, 2016, Lukashenko announced the first combat launches of Polonaise missiles from a test site in the Gomel region through the territory of nine districts to a test site in the Brest region. According to him, “These are missile systems that were created in Belarus within two years.”

The elements of this missile system are based on Belarusian wheeled chassis. The transporters of the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant MZKT-7930 “Astrologer” (formula 8x8) are equipped with a launcher (PU) and a transport-loading vehicle. On the chassis of the Minsk Automobile Plant MAZ-6317 (6x6) is a fire control vehicle. The prototype of the artillery unit of the MLRS is multiple launch rocket systems created by the leading weapons companies of the People's Republic of China.

China has developed in the last decade big number samples of such systems both for the national armed forces and for the needs of foreign customers. The MLRS he offers on the world market are distinguished by the use of advanced elemental base, satellite navigation systems, replaceable TPK with guided and unguided rockets various types and calibers capable of hitting targets at long ranges.

“Polonaise”, like its Chinese counterparts, does not have the usual PU tubular guides for specialists. Their basis is a rotating platform on which a support frame is mounted. The platform and frame drives allow for guidance in the horizontal and vertical planes. The support frame has fastenings for standard module packages with TPK.

When loading, these modules are reloaded from the transport-loading vehicle to the combat vehicle using a crane-manipulator and secured to the launcher support frame (after the missiles are launched, the module is removed and sent to the manufacturer for reloading or disposed of). According to experts, this technology not only makes it possible to speed up the reloading of a combat vehicle and its preparation for a new salvo, which in itself is very important. The main thing is that you can launch rockets of several calibers and types from one launcher.

At the same time, there is reason to assert: “Polonaise” is not a simple copy of Chinese models; in preparation for its production, the experience and knowledge necessary to create our own missile ammunition was acquired.

In the fall of 2015, Lukashenko bluntly stated that “If Russia had supported us with missile weapons, we would not have to create, spend huge amounts of money to create missile systems such as Polonaise.”

However, Belarus, according to the president, was forced to make these systems itself, since requests to Russian Federation requests for assistance in acquiring such weapons remained without consequences. “Today we are working on other systems that will make war against Belarus impossible today,”- added Lukashenko.

On November 3, 2015, while visiting a precision electromechanics plant in the Dzerzhinsky district, the president was informed about the creation in Belarus own center as part of the scientific and production divisions, which is working on the creation of modern missile systems.

Head of State Military Industry Sergey Gurulev reported then that domestic specialists are planning in the near future to create their own missile for the Polonaise with a range of 200 km, as well as ammunition that significantly exceeds it in its characteristics.

Observers even then made the assumption that we could be talking about creating some kind of analogue of the missile that is part of the Iskander. Or rather, its “M” version with a firing range of up to 500 km (the range of the export version “E” is 280 km).

At first, a number of initial components that Belarus was not able to produce itself (in particular, ingredients for the production of solid rocket fuel) were supposed to be supplied from China. At the same time, the task of maximum localization of production was set as a priority. Already a year and a half ago, the share of Belarusian components in Polonaise was close to 70%, and this figure was supposed to be increased to almost 95%.

At the same time, scientific research in the field of development of solid rocket fuel is one of the promising areas of activity of the Research Institute of the Armed Forces of Belarus.

As part of the practical implementation of this project, the research institute entered into an agreement on joint activities with the state scientific and production association (NPO) of powder metallurgy. One of the stages in the implementation of this agreement was the testing of an experimental mixed solid rocket fuel for unguided aircraft missiles(NAR).

As a raw material for its production, specialists from the NPO of Powder Metallurgy used “energy-saturated heterogeneous aluminized composite material on a polymer basis.” The tests confirmed that domestic developers managed to obtain workable fuel with weight, size and ballistic characteristics comparable to the standard S-8M type NAR fuel.

As a number of experts believe, this technology will in the future be applicable to other types of solid rocket fuel missiles, including guided missiles: aviation, anti-aircraft, anti-tank, and MLRS.

On May 23, the Belarusian analytical online publication Belarus Security Blog published information about the Polonaise multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), which were demonstrated at the military parade in Minsk on May 9 of this year. In addition to presenting individual tactical and technical characteristics(performance characteristics) of the new weapon, which, according to the publication, put it on a par with the world's best analogues, it is reported that the prototype of the Polonaise was probably the Chinese MLRS.

MLRS "Polonaise" and a transport-loading vehicle on the street of festive Minsk
news.tut.by

To date, no official data on the performance characteristics of the Belarusian MLRS have been received, except for a few basic parameters announced by the announcer during the passage of the convoy military equipment at the Minsk Victory Parade. In particular, it was indicated that the firing range of the new weapon reaches 200 km, in addition, it is possible to fire not only over areas, but also to hit eight separate targets in one salvo. It is also known that the Polonaise was manufactured on the MZKT 7930 Astrologer chassis (8x8) of the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant. Tractor with a capacity of 500 hp. With. reaches speeds of up to 70 km/h on the highway (cruising range is up to 1000 km) and, with a dead weight of 20 tons, is capable of transporting a payload weighing up to 24 tons. The length of the vehicle is more than 12.5 m, width and height are about 3 m. Belarusian MZKT 7930 tractors are widely known abroad and are actively used as a mobile base for various Russian-made weapons systems. In particular, the Iskander operational-tactical missile systems, the Uragan MLRS, the Bastion ballistic missile system, the S-400 air defense system and others are installed on the Astrologer chassis.

Structurally, the MLRS is a rotating platform mounted on a tractor chassis and carrying eight rectangular canisters, which are transport and launch containers (TPC) for the missiles inside them. Transport-loading vehicles (TZM) accompanying launchers (PU) are equipped with cranes for reloading MLRS, which involves removing empty TPKs and installing new ones. To give rocket launcher For additional stability during launch, the vehicle is equipped with special stops (outriggers), which are located between the chassis wheelsets (two on each side).

MLRS "Polonaise"
topwar.ru

The basis for the assertion that the Belarusian Polonaise was created on the basis of the Chinese MLRS was based on several assumptions. Besides the obvious external resemblance between Belarusian and Chinese combat vehicles, as well as the coincidence of their performance characteristics, experts also refer to other circumstances. In particular, the April visit of the Secretary of State of the Security Council of Belarus Alexander Mezhuev to China for negotiations on military-technical cooperation is cited as an argument. Based on the results of this trip, the country's President Alexander Lukashenko was provided with a report indicating the readiness of the PRC to help strengthen the defense capability of Belarus. Reportedly, during the visit, meetings were held with the leadership of leading enterprises of the Chinese military-industrial complex and important agreements were reached. In addition, there are doubts about whether the Belarusian industry is capable of independently producing missiles with the characteristics declared for the Polonaise MLRS.

Secretary of the Political and Legal Commission of the CPC Central Committee Meng Jianzhu held talks with State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Alexander Mezhuev
russian.news.cn

Assumptions that the Polonaise missile systems are a joint development of China and Belarus have not been officially confirmed by the leadership of these countries. Moreover, official Minsk claims that the MLRS project was developed by Belarusian enterprises without the participation of foreign specialists. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has previously repeatedly stated that, if necessary, the country is capable of independently producing modern missile weapons. China may well turn out to be a supplier of missiles for the Belarusian MLRS, since within a few recent years Chinese companies have launched the production of several promising multiple launch rocket systems (in particular, AR1A, WM-120, WS-2, and AR-3). In addition, China is actively promoting the A200 rocket, developed by CALT (China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology), to the foreign market. This missile is designed to deliver high-precision strikes against enemy targets from a distance of 50 to 200 km and can be used in mobile multiple launch rocket systems. The length of the rocket is approximately 7.3 m, the diameter of the body is 0.31 m, and the launch weight is 750 kg. The missile uses a guidance system based on inertial and satellite navigation systems.

Chinese MLRS AR3 NORINCO fires
mil.chinaiiss.com

According to journalist and military analyst Alexander Alesin, the Polonaise MLRS is a Belarusian version of the Chinese Norinco AR3 multiple launch rocket system, which uses missiles with a diameter of up to 0.4 m. Experts emphasize that the Polonaise MLRS can hit individual targets. This means that the missiles are equipped with individual guidance systems, which practically equals them with operational-tactical missiles of the Iskander or Tochka-U class. Three MLRS Polonaise combat vehicles (3 launchers with 8 missiles each) represent firepower, comparable to an entire brigade of the Iskander tactical missile system (12 launchers with 2 missiles each). After the Victory Parade in Minsk, Belarusian Defense Minister Andrei Ravkov announced that already in 2016, the Polonaise MLRS will be adopted by the Belarusian army.

Belarusian military equipment at the Victory Parade in Minsk
deu.belta.by

In the absence of reliable information about the origin of the Polonaise, opinions about its prototype are divided. Among the opinions expressed about the country of origin of ammunition for the Polonaise, in addition to the Chinese version, there are suggestions that the missiles could have been developed in Russia or even in Ukraine, where the production capacity to fulfill such orders was preserved. There is no information about whether Belarus has tested the Polonaise MLRS, although it is known that there are no testing grounds on the country’s territory where it would be possible to test fire these missiles at their maximum range.

At the military parade on May 9, 2015 in Minsk, new long-range multiple launch rocket systems of the Belarusian production "Polonaise", made on the MZKT-7930 chassis with an 8x8 wheel arrangement, were demonstrated for the first time. Two eight-round launchers and two transport-loading vehicles marched in parade formation.

During the parade, it was announced that the Polonaise MLRS combat vehicle was “capable of simultaneously delivering a targeted strike on eight targets at a range of more than 200 km.” It is announced that the MLRS data will begin to enter service with the Belarusian army in 2016.

A combat vehicle of the new Belarusian MLRS "Polonaise" during a military parade in Minsk 05/09/2015 (c) kp.by

The declared characteristics of the Polonaise MLRS and the characteristic appearance of its square missile containers suggest that this system uses long-range, high-precision missiles made in China. It is most likely that the 301 mm A200 type rockets used are developed and manufactured by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT, also known as the “First Academy”), part of the Chinese state-owned aerospace corporation China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). On the global market, marketing of the A200 system is carried out by the CASC foreign trade association Aerospace Long-March International Trade Co., Ltd (ALIT), as well as by the well-known Chinese corporation Poly Technologies.

In this regard, it is appropriate to note that on April 27, 2015, the State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Alexander Mezhuev reported to the President of the Republic Alexander Lukashenko on the results of his trip on April 7-10 to China People's Republic. Among other things, it was “reported on the agreements reached, the results of negotiations on providing Belarus with support from the PRC in strengthening its defense capability,” and it was noted that Mezhuev had meetings with the heads of both foreign trade associations of the CASC corporation - with the president of the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC, specializes on the export of rocket and space products) Yin Limin and the President of ALIT (specializing in the export of defense products) Guo Zhaoping.

Presumably, Belarus became the launch customer for the A200 missile system. The A200 missile, with a caliber of 301 mm, has a length of 7264 mm and a stabilizer span of 615 mm. The mass of the rocket is 750 kg. Warhead(three different types) detachable, combined guidance system - inertial with satellite correction (GPS). Firing range from 50 to “more than 200” km. CQU of the warhead at maximum range different sources state from 30 to 50 m. A salvo of eight missiles at eight different targets can be fired in 50 seconds, the preparation time for a salvo is 8 minutes.

Transport-charging vehicles of the new Belarusian MLRS "Polonaise" during a military parade in Minsk 05/09/2015 (c) kp.by

vehicles of the new Belarusian MLRS "Polonaise" (c) www.abw.by

Combat and transport-loading vehicles of the new Belarusian MLRS "Polonaise" during a military parade in Minsk 05/09/2015 (c) Vitaly Dembovsky / news.tut.by

301 mm A200 rocket development and production of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), part of the Chinese state aerospace corporation China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) (c) Poly Technologies (via Jane's)

Despite the very scarce data on the A-200 MLRS (compared to the same AR-3), the Polonaise clearly shows a Chinese “trace” in the form of 2 rectangular 4-shot TPKs

The capital of Belarus also hosted a fairly large-scale Victory Parade, in which 250 units of various military equipment and at least 5,000 military personnel took part. The most important event, from the point of view of the military-political fact of deterrence, was the next appearance over Minsk of Su-34 tactical fighter-bombers, Il-76 military transport aircraft, and, of course, the promising Polonaise multiple launch rocket system.

Despite the US Air Force orchestra invited to the celebrations under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel M. Mench - on the Belarusian side this was only a gesture of historical solidarity with the American Air Force that fought in Europe during the period of hostilities in World War II, the policy of the Republic of Belarus has an exclusively adequate anti-Western vector, the implementation of which , following the Russian example, quite a lot of funds and technological resources of the state are invested.

Belarus is located on the so-called “conditional demarcation line” between the enemy NATO bloc and the CSTO, which in an unstable geostrategic situation can instantly turn into a regional theater of war... this option has never been excluded from the agenda. The republic's Ministry of Defense still places its main hopes on the deployment of a large Russian Air Force airbase in Bobruisk, which will house Su-27SM fighters, and the transfer of the required number of S-400 Triumph air defense systems and Iskander OTR systems, but it also does not talk about its own aircraft. forgets.

The entire command of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus is well aware of the strong build-up of the military potential of such NATO members as Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, to counter which a sufficiently powerful territorial “missile shield” is needed, which makes it possible to quickly and effectively suppress enemy ground forces near its own borders. Our army uses high-precision Iskander systems for these purposes, but Belarus did not have such weapons and resorted to “improvisation.”

It is known that fast development missile technology affected not only the progress in the development of new strike missile systems and air defense systems, but also the emergence of longer-range “smart” MLRS, which over the last decade have become a worthy rival to short-range operational-tactical ballistic missiles. Most huge contribution in this area belongs to the Celestial Empire. In less than 10 years, China has created 5 advanced multiple launch rocket systems, which in terms of accuracy, range and flexibility of use are somehow superior to the existing Russian 9K58 Smerch MLRS in its serial modification: MLRS WS-2, WS-2D, WM-120, AR-1A and AR-3 - all of them are representatives of promising adjustable and controlled rocket systems capable of destroying several strategically important enemy targets in one salvo of several missiles at a range beyond the reach of retaliation from barrel artillery 155 mm and 203 mm calibers.

So Belarus based its “improvisation” on the developments of Chinese engineers.
At the beginning of April 2015, Secretary of State of the Security Council of Belarus Alexander Mezhuev held a series of consultations with the heads of the military departments of China - Guo Zhaoping (president of the Chinese aerospace international company "Long March") and Yin Limin (head of the military-industrial consortium "Great Wall"), at which Several “vitally important” agreements were concluded to ensure the defense capability of Belarus for many years to come. It is noteworthy that the first company specializes specifically in the development of promising MLRS, and the second on aerospace products.

The end of these meetings was marked by the release of a completely unprecedented MLRS “Polonaise” to a wide audience at the parade in Minsk. The advanced MLRS is based on the MZKT-793 four-axle all-wheel drive chassis; it is also known that the battery will include at least 2 TZM. The most interesting thing is that the parade commentator announced some of the firing characteristics of the Polonaise - simultaneous high-precision missile strike against 8 targets at a distance of more than 200 km, which almost exactly corresponds to the parameters of the Chinese A-200 MLRS.

Despite the very scarce data on the A-200 MLRS (compared to the same AR-3), the Polonaise clearly shows a Chinese “trace” in the form of 2 rectangular 4-shot TPKs

Information regarding this system is very contradictory. Some sources report that the Polonaise rocket is a modernized version of the 9M542 adjustable projectile for the Smerch system, which in turn already has a range of 120 km and the ability to adjust the flight trajectory, developed it as an export version for a monoblock high-explosive fragmentation equipment to defeat well-fortified enemy targets.

But there are still more assumptions regarding the Chinese A-200, since these missiles initially have a destruction range of 50-200 km, and they are being developed by Chinese companies, with whose presidents Mezhuev spoke. We will proceed from this, especially since the PRC has promised comprehensive support for the development of the military-industrial complex of Belarus.

As you can see, the Polonaise system is distinguished by a completely “Sinified” launcher on 2x4 square TPKs, for a total of 8 missiles of the A-200 family. Thus, just one battery of 9 Polonaise vehicles can carry out 2 missile salvoes, each of which will consist of 72 rockets hitting enemy targets in an area measuring 10x10 km, with the missiles deflecting from the target no more than 45 meters. Moreover, the most important point lies not even in this.

All 9 vehicles of the division can be equipped with A-200 missiles with completely different types of warheads, including powerful HE, cluster with tens to hundreds of submunitions, as well as special cartridges with several (4-8) self-aiming cumulative elements to destroy enemy armored vehicles. In this version, one division of the Polonaise MLRS will be quite enough to not just turn off an important Radar systems Air defense or destroy a couple of bunkers, as the OTRK do, and “wipe off the face of the earth” an entire enemy military unit at a distance of 200 km.

In the conditions of the European theater of operations, such an MLRS has a similar importance to the OTRK and for one more reason. In any case, a salvo of adjustable missiles will be several times larger than a possible salvo of fire-fighting missiles, which is limited by their price per unit and the more narrowly targeted nature of their use as a “precision strike” weapon, and a massive salvo of missiles is much more important in the context of the rapidly developing Western missile defense system in Eastern Europe.

In the next year or two, completely new anti-aircraft missile systems, such as “Patriot PAC-2.3”, “SAMP-T”, and later “MEADS”, the maneuverability of the “ERINT” and “Aster-30” interceptor missiles used in them are quite large and can, in the future, develop systems guidance pose a threat even to the Iskanders (for example, in the Patriot, very soon all passive AN/MPQ-53 phased arrays will be gradually replaced by higher-potential AFARs, which will allow the interception of dozens of targets with an image intensifier less than 0.02 m2) ... during such changes to supplement the Iskanders, a couple of dozen Polonaise MLRS may be needed, which will help maintain parity in the quality and quantity of air defense systems against their interceptors with the “sprawling” EuroPRO.

301-mm Polonaise (A-200) rockets have a length of 7.26 m, a stabilizer span of 0.62 m and are corrected using an inertial guidance system with radio correction via GLONASS/GPS channels. The absence of a homing head makes such a high-tech weapon almost completely protected from electronic interference supplied by enemy ground-based electronic warfare stations, which means it is fully included in the range of weapons for “smart war”, where they win not only with the help of the number of systems, but also with the help of their technical perfection and simplicity .

The development of the Belarusian MLRS "Polonaise", albeit with Chinese support, is truly an epoch-making event within the small CSTO state after the development of the promising T-38 "Stiletto" air defense system, especially since the system will not only increase the defense capability of Belarus alone, but will also make a decisive contribution in shaping the future defensive line Russia throughout the Western operational direction.

/Evgeny Damantsev/