The problem of the shortage of airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft can be solved by using the Soviet An-12 military transport aircraft. This was stated by military expert Ilya Kramnik.
He proposed placing a high-energy, multi-mode airborne radar complex (radar) N035 "Irbis-E", taken from the Su-35S fighter, in the radio-transparent under-fuselage nose section of the An-12.
The radar will be able to detect tactical aviation at a distance of up to 300 km and "Storm Shadow" missiles at a distance of 80-100 km against the background of the earth's surface, as well as tanks and armored personnel carriers, launchers of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) HIMARS and anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) NASAMS at a distance of up to 80-100 km.
Such a machine will be able to loiter for about six hours, issuing target designation to the Tornado-S MLRS, Buk-M3 SAM and S-300V4.
An-12 is the basis of the military transport aviation of the USSR in the 1960s-1970s. The most massive four-engine turboprop aircraft of the USSR (1246 units were produced), as well as one of the most reliable.
Characteristics of the An-12 aircraft:
- Length — 33 m
- Height — 10.5 m
- Wing area — 121.7 m
- Wingspan — 38 m
- Flight speed — 656-686 km/h maximum, 570-580 km/h cruising
- Flight range — 500 km
- Engine power — 4 AI-20, 4000 hp each
Earlier www1.ru reported that T-90M "Proryv" tanks have increased the durability of the turret armor thanks to a clever modification.
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