The Russian armed forces tested a new automatic control system that has to smokescreen airfields, headquarters and accumulations of troops. It comprises electronic warfare and specialized vehicles to create the screens. The system identifies how adversary reconnaissance monitors friendly troops - by aircraft, drones or satellites. It then orders to set up a specific camouflage. Experts believe the smokescreens are necessary in modern combat, the Izvestia daily writes.
The Russian army already uses the TDA-3 smoke generator based on a Kamaz truck (Picture source: Vitaly Kuzmin)
Nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) protection units held the first exercise in Buryatia to camouflage a major group of troops by aerosol screens. They effectively hid the troops from ground, air and space intelligence, as well as all types of precision and laser weapons, the Defense Ministry said.
The troops are paying major attention to the combat training element. The war in Syria demonstrated a growing role of smokescreens, expert Oleg Zheltonozhko said: "Such a cover hides the troops and their movement from reconnaissance and helps fight precision weapons. In Syria, the Israeli aviation launches most attacks from maximum distances to avoid retaliation. It uses precision weapons with laser homing warheads. The smoke dilutes the guidance beam and the missiles cannot find the targets. Precision bombs and missiles miss or self-explode," he said.
Footage from Syria showed how tanks are camouflaged. They enter the position, fire, launch smoke grenades and withdraw. The armor is thus protected from grenade launchers and antitank guided missiles with laser homing warheads, the expert said: "The Russian armed forces have an edge in this respect against most NATO armies. Our troops have NBC units which can cover whole areas with smoke and aerosol screens," Zheltonozhko said.
Headquarters, airfields, accumulations of troops, warehouses and bases are camouflages this way, as well as tunnels, river crossings, bridges and important railway stations. The exercise in Buryatia trained the protection of a whole area. NBC units determined which reconnaissance means monitor the troops. They chose the type of smoke grenades and aerosol to reliably hide the accumulation area from the adversary.
Combined smokescreens are most effective in modern conflicts, as any high-tech army engages a set of reconnaissance means, including satellites. Only prudent camouflage can protect from them. NBC officers are in charge of smoke grenades and special charges. They receive the necessary information from the automatic command system. They take into account the wind speed and direction, air humidity and other weather parameters to choose the necessary type of aerosol and smoke camouflage. The screens are set by special vehicles and activated by RP3-8KhM electronic detonators. They activate aerosol camouflage at a distance of 10 km in any weather.
The smoke can cover a specific area with a screen of the necessary type. A usual smokescreen will disrupt visual reconnaissance by drones. If radars monitor the situation, metallic elements will be added to reflect the radio signal.
NBC troops use chemical fillers to deny heat imagers a chance to see soldiers and hardware. There are aerosols which together with smoke strip modern weapons, including cruise missiles with laser-guided warheads, of effective engagement, the Izvestia wrote.
Smoke generator TDA-3 with a station for the preparation of smoke chemical product (Picture source: Vitaly Kuzmin)
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