Russian Air Forces To Deter Space-Based Strikes On Russia
By 2030, some nations, namely the USA, will have space-based weapon systems capable of delivering a strike anywhere in Russia, predicts Russian Air Forces Commander Aleksandr Zelin.

In 20 years, technologically advanced countries will have a new generation of military aircraft and spacecraft, the Colonel General told the media on Tuesday. They will be unmanned, capable of flying at hypersonic speeds and probably be armed with weapons working on different physical principles as compared to weapons used now.

The new armed forces will be able "to deliver synchronous precision strikes on a global scale almost at any target in Russia's territory," Zelin is cited as saying by Interfax news agency.

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The senior officer says Russia will need a range of new weapon systems to deter this potential threat. The country's plan for defense from space and aerial attacks is expected to be shaped out by 2020, he announced.

One weapon Zelin named specifically is the S-500, a long-range air defense system now in development, which will be able to hit targets in space as well as in the atmosphere. Hypersonic-speed missiles and aircraft will also be legitimate targets for the future system.

Another project hinted at by the top military is a strike drone with a cruise speed of about Mach-6, or 6 times the speed of sound. He said that "while there are no concrete orders for it, we have theoretical research in this area."

Later, the Defense Ministry's press service told ITAR-TASS that Zelin was referring to research into pulse detonation engines (PDE) as possible technology for a future Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It's a kind of jet engine where fuel is detonated in rapid pulses rather than simply burnt. This allows greater efficiency but poses a great challenge in controlling the vibration from detonation, which engineers are trying to solve by increasing the frequency of detonations. Current working prototypes have a frequency of dozens to a couple of hundred detonations per second, while for smooth operation, a pulse detonation engine will need to make thousands of detonations per second.

Russia is lagging behind in UAV technology, and has recently bought several drones from Israel to "test their tactical capabilities", and as Zelin said, may purchase more. The Air Forces see UAVs as one of the prime areas of investment. Earlier in August, General Zelin said he expected up to 40% of Russia's military fleet to unmanned craft in a matter of a decade.

Speaking on closer plans, the senior officer said Russia's fifth-generation fighter jet will see its maiden flight later this year, "in November, or probably in December." So far three prototypes of the PAK FA have been built for land tests, and a machine for aerial tests is on its way. PAK FA is a multipurpose super maneuverable stealth aircraft designed by Sukhoi.

"No sliding back to the cold war" – watch interview with Fyodor Lukyanov, editor in chief of Russia in Global Affairs magazine.