Rolling out the demonstrator of the S-70 attack unmanned aerial vehicle according to the research work "Okhotnik-B"

As reported on June 28, 2018, the agency " Interfax " , the first Russian heavy attack drone of the Sukhoi Design Bureau "Okhotnik" entered the final stage of ground tests. This was reported to Interfax by a well-informed source.

"At the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant (NAZ, a branch of the Sukhoi company - IF), the first roll-out of the Okhotnik strike drone took place - it is undergoing ground tests on the eve of the first flight," the agency's interlocutor said.

"The first flight of the Hunter is expected in 2019," the source said.

The director of the Directorate of Military Aviation Programs of the United aircraft corporation(UAC), former Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force Vladimir Mikhailov.

“Now the work is underway, we are doing work on the Sukhoi, it’s called the Okhotnik. This machine is very promising, now research work is underway until 2015, with a subsequent transition to development work,” Mikhailov said on the air of the radio station " Echo of Moscow.

The characteristics of the drone under development are not currently disclosed. According to open data, its take-off weight will be 20 tons, which will make it the heaviest device of this type being developed. It was reported that it will take off for the first time in 2018, and in 2020 it will be put into service.

In 2017, a photo of the Okhotnik was circulated on the Internet, cut from a presentation by the Russian Ministry of Defense, judging by which, the device is being developed according to the “flying wing” scheme with a three-post chassis.

Unmanned aerial vehicle S-70, created by PJSC "Company" Sukhoi "on research "Okhotnik-B" (c) Ministry of Defense of Russia (via paralay.iboards.ru)

A previously informed interlocutor of Interfax reported on the testing of the Altius-O heavy attack drone weighing more than 7.5 tons, developed by the Simonov Design Bureau in Kazan.

Deputy General Director of Techmash (part of Rostec) Alexander Kochkin in March 2018, he told Interfax that the concern had begun developing a payload for drones - these could be both melee weapons and air bombs.

General Designer - UAC Vice President for Innovation Sergei Korotkov In December 2017, he told Interfax that Russia was working on the creation of strike drones that could be organized into groups and coordinated with each other via secure communication channels.

The development of a heavy drone was announced at the Army-2017 forum by the general director of RAC MiG Ilya Tarasenko. In November of the same year, a company representative noted that they were working on UAVs weighing from a ton to 15 tons.

Estimated appearance of the UAV S-70, created by PJSC "Company" Sukhoi "on the research "Okhotnik-B" (c) Piotr Butowski / Air&Cosmos

On the part of bmpd, we recall that, as our blog reported a year ago with reference to the publication of the Air & Cosmos magazine, as part of the Okhotnik research project, the S-70 stealth unmanned aerial vehicle is being created. Work on the research work "Hunter" is carried out by PJSC "Company" Sukhoi "under the contract of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, issued on October 14, 2011. The purpose of the research is to create an unmanned reconnaissance and strike system that would have high speed and autonomy. The S-70 UAV itself The theme "Hunter" is characterized as "unmanned aerial vehicle of the sixth generation".

It was reported that the S-70 UAV demonstrator was manufactured at the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant named after V.P. Chkalov - a branch of PJSC "Company" Sukhoi ", and the first flight of the demonstrator was previously scheduled for 2018. The mass of the UAV is in the range of 10-20 tons, and the maximum speed is estimated at 1000 km/h.

UAV "Okhotnik-B": Russia is creating the killer F-22 and F-35. Americans have nothing to oppose Russian military-technological thought

Over the past decade, Western armies have emphasized their superiority over any enemy through the widespread use of various drones. Mostly heavy reconnaissance and strike. Even in the cinema, footage of surveillance of militants, with their subsequent destruction almost in live with the help of some MQ-1 Predator, have become commonplace. In addition, the command of the US Air Force has begun the final decommissioning of these machines, as well as their reconnaissance modification RQ-1, as already obsolete.

The last flight of the last MQ-1 machine took place on March 9, 2018. However, under contracts with PMCs (but not on behalf of the Air Force), Predators will still fly until December this year. But then everything, only the universal reconnaissance and strike MQ-9 Reaper and the heavy Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk weighing 15 tons will remain in service. With the prospect of replacing them with more modern projects currently under development.

Against this background, the Russian army looked pale. Strictly speaking, after the collapse of the USSR, it did not produce an overall impression of health, but in August 2008 it became obvious that the crisis had been overcome. True, re-equipment and rearmament mainly concerned the usual, albeit highly improved systems. Whereas the area of ​​drones remained one big blank spot. We simply didn't have them. For geopolitical reasons, the possibility of import purchases was also excluded.

For five years, a critical hole in technical capabilities was closed only in the lightest class - small tactical reconnaissance officers of the company-battalion level (weighing up to fifty kilograms and with a flight range of up to five kilometers). On the this moment As part of the RF Armed Forces, 36 units and subunits of unmanned aircraft are deployed, which are armed with about two thousand vehicles of seven types, of which five are the most widespread. In fact, strictly speaking, it is more, since the designs and tactical and technical capabilities of the systems in service " Pear», « Tachyon», « Outpost», « Garnet», « Eleron-3SV"closely similar to the most massive Russian army drone" Oralan-10".

But against the background of the image, which is well-established in the mass perception, as loitering high in the sky MQ-9 Reaper hitting a target with a missile somewhere in the Afghan mountains or the Iraqi desert, it all looked pale. A kind of patch on hastily. The US Army command was already talking about strategic drones, while we continued to launch "eagles" to look over the wall of a neighboring house.

However, now it turns out that in the past years the Russian army has been engaged not only in "small uniforms". Russian military design bureaus are finishing work on projects that can seriously change not only the tactical, but also the operational alignment. The last two years of confirmation of the existence of new products fell like a cornucopia.

At the MAKS-2017 exhibition, the company " Kronstadt"demonstrated the Orion heavy reconnaissance aircraft weighing five tons, with a wingspan of sixteen meters, an autonomy of 24 hours of continuous flight and an operating altitude of about seven kilometers. The list of its capabilities takes up two pages in small print, from specific and electronic intelligence, to a communications repeater and mobile station for target designation and illumination.And it turns out that in terms of functionality it is much wider than the one removed from service in the United States MQ-1 Predator, and reconnaissance modification MQ-9 Reaper. Despite the fact that Orion also costs 3.3 times cheaper when buying, and almost seven times cheaper in terms of operating costs.

Testing of the reconnaissance version has been completed, and it is expected to enter service this year. In addition, Kronstadt announced that it had entered the final stage of work on the creation of a shock modification of the machine.

At the Victory Parade on May 9, 2018, the Russian army demonstrated an attack drone " Corsair". With its own weight of 200 kilograms, it provides a combat radius of up to 200 kilometers, reconnaissance, transport and strike tasks, including against heavy armored vehicles. The Corsair is equipped with the Ataka missile system and can be part of a digital battlefield thanks to modules "All-Seeing Eye" and "Combat Space".

Attack drone "Corsair"

In addition, in a video report on the visit of the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev to the Kazan Aviation Plant, among the samples of flight equipment exhibited for demonstration, a prototype of a heavy strike drone flashed " Altair". With a mass of five tons and a wingspan of 28.5 meters, it is capable of flying over a distance of over ten thousand kilometers at operating altitudes of up to 12 kilometers. Autonomy without refueling in the air reaches two days. There is no exact data on the range of airborne weapons yet, but plant representatives talk about "practically the entire range of Russian missiles."

Drone Altair

But the most significant should be considered the leak of information about the current state of work on the promising heavy percussion apparatus Okhotnik-B, which was rolled out at the end of June this year at the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant. According to reports, the machine is based on design solutions not only of the latest fighter-bomber already adopted PAK FA(known under the designation Su-57), but also a promising long-range bomber PAK YES, work on which is currently ongoing. Now "Hunter-B" (also known as Object S-70 within the framework of the research project "Hunter" of the Sukhoi Design Bureau) is undergoing ground tests. A flight inspection cycle is planned for 2019. Commissioning is expected by the end of 2020.

And it will be the most advanced and technically advanced strike drone in the world. With a mass of up to 20 tons, it will reach speeds of up to 1000 kilometers per hour and carry a missile and bomb load corresponding to standard fighter-bomber. In addition, unlike the MQ-9 and RQ-4, Okhotnik-B is initially designed for operations in conditions of massive electronic countermeasures and a dense enemy air defense zone. If we talk about the categories of aviation generations popular in the West, the American MQ-9 corresponds to only the 4 ++ generation, while the Russian Okhotnik-B is already a sixth generations. There are no analogues to her yet.

From which we can conclude that in 2019 Russia will reach parity in the capabilities of military unmanned aircraft, and after 2020 it has every chance to surpass NATO armies in drones. Moreover, if the United States has been working on the topic of drones since the beginning of the 80s, and the first RQ-1 took off only in 1994, and even then, out of 70 delivered to the US Air Force by the end of 2002, about forty crashed due to technical reasons, Russia managed to reach the level of machines of the sixth generation in just seven years. Thus, the progress achieved by the defense industry and the Russian Aerospace Forces in the field of unmanned attack drones allows us to look to the future with confidence. Russian aviation on any TVD.

Unmanned aircraft: terminology, classification, current state Fetisov Vladimir Stanislavovich

3.2. The current state of Russian unmanned aircraft

Despite the achievements of the Soviet period, now the development of UAVs in Russia lags far behind similar programs of NATO countries. Chronic underfunding (and often simply closing) of many BAS development projects in the 1990s led to the fact that many qualified specialists left the industry, and the experience gained over the years was lost. The specific technologies used in the creation of UAVs have practically not been developed (especially in the field of control systems). At the same time, the need for the development of unmanned aircraft began to be felt more and more acutely. Thus, as a result of the military conflict between Russia and Georgia in August 2008, it became obvious that the armament of the Russian army is largely outdated and, in particular, it lacks modern reconnaissance drones. The urgent measures taken to improve the situation did not give the desired result - the absence of any strategy for the development of BAS, poor funding, and simply a long neglect of the industry affected. As a result, the investment in the 2000s of budget money aimed at the development of new UAVs turned out to be very inefficient. According to reports, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation spent 5 billion rubles on the development of the UAV. On April 7, 2010, Colonel-General Vladimir Popovkin, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, told the press that these investments did not bring the desired result: "Last year we tested all the unmanned aerial vehicles presented by the Russian industry. None of them passed the test program." In this regard, in 2010, the Russian Defense Ministry ordered from the Israeli company Israel Airspace Industry 3 types of reconnaissance unmanned aircraft (small and medium class) for the needs of its army. The total number of devices is 63 units. Types of purchased UAVs:

– Bird-Eye 400;

– Searcher Mkll.

In 2011, the work of the Ministry of Defense on the acquisition of UAVs was carried out in parallel with both domestic industrial enterprises and foreign companies. For example, in Kubinka near Moscow, Israeli specialists completed the training of Russian operators and technicians (Fig. 3.18). In the fall, foreign drones were used in the large-scale operational-strategic exercises Center-2011. Israeli Searcher Mkll systems received good reviews not only from military operators, but also from a number of representatives of the domestic industry. Many experts, in particular, noted their good maturity as complexes.

Rice. 3.18. UAV Searcher Mk II in Kubinka

In parallel with the operation of Israeli UAVs in the Russian Armed Forces in 2011, a project was being implemented to organize the assembly production of these systems in our country. The corresponding agreement was signed by the leadership of the Israeli company IAI and the Russian OPK Oboronprom. The contract is valued at approximately $400 million. During the year, assembly production was deployed at the Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA) in Yekaterinburg (Fig. 3.19). Already at the MAKS-2011 air show, one could see the Searcher Mkll UAV of the Russian assembly called "Forpost" (Fig. 3.20).

Rice. 3.19. Assembly of licensed UAVs in the UZGA workshop (Yekaterinburg)

Rice. 3.20. UAV Searcher Mk II "Outpost" at the air show MAKS-2011

Positive for IAI company experience of entering the Russian market served as a kind of signal for other Israeli developers of unmanned systems. In particular, in 2011, BlueBird Aero Systems and Innocon opened representative offices in Russia.

The development of military-technical cooperation in the field of unmanned vehicles has not bypassed helicopter systems. Back in early 2011, it became known about the contacts of the Rostov company Horizont with the Austrian company Schiebel, which created one of the most commercially successful unmanned systems Camcopter S-100. During the Paris air show Le Bourget 2011, the head of the Horizont company, Igor Khokhlov, announced that an assembly plant for Camcopter UAVs would be created in our country. In confirmation of this, the Russian-Austrian drone could be seen on the stand and on the open area of ​​the Horizont company at the Naval Show in St. Petersburg in 2013 (Fig. 3.21). Due to its high reliability, Camcopter was certified in Russia in a fairly short period of time. The S-100 devices have been tested in real conditions on an icebreaker in the Baltic Sea and since 2012 on a Rubin-class border ship of project 22460, which showed the possibility of using a ship-based unmanned helicopter complex.

Rice. 3.21. UAV S-100, manufactured by the Horizont company (Rostov-on-Don) under the license of the Austrian company Schiebel

However, it is obvious that imported technologies cannot form the basis for the production of our unmanned aerial systems for a long time. This can only be allowed as a temporary forced solution. Therefore, in parallel with the purchase of imported equipment and the organization of licensed assembly, tenders were announced in 2009-2011, as a result of which a number of Russian firms received contracts for research and development work to create new types of purely Russian UAVs.

Until 2011, the Russian Air Force had two special UAV regiments, a research squadron, and the UAV Combat Use Center in Yegorievsk, Moscow Region. According to the instructions of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, from September 1, 2011, units and subunits of unmanned aircraft were excluded from the Air Force and transferred to the Ground Forces. Therefore, today the main consumer of this type of weapon is the Ground Forces. This does not apply to UAVs of the HALE and MALE classes, which will continue to be ordered and used by the Air Force. But so far there are practically no such devices in service.

In 2013, of the domestic UAVs in service with the Russian army were:

– Bee- 1T;

– ZALA 421-08;

- Orlan-10.

The first two of the listed UAVs are described above. The other two are short-range UAVs.

This is an ultra-small unmanned aerial vehicle. Designed for observation, target designation, fire adjustment, damage assessment. Effective in conducting aerial and video shooting at a short distance. Produced by the Izhevsk company "ZALA AERO GROUP".

The ZALA 421-08 UAV is designed according to the "flying wing" aerodynamic scheme (Fig. 3.22) and consists of a glider with an automatic control system for the autopilot, controls and a power plant, an onboard power system, a parachute landing system and removable payload units. Runs ZALA 421-08 from the hands. Landing method - automatically with a parachute.

Rice. 3.22. UAV ZALA 421-08

This easy-to-operate UAV receives and transmits in real time high-quality photo, video and thermal imaging information on the study area (Fig. 3.23). The model compares favorably with low acoustic and visual visibility, reliability and the best target loads in its class. The aircraft does not require a specially prepared runway. The small dimensions of the device reduced the time of preparing the entire complex for operation to 5 minutes. The aircraft flies day and night under various, even the most severe, weather conditions.

The performance characteristics of ZALA 421-08:

– range of video / radio channel: 15 km / 25 km;

– flight duration: 80 min;

– wingspan: 810 mm;

– maximum height flight: 3600 m;

– engine type: Electric pulling;

– speed: 65-120 km/h;

- maximum takeoff weight: 2.5 kg;

- mass of the target load: 300 g;

– navigation: INS with GPS/GLONASS correction, radio rangefinder;

– operating temperature range: -30°С…+40°С.

Rice. 3.23. ZALA ground station

Intelligence complex with UAV "Orlan-10"

"Orlan-10" (Fig. 3.24) is a multifunctional unmanned complex designed to monitor extended and local objects in hard-to-reach terrain, including when conducting search and repair work. Developed by the enterprise "Special Technology Center" (St. Petersburg).

The complex includes operator workplaces, equipment for radio control and data transmission channels, equipment for Maintenance and ensuring the launch of the UAV, a 1 kW gas generator to ensure autonomous operation. The control point of the UAV "Orlan-Yu" has the ability to control up to 4 UAVs from one control point. If necessary, with the help of the complex it is possible to organize local network up to 30 operators to manage the payloads of simultaneously launched UAVs.

As a map, a raster image of the area with reference to several points or an electronic map is used. For the route, up to 60 points are indicated in which the height and the sign of its flight are specified: passage along the height or loitering. Route correction is carried out by radio channel. It is possible to indicate the "Home" point and the landing point, as well as behavior algorithms in emergency situations (loss of radio communication, lack of GPS signals, engine failure). The operator indicates the payload on and off points, and when using the camera, the frame overlap factor.

Rice. 3.24. UAV "Orlan-10". Launch from a catapult

Features of the complex:

– operational replacement of the payload and the composition of the onboard equipment;

- providing video and photography in combination with the registration of current parameters (coordinates, height, frame number);

- use in difficult weather conditions and from limited areas;

- placement of control and measuring equipment inside the wing consoles;

- the presence of an onboard generator allows the use of active loads throughout the flight;

– use of one UAV as a repeater for the rest.

Main characteristics:

– takeoff weight: 14 kg;

– payload mass: up to 5 kg;

- engine: internal combustion engine (gasoline A-95);

- launch method: from a collapsible catapult;

– landing method: by parachute;

– airspeed: 90-150 km/h;

– max. flight duration: 16 hours;

– max. range of application of the complex: up to 120 km from the ground control station (up to 600 km in autonomous mode);

– max. flight altitude above sea level: 5000 m;

– max. permissible wind speed at the start: 10 m/s;

– operating temperature range: -30 to +40 °С.

The last 2 types of UAVs considered and the like are just beginning to enter service. It is quite natural that both the development companies and the customer would like to speed up the process of delivering UAVs to the troops. However, putting into service new systems for the army is a rather complicated matter. It is necessary to comply with all existing formalities related to the passage of state tests through the Ministry of Defense. Unfortunately, funds for these needs are not always provided for in the budget of the military department. Accordingly, companies are forced to cover these costs at their own expense. The efforts expended are often not in vain, and the planned purchases for each of the selected complexes in the amount of the promised several dozen units are nevertheless carried out.

The experience of foreign armies shows that mini-UAVs are now becoming a traditional means of reconnaissance in subunits at the "company-platoon" level. Efficiency of deployment and independence from other sources of intelligence information makes UAVs of this class one of the most effective tools operational intelligence. If a constructive dialogue is established between industrial enterprises and the military department in our country, the volume of purchases can amount to hundreds and even thousands of units.

Next in line is the consideration by the Russian military of the issue of acquiring heavier tactical-class UAVs, which are among the most in demand in the world. But if Russian companies offer many systems in the mini-UAV class, here the choice is much more modest. In addition to two variants of the Tipchak developed by the Luch Rybinsk design bureau, these are the Inspector-601 UAV of the Aerocon company (Zhukovsky, Moscow Region), as well as the Dozor-100 UAV of the St. Petersburg company Transas.

Device "Dozor-100"

This UAV (Fig. 3.25) is an improved version of the Dozor-85 platform in the direction of increasing the range and duration of the flight. He could well compete with Israeli counterparts Searcher 2 or Bird Eye. The elongated wing made it possible to increase flight quality glider and reduce fuel consumption in cruising flight. The exhaust system is hidden inside the fuselage, which reduces thermal visibility in flight and reduces exhaust noise. The placement of the power plant in the aft part of the airframe makes it possible to rationally arrange the payload of the UAV, frees up space for the placement of antenna devices of various types. The use of a V-tail ensures the correct centering of the airframe when the engine is placed in the tail of the UAV fuselage.

The main characteristics of the UAV "DOZOR-100":

- wingspan: 5.4 m;

– length: 3 m;

– height: 1.1m;

– max. takeoff weight: 95 kg;

– max. fuel mass: 24 kg;

– payload mass: 15-32 kg;

- engine: ICE 19 hp;

– flight duration: 10 h;

– max. range: 1200 km;

– cruising speed: 120-150 km/h;

– maximum height: 4.5 km;

– operating temperature range: -50 to +40 °С;

– payload: forward-looking video camera, optoelectronic system on a turntable controlled platform (FLIR), automatic digital camera Optional: laser rangefinder, forward looking radar, external sling load, synthetic aperture radar;

– navigation and control: an inertial system integrated with a GLONASS/GPS satellite navigation receiver and a pressure altimeter; air signal system; on-board computer; data radio links and command; ADS-B equipment (designed for flights in common airspace with other manned and unmanned aerial vehicles).

Rice. 3.25. UAV "Dozor-100" company "Transas"

Even after the conclusion of the first Russian-Israeli deal, many experts concluded that the purchased UAVs, obviously, would not cover the needs of the Russian military in the entire range of necessary systems. The geographical scale of our country, as well as the tasks facing the Armed Forces, form the need for long-duration vehicles (MALE-class). Realizing this, the Russian military also showed interest in larger IAI development systems - Heron-type devices. However, permission to sell them to Russia was never received.

Obviously, therefore, in the fall of 2011, the Russian Ministry of Defense held a tender for medium-altitude UAVs of long flight duration and dimensions close to the American Predator and Reaper devices. The decision to compete was not easy. It is symptomatic that the Ministry of Defense refused the former "favorites": the Vega concern, which had the status of the head enterprise for UAV systems in Russia, but did not win best reviews in this area, the military, as well as the Tupolev company, which in our country has the longest experience in the field of unmanned systems, but is now in a very difficult personnel and technological situation. The MiG company, which several years ago proposed the concept of a promising strike UAV, did not receive the desired order either. The military gave preference to enterprises that showed themselves positively in the conditions market economy. It is a developer of high-tech electronic systems Transas, which was tasked with building the smaller of two MALE-class drones, and one of the main suppliers of aerial targets for the Russian Defense Ministry, is the Kazan company Sokol (Kazan), which will build the Russian analogue of the Reaper UAV.

Thus, in recent years, the customer of military UAVs represented by the Ministry of Defense has been demonstrating a rather balanced and pragmatic approach, combining the order of Russian UAVs available on the market with the import of those types of UAVs that are not in the product lines. Russian companies. And if the first and second are impossible, an order is made for the development of appropriate systems according to the requirements of the customer.

In general, today the situation with the development and production of UAVs in Russia looks somewhat better than a few years ago. A number of necessary prerequisites have been created for further more active equipping of the Russian Armed Forces with modern reconnaissance and reconnaissance-strike systems based on UAVs.

In 2014, the State Center for Unmanned Aviation of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation was formed. It has already begun training operators of unmanned aerial systems.

In February 2014, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a meeting with students of the Siberian federal university in Krasnoyarsk, he said that almost 320 billion rubles would be spent on the program for equipping the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation with unmanned aerial vehicles, calculated until 2020. At present, he said, the Russian army already "has almost 500 unmanned aerial vehicles that are operational," performing reconnaissance, communications, signal relay, and combat missions.

Non-military UAS

(based on materials)

Non-military UAS in Russia, as well as throughout the world, have their own specific development trends. In such areas as remote sensing of the earth, control of communications and borders, relaying of signals, they reduce the cost of services by an order of magnitude and even more compared to traditional space or aviation systems. The progress of non-military systems is facilitated by the miniaturization and cheapening of the electronic components of on-board equipment. However, there are three obstacles to the development of unmanned vehicles for civil use.

The technical problem is that potential customers are not interested in UAVs, albeit with unique characteristics, but in full-fledged systems that perform a specific function and do not require qualified maintenance. The second problem is related to the first and is structural in nature. Most commercial customers would like to buy not unmanned systems, but services (for example, flight hours) from specialized companies. Obviously, both the first and second barriers can be overcome as large industrial companies with the appropriate resources and experience begin to deal with civilian UAS. The situation is worse when it comes to overcoming the third barrier, which commercial UAS have not been able to overcome so far. It is about the need to create regulatory framework for certification of UAVs and their integration into the existing air traffic control system. This problem has not been comprehensively solved anywhere in the world, despite significant efforts.

There are currently two alternative concepts for integrating UAS into airspace. One involves the extension of all existing standards to unmanned systems, including, for example, equipping with identification and collision avoidance systems. The second concept proposes to allocate special zones for UAV flights. Japan has already taken this path, where Yamaha mass-produces thousands of specialized remotely piloted helicopters for processing farmland and has already established their export to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The victory, according to experts, is likely to be won by the first point of view, which will complicate the life of the industry.

Today, Russia is practically not represented in international non-governmental organizations, where the concepts of certification, standardization and regulation of unmanned aircraft flights are created in discussions. Of the Russian companies, only Irkut is a member of one of the leading such structures - UVS International. This situation threatens to repeat the sad experience of the struggle of our civil aviation with the ICAO environmental standards, which, at least in part, can be considered as non-tariff barriers to domestic aircraft.

Without waiting for the creation of a regulatory framework, unmanned systems, apparently, will be procured by structures with special powers. Unmanned vehicles are actively purchased by the FSB (for special forces and border guards) and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, that is, departments that solve critical tasks with the help of UAS. The technical policy of non-military customers has its own specific features. As a rule, they seek to acquire systems that are simple and cheap to operate. Therefore, customers do not always choose Russian devices. It all depends on the ratio of price and technical characteristics.

Russian industry quickly responded to demand from state non-military customers. A number of firms in recent years have developed projects for relatively simple and inexpensive to operate unmanned systems. Among them: the Kazan Design Bureau Sokol, which has been developing UAVs since Soviet times; CJSC "ENIKS" (also located in Kazan), which focused on small devices; "Novik XXI century", the core of which was the developers of the "Stroy-P" complex, and a number of other companies or even groups of enthusiasts. Many of these teams have been successful. So, the Design Bureau "Iskatel" of the Moscow Aviation Institute developed an unmanned helicopter "Voron" for the FSB. "Novik XXI century" has created a number of mini-UAVs, which are distinguished by rational aerodynamic and system engineering solutions. ENIKS has developed a two-kilogram Eleron UAV with an electric motor.

Most of the mentioned companies are implementing an innovative business model and do not have sufficient financial and administrative resources to bring their products to market. Accordingly, demonstrating their capabilities, they are looking not so much for a customer as for an investor. Almost no one can do this. The military does not want to use imported components. State structures such as the border service or the Ministry of Emergency Situations do not have the necessary resources. Commercial customers are deterred by the lack of a regulatory framework. Apparently, the situation can be corrected by competent policy decisions at the level of government and departmental structures, as well as more active participation of large companies in the development and production of commercial UAS.

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Chapter 3 Short story and the current state of development and production of UAVs in

From the book Unmanned Aviation: terminology, classification, current state author Fetisov Vladimir Stanislavovich

3.1. The history of the development of unmanned aircraft in the army of the USSR and Russia (based on materials) The USSR back in the 70s and 80s was one of the leaders in the production of UAVs. About 950 copies of the Tu-143 alone were produced. And in 1988 he performed an unmanned space flight

Conducting work on the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is considered one of the most promising courses in the development of current combat aviation. The use of UAVs or drones has already led to important changes in the tactics and strategy of military conflicts. Moreover, it is believed that in the very near future their significance will increase significantly. Some military experts believe that the positive shift in the development of drones is the most important achievement in the aviation industry of the last decade.

However, drones are used not only for military purposes. Today they are actively involved in the "national economy". With their help, aerial photography, patrols, geodetic surveys, monitoring of a wide variety of objects are carried out, and some even deliver purchases home. However, the most promising developments of new drones today are carried out for military purposes.

With the help of UAVs, many tasks are solved. Mainly, it is reconnaissance. Most of the modern drones were created for this purpose. In recent years, more and more strike unmanned vehicles have appeared. separate category kamikaze drones can be distinguished. Drones can conduct electronic warfare, they can be radio repeaters, spotters for artillery, air targets.

The first attempt to create aircrafts, uncontrolled by man, were undertaken immediately with the advent of the first airplanes. However, their practical implementation took place only in the 70s of the last century. After that, a genuine “drone boom” began. Remotely controlled aircraft technology has not been realized for quite a long time, but today it is produced in abundance.

As often happens, American companies are in the lead in the creation of drones. And this is not surprising, because the funding from the American budget for the creation of drones was simply astronomical by our standards. So during the 90s, three billion dollars were spent on similar projects, while in 2003 alone, more than one billion was spent on them.

Nowadays, work is underway to create the latest drones with a longer flight duration. The devices themselves should be heavier and solve problems in a difficult environment. Drones are being developed designed to combat ballistic missiles, unmanned fighters, microdrones capable of operating in large groups (swarms).

Work on the development of drones is underway in many countries around the world. More than one thousand companies are involved in this industry, but the most promising developments go straight to the military.

Drones: advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of unmanned aerial vehicles are:

• A significant reduction in size in comparison with conventional aircraft (LA), leading to a reduction in cost, increasing their survivability;
• The potential to create small UAVs that could perform a wide variety of tasks in combat areas;
• Ability to conduct reconnaissance and transmit information in real time;
• The absence of restrictions on use in an extremely difficult combat situation associated with the risk of their loss. When conducting critical operations, it is easy to sacrifice several drones;
• Reduction (by more than one order of magnitude) of peacetime flight operations that would be required by traditional aircraft, preparing flight crews;
• The presence of high combat readiness and mobility;
• The potential to create small, uncomplicated mobile drone systems for non-aviation formations.

The disadvantages of UAVs include:

• Insufficient flexibility of use in comparison with traditional aircraft;
• Difficulties in resolving issues with communications, landing, rescue vehicles;
• In terms of reliability, drones are still inferior to conventional aircraft;
• Restriction of drone flights during peacetime.

A bit from the history of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

The first remote-controlled aircraft was the Fairy Queen, built in 1933 in the UK. He was a target aircraft for fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft guns.

And the first serial drone that participated in a real war was the V-1 rocket. This German "wonder weapon" bombarded Great Britain. In total, up to 25,000 units of such equipment were manufactured. The V-1 had a pulse jet engine and an autopilot with route data.

After the war, unmanned intelligence systems were developed in the USSR and the USA. Soviet drones were reconnaissance aircraft. With their help, aerial photography, electronic intelligence, as well as relaying were carried out.

Israel has done a lot for the development of drones. Since 1978, they have had the first IAI Scout drone. In the 1982 Lebanese war, the Israeli army completely defeated the Syrian air defense system with the help of drones. As a result, Syria lost almost 20 air defense batteries and almost 90 aircraft. This was reflected in the attitude of military science to UAVs.

The Americans used UAVs in Desert Storm and in the Yugoslav campaign. In the 90s, they also became leaders in the development of drones. So since 2012, they have had almost 8 thousand UAVs of various modifications. These were mainly small army reconnaissance drones, but there were also strike UAVs.

The first of them, in 2002, with a rocket attack on a car, eliminated one of the heads of Al-Qaeda. Since then, the use of UAVs to eliminate the enemy's PMD or its units has become commonplace.

Varieties of drones

Currently, there are a lot of drones that differ in their size, appearance, flight range, as well as functionality. UAVs differ in their control methods and their autonomy.

They may be:

• Unmanaged;
• remote controlled;
• Automatic.

According to their size, drones are:

• Microdrones (up to 10 kg);
• Minidrones (up to 50 kg);
• Mididrons (up to 1 ton);
• Heavy drones (weighing more than a ton).

Microdrones can stay in the airspace for up to one hour, minidrones for three to five hours, and mididrons for up to fifteen hours. Heavy drones can stay in the air for more than twenty-four hours with intercontinental flights.

Overview of foreign unmanned aerial vehicles

The main trend in the development of modern drones is to reduce their size. One of the Norwegian drones from Prox Dynamics can be such an example. The helicopter drone has a length of 100 mm and a weight of 120 grams, a range of up to one km, and a flight duration of up to 25 minutes. It has three video cameras.

These drones have been mass-produced since 2012. Thus, the British military purchased 160 sets of PD-100 Black Hornet in the amount of 31 million dollars for special operations in Afghanistan.

Microdrones are also being developed in the United States. They are working on a special Soldier Borne Sensors program aimed at developing and implementing reconnaissance drones with the potential to extract information for platoons or companies. There is information about the planning by the American army leadership to provide all fighters with individual drones.

To date, the RQ-11 Raven is considered the heaviest drone in the US Army. It has a mass of 1.7 kg, a wingspan of 1.5 m and a flight of up to 5 km. With an electric motor, the drone can reach speeds of up to 95 km/h and stay in flight for up to one hour.

He has a digital video camera with night vision. The launch is made from the hands, and a special platform is not needed for landing. The devices can fly along predetermined routes in automatic mode, GPS signals can serve as reference points for them, or they can be controlled by operators. These drones are in service with more than a dozen states.

The heavy American army UAV is the RQ-7 Shadow, which conducts reconnaissance at the brigade level. It has been mass-produced since 2004 and has a two-keel plumage with a pusher propeller and several modifications. These drones are equipped with conventional or infrared video cameras, radar, target illumination, laser rangefinders, and multispectral cameras. Guided five-kilogram bombs are suspended from the vehicles.

The RQ-5 Hunter is a mid-size, half-ton drone, a joint US-Israeli development. In its arsenal there is a television camera, a third-generation thermal imager, a laser rangefinder and other equipment. It is launched from a special platform with a rocket booster. Its flight zone is within a range of up to 270 km, for 12 hours. Some Hunter modifications have pendants for small bombs.

MQ-1 Predator is the most famous American UAV. This is the "transformation" of a reconnaissance drone into a strike drone, which has several modifications. The Predator conducts reconnaissance and delivers precision ground strikes. It has a maximum takeoff weight of more than a ton, a radar station, several video cameras (including an IR system), other equipment and several modifications.

In 2001, a high-precision laser-guided Hellfire-C missile was created for him, which in next year used in Afghanistan. The complex has four drones, a control station and a satellite communications terminal, and costs more than four million dollars. The most advanced modification is the MQ-1C Gray Eagle with a larger wingspan and a more advanced engine.

The MQ-9 Reaper is the next American strike UAV with several modifications, known since 2007. It has a longer flight time, guided bombs, and more advanced radio electronics. The MQ-9 Reaper performed admirably in the Iraqi and Afghan campaigns. Its advantage over the F-16 is a lower purchase and operating price, a longer flight duration without risk to the pilot's life.

1998 - the first flight of the American strategic unmanned reconnaissance aircraft RQ-4 Global Hawk. Currently, this is the largest UAV with a takeoff weight of more than 14 tons, with a payload of 1.3 tons. It can stay in the airspace for 36 hours, while overcoming 22 thousand km. It is assumed that these drones will replace the U-2S reconnaissance aircraft.

Overview of Russian UAVs

What is currently at the disposal of the Russian army, and what are the prospects for Russian UAVs in the near future?

"Pchela-1T"- Soviet drone, first took off in 1990. He was a fire spotter for multiple launch rocket systems. It had a mass of 138 kg, a range of up to 60 km. He started from a special installation with a rocket booster, sat down by parachute. Used in Chechnya, but outdated.

"Dozor-85"- reconnaissance drone for the border service with a mass of 85 kg, flight time up to 8 hours. The Skat reconnaissance and strike UAV was a promising machine, but so far work has been suspended.

UAV "Forpost" is a licensed copy of the Israeli Searcher 2. It was developed back in the 90s. Forpost has a takeoff weight of up to 400 kg, a flight range of up to 250 km, satellite navigation and television cameras.

In 2007, a reconnaissance drone was adopted "Tipchak", with a launch weight of 50 kg and a flight duration of up to two hours. It has a regular and infrared camera. "Dozor-600" is a multi-purpose device developed by "Transas", was presented at the MAKS-2009 exhibition. He is considered an analogue of the American "Predator".

UAV "Orlan-3M" and "Orlan-10". They were developed for reconnaissance, search and rescue operations, target designation. Drones are extremely similar in their own way. appearance. However, they differ slightly in their take-off weight and flight range. They take off with a catapult and land by parachute.

A robot cannot harm a person or by its inaction allow a person to be harmed.
- A. Asimov, Three Laws of Robotics

Isaac Asimov was wrong. Very soon, the electronic “eye” will take a person into sight, and the microcircuit will impassively order: “Fire to kill!”

A robot is stronger than a flesh-and-blood pilot. Ten, twenty, thirty hours of continuous flight - he demonstrates constant cheerfulness and is ready to continue the mission. Even when the g-forces reach the dreaded 10 gee, filling the body with leaden pain, the digital devil will keep his mind clear, calmly counting the course and keeping an eye on the enemy.

The digital brain does not require training and regular training to maintain skill. Mathematical models and algorithms of behavior in the air are forever loaded into the memory of the machine. Having stood for a decade in the hangar, the robot will return to the sky at any moment, taking the helm in its strong and skillful “hands”.

Their time has not yet struck. In the US military (a leader in this field of technology), drones make up a third of the fleet of all aircraft in service. At the same time, only 1% of UAVs are able to use.

Alas, even this is more than enough to sow terror in those territories that have been given over to hunting grounds for these ruthless steel birds.

5th place - General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (“Reaper”)

Reconnaissance and strike UAV with max. take-off weight of about 5 tons.

Flight duration: 24 hours.
Speed: up to 400 km/h.
Ceiling: 13,000 meters.
Engine: turboprop, 900 hp
Full fuel capacity: 1300 kg.

Armament: up to four Hellfire missiles and two 500-pound JDAM guided bombs.

On-board electronic equipment: AN / APY-8 radar with mapping mode (under the nose cone), MTS-B electro-optical sighting station (in a spherical module) for operation in the visible and IR ranges, with a built-in target designator for illuminating targets for ammunition with semi-active laser guidance.

Cost: $16.9 million

To date, 163 Reaper UAVs have been built.

The most high-profile case of combat use: in April 2010, in Afghanistan, the third person in the leadership of al-Qaeda, Mustafa Abu Yazid, known as Sheikh al-Masri, was killed by an MQ-9 Reaper UAV.

4th - Interstate TDR-1

Unmanned torpedo bomber.

Max. takeoff weight: 2.7 tons.
Engines: 2 x 220 HP
Cruise speed: 225 km/h,
Flight range: 680 km,
Combat load: 2000 fn. (907 kg).
Built: 162 units

“I remember the excitement that gripped me when the screen charged and covered with numerous dots - it seemed to me that the telecontrol system had failed. After a moment, I realized it was anti-aircraft guns! After correcting the drone's flight, I directed it straight into the middle of the ship. At the last second, a deck flashed before my eyes - close enough that I could see the details. Suddenly, the screen turned into a gray static background ... Obviously, the explosion killed everyone on board.

- First sortie 27 September 1944

"Project Option" provided for the creation of unmanned torpedo bombers to destroy the Japanese fleet. In April 1942, the first test of the system took place - a “drone”, remotely controlled from an aircraft flying 50 km away, launched an attack on the destroyer Ward. The dropped torpedo passed exactly under the keel of the destroyer.

Takeoff TDR-1 from the deck of an aircraft carrier

Encouraged by the success, the leadership of the fleet expected by 1943 to form 18 strike squadrons consisting of 1000 UAVs and 162 command Avengers. However, the Japanese fleet was soon overwhelmed by conventional aircraft and the program lost priority.

The main secret of the TDR-1 was a small-sized video camera designed by Vladimir Zworykin. With a weight of 44 kg, she had the ability to transmit images over the air at a frequency of 40 frames per second.

“Project Option” is amazing with its boldness and early appearance, but we have 3 more amazing cars ahead of us:

3rd place - RQ-4 “Global Hawk”

Unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with max. takeoff weight of 14.6 tons.

Flight duration: 32 hours.
Max. speed: 620 km/h.
Ceiling: 18,200 meters.
Engine: turbojet with a thrust of 3 tons,
Flight range: 22,000 km.
Cost: $131 million (excluding development costs).
Built: 42 units.

The drone is equipped with a set of HISAR reconnaissance equipment, similar to what is put on modern U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. HISAR includes a synthetic aperture radar, optical and thermal cameras, and a satellite data link at a speed of 50 Mbps. It is possible to install additional equipment for electronic intelligence.

Each UAV has a set of protective equipment, including laser and radar warning stations, as well as an ALE-50 towed trap to divert missiles fired at it.

Forest fires in California, filmed by the reconnaissance "Global Hawk"

A worthy successor to the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, soaring in the stratosphere with its huge wings spread out. RQ-4 records include long distance flights (flight from the US to Australia, 2001), the longest flight of any UAV (33 hours in the air, 2008), a drone refueling demonstration by a drone (2012). By 2013, the total flight time of the RQ-4 exceeded 100,000 hours.

The MQ-4 Triton drone was created on the basis of Global Hawk. Marine reconnaissance with a new radar, capable of surveying 7 million square meters per day. kilometers of ocean.

The Global Hawk does not carry strike weapons, but it deserves to be on the list of the most dangerous drones for knowing too much.

2nd place - X-47B “Pegasus”

Inconspicuous reconnaissance and strike UAV with max. take-off weight of 20 tons.

Cruise speed: Mach 0.9.
Ceiling: 12,000 meters.
Engine: from the F-16 fighter, thrust 8 tons.
Flight range: 3900 km.
Cost: $900 million for X-47 R&D.
Built: 2 concept demonstrators.
Armament: two internal bomb bays, combat load 2 tons.

A charismatic UAV built according to the “duck” scheme, but without the use of PGO, the role of which is played by the carrier fuselage itself, made using the “stealth” technology and having a negative installation angle with respect to the air flow. To consolidate the effect, the lower part of the fuselage in the nose is shaped similar to the descent vehicles of spacecraft.

A year ago, the X-47B amused the public with its flights from the decks of aircraft carriers. This phase of the program is now nearing completion. In the future, the appearance of an even more formidable X-47C drone with a combat load of over four tons.

1st place - “Taranis”

The concept of an inconspicuous strike UAV from the British company BAE Systems.

Little is known about the drone itself:
subsonic speed.
Stealth technology.
Turbojet engine with a thrust of 4 tons.
The appearance is reminiscent of the Russian experimental UAV Skat.
Two internal weapons bays.

What is so terrible in this "Taranis"?

The goal of the program is to develop technologies for creating an autonomous low-observable strike drone that will allow high-precision strikes against ground targets at long range and automatically evade enemy weapons.

Prior to this, disputes about a possible “jamming” and “interception of control” caused only sarcasm. Now they have completely lost their meaning: “Taranis”, in principle, is not ready for communication. He is deaf to all requests and entreaties. The robot is indifferently looking for someone whose appearance falls under the description of the enemy.

Flight test cycle at Woomera, Australia, 2013

Taranis is just the beginning of the journey. On its basis, it is planned to create an unmanned attack bomber with an intercontinental flight range. In addition, the advent of fully autonomous drones will pave the way for the creation of unmanned fighters (since existing remote-controlled UAVs are not capable of air combat due to delays in their telecontrol system).

British scientists are preparing a worthy finale for all mankind.

Epilogue

War has no feminine face. Rather not human.

Unmanned vehicles are a flight into the future. It brings us closer to the eternal human dream: to finally stop risking the lives of soldiers and to hand over feats of arms to soulless machines.

Following Moore's rule of thumb (doubling computer performance every 24 months), the future could come unexpectedly soon...

Conducting work on the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is considered one of the most promising courses in the development of current combat aviation. The use of UAVs or drones has already led to important changes in the tactics and strategy of military conflicts. Moreover, it is believed that in the very near future their significance will increase significantly. Some military experts believe that the positive shift in the development of drones is the most important achievement in the aviation industry of the last decade.

However, drones are used not only for military purposes. Today they are actively involved in the "national economy". With their help, aerial photography, patrols, geodetic surveys, monitoring of a wide variety of objects are carried out, and some even deliver purchases home. However, the most promising developments of new drones today are carried out for military purposes.

With the help of UAVs, many tasks are solved. Mainly, it is reconnaissance. Most of the modern drones were created for this purpose. In recent years, more and more strike unmanned vehicles have appeared. Drones-kamikaze can be distinguished as a separate category. Drones can conduct electronic warfare, they can be radio repeaters, spotters for artillery, air targets.

For the first time, attempts to create aircraft that were not controlled by man were made immediately with the advent of the first airplanes. However, their practical implementation took place only in the 70s of the last century. After that, a genuine “drone boom” began. Remotely controlled aircraft technology has not been realized for quite a long time, but today it is produced in abundance.

As often happens, American companies are in the lead in the creation of drones. And this is not surprising, because the funding from the American budget for the creation of drones was simply astronomical by our standards. So during the 90s, three billion dollars were spent on similar projects, while in 2003 alone, more than one billion was spent on them.

Nowadays, work is underway to create the latest drones with a longer flight duration. The devices themselves should be heavier and solve problems in a difficult environment. Drones are being developed designed to combat ballistic missiles, unmanned fighters, microdrones capable of operating in large groups (swarms).

Work on the development of drones is underway in many countries around the world. More than one thousand companies are involved in this industry, but the most promising developments go straight to the military.

Drones: advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of unmanned aerial vehicles are:

• A significant reduction in size in comparison with conventional aircraft (LA), leading to a reduction in cost, increasing their survivability;
• The potential to create small UAVs that could perform a wide variety of tasks in combat areas;
• Ability to conduct reconnaissance and transmit information in real time;
• The absence of restrictions on use in an extremely difficult combat situation associated with the risk of their loss. When conducting critical operations, it is easy to sacrifice several drones;
• Reduction (by more than one order of magnitude) of peacetime flight operations that would be required by traditional aircraft, preparing flight crews;
• The presence of high combat readiness and mobility;
• The potential to create small, uncomplicated mobile drone systems for non-aviation formations.

The disadvantages of UAVs include:

• Insufficient flexibility of use in comparison with traditional aircraft;
• Difficulties in resolving issues with communications, landing, rescue vehicles;
• In terms of reliability, drones are still inferior to conventional aircraft;
• Restriction of drone flights during peacetime.

A bit from the history of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

The first remote-controlled aircraft was the Fairy Queen, built in 1933 in the UK. He was a target aircraft for fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft guns.

And the first serial drone that participated in a real war was the V-1 rocket. This German "wonder weapon" bombarded Great Britain. In total, up to 25,000 units of such equipment were manufactured. The V-1 had a pulse jet engine and an autopilot with route data.

After the war, unmanned intelligence systems were developed in the USSR and the USA. Soviet drones were reconnaissance aircraft. With their help, aerial photography, electronic intelligence, as well as relaying were carried out.

Israel has done a lot for the development of drones. Since 1978, they have had the first IAI Scout drone. In the 1982 Lebanese war, the Israeli army completely defeated the Syrian air defense system with the help of drones. As a result, Syria lost almost 20 air defense batteries and almost 90 aircraft. This was reflected in the attitude of military science to UAVs.

The Americans used UAVs in Desert Storm and in the Yugoslav campaign. In the 90s, they also became leaders in the development of drones. So since 2012, they have had almost 8 thousand UAVs of various modifications. These were mainly small army reconnaissance drones, but there were also strike UAVs.

The first of them, in 2002, with a rocket attack on a car, eliminated one of the heads of Al-Qaeda. Since then, the use of UAVs to eliminate the enemy's PMD or its units has become commonplace.

Varieties of drones

Currently, there are a lot of drones that differ in their size, appearance, flight range, as well as functionality. UAVs differ in their control methods and their autonomy.

They may be:

• Unmanaged;
• remote controlled;
• Automatic.

According to their size, drones are:

• Microdrones (up to 10 kg);
• Minidrones (up to 50 kg);
• Mididrons (up to 1 ton);
• Heavy drones (weighing more than a ton).

Microdrones can stay in the airspace for up to one hour, minidrones for three to five hours, and mididrons for up to fifteen hours. Heavy drones can stay in the air for more than twenty-four hours with intercontinental flights.

Overview of foreign unmanned aerial vehicles

The main trend in the development of modern drones is to reduce their size. One of the Norwegian drones from Prox Dynamics can be such an example. The helicopter drone has a length of 100 mm and a weight of 120 grams, a range of up to one km, and a flight duration of up to 25 minutes. It has three video cameras.

These drones have been mass-produced since 2012. Thus, the British military purchased 160 sets of PD-100 Black Hornet in the amount of 31 million dollars for special operations in Afghanistan.

Microdrones are also being developed in the United States. They are working on a special Soldier Borne Sensors program aimed at developing and implementing reconnaissance drones with the potential to extract information for platoons or companies. There is information about the planning by the American army leadership to provide all fighters with individual drones.

To date, the RQ-11 Raven is considered the heaviest drone in the US Army. It has a mass of 1.7 kg, a wingspan of 1.5 m and a flight of up to 5 km. With an electric motor, the drone can reach speeds of up to 95 km/h and stay in flight for up to one hour.

He has a digital video camera with night vision. The launch is made from the hands, and a special platform is not needed for landing. The devices can fly along predetermined routes in automatic mode, GPS signals can serve as reference points for them, or they can be controlled by operators. These drones are in service with more than a dozen states.

The heavy American army UAV is the RQ-7 Shadow, which conducts reconnaissance at the brigade level. It has been mass-produced since 2004 and has a two-keel plumage with a pusher propeller and several modifications. These drones are equipped with conventional or infrared video cameras, radar, target illumination, laser rangefinders, and multispectral cameras. Guided five-kilogram bombs are suspended from the vehicles.

The RQ-5 Hunter is a mid-size, half-ton drone, a joint US-Israeli development. In its arsenal there is a television camera, a third-generation thermal imager, a laser rangefinder and other equipment. It is launched from a special platform with a rocket booster. Its flight zone is within a range of up to 270 km, for 12 hours. Some Hunter modifications have pendants for small bombs.

MQ-1 Predator is the most famous American UAV. This is the "transformation" of a reconnaissance drone into a strike drone, which has several modifications. The Predator conducts reconnaissance and delivers precision ground strikes. It has a maximum takeoff weight of more than a ton, a radar station, several video cameras (including an IR system), other equipment and several modifications.

In 2001, a high-precision laser-guided Hellfire-C missile was created for him, which was used in Afghanistan the following year. The complex has four drones, a control station and a satellite communications terminal, and costs more than four million dollars. The most advanced modification is the MQ-1C Gray Eagle with a larger wingspan and a more advanced engine.

The MQ-9 Reaper is the next American strike UAV with several modifications, known since 2007. It has a longer flight time, guided bombs, and more advanced radio electronics. The MQ-9 Reaper performed admirably in the Iraqi and Afghan campaigns. Its advantage over the F-16 is a lower purchase and operating price, a longer flight duration without risk to the pilot's life.

1998 - the first flight of the American strategic unmanned reconnaissance aircraft RQ-4 Global Hawk. Currently, this is the largest UAV with a takeoff weight of more than 14 tons, with a payload of 1.3 tons. It can stay in the airspace for 36 hours, while overcoming 22 thousand km. It is assumed that these drones will replace the U-2S reconnaissance aircraft.

Overview of Russian UAVs

What is currently at the disposal of the Russian army, and what are the prospects for Russian UAVs in the near future?

"Pchela-1T"- Soviet drone, first took off in 1990. He was a fire spotter for multiple launch rocket systems. It had a mass of 138 kg, a range of up to 60 km. He started from a special installation with a rocket booster, sat down by parachute. Used in Chechnya, but outdated.

"Dozor-85"- reconnaissance drone for the border service with a mass of 85 kg, flight time up to 8 hours. The Skat reconnaissance and strike UAV was a promising machine, but so far work has been suspended.

UAV "Forpost" is a licensed copy of the Israeli Searcher 2. It was developed back in the 90s. Forpost has a takeoff weight of up to 400 kg, a flight range of up to 250 km, satellite navigation and television cameras.

In 2007, a reconnaissance drone was adopted "Tipchak", with a launch weight of 50 kg and a flight duration of up to two hours. It has a regular and infrared camera. "Dozor-600" is a multi-purpose device developed by "Transas", was presented at the MAKS-2009 exhibition. He is considered an analogue of the American "Predator".

UAV "Orlan-3M" and "Orlan-10". They were developed for reconnaissance, search and rescue operations, target designation. The drones are extremely similar in their appearance. However, they differ slightly in their take-off weight and flight range. They take off with a catapult and land by parachute.