Unmanned aerial vehicles. Characteristics of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles - the future kings of the sky Military UAVs performance characteristics of different countries
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 vigor 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 operation. 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...
Even 20 years ago, Russia was one of the world leaders in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles. In the 80s of the last century, only 950 Tu-143 air reconnaissance aircraft were produced. The famous reusable spacecraft "Buran" was created, which made its first and only flight in a completely unmanned mode. I don’t see the point and now somehow give in to the development and use of drones.
Background of Russian drones (Tu-141, Tu-143, Tu-243). In the mid-sixties, the Tupolev Design Bureau began to create new tactical and operational unmanned reconnaissance systems. On August 30, 1968, the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR N 670-241 was issued on the development of a new unmanned tactical reconnaissance complex "Flight" (VR-3) and the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft "143" (Tu-143) included in it. The deadline for presenting the complex for testing in the Decree was stipulated: for the variant with photo reconnaissance equipment - 1970, for the variant with television intelligence equipment and for the variant with radiation reconnaissance equipment - 1972.
The reconnaissance UAV Tu-143 was mass-produced in two configurations of the nasal interchangeable part: in the photo reconnaissance version with information registration on board, in the television reconnaissance version with the transmission of information via radio to ground command posts. In addition, the reconnaissance aircraft could be equipped with radiation reconnaissance equipment with the transmission of materials on the radiation situation along the flight route to the ground via a radio channel. The Tu-143 UAV is presented at the exhibition of aviation equipment samples at the Central Aerodrome in Moscow and at the Museum in Monino (the Tu-141 UAV can also be seen there).
As part of the aerospace show in Zhukovsky MAKS-2007 near Moscow, in the closed part of the exposition, the MiG aircraft manufacturing corporation showed its Skat strike unmanned complex - an aircraft made according to the “flying wing” scheme and outwardly very reminiscent of the American B-2 Spirit bomber or its a smaller version is the Kh-47V marine unmanned aerial vehicle.
"Skat" is designed to strike both at previously reconnoitered stationary targets, primarily air defense systems, in the face of strong opposition from enemy anti-aircraft weapons, and at mobile ground and sea targets when conducting autonomous and group actions, joint with manned aircraft.
Its maximum takeoff weight should be 10 tons. Flight range - 4 thousand kilometers. The flight speed near the ground is not less than 800 km / h. It will be able to carry two air-to-surface / air-to-radar missiles or two adjustable bombs with a total mass of not more than 1 ton.
The aircraft is made according to the scheme of the flying wing. In addition, the well-known methods of reducing radar visibility were clearly visible in the appearance of the structure. So, the wingtips are parallel to its leading edge and the contours of the rear of the apparatus are made in the same way. Above the middle part of the wing, the Skat had a fuselage of a characteristic shape, smoothly mated with the bearing surfaces. Vertical plumage was not provided. As can be seen from the photographs of the Skat layout, control was to be carried out using four elevons located on the consoles and on the center section. At the same time, yaw control immediately raised certain questions: due to the lack of a rudder and a single-engine scheme, the UAV required to somehow solve this problem. There is a version about a single deviation of the internal elevons for yaw control.
The layout presented at the MAKS-2007 exhibition had the following dimensions: a wingspan of 11.5 meters, a length of 10.25 and a parking height of 2.7 m. Regarding the mass of the Skat, it is only known that its maximum takeoff weight should have been approximately equal to ten tons. With these parameters, the Skat had good calculated flight data. With a maximum speed of up to 800 km / h, it could rise to a height of up to 12,000 meters and overcome up to 4,000 kilometers in flight. It was planned to provide such flight data with the help of a bypass turbojet engine RD-5000B with a thrust of 5040 kgf. This turbojet engine was created on the basis of the RD-93 engine, however, it is initially equipped with a special flat nozzle, which reduces the visibility of the aircraft in the infrared range. The engine air intake was located in the forward fuselage and was an unregulated intake device.
Inside the fuselage of the characteristic shape, the Skat had two cargo compartments measuring 4.4x0.75x0.65 meters. With such dimensions, various types of guided missiles, as well as adjustable bombs, could be suspended in the cargo compartments. The total mass of the Skat combat load was supposed to be approximately equal to two tons. During the presentation at the MAKS-2007 Salon, Kh-31 missiles and KAB-500 guided bombs were located next to Skat. The composition of the onboard equipment, implied by the project, was not disclosed. Based on information about other projects of this class, we can conclude that there is a complex of navigation and sighting equipment, as well as some possibilities for autonomous actions.
UAV "Dozor-600" (development of the designers of the company "Transas"), also known as "Dozor-3", is much lighter than "Skat" or "Breakthrough". Its maximum takeoff weight does not exceed 710-720 kilograms. At the same time, due to the classic aerodynamic layout with a full-fledged fuselage and a straight wing, it has approximately the same dimensions as the Skat: a wingspan of twelve meters and a total length of seven. In the bow of the Dozor-600, a place is provided for target equipment, and a stabilized platform for observation equipment is installed in the middle. A propeller group is located in the tail section of the drone. Its basis is the Rotax 914 piston engine, similar to those installed on the Israeli IAI Heron UAV and the American MQ-1B Predator.
115 horsepower of the engine allows the Dozor-600 drone to accelerate to a speed of about 210-215 km / h or make long flights at a cruising speed of 120-150 km / h. When using additional fuel tanks, this UAV is able to stay in the air for up to 24 hours. Thus, the practical flight range is approaching the mark of 3700 kilometers.
Based on the characteristics of the Dozor-600 UAV, we can draw conclusions about its purpose. The relatively low takeoff weight does not allow it to carry any serious weapons, which limits the range of tasks to be solved exclusively by reconnaissance. Nevertheless, a number of sources mention the possibility of installing various weapons on the Dozor-600, the total mass of which does not exceed 120-150 kilograms. Because of this, the range of weapons allowed for use is limited to only certain types of guided missiles, in particular anti-tank ones. It is noteworthy that when using anti-tank guided missiles, the Dozor-600 becomes largely similar to the American MQ-1B Predator, both in terms of technical characteristics and armament.
The project of a heavy strike unmanned aerial vehicle. The development of the research topic "Hunter" to study the possibility of creating a strike UAV weighing up to 20 tons in the interests of the Russian Air Force was or is being conducted by the Sukhoi company (JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau). For the first time, the plans of the Ministry of Defense to adopt an attack UAV were announced at the MAKS-2009 air show in August 2009. According to Mikhail Pogosyan, in August 2009, the design of a new attack unmanned complex was to be the first joint work of the relevant units of the Sukhoi Design Bureau and MiG (project " Skat"). The media reported on the conclusion of a contract for the implementation of research "Okhotnik" with the company "Sukhoi" July 12, 2011. "and" Sukhoi "was signed only on October 25, 2012.
The terms of reference for the strike UAV was approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense in the first days of April 2012. On July 6, 2012, information appeared in the media that the Sukhoi company had been selected by the Russian Air Force as the lead developer. An unnamed source in the industry also reports that the strike UAV developed by Sukhoi will simultaneously be a sixth-generation fighter. As of mid-2012, it is assumed that the first sample of the strike UAV will begin testing no earlier than 2016. It is expected to enter service by 2020. In the future, it was planned to create navigation systems for landing approach and taxiing of heavy UAVs on the instructions of JSC Sukhoi Company (source).
Media reports that the first sample of the heavy attack UAV of the Sukhoi Design Bureau will be ready in 2018.
Combat use (otherwise they will say exhibition copies, Soviet junk)
“For the first time in the world, the Russian Armed Forces carried out an attack on a fortified militant area with combat drones. In the province of Latakia, the army units of the Syrian army, with the support of Russian paratroopers and Russian combat drones, took the strategic height 754.5, the Siriatel tower.
Most recently, the Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, General Gerasimov, said that Russia is striving to completely robotize the battle, and perhaps soon we will witness how robotic groups independently conduct military operations, and this is what happened.
In Russia, in 2013, the newest automated control system "Andromeda-D" was adopted by the Airborne Forces, with the help of which it is possible to carry out operational control of a mixed group of troops.
The use of the latest high-tech equipment allows the command to ensure continuous control of troops performing combat training tasks at unfamiliar training grounds, and the command of the Airborne Forces to monitor their actions, being at a distance of more than 5 thousand kilometers from their deployment sites, receiving from the exercise area not only a graphic picture of moving units, but also a video image of their actions in real time.
The complex, depending on the tasks, can be mounted on the chassis of a two-axle KamAZ, BTR-D, BMD-2 or BMD-4. In addition, taking into account the specifics of the Airborne Forces, Andromeda-D is adapted for loading into an aircraft, flight and landing.
This system, as well as combat drones, were deployed to Syria and tested in combat conditions.
Six Platform-M robotic complexes and four Argo complexes took part in the attack on the heights, the attack of drones was supported by the Akatsiya self-propelled artillery mounts (ACS) recently transferred to Syria, which can destroy enemy positions with mounted fire.
From the air, behind the battlefield, drones conducted reconnaissance, transmitting information to the deployed Andromeda-D field center, as well as to Moscow, to the National Defense Control Center of the command post of the Russian General Staff.
Combat robots, self-propelled guns, drones were tied to the Andromeda-D automated control system. The commander of the attack on the heights, in real time, led the battle, the operators of combat drones, being in Moscow, conducted the attack, everyone saw both their own area of \u200b\u200bthe battle and the whole picture.
Drones were the first to attack, approaching 100-120 meters to the fortifications of the militants, they called fire on themselves, and self-propelled guns immediately attacked the detected firing points.
Behind the drones, at a distance of 150-200 meters, the Syrian infantry advanced, clearing the height.
The militants did not have the slightest chance, all their movements were controlled by drones, artillery strikes were carried out on the detected militants, literally 20 minutes after the start of the attack by combat drones, the militants fled in horror, leaving the dead and wounded. On the slopes of a height of 754.5, almost 70 militants were killed, the Syrian soldiers had no dead, only 4 wounded.
Modern drones are no longer the same. It was once they could modestly observe what was happening. Today, these machines carry bombs on board, and are capable of attacking them.
Scientific and technological progress has already reached the point where it began to create combat drones. Let's talk about the eight newest ones now.
New British classified UAV Taranis.
nEUROn
European ambitious project. It is planned that this UAV will be inconspicuous, with incredible strike power:
- armament— capable of carrying 2 guided bombs weighing 230 kg each.
Its production is scheduled for no earlier than 2030. Although, the prototype has already been built, and in 2012 it even took to the skies. Characteristics:
- takeoff weight - 7000 kg;
- engine - turbofan Rolls-Royce Turbom Adour;
- maximum speed - 980 km / h.
Northrop Grumman X-47B
This is a strike UAV, which was taken over by Northrop Grumman. The development of the X-47B is part of the US Navy's program. Purpose: to create an unmanned aircraft capable of taking off from an aircraft carrier.
Northrop's first flight took place in 2011. The device is equipped with a Pratt & Whitney F100-220 turbofan engine. Weight - 20215 kg, flight range - 3890 km.
DRDO Rustom II
The developer is the Indian military-industrial corporation DRDO. Rustom II is an upgraded version of Rustom drones designed for reconnaissance and combat strikes. These UAVs are capable of carrying up to 350 kg of payload.
Pre-flight tests have already been completed, so the first flight may well take place even this year. Takeoff weight - 1800 kg, equipped with 2 turboprop engines. Maximum speed - 225 km / h, flight range - 1000 km.
"Dozor-600"
At the moment, "Dozor" has the status of a still promising reconnaissance and strike UAV. Developed by the Russian company Transas. Designed for conducting tactical reconnaissance in the front line or route strip. Capable of transmitting information in real time.
Characteristics:
- takeoff weight - 720 kg;
- engine - gasoline Rotax 914;
- maximum speed - 150 km / h;
- flight range - 3700 km.
Taranis
The British project is managed by BAE Systems. At the moment, this is just a test platform for creating a highly maneuverable, stealthy transcontinental strike drone. The main technical data are classified. All we've been able to find out is:
- date of the first flight - 2013;
- takeoff weight - 8000 kg;
- engine - turbofan Rolls-Royce Adour;
- maximum speed - subsonic.
Boeing Phantom Ray
Another demonstration platform of a promising UAV for the purpose of reconnaissance. The Phantom Ray is designed as a flying wing and is about the size of a conventional jet fighter.
The project was created on the basis of the X-45S UAV, boasts its first flight (in 2011). Takeoff weight - 16566 kg, engine - turbojet General Electric F404-GE-102D. Maximum speed - 988 km / h, flight range - 2114 km.
ADCOM United 40
Another reconnaissance and strike UAV. Developed and manufactured by ADCOM (UAE). First shown at the Dubai Air Show (November 2011). The takeoff weight of the baby is 1500 kg, equipped with 2 Rotax 914UL piston engines. The maximum speed is 220 km/h.
"Scat"
Another incredibly heavy reconnaissance and strike vehicle (weight - 20 tons), developed in the Russian Design Bureau MiG using stealth technology. The general public was shown only a full-size mock-up, which was shown at the MAKS-2007 air show.
The project was curtailed, but the development remained. They are planned to be used in promising strike UAVs in Russia. Armament - tactical ground-to-ground missiles and air bombs. The maximum speed of the monster is 850 km / h, the flight range is 4000 km.
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), ex-commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force, spoke about the ongoing research work at the Sukhoi Design Bureau to create a heavy attack drone in 2014 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 cinema, footage of surveillance of militants, with their subsequent destruction almost live using some kind of MQ-1 Predator, has 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 that are 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). At the moment, the Russian Armed Forces deployed 36 unmanned aviation units and subunits, 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 in haste. 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 scheduled 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 Russian military-industrial complex and the Russian Aerospace Forces in the field of unmanned attack drones makes it possible to look with confidence into the future of Russian aviation in any theater of operations.
The training mobile unmanned complex "GeoDrone L" is designed to train specialists who perform work on aerial photography, processing and analysis of the received data.
It solves the problems of teaching students, teaching staff, representatives of state and commercial enterprises how to work with drones and obtaining the necessary content for them in the form of: photoplans, 3D terrain models, DSM, vegetation maps (NDVI), etc.
The complex contains all the necessary methods and instructions for its inclusion in the additional educational programs. education in universities and secondary vocational education as a training UAV.
The unmanned aircraft complex IDS-5 was developed by the research and production enterprise "IDS Technologies" and is intended for aerial monitoring and aerial photography of linear and areal objects of the national economy and transport infrastructure using various types of target load. It has a long flight duration (up to 20 hours) and the ability to work from one launch pad without additional folding-deployment of the complex. It is used for flights to remote objects in hard-to-reach places. It is equipped with an internal combustion engine, which eliminates the dependence of the flight duration on the ambient temperature (especially important at low temperatures).
eBee X cartographic complex: professional aerial photography, accurate photogrammetry.
EBee X is a geodetic class UAV.
The latest eBee X unmanned aerial vehicle is based on the experience of a whole line of lightweight aircraft-type drones. The experience of using around the world in a wide variety of conditions has led to the creation of an incredibly productive, hardy, able to work in a minimum of free space, the most secure surveying class drone. The new technology "Landing in a limited space" will allow you to work calmly in conditions where takeoff and landing is possible within a few tens of meters.
Tiguar is an advanced UAV developed by uAvionics with a wingspan of 4.1 m and a flight duration of over 20 hours designed for civil operations. Tiguar is a reliable and safe tool for monitoring and checking any places and areas where long working life or overcoming significant distances is required.
UAS "Ptero-G1" is capable of carrying a payload with a total weight of up to 10 kg. The time spent in the air with a standard payload of 2 kg is up to 8 hours. During this time, the device can cover up to 800 kilometers.
The use of specialized software for planning aerial photography routes and professional aerial photography equipment allows us to perform all types of aerial photography with high quality.
The largest apparatus of the Albatross company with a maximum flight time of 5 hours and a wingspan of 3.3 meters. Ideal for shooting large areas and when long continuous flight is required. Designed to create high-precision orthophotos, digital terrain models and multispectral models of objects of any area. The possibility of fast replacement of batteries is provided.
Avian-RTK - aircraft-type UAV. It is part of a complex designed for geodetic surveying of the terrain. With the use of this complex geodetic survey is significantly reduced in time, and the accuracy remains at a high level - 5mm.
The unmanned aircraft complex "COUGAR" is intended for:
Remote monitoring of the terrain in the area up to 70 km at any time of the day in a time mode close to real time.
Retransmission of ground-based data via UAVs at a distance of 70 km in the absence of direct radio visibility, including the organization of video communication.
The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) "Ocelot" is designed to obtain photographic images of the area in the daytime, obtain a video image of the area and determine the coordinates of ground objects in real time at any time of the day, and observe objects.
UAV MICROVISOR V1.8 is designed for medium tactical reconnaissance.
The product has a wingspan of 1800 mm, weight 5 kg. A distinctive feature of the product is the speed of deployment, simplicity and reliability in operation, resistance to mechanical and thermal influences, moisture protection.
The unmanned system "Atlas 180 Oko" is designed for video surveillance from the air. Its scopes of application: detection of fires, protection and control and monitoring of extended objects, search and rescue operations, detection of people and animals.
The unmanned system "Atlas 180 Geo" is made according to the "flying wing" scheme from light and durable composite materials. The scope of the aircraft is aerial photography for mapping the terrain, topographic survey, geodesy, creating orthophotomaps and 3D modeling.
"Sapsan-3000" is an unmanned aerial vehicle with a "flying wing" aerodynamic configuration. Such a scheme, with well-calculated aerodynamics, allows you to achieve both high performance characteristics and ease of operation.
The mobile complex provides control and telemetry communication with the aircraft at the takeoff and landing site, and is also a mobile vehicle for the crew and carrier. The mobile complex can be implemented on the basis of any vehicle that can accommodate the necessary equipment and crew.