Russian attack drones. Unmanned aerial vehicle Application areas

Just 20 years ago, Russia was one of the world leaders in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles. Only 950 Tu-143 aerial reconnaissance aircraft were produced in the 80s of the last century. The famous reusable spacecraft Buran was created, which made its first and only flight in completely unmanned mode. I don’t see any point in somehow giving up on the development and use of drones now.

Background of Russian drones (Tu-141, Tu-143, Tu-243). In the mid-sixties, the Tupolev Design Bureau began creating new tactical and unmanned reconnaissance systems operational purpose. On August 30, 1968, Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR N 670-241 was issued on the development of a new unmanned complex tactical reconnaissance"Flight" (VR-3) and the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft "143" (Tu-143) included in it. The deadline for presenting the complex for testing was specified in the Resolution: for the version with photo reconnaissance equipment - 1970, for the version with equipment for television reconnaissance and for the version with equipment for radiation reconnaissance - 1972.

The Tu-143 reconnaissance UAV was mass-produced in two variants with a replaceable nose part: a photo reconnaissance version with recording information on board, and a 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 about the radiation situation along the flight route to the ground via a radio channel. The Tu-143 UAV is presented at an exhibition of aviation equipment at the Central Aerodrome in Moscow and at the Museum in Monino (you can also see the Tu-141 UAV there).

As part of the aerospace show in Zhukovsky MAKS-2007 near Moscow, in the closed part of the exhibition, the MiG aircraft manufacturing corporation showed its attack unmanned system "Scat" - an aircraft designed according to the "flying wing" design and outwardly very reminiscent of the American bomber B-2 Spirit or its a smaller version is the X-47B maritime unmanned aerial vehicle.

"Scat" is designed to strike both pre-reconnaissance stationary targets, primarily air defense systems, in conditions of strong opposition from enemy anti-aircraft weapons, and mobile ground and sea targets when conducting autonomous and group actions, joint with manned aircraft.

Its maximum take-off weight should be 10 tons. Flight range - 4 thousand kilometers. Flight speed near the ground is at least 800 km/h. It will be able to carry two air-to-surface/air-to-radar missiles or two adjustable aerial bombs with a total mass of no more than 1 ton.

The aircraft is designed according to the flying wing design. In addition, well-known techniques for reducing radar signature were clearly visible in the design. Thus, the wingtips are parallel to its leading edge and the contours of the rear part of the device are made in exactly the same way. Above the middle part of the wing, the Skat had a fuselage of a characteristic shape, smoothly connected to the load-bearing surfaces. Vertical tail was not provided. As can be seen from the photographs of the Skat model, control was to be carried out using four elevons located on the consoles and on the center section. At the same time, certain questions were immediately raised by the yaw controllability: due to the lack of a rudder and a single-engine design, the UAV needed to somehow solve this problem. There is a version about a single deflection of the internal elevons for yaw control.

The model 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, all that is known is that its maximum take-off weight should have been approximately equal to ten tons. With such parameters, the Skat had good calculated flight data. At maximum speed up to 800 km/h it could rise to a height of up to 12 thousand meters and cover up to 4000 kilometers in flight. Such flight performance was planned to be achieved using a two-circuit turbojet engine RD-5000B with a thrust of 5040 kgf. This turbojet engine was created on the basis of the RD-93 engine, but was initially equipped with a special flat nozzle, which reduces the visibility of the aircraft in infrared range. The engine air intake was located in the forward part of the fuselage and was an unregulated intake device.

Inside the characteristically shaped fuselage, the Skat had two cargo compartments measuring 4.4 x 0.75 x 0.65 meters. With such dimensions, it was possible to hang guided missiles of various types, as well as adjustable bombs, in the cargo compartments. The total mass of the Stingray's combat load should have been approximately two tons. During the presentation at the MAKS-2007 salon, next to the Skat there were Kh-31 missiles and KAB-500 adjustable bombs. The composition of the on-board equipment implied by the project was not disclosed. Based on information about other projects of this class, we can draw conclusions about the presence of a complex of navigation and sighting equipment, as well as some capabilities for autonomous actions.

The Dozor-600 UAV (developed by Transas designers), also known as Dozor-3, is much lighter than the Skat or Proryv. Its maximum take-off weight does not exceed 710-720 kilograms. Moreover, due to the classic aerodynamic layout with a full fuselage and a straight wing, it has approximately the same dimensions as the Stingray: a wingspan of twelve meters and a total length of seven. In the bow of the Dozor-600 there is space for target equipment, and in the middle there is a stabilized platform for observation equipment. A propeller group is located in the tail section of the drone. It is based on a Rotax 914 piston engine, similar to those installed on the Israeli IAI Heron UAV and the American MQ-1B Predator.

The 115 horsepower 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 capable of staying in the air for up to 24 hours. Thus, the practical flight range is approaching 3,700 kilometers.

Based on the characteristics of the Dozor-600 UAV, we can draw conclusions about its purpose. Its relatively low take-off weight does not allow it to transport any serious weapons, which limits the range of tasks it can perform exclusively to reconnaissance. However, 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 permissible for use is limited only to certain types of guided missiles, in particular anti-tank missiles. It is noteworthy that when using anti-tank guided missiles, Dozor-600 becomes largely similar to the American MQ-1B Predator, both in technical specifications, and in terms of the composition of weapons.

Heavy attack unmanned aerial vehicle project. The development of the research topic “Hunter” to study the possibility of creating an attack UAV weighing up to 20 tons in the interests of the Russian Air Force was or is being carried out 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 a statement by Mikhail Pogosyan in August 2009, the design of a new attack unmanned aerial system was to be the first working together relevant units of the Sukhoi and MiG Design Bureaus (Skat project). The media reported the conclusion of a contract for the implementation of the Okhotnik research work with the Sukhoi company on July 12, 2011. In August 2011, the merger of the relevant divisions of RSK MiG and Sukhoi to develop a promising strike UAV was confirmed in the media, but the official agreement between MiG " and "Sukhoi" were signed only on October 25, 2012.

The terms of reference for the strike UAV were approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense on the first 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 industry source also reports that the strike UAV developed by Sukhoi will simultaneously be a sixth-generation fighter. As of mid-2012, it is expected that the first sample of the strike UAV will begin testing no earlier than 2016. It is expected to enter service by 2020. In 2012, JSC VNIIRA carried out a selection of patent materials on the topic of R&D “Hunter”, and in In the future, it was planned to create navigation systems for landing and taxiing heavy UAVs on the instructions of Sukhoi Company OJSC (source).

Media reports that the first sample of a heavy attack UAV named after the Sukhoi Design Bureau will be ready in 2018.

Combat use (otherwise they will say exhibition copies are Soviet junk)

“For the first time in the world, the Russian Armed Forces carried out an attack on a fortified area of ​​militants with combat drones. In the province of Latakia, army units Syrian army, with the support of Russian paratroopers and Russian combat drones, took the strategic height of 754.5, the Siriatel tower.

More recently, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian 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 it was adopted airborne weapons the latest automated control system "Andromeda-D", with which you can 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 training combat missions at unfamiliar training grounds, and the Airborne Forces command to monitor their actions, being at a distance of more than 5 thousand kilometers from their deployment sites, receiving from the training area not only a graphic picture of moving units, but also a video image of their actions in real time.

Depending on the tasks, the complex 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 drone attack was supported by self-propelled drones recently deployed to Syria artillery installations(self-propelled guns) "Acacia", which can destroy enemy positions with overhead fire.

From the air, drones conducted reconnaissance behind the battlefield, transmitting information to the deployed Andromeda-D field center, as well as to Moscow to the National Defense Control Center command post Russian General Staff.

Combat robots, self-propelled guns, and drones were linked to the Andromeda-D automated control system. The commander of the attack to the heights, in real time, led the battle, the operators of combat drones, being in Moscow, led the attack, everyone saw both their own area of ​​​​the battle and the whole picture as a whole.

The drones were the first to attack, approaching 100-120 meters to the militants’ fortifications, they called fire on themselves, and immediately attacked the detected firing points with self-propelled guns.

Behind the drones, at a distance of 150-200 meters, Syrian infantry advanced, clearing the heights.

The militants did not have the slightest chance, all their movements were controlled by drones, artillery strikes were carried out on the discovered militants, literally 20 minutes after the start of the attack by combat drones, the militants fled in horror, abandoning the dead and wounded. On the slopes of height 754.5, almost 70 militants were killed, there were no dead Syrian soldiers, only 4 wounded.”

Similar to giant stingrays, remote controlled combat attack drones are considered one of the strangest flying systems invented by man. They represent the next evolutionary step in the art of war, as they will definitely soon become the vanguard of any modern air force, since they have a lot of undeniable advantages in frontal combat, especially when dealing with a strong symmetrical opponent.

Lessons that hardly anyone learns

In fact, considered as a means of removing crews from danger in areas with dense air defense, where the chances of survival are not so great, attack unmanned aircrafts(UBLA) are essentially the creation of countries with strong defense industries and large annual budgets and often high moral standards regarding the cost of the lives of its soldiers. Over the past few years, the United States, Europe and Russia have been actively developing subsonic stealth UAVs, followed on their heels by China, always ready to copy and adapt everything that is invented in the world.

These new weapons systems are very different from the MALE (medium altitude, long endurance) drones that everyone sees on their TV screens 24/7 and that are being built by well-known Israeli and American companies such as IAI and General Atomics, which are today excellent experts in the field. the well-studied company Ryan Aero with its BQM-34 Firebee remotely controlled jet aircraft... 60 years ago.

Probing the future of air combat: the Rafale fighter is accompanied by the Neuron attack drone, designed to penetrate heavily defended airspace. Due to the superior combat effectiveness of the new generation of surface-to-air missiles, only such stealth attack UAVs (with a low effective dispersion area) will be able to close with and destroy a ground target with a high probability of destruction and return home to prepare for the next battle

UAVs are not just “armed” drones, as it might seem, even if today it is common to classify UAVs like the armed MQ-1 Predator or MQ-9 Reaper, for example, as strike systems. This is a completely misused term. Indeed, apart from participating in offensive operations in safe or controlled airspace by allied forces, UAVs are completely unable to penetrate combat formations of properly manned enemy systems.

A visit to the Aerospace Museum in Belgrade acts as a real revelation in this area. In 1999, during NATO operations in Yugoslavia, at least 17 American RQ-1 Predators drones were shot down by either MiG fighters or Strela MANPADS missiles. Even with their caution, once detected, MALE drones are doomed and will not survive even an hour. It is worth recalling that in the same campaign, the Yugoslav army destroyed the American F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft. For the first time in the history of combat aviation, an aircraft undetectable by radar and considered invulnerable was shot down.

The only time in my entire life military service The F-117 was discovered and shot down, and on a moonless night (there were only three such nights in the five-week war) by a missile from an antique Soviet-made S-125 air defense system. But the Yugoslavs were not a rabble of outcasts with primitive ideas about the art of war like the Islamic State (IS, banned in Russia) or the Taliban, they were well-trained and cunning professional soldiers, capable of adapting to new threats. And they proved it.

The experimental model of the Northrop Grumman X-47B UAV took another historic step on May 17, 2013, making several landings with immediate takeoff after touching down on nuclear aircraft carrier"George Bush" off the coast of Virginia

Military aviation is only a hundred years old, but it is already replete with spectacular inventions; the newest include attack unmanned aerial vehicles or combat drones. Over a century, the concept of air combat has changed radically, especially since the end of the Vietnam War. Air battles The use of machine guns to destroy the enemy during the First and Second World Wars has now become a page of history, and the advent of second-generation air-to-air missiles has made guns rather obsolete for this task, and they are now useful only as auxiliary weapons to bombard the ground from the air.

Today, this trend is reinforced by the emergence of hypersonic maneuverable missiles for hitting targets beyond visual range, which, when launched in large quantities and in tandem with missiles from a follower aircraft, for example, leave virtually no chance for evasive maneuver to any enemy flying at high altitude.

The situation is the same with modern ground-to-air weapons, controlled by an instantly responsive network-centric air defense computer system. Indeed, the level of combat effectiveness of modern missiles, which easily enter well-protected airspace, has become higher than ever these days. Perhaps the only panacea for this is airplanes and cruise missiles with a reduced effective reflection area (ERA) or low-flying attack weapons with a flight mode and encircling terrain at an extremely low altitude.

In April 2015, the X-47B demonstrated not only a convincing ability to operate from an aircraft carrier, but it also proved its ability to refuel in midair. The second participant in this event over the Chesapeake Bay was a Boeing KC-707 tanker. This is a real premiere for UBLA, since this test marked the first refueling of an unmanned aircraft in the air

At the beginning of the new millennium, American pilots wondered what new things could be done with remotely piloted aircraft, which had become quite a fashionable topic after its expanded use in military operations. As entry into heavily defended airspace became more and more dangerous and posed enormous risks to combat pilots, even those flying the latest jet fighter-bombers, the only way to solve this problem was to use weapons used outside the range of enemy weapons. , and/or the creation of stealth attack drones with high subsonic speed, capable of disappearing into the air through the use of special radar avoidance technologies, including radio-absorbing materials and advanced jamming modes.

A new type of remotely controlled attack drone, using data links with enhanced encryption and frequency hopping, should be able to enter the protected “sphere” and command air defense systems without risking the lives of flight crews. Their excellent maneuverability with increased overloads (up to +/-15 g!) allows them to remain to some extent invulnerable to manned interceptors...

Aside from the “access denial/area blocking” philosophy

With two advanced stealth aircraft, the F-117 Nighthawk and the B-2 Spirit, unveiled with much fanfare and fanfare—the first in 1988 and the second a decade later—DARPA and the U.S. Air Force played a major role in to ensure that this new technology is successfully introduced and demonstrates its benefits in combat conditions. Although the stealth F-117 tactical strike aircraft has now been retired, some of the technology gained from the development of this unusual aircraft (which periodically became the target of outrage from zealous aestheticists) has been applied to new projects, such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning. II, and to an even greater extent in the promising B-21 bomber (LRS-B). One of the most secretive programs being implemented by the United States is associated with the further development of the UAV family using radar-absorbing materials and modern technologies for actively ensuring extremely low visibility.

Building on the Boeing X-45 and Northrop Grumman X-47 UAV technology demonstration programs, whose achievements and results remain largely classified, Boeing's Phantom Works division and Northrop Grumman's classified division continue to develop attack drones today. The RQ-180 UAV project, apparently being developed by Northrop Grumman, is shrouded in special secrecy. It is assumed that this platform will enter closed airspace and conduct constant reconnaissance and surveillance, while simultaneously performing the tasks of active electronic suppression of enemy manned aircraft. A similar project is being implemented by Lockheed Martin's Skunks Works division.

In the process of developing the SR-72 hypersonic vehicle, the issues of safe operation of a reconnaissance UAV in protected airspace are being addressed, both through the use of its own speed and through the use of advanced radio-absorbing materials. Promising UAVs created to break through modern (Russian) integrated systems air defense, also being developed by General Atomics; its new Avenger drone, also known as Predator C, includes many innovative stealth elements. In fact, it is vital for the Pentagon today, as before, to stay ahead of what Russia is creating in order to maintain the current military imbalance in favor of Washington. And for the United States, the attack drone is becoming one of the means to ensure this process.

Dassault's Neuron drone returns to Istres air base from a night mission, 2014. Flight tests of the Neuron in France, as well as in Italy and Sweden in 2015, demonstrated its superior flight characteristics and signature characteristics, but all of them still remain classified. The Neuron armed drone is not the only European program to demonstrate UCAV technology. BAE Systems is implementing the Taranis project, it has almost the same design and is equipped with the same RR Adour engine as the Neuron drone

What the developers of American UAVs call today “defensible airspace” is one of the components of the “access denial/area denial” concept or a unified (integrated) air defense system, successfully deployed today by the Russian armed forces, both in Russia itself and abroad. its borders in order to provide cover for expeditionary forces. No less smart and savvy than American military developers, although with significantly less money, Russian researchers from the Nizhny Novgorod Research Institute of Radio Engineering (NNIIRT) created a mobile two-coordinate radar station with a circular view of the meter range (from 30 MHz to 1 GHz) P-18 ( 1RL131) "Terek". The newest versions of this station with their specific frequency ranges can detect F-117 and B-2 bombers from several hundred kilometers, and this does not remain a mystery to Pentagon experts!

UAV Taranis at an air base in England, in the background a Typhoon fighter, 2015. Having almost the same dimensions and proportions as the Neuron, the Taranis, however, is more rounded and does not have weapons bays

Beginning in 1975, NNIIRT developed the first three-coordinate radar station capable of measuring the altitude, range and azimuth of a target. As a result, the 55Zh6 “Sky” surveillance radar of the meter range appeared, deliveries of which to the armed forces of the USSR began in 1986. Later, after the demise of the Warsaw Pact, NNIIRT designed the 55Zh6 Nebo-U radar, which became part of the S-400 Triumph long-range air defense system, currently deployed around Moscow. In 2013, NNIIRT announced the next model 55Zh6M Nebo-M, which combines meter and decimeter range radars in a single module.

With extensive experience in developing high-end stealth target detection systems, Russian industry is now very active in offering new digital variants of the P-18 radar to its allies, which can often double as an air traffic control radar. Russian engineers also created new digital mobile radar systems “Sky UE” and “Sky SVU” on a modern element base, all with the ability to detect subtle targets. Similar complexes for the formation unified systems The air defenses were later sold to China, giving Beijing a good irritant for the US military.

The radar systems are expected to be deployed in Iran to defend against any Israeli attacks on its fledgling nuclear industry. All new Russian radars are semiconductor active phased array antennas, capable of operating in fast sector/path scanning mode or in traditional circular scanning mode with mechanically rotating antennas. The Russian idea of ​​​​integrating three radars, each of which operates in a separate range (meter, decimeter, centimeter), is undoubtedly a breakthrough and is aimed at obtaining the ability to detect objects with extremely low signs of visibility.

Mobile two-dimensional all-round radar station P-18

Meter radar module from the 55Zh6ME "Sky-ME" complex

RLK 55Zh6M "Sky-M"; UHF radar module RLM-D

The Nebo-M radar complex itself is radically different from previous Russian systems, since it has good mobility. Its design was initially designed to avoid unexpected blitz destruction by American F-22A Raptor fighters (armed with GBU-39/B SDB bombs or JASSM cruise missiles), whose primary task is the destruction of low-frequency detection systems of the Russian air defense system in the first minutes of the conflict. The 55Zh6M Nebo-M mobile radar complex includes three different radar modules and one signal processing and control machine.

The three radar modules of the Nebo M complex are: RDM-M meter range, a modification of the Nebo-SVU radar; UHF RLM-D, modification of the “Protivnik-G” radar; RLM-S centimeter range, modification of the Gamma-S1 radar. The system uses state-of-the-art digital moving target display and digital pulse Doppler radar technologies, as well as a spatial-temporal data processing method, which provides such air defense systems as the S-300, S-400 and S-500 with amazingly fast response, accuracy and the power of action against all targets, except for subtle ones flying at extremely low altitudes.

As a reminder, one S-400 complex deployed Russian troops in Syria, was able to close a circular zone around Aleppo with a radius of approximately 400 km from access to allied aviation. The complex, armed with a combination of at least 48 missiles (from 40N6 long-range to 9M96 medium range), is capable of dealing with 80 targets simultaneously... In addition, it keeps Turkish F-16 fighters on their toes and keeps them from rash actions in the form of an attack on the Su-24 in December 2015, since the zone controlled by the S-400 air defense system is partially captured southern border of Turkey.

For the United States, the research of the French company Onera, published in 1992, came as a complete surprise. They talked about the development of a 4D (four-coordinate) radar RIAS (Synthetic Antenna and Impulse Radar - an antenna with a synthetic aperture of pulsed radiation), based on the use of a transmitting antenna array (simultaneous radiation of a set of orthogonal signals) and a receiving antenna array (formation of a sampled signal in processing equipment signals providing Doppler frequency filtering, including spatio-temporal beamforming and target selection).

The 4D principle allows the use of fixed sparse antenna arrays operating in the meter band, thus providing excellent Doppler separation. The great advantage of the low-frequency RIAS radar is that it generates a stable, irreducible target cross-sectional area, provides larger coverage area and better pattern analysis, as well as improved target localization accuracy and selectivity. Enough to fight subtle targets on the other side of the border...

China, the world champion in copying Western and Russian technologies, has produced an excellent copy of a modern UAV, in which the external elements of the European Taranis and Neuron drones are well ironed. First flown in 2013, Li-Jian (Sharp Sword) was jointly developed by Shenyang Aerospace University and Hongdu Company (HAIG). Apparently this is one of two AVIC 601-S models that has moved beyond the show model. The “sharp sword” with a wingspan of 7.5 meters has a jet engine (apparently a turbofan of Ukrainian origin)

Creation of stealthy UAVs

Well aware of a new, effective anti-access denial system that would counter Western manned aircraft in wartime, the Pentagon settled on a new generation of stealth, jet-powered flying wing attack drones around the turn of the century. New unmanned vehicles with low visibility will be similar in shape to a stingray, tailless with a body smoothly turning into wings. They will have a length of approximately 10 meters, a height of one meter and a wingspan of about 15 meters (the naval version fits standard American aircraft carriers).

The drones will be able to carry out either surveillance missions lasting up to 12 hours, or carry weapons weighing up to two tons over a distance of up to 650 nautical miles, cruising at speeds of about 450 knots, ideal for suppressing enemy air defenses or launching a first strike. Several years earlier, the US Air Force had brilliantly paved the way for the use of armed drones. The piston-engined RQ-1 Predator MALE drone, which first flew in 1994, was the first remotely controlled aerial platform capable of delivering air-to-ground weapons with precision. As a technologically advanced combat drone armed with two AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missiles, adopted by the Air Force in 1984, it has been successfully deployed in the Balkans, Iraq and Yemen, as well as Afghanistan. Undoubtedly, the vigilant sword of Damocles hangs over the heads of terrorists around the world!

Developed with funds from the secretive DARPA fund, the Boeing X-45A became the first “purely” attack drone to take off. He is pictured dropping a GPS-guided bomb for the first time, April 2004

While Boeing was the first to create the X-45 UAV capable of dropping a bomb, the US Navy did not begin practical work on the UAV until 2000. Then he awarded contracts to Boeing and Northrop Grumman for a program to study this concept. Requirements for the naval UAV project included operation in a corrosive environment, carrier deck takeoff and landing and associated maintenance, integration into command and control systems, and resistance to the high electromagnetic interference associated with aircraft carrier operating conditions.

The Navy was also interested in purchasing UAVs for reconnaissance missions, in particular for penetrating protected airspace in order to identify targets for subsequent attack on them. Northrop Grumman's experimental X-47A Pegasus, which became the basis for the development of the X-47B J-UCAS platform, first took off in 2003. The US Navy and Air Force had their own UAV programs. The Navy has selected the Northrop Grumman X-47B platform as its UCAS-D unmanned combat system demonstrator. In order to conduct realistic testing, the company manufactured a vehicle of the same size and weight as the planned production platform, with a full-size weapons bay capable of accepting existing missiles.

The X-47B prototype was rolled out in December 2008, and taxiing using its own engine took place for the first time in January 2010. The first flight of the X-47B drone, capable of semi-autonomous operation, took place in 2011. He later took part in real-life sea trials aboard aircraft carriers, flying missions alongside F-18F Super Hornet carrier-based fighters and receiving mid-air refueling from a KC-707 tanker. What can I say, a successful premiere in both areas.

An X-47B attack drone demonstrator is unloaded from the side lift of the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush (CVN77), May 2013. Like all US Navy fighters, the X-47B has folding wings.

Bottom view of the Northrop Grumman X-47B UAV, showing off its very futuristic lines. The drone, which has a wingspan of about 19 meters, is powered by a Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engine. It represents the first step towards a fully operational maritime strike drone, which is scheduled to become operational after 2020.

While the American industry was already testing the first models of its UAVs, other countries, albeit with a ten-year delay, began to create similar systems. Among them are the Russian RSK MiG with the Skat device and the Chinese CATIC with a very similar Dark Sword. In Europe, the British company BAE Systems went its own way with the Taranis project, and other countries joined forces to develop a project with the rather apt name nEUROn. In December 2012, nEUROn made its first flight in France. Flight tests to develop flight mode ranges and evaluate stealth characteristics were successfully completed in March 2015. These tests were followed by tests of on-board equipment in Italy, which were completed in August 2015. At the end of last summer in Sweden there was final stage flight tests, within the framework of which tests on the use of weapons were carried out. The classified test results are called positive.

The contract for the nEUROn project, worth €405 million, is being implemented by several European countries, including France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. This allowed European industry to begin a three-year refinement phase of the system's concept and design, with associated research into visibility and increased data rates. This phase was followed by a development and assembly phase, ending with the first flight in 2011. During two years of flight testing, approximately 100 missions were flown, including the dropping of a laser-guided bomb. The initial budget of 400 million euros in 2006 increased by 5 million because a modular bomb bay was added, including a target designator and the laser-guided bomb itself. France paid half of the total budget.

With a pair of 250 kg bombs stowed in a modular bomb bay, a Neuron drone takes off from an airfield in Swedish Lapland, summer 2016. Then the capabilities of this UAV as a bomber were successfully assessed. The rarely seen registration designation F-ZWLO (LO stands for Low EPO) is visible on the front landing gear compartment flap

A 250 kg bomb dropped by a Neuron drone over a test site in Sweden in the summer of 2015. Five bombs were dropped, confirming the Neuron's capabilities as a stealth attack drone. Some of these tests in real conditions were carried out under the supervision of Saab, which, along with Dassault, Aiema, Airbus DS, Ruag and HAI, is implementing this program for advanced UCAV, which will most likely culminate in the creation of a promising FCAS (Future Combat Air System) strike air system. by about 2030

Potential of the British-French UAV

In November 2014, the French and British governments announced a two-year, €146 million feasibility study for an advanced attack drone project. This could lead to the implementation of a stealth UAV program, which will combine the experience of the Taranis and nEUROn projects to create a single promising attack drone. Indeed, in January 2014, at the British airbase Brize Norton, Paris and London signed a statement of intent on the future combat air system FCAS (Future Combat Air System).

Since 2010, Dassault Aviation has worked with its partners Alenia, Saab and Airbus Defense & Space on the nEUROn project, and BAE Systems on its own Taranis project. Both flying wing aircraft have the same Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour turbofan engine. The decision made in 2014 gives new impetus to joint research already being implemented in this direction. It is also an important step towards British-French cooperation in the field of military aircraft. It is possible that it could become the basis for another first-class achievement like the Concorde aircraft project. This decision will undoubtedly contribute to the development of this strategic area, as UCAV projects will help maintain the technological expertise in the aviation industry at the level of world standards.

A drawing of what could become a future FCAS (Future Combat Air System) strike air system. The project is being developed jointly by the UK and France based on the experience of implementing the Taranis and Neuron projects. A new, radar-undetectable attack drone may not be born until 2030

Meanwhile, the European FCAS program and similar American UAV programs face certain difficulties, since defense budgets on both sides of the Atlantic are quite tight. It will take more than 10 years before stealth UAVs begin to take over the baton from manned combat aircraft, performing related missions. high risk tasks. Experts in the field of military unmanned systems are confident that air Force will begin to deploy stealth attack drones no earlier than 2030.

It is unlikely that robots will ever completely replace humans in those areas of activity that require rapid adoption of non-standard decisions both in peaceful life and in combat. Nevertheless, the development of drones in the last nine years has become a fashionable trend in the military aircraft industry. Many militarily leading countries are mass producing UAVs. Russia has not yet managed not only to take its traditional leadership position in the field of weapons design, but also to overcome the gap in this segment of defense technologies. However, work in this direction is underway.

Motivation for UAV development

The first results of using unmanned aircraft appeared back in the forties, however, the technology of that time was more consistent with the concept of an “aircraft-projectile”. Cruise missile"Fau" could make a one-way flight with own system course control, built on the inertial-gyroscopic principle.

In the 50s and 60s, Soviet air defense systems reached high level effectiveness, and began to pose a serious danger to the aircraft of a potential enemy in the event of a real confrontation. The wars in Vietnam and the Middle East caused real panic among US and Israeli pilots. Cases of refusals to carry out combat missions in areas covered by Soviet-made anti-aircraft systems have become frequent. Ultimately, the reluctance to put the lives of pilots at mortal risk prompted design companies to look for a way out.

Start of practical application

The first country to use unmanned aircraft was Israel. In 1982, during the conflict with Syria (Bekaa Valley), reconnaissance aircraft operating in robotic mode appeared in the sky. With their help, the Israelis managed to detect enemy air defense formations, which made it possible to launch a missile strike on them.

The first drones were intended exclusively for reconnaissance flights over “hot” territories. Currently, attack drones are also used, having weapons and ammunition on board and directly delivering bombs and missile strikes on expected enemy positions.

The United States has the largest number of them, where Predators and other types of combat aircraft are mass-produced.

Application experience military aviation V modern period, in particular the operation to pacify the South Ossetian conflict in 2008, showed that Russia also needs UAVs. Conducting heavy reconnaissance in the face of enemy air defense is risky and leads to unjustified losses. As it turned out, there are certain shortcomings in this area.

Problems

The dominant modern idea today is the opinion that Russia needs attack UAVs to a lesser extent than reconnaissance ones. You can deliver a fire strike to the enemy using a wide variety of means, including tactical missiles high precision and artillery. Much more important is information about the deployment of his forces and correct target designation. As American experience has shown, the use of drones directly for shelling and bombing leads to numerous mistakes, the death of civilians and their own soldiers. This does not exclude a complete abandonment of strike models, but only reveals a promising direction along which new Russian UAVs will be developed in the near future. It would seem that the country that just recently occupied a leading position in the creation of unmanned aerial vehicles is doomed to success today. Back in the first half of the 60s, aircraft were created that flew in automatic mode: La-17R (1963), Tu-123 (1964) and others. The leadership remained in the 70s and 80s. However, in the nineties, the technological lag became obvious, and an attempt to eliminate it in the last decade, accompanied by the expenditure of five billion rubles, did not give the expected result.

Current situation

At the moment, the most promising UAVs in Russia are represented by the following main models:

In practice, the only serial UAVs in Russia are now represented by the Tipchak artillery reconnaissance complex, capable of performing a narrowly defined range of combat missions related to target designation. The agreement between Oboronprom and IAI for large-scale assembly of Israeli drones, signed in 2010, can be viewed as a temporary measure that does not ensure the development of Russian technologies, but only covers a gap in the range of domestic defense production.

Some promising models can be reviewed individually as part of publicly available information.

"Pacer"

Take-off weight is one ton, which is not so little for a drone. The design development is carried out by the Transas company, and flight tests of prototypes are currently underway. The layout, V-shaped tail, wide wing, take-off and landing method (aircraft), and general characteristics approximately correspond to those of the currently most common American Predator. The Russian UAV “Inokhodets” will be able to carry a variety of equipment allowing for reconnaissance at any time of the day, aerial photography and telecommunications support. It is assumed that it will be possible to produce strike, reconnaissance and civilian modifications.

"Watch"

The main model is reconnaissance; it is equipped with video and photo cameras, a thermal imager and other recording equipment. Attack UAVs can also be produced on the basis of a heavy airframe. Russia needs Dozor-600 more as a universal platform for testing technologies for the production of more powerful drones, but the launch of this particular drone into mass production cannot be ruled out either. The project is currently under development. The date of the first flight was 2009, at the same time the sample was presented at the MAKS international exhibition. Designed by Transas.

"Altair"

It can be assumed that at the moment the largest attack UAVs in Russia are Altair, developed by the Sokol Design Bureau. The project also has another name - “Altius-M”. The take-off weight of these drones is five tons; it will be built by the Kazan Aviation Plant named after Gorbunov, part of the Tupolev Joint Stock Company. The cost of the contract concluded with the Ministry of Defense is approximately one billion rubles. It is also known that these new Russian UAVs have dimensions comparable to those of an interceptor aircraft:

• length - 11,600 mm;
• wingspan - 28,500 mm;
• tail span - 6,000 mm.

The power of two screw aviation diesel engines is 1000 hp. With. These Russian reconnaissance and strike UAVs will be able to stay in the air for up to two days, covering a distance of 10 thousand kilometers. Little is known about electronic equipment; one can only guess about its capabilities.

Other types

IN promising development There are also other Russian UAVs, for example, the mentioned “Okhotnik”, an unmanned heavy drone, capable of also performing various functions, both information and reconnaissance and strike and assault. In addition, there is also diversity in the principle of the device. UAVs come in both airplane and helicopter types. A large number of rotors provides the ability to effectively maneuver and hover over an object of interest, producing high-quality photography. Information can be quickly transmitted over encrypted communication channels or accumulated in the built-in memory of the equipment. UAV control can be algorithmic-software, remote or combined, in which the return to the base is carried out automatically in case of loss of control.

Apparently, unmanned Russian vehicles will soon be neither qualitatively nor quantitatively inferior to foreign models.

Just 20 years ago, Russia was one of the world leaders in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles. Only 950 Tu-143 aerial reconnaissance aircraft were produced in the 80s of the last century.

The famous reusable spacecraft Buran was created, which made its first and only flight in completely unmanned mode. I don’t see any point in somehow giving up on the development and use of drones now.

Background of Russian drones (Tu-141, Tu-143, Tu-243). In the mid-sixties, the Tupolev Design Bureau began creating new unmanned reconnaissance systems for tactical and operational purposes. On August 30, 1968, Resolution N 670-241 of the Council of Ministers of the USSR 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 was specified in the Resolution: for the version with photo reconnaissance equipment - 1970, for the version with equipment for television reconnaissance and for the version with equipment for radiation reconnaissance - 1972.

The Tu-143 reconnaissance UAV was mass-produced in two variants with a replaceable nose part: a photo reconnaissance version with recording information on board, and a 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 about the radiation situation along the flight route to the ground via a radio channel. The Tu-143 UAV is presented at an exhibition of aviation equipment at the Central Aerodrome in Moscow and at the Museum in Monino (you can also see the Tu-141 UAV there).

As part of the aerospace show in Zhukovsky MAKS-2007 near Moscow, in the closed part of the exhibition, the MiG aircraft manufacturing corporation showed its attack unmanned system "Scat" - an aircraft designed according to the "flying wing" design and outwardly very reminiscent of the American bomber B-2 Spirit or its a smaller version is the X-47B maritime unmanned aerial vehicle.

"Scat" is designed to strike both pre-reconnaissance stationary targets, primarily air defense systems, in conditions of strong opposition from enemy anti-aircraft weapons, and mobile ground and sea targets when conducting autonomous and group actions, joint with manned aircraft.

Its maximum take-off weight should be 10 tons. Flight range - 4 thousand kilometers. Flight speed near the ground is at least 800 km/h. It will be able to carry two air-to-surface/air-to-radar missiles or two adjustable aerial bombs with a total mass of no more than 1 ton.

The aircraft is designed according to the flying wing design. In addition, well-known techniques for reducing radar signature were clearly visible in the design. Thus, the wingtips are parallel to its leading edge and the contours of the rear part of the device are made in exactly the same way. Above the middle part of the wing, the Skat had a fuselage of a characteristic shape, smoothly connected to the load-bearing surfaces. Vertical tail was not provided. As can be seen from the photographs of the Skat model, control was to be carried out using four elevons located on the consoles and on the center section. At the same time, certain questions were immediately raised by the yaw controllability: due to the lack of a rudder and a single-engine design, the UAV needed to somehow solve this problem. There is a version about a single deflection of the internal elevons for yaw control.

The model 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, all that is known is that its maximum take-off weight should have been approximately equal to ten tons. With such parameters, the Skat had good calculated flight data. At a maximum speed of up to 800 km/h, it could rise to a height of up to 12 thousand meters and cover up to 4000 kilometers in flight. Such flight performance was planned to be achieved using a two-circuit turbojet engine RD-5000B with a thrust of 5040 kgf. This turbojet engine was created on the basis of the RD-93 engine, but was 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 part of the fuselage and was an unregulated intake device.

Inside the characteristically shaped fuselage, the Skat had two cargo compartments measuring 4.4 x 0.75 x 0.65 meters. With such dimensions, it was possible to hang guided missiles of various types, as well as adjustable bombs, in the cargo compartments. The total mass of the Stingray's combat load should have been approximately two tons. During the presentation at the MAKS-2007 salon, next to the Skat there were Kh-31 missiles and KAB-500 adjustable bombs. The composition of the on-board equipment implied by the project was not disclosed. Based on information about other projects of this class, we can draw conclusions about the presence of a complex of navigation and sighting equipment, as well as some capabilities for autonomous actions.

The Dozor-600 UAV (developed by Transas designers), also known as Dozor-3, is much lighter than the Skat or Proryv. Its maximum take-off weight does not exceed 710-720 kilograms. Moreover, due to the classic aerodynamic layout with a full fuselage and a straight wing, it has approximately the same dimensions as the Stingray: a wingspan of twelve meters and a total length of seven. In the bow of the Dozor-600 there is space for target equipment, and in the middle there is a stabilized platform for observation equipment. A propeller group is located in the tail section of the drone. It is based on a Rotax 914 piston engine, similar to those installed on the Israeli IAI Heron UAV and the American MQ-1B Predator.

The 115 horsepower 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 capable of staying in the air for up to 24 hours. Thus, the practical flight range is approaching 3,700 kilometers.

Based on the characteristics of the Dozor-600 UAV, we can draw conclusions about its purpose. Its relatively low take-off weight does not allow it to transport any serious weapons, which limits the range of tasks it can perform exclusively to reconnaissance. However, 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 permissible for use is limited only to certain types of guided missiles, in particular anti-tank missiles. It is noteworthy that when using anti-tank guided missiles, the Dozor-600 becomes largely similar to the American MQ-1B Predator, both in technical characteristics and in the composition of its weapons.

Hunter

Heavy attack unmanned aerial vehicle project. The development of the research project “Hunter” to study the possibility of creating an attack UAV weighing up to 20 tons in the interests of the Russian Air Force was or is being carried out by the Sukhoi company (JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau). For the first time, the plans of the Ministry of Defense to put into service an attack UAV were announced at the MAKS-2009 air show in August 2009. According to a statement by Mikhail Pogosyan in August 2009, the design of a new attack unmanned system was supposed to be the first joint work of the corresponding departments of the Sukhoi and MiG Design Bureaus (project " Skat"). The media reported the conclusion of a contract for the implementation of the Okhotnik research work with the Sukhoi company on July 12, 2011. In August 2011, the merger of the relevant divisions of RSK MiG and Sukhoi to develop a promising strike UAV was confirmed in the media, but the official agreement between MiG " and "Sukhoi" were signed only on October 25, 2012.

The terms of reference for the strike UAV were approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense on the first 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 industry source also reports that the attack UAV developed by Sukhoi will simultaneously be a sixth-generation fighter. As of mid-2012, it is expected that the first sample of the strike UAV will begin testing no earlier than 2016. It is expected to enter service by 2020. In 2012, JSC VNIIRA carried out a selection of patent materials on the topic of R&D "Hunter", and in In the future, it was planned to create navigation systems for landing and taxiing heavy UAVs on the instructions of Sukhoi Company OJSC (source).

Media reports that the first sample of a heavy attack UAV named after the Sukhoi Design Bureau will be ready in 2018.

Combat use (otherwise they will say exhibition copies are Soviet junk)

“For the first time in the world, the Russian Armed Forces carried out an attack on a fortified area of ​​militants with combat drones. In the province of Latakia, army units of the Syrian army, with the support of Russian paratroopers and Russian combat drones, took the strategic height of 754.5, the Siriatel tower.

More recently, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian 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 Airborne Forces adopted the latest automated control system “Andromeda-D”, 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 missions at unfamiliar training grounds, and the Airborne Forces command to monitor their actions, being at a distance of more than 5 thousand kilometers from their deployment sites, receiving from the training area not only a graphic picture of the moving units, but also video images of their actions in real time.

Depending on the tasks, the complex 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.

The attack on the heights involved six Platform-M robotic systems and four Argo systems; the drone attack was supported by Akatsiya self-propelled artillery units (SPGs) recently deployed to Syria, which can destroy enemy positions with overhead 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, and drones were linked to the Andromeda-D automated control system. The commander of the attack to the heights, in real time, led the battle, the operators of combat drones, being in Moscow, led the attack, everyone saw both their own area of ​​​​the battle and the whole picture as a whole.

The drones were the first to attack, approaching 100-120 meters to the militants’ fortifications, they called fire on themselves, and immediately attacked the detected firing points with self-propelled guns.

Behind the drones, at a distance of 150-200 meters, Syrian infantry advanced, clearing the heights.

The militants did not have the slightest chance, all their movements were controlled by drones, artillery strikes were carried out on the discovered militants, literally 20 minutes after the start of the attack by combat drones, the militants fled in horror, abandoning the dead and wounded. On the slopes of height 754.5, almost 70 militants were killed, there were no dead Syrian soldiers, only 4 wounded.”

The ability to preserve the most valuable resource - fighters on the battlefield from the beginning of the first wars was the most important and promising. Modern technologies make it possible to use combat vehicles remotely, which eliminates the loss of an operator even if a unit is destroyed. One of the most pressing issues these days is the creation of unmanned aerial vehicles.

What is a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)

A UAV is any aircraft that does not have a pilot in the air. The autonomy of the devices varies: there are the simplest options with remote control, or fully automated machines. The first option is also called remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), they are distinguished by the continuous delivery of commands from the operator. More advanced systems require only occasional commands, between which the device operates autonomously.

The main advantage of such machines over manned fighters and reconnaissance aircraft is that they are up to 20 times cheaper than their analogues with comparable capabilities.

The disadvantage of the devices is the vulnerability of communication channels, which are easy to disrupt and disable the machine.

History of the creation and development of UAVs

The history of drones began in Great Britain in 1933, when a radio-controlled aircraft was assembled based on the Fairy Queen biplane. Before the outbreak of World War II and in the early years, more than 400 of these vehicles were assembled and used as targets by the Royal Navy.

The first combat vehicle of this class was the famous German V-1, equipped with a pulsating jet engine. It is noteworthy that warhead aircraft could be launched both from the ground and from air carriers.

The rocket was controlled by the following means:

• an autopilot, which was given altitude and heading parameters before launch;
• the range was measured by a mechanical counter, which was driven by the rotation of the blades in the bow (the latter were launched by the incoming air flow);
• upon reaching the set distance (dispersion - 6 km), the fuses were cocked, and the projectile automatically went into dive mode.

During the war, the United States produced targets for training anti-aircraft gunners - Radioplane OQ-2. Towards the end of the confrontation, the first repeatable attack drones appeared - Interstate TDR. The aircraft turned out to be ineffective due to its low speed and range, which were due to the low cost of production. In addition, the technical means of that time did not allow targeted fire or combat at a long distance without being followed by a control aircraft. Nevertheless, there were successes in the use of machines.

In the post-war years, UAVs were regarded exclusively as targets, but the situation changed after the appearance of anti-aircraft guns in the army. missile systems. From that moment on, drones became reconnaissance aircraft, false targets for enemy anti-aircraft guns. Practice has shown that their use reduces losses of manned aircraft.

In the Soviet Union, until the 70s, heavy reconnaissance aircraft were actively produced as unmanned aircraft:

1. Tu-123 "Hawk";
2. Tu-141 Swift;
3. Tu-143 "Flight".

Significant aviation losses in Vietnam for the United States Army resulted in a revival of interest in UAVs.

Here tools appear to perform various tasks;

• photographic reconnaissance;
• radio intelligence;
• goals electronic warfare.

In this form, the 147E was used, which collected intelligence so effectively that it recouped the cost of the entire program for its development many times over.

The practice of using UAVs has shown significantly greater potential as full-fledged combat vehicles. Therefore, after the beginning of the 80s, the United States began to develop tactical and operational-strategic drones.

Israeli specialists took part in the development of UAVs in the 80s and 90s. Initially, US devices were purchased, but their own scientific and technical base for development was quickly formed. The Tadiran company has proven itself best. Israeli army also demonstrated the effectiveness of using UAVs, carrying out operations against Syrian troops in 1982.

In the 80-90s, the obvious success of aircraft without a crew on board provoked the start of development by many companies around the world.

In the early 2000s, the first strike vehicle appeared - the American MQ-1 Predator. AGM-114C Hellfire missiles were installed on board. At the beginning of the century, drones were mainly used in the Middle East.

Until now, almost all countries are actively developing and implementing UAVs. For example, in 2013, the Russian Armed Forces received short-range reconnaissance systems, the Orlan-10.

The Sukhoi and MiG design bureaus are also developing a new heavy vehicle - an attack aircraft with a take-off weight of up to 20 tons.

The purpose of the drone

Unmanned aerial vehicles are mainly used to solve the following tasks:

• targets, including to distract enemy air defense systems;
• intelligence service;
• striking at various moving and stationary targets;
• electronic warfare and others.

The effectiveness of the apparatus in performing tasks is determined by the quality of the following means: reconnaissance, communications, automated control systems, weapons.

Now such aircraft successfully reduce personnel losses and deliver information that cannot be obtained at a line-of-sight distance.

Types of UAVs

Combat drones are usually classified by type of control into remote, automatic and unmanned.

In addition, classification by weight and performance characteristics is in use:

• Ultralight. These are the lightest UAVs, weighing no more than 10 kg. They can spend an hour in the air on average, the practical ceiling is 1000 meters;
• Lungs. The mass of such machines reaches 50 kg, they are capable of climbing 3-5 km and spending 2-3 hours in operation;
• Average. These are serious devices weighing up to a ton, their ceiling is 10 km, and they can spend up to 12 hours in the air without landing;
• Heavy. Large aircraft weighing more than a ton are capable of rising to a height of 20 km and operating for more than a day without landing.

These groups also have civil structures, of course, they are lighter and simpler. Full-fledged combat vehicles are often no smaller in size than manned aircraft.

Uncontrollable

Unmanned systems are the simplest form of UAV. Their control occurs due to on-board mechanics and established flight characteristics. In this form you can use targets, scouts or projectiles.

Remote control

Remote control usually occurs through radio communication, which limits the range of the machine. For example, civilian aircraft can operate within a range of 7-8 km.

Automatic

Basically, these are combat vehicles capable of independently performing complex tasks in the air. This class of machines is the most multifunctional.

Principle of operation

The operating principle of a UAV depends on its design features. There are several layout schemes that most modern aircraft correspond to:

• Fixed wing. In this case, the devices are close to the aircraft layout and have rotary or jet engines. This option is the most fuel efficient and has a long range;
• Multicopters. These are propeller-driven vehicles, equipped with at least two engines, capable of vertical takeoff/landing and hovering in the air, therefore they are especially good for reconnaissance, including in urban environments;
• Helicopter type. The layout is helicopter, the propeller systems can be different, for example, Russian designs are often equipped with coaxial propellers, which makes the models similar to machines such as the Black Shark;
• Convertiplanes. This is a combination of helicopter and airplane design. To save space, such machines rise vertically into the air, the wing configuration changes during flight, and an airplane method of movement becomes possible;
• Gliders. Basically, these are devices without engines that are dropped from a heavier vehicle and move along a given trajectory. This type is suitable for reconnaissance purposes.

Depending on the type of engine, the fuel used also changes. Electric motors are powered by a battery, internal combustion engines are powered by gasoline, jet engines are powered by the appropriate fuel.

The power plant is mounted in the housing, and control electronics, controls and communications are also located here. The body is a streamlined volume to give the structure an aerodynamic shape. The basis of the strength characteristics is the frame, which is usually assembled from metal or polymers.

The simplest set of control systems is as follows:

• CPU;
• barometer for determining altitude;
• accelerometer;
• gyroscope;
• navigator;
• random access memory;
• signal receiver.

Military devices are controlled using a remote control (if the range is short) or via satellites.

The collection of information for the operator and the software of the machine itself comes from various types of sensors. Laser, sound, infrared and other types are used.

Navigation is carried out using GPS and electronic maps.

Incoming signals are transformed by the controller into commands, which are transmitted to executing devices, for example, elevators.

Advantages and disadvantages of UAVs

Compared to manned vehicles, UAVs have serious advantages:

1. Weight and size characteristics are improved, the survivability of the unit increases, and visibility for radars decreases;
2. UAVs are tens of times cheaper than manned airplanes and helicopters, while highly specialized models can solve complex tasks on the battlefield;
3. Intelligence data when using UAVs is transmitted in real time;
4. Manned equipment is subject to restrictions on use in combat conditions when the risk of death is too high. Similar problems Automated machines do not. Considering economic factors, sacrificing a few will be much more profitable than losing a trained pilot;
5. Combat readiness and mobility are maximized;
6. Several units can be combined into entire complexes to solve a number of complex problems.

Any flying drone also has disadvantages:

• manned devices have significantly greater flexibility in practice;
• It is still not possible to come to a unified solution to the issues of saving the device in the event of a fall, landing on prepared sites, and ensuring reliable communication over long distances;
• reliability automatic devices still significantly lower than its manned counterparts;
• for various reasons in Peaceful time flights of unmanned aircraft are seriously limited.

Nevertheless, work continues to improve technology, including neural networks that can influence the future of UAVs.

Unmanned vehicles of Russia

Yak-133

This is a drone developed by the Irkut company - an unobtrusive device capable of conducting reconnaissance and, if necessary, destroying enemy combat units. It is expected to be equipped with guided missiles and bombs.

A-175 "Shark"

A complex capable of all-weather climate monitoring, including on difficult terrain. Initially, the model was developed by AeroRobotics LLC for peaceful purposes, but manufacturers do not rule out the release of military modifications.

"Altair"

A reconnaissance and strike vehicle capable of staying in the air for up to two days. Practical ceiling - 12 km, speed within 150-250 km/h. At takeoff, the weight reaches 5 tons, of which 1 ton is the payload.

BAS-62

Civil development of the Sukhoi Design Bureau. In the reconnaissance modification, it is capable of collecting diverse data about objects on water and land. Can be used for monitoring power lines, mapping, and monitoring meteorological conditions.

US unmanned vehicles

EQ-4

Developed by Northrop Grumman. In 2017, three vehicles entered the United States Army. They were sent to the UAE.

"Fury"

A Lockheed Martin drone designed not only for surveillance and reconnaissance, but also for electronic warfare. Capable of continuing flight up to 15 hours.

"LightingStrike"

The brainchild of Aurora Flight Sciences, which is being developed as fighting machine with vertical take-off. It reaches speeds of more than 700 km/h and can carry up to 1800 kg of payload.

MQ-1B "Predator"

The development of General Atomics is a medium-altitude vehicle, which was originally created as a reconnaissance vehicle. Later it was modified into a multi-purpose technique.

Israeli drones

"Mastiff"

The first UAV created by the Israelis was the Mastiff, which flew in 1975. The purpose of this vehicle was reconnaissance on the battlefield. It remained in service until the early 90s.

"Shadmit"

These devices were used for reconnaissance in the early 1980s during the first Lebanon War. Some of the systems used transmitted intelligence data in real time, while others simulated an air invasion. Thanks to them, the fight against air defense systems was successfully carried out.

IAI "Scout"

The Scout was created as a tactical reconnaissance vehicle, for which it was equipped with a television camera and a system for broadcasting collected information in real time.

I-View MK150

Another name is “Observer”. The devices have been developed Israeli company IAI. This is a tactical vehicle equipped with an infrared surveillance system and a combined optical-electronic filling.

Unmanned vehicles in Europe

MALE RPAS

One of the recent developments is a promising reconnaissance and strike vehicle, which is being created jointly by Italian, Spanish, German and French companies. The first demonstration took place in 2018.

"Sagem Sperwer"

One of the French developments, which managed to prove itself in the Balkans at the end of the last century (1990s). The creation was carried out based on national and pan-European programs.

"Eagle 1"

Another French vehicle, which is designed for reconnaissance operations. It is assumed that the device will operate at altitudes of 7-8 thousand meters.

HALE

A high-altitude UAV that can fly up to 18 kilometers. The device can survive in the air for up to three days.

In Europe as a whole, France takes the leading role in the development of unmanned aircraft. New products are constantly appearing all over the world, including modular multifunctional models, on the basis of which various military and civilian vehicles can be assembled.

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