Probing the future of dogfighting: The Rafale fighter accompanies the Neuron strike drone, designed to break through heavily defended airspace. Due to the superior combat effectiveness of the new generation of surface-to-air missiles, only such stealthy attack UAVs (with a low effective scattering area) will be able to close in on a ground target and destroy it with a high probability of hitting and return home to prepare for the next battle.

Resembling giant stingrays, combat remote-controlled strike drones are considered one of the strangest flying systems ever 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, as they have a lot of undeniable advantages in frontal combat, especially when dealing with a strong symmetrical opponent.

Lessons that hardly anyone is taught

Essentially seen as a means of getting crews out of danger in areas with dense air defenses, where the chances of survival are not so great, attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are essentially the brainchild of countries with strong defense industries and solid annual budgets and often with high moral standards regarding the cost of the lives of its soldiers. In the past few years, the United States, Europe and Russia have been actively developing subsonic stealth UAVs, followed 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-range) drones that everyone sees around the clock on their TV screens and which are built by well-known Israeli and American companies, such as IAI and General Atomics, which are today excellent experts in the field, by the well-researched Ryan Aero with its BQM-34 Firebee jet remotely controlled aircraft... 60 years ago.

UAVs are not just "armed" drones, as it might seem, even if today it is customary 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, in addition to participating in offensive operations in safe or allied-controlled airspace, UAVs are completely unable to pass through battle formations properly manned opponent 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 were shot down by either MiG fighters or Strela MANPADS missiles. Even despite their discretion, once discovered, MALE drones are doomed and will not survive even an hour. It is worth recalling that in the same campaign, the Yugoslav army destroyed an American F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft. For the first time in combat aviation, an aircraft that was not detected by radar and considered invulnerable was shot down. For the only time in its entire combat 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 of the antique S-125 air defense system Soviet-made. But the Yugoslavs were not a rabble of marginals with primitive notions of military art like the Islamic State (IS, banned in Russia) or the Taliban, they were well-trained and cunning professional soldiers, able to adapt to new threats. And they have proven it.

Military aviation is only a hundred years old, but it is already replete with spectacular inventions, the latest ones include attack unmanned aerial vehicles or combat drones. Over the course of a century, the concept of aerial combat has changed radically, especially since the end of the Vietnam War. The dogfights of the First and Second World Wars, using machine guns to destroy the enemy, have now become a page of history, and the advent of second-generation air-to-air missiles have turned guns into a rather outdated tool for this task, and now they are only useful as auxiliary weapons for shelling the earth from the air. Today, this trend is reinforced by the advent of hypersonic maneuverable missiles for hitting targets beyond the range of visual visibility, which, when launched in large numbers and in tandem with missiles of a slave aircraft, for example, leave little chance for evasive maneuver to any enemy flying on high altitude. The situation is the same with modern ground-to-air weapons controlled by an instantaneously reacting network-centric air defense computer system. Indeed, the level of combat effectiveness of modern missiles, which easily enter well-defended airspace, has become higher than ever in our days. Perhaps the only panacea for this is aircraft and cruise missiles with a reduced effective reflection area (EPO) or low-flying attack weapons with the mode of flying around and around the terrain at extremely low altitude.

At the turn of the new millennium, American pilots began to think about what could be done with remotely piloted aircraft, which had become quite a fashionable topic after its expanded use in military operations. As entry into well-defended airspace became more and more dangerous and involved great risk to combat pilots, even those flying the latest jet fighter-bombers, the only way The solution to this problem was the use of weapons used outside the reach of enemy weapons, and / or the creation of low-observable strike drones with high subsonic speed, capable of disappearing into the air through the use of special radar avoidance technologies, including radar absorbing materials and advanced jamming modes. A new type of remotely controlled attack drones using data transmission channels with enhanced frequency hopping encryption should be able to enter the protected "sphere" and set the work to air defense systems without risking the lives of flight crews. Their excellent maneuverability with increased g-forces (up to +/-15 g!) allows them to remain somewhat invulnerable to manned interceptors...

Aside the philosophy of "deny access / block zone"

With the creation of two advanced stealth aircraft, the F-117 Nighthawk and B-2 Spirit, presented with great fanfare and splurge - the first in 1988, and the second a decade later - the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA and the US Air Force played an important role in in order for this new technology to be successfully implemented and demonstrated its advantages in combat conditions. Although the stealthy F-117 tactical strike aircraft has now been retired, some of the technological developments gained from the development of this unusual aircraft (which periodically became the object of indignation of zealous adherents of aesthetics) were applied to new projects, such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, and to an even greater extent in the promising bomber B-21 (LRS-B). One of the most secret programs that the United States is implementing is related to the further development of the UAV family using radar absorbing materials and modern technologies active maintenance of extremely low visibility.

Building on the UAV technology demonstration programs of the Boeing X-45 and Northrop Grumman X-47, whose achievements and results remain largely classified, Boeing's Phantom Works division and Northrop Grumman's secret division continue to develop attack drones today. A special mystery is shrouded in the RQ-180 UAV project, apparently being developed by Northrop Grumman. It is assumed that this platform will enter the 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 the Skunks Works division of Lockheed Martin. 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 advanced radar absorbing materials. Promising UAVs designed to break through modern (Russian) integrated systems air defense, are also being developed by General Atomics; its new Avenger drone, also known as the Predator C, includes many innovative stealth elements. In fact, it is vital for the Pentagon today, as ever, to stay ahead of what Russia creates in order to maintain the current military imbalance in favor of Washington. And for the United States, the impact drone is becoming one of the means to ensure this process.

A Dassault Neuron drone returns to Istres Air Force Base from a night flight, 2014. Flight tests of the Neuron in France, as well as in Italy and Sweden in 2015, demonstrated its excellent flight and visibility characteristics, but all of them still remain classified. Armed drone Neuron is not the only European program to demonstrate UAV 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 today call "protected airspace" is one of the components of the concept of "denial of access / blocking the zone" or a single (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 the 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 latest versions of this station with their specific frequency ranges can detect F-117 and B-2 bombers from several hundred kilometers, and this remains no mystery to Pentagon experts!

Starting in 1975, NNIIRT developed the first three-coordinate radar station capable of measuring the height, range and azimuth of a target. As a result, the surveillance radar 55ZH6 "Sky" of the meter range appeared, the 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 Triumf long-range air defense system currently deployed around Moscow. In 2013, NNIIRT announced the next model 55Zh6M Nebo-M, in which VHF and UHF radars are combined in a single module. With vast experience in the development of high-end systems for detecting stealth targets, Russian industry is currently very active and offers new digital versions of the P-18 radar to its allies, which can often simultaneously perform the functions of an air traffic control radar. Also, Russian engineers have 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 attack on its fledgling nuclear industry. All new Russian radars are solid-state active phased array antennas capable of operating in fast sector/path scanning mode or 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 possibility of detecting objects with extremely small signs of visibility.

The Nebo-M radar system itself is radically different from previous Russian systems, since it has good mobility. Its design was originally designed to avoid unexpected blitz destruction. American fighters F-22A Raptor (armed with GBU-39 / B SDB bombs or JASSM cruise missiles), whose primary task is the destruction of low-frequency detection systems Russian system Air defense 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. Three radar modules of the Nebo M complex are: RDM-M of the meter range, a modification of the Nebo-SVU radar; RLM-D decimeter range, modification of the radar "Opponent-G"; RLM-S centimeter range, modification of the Gamma-S1 radar. The system uses state-of-the-art digital moving target indicator and digital pulse Doppler radar technologies, as well as a spatiotemporal data processing method, which provides air defense systems such 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 by Russian troops in Syria was able to close a circular zone around Aleppo with a radius of about 400 km from 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 at the same time ... In addition, it keeps the Turkish F-16 fighters in good shape and keeps them from reckless 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, partly captures the southern border of Turkey.

For the United States, the research of the French company Onera, published in 1992, was 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 emission 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 spatiotemporal beamforming and target detection). 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 low frequency RIAS is that it generates a stable, unreduced effective target area, provides a larger coverage area and better beam analysis, as well as improved localization accuracy and target selectivity. Enough to fight low-profile targets on the other side of the border...

Creation of inconspicuous UAVs

Well-informed about a new effective access denial system that will counter Western manned aircraft in war time, the Pentagon stopped at the turn of the century on the creation of a new generation of stealth jet-powered flying wing attack drones. 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 is suitable for standard American aircraft carriers). The drones will be able to either carry out surveillance missions lasting up to 12 hours, or carry weapons weighing up to two tons up to 650 nautical miles, cruising at a speed of about 450 knots, which is ideal for suppressing enemy air defenses or launching a first strike. A few years earlier, the US Air Force brilliantly paved the way for the use of armed drones. First flown in 1994, the RQ-1 Predator MALE Piston-powered UAV was the first remotely controlled aerial platform capable of delivering air-to-ground weapons to the target with high accuracy. 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 vigilant sword of Damocles over the heads of terrorists around the world!

If Boeing was the first creator of the X-45 UAV capable of dropping a bomb, then the US Navy did not engage in practical work on UAVs until 2000. Then he issued contracts to Boeing and Northrop Grumman for a program to study this concept. The design requirements for a maritime UAV included operation in a corrosive environment, takeoff and landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier and related maintenance, integration into command and control systems, as well as resistance to high electromagnetic interference inherent in aircraft carrier operating conditions. The fleet was also interested in purchasing UAVs for reconnaissance tasks, in particular, for penetrating into protected airspace in order to identify targets for subsequent attacks on them. Northrop Grumman's X-47A Pegasus, which became the basis for the development of the X-47B J-UCAS platform, first flew in 2003. The US Navy and Air Force ran their own UAV programs. The Navy selected the Northrop Grumman X-47B platform as the UCAS-D unmanned combat system demonstrator. In order to conduct realistic tests, the company manufactured a device of the same size and mass 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 with 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. Later, he took part in real sea trials aboard aircraft carriers, performing tasks together with F-18F Super Hornet carrier-based fighters and refueling in the air from the KS-707 tanker. What can I say, a successful premiere in both areas.

While the American industry was already testing the first models of its UAVs with might and main, other countries, albeit with a ten-year delay, began to create similar systems. Among them are the Russian RAC "MiG" with the device "Skat" 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, while 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 for operating ranges and evaluating stealth characteristics were successfully completed in March 2015. These tests were followed by avionics tests in Italy, which were completed in August 2015. At the end of last summer, the last stage of flight tests took place in Sweden, within the framework of which tests were carried out on the use of weapons. Classified test results are called positive.

The contract for the nEUROn project worth 405 million euros is being implemented by several European countries, including France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. This allowed the European industry to begin a three-year phase of refining the concept and design of the system, with related research into visibility and data rate enhancement. This phase was followed by a development and assembly phase ending with first flight in 2011. In two years of flight testing, about 100 sorties were made, including the release 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 at the same time paid half of the total budget.

The potential of the British-French UAV

In November 2014, the governments of France and the UK announced a two-year study into the feasibility of a €146 million advanced strike drone project. This may lead to the implementation of a stealth UAV program, which will combine the experience of the Taranis and nEUROn projects in order to create a single promising strike drone. Indeed, in January 2014, at the British air base Brize Norton, Paris and London signed a statement of intent on a promising strike air system FCAS (Future Combat Air System). Since 2010, Dassault Aviation, together with its partners Alenia, Saab and Airbus Defense & Space, has been working on the nEUROn project, and BAE Systems on its own Taranis project. Both flying wing craft are powered by the same Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour turbofan engine. The decision adopted in 2014 gives a 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 construction. 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, since UAV projects will help maintain technological experience in the aviation industry at the level of world standards.

Meanwhile, the European FCAS program and similar American programs UAVs 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 from manned combat aircraft, performing high-risk missions. Experts in the field of military drones are confident that the air force will begin to deploy stealth attack drones no earlier than 2030.

According to the websites:
www.nationaldefensemagazine.org
www.ga.com
www.northropgrumman.com
www.dassault-aviation.com
www.nniirt.ru
www.hongdu.com.cn
www.boeing.com
www.baesystems.com
www.wikipedia.org

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American analysts gave a mixed assessment of the latest Russian military ground and airborne drones. Some products, experts say, are practically foreign analogues, while others are clones of foreign developments. Experts agree on one thing: the war of the future is impossible without robots, and Russia will have to comply with modern realities.

Friends nearby

The Orion UAV (flight range - 250 kilometers, duration - up to a day) is suspiciously similar to the Iranian Shahed. The original product was used by Iran in Syria, it was also seen in Lebanon.

The main Russian drone Forpost was borrowed from Israel, where it is produced by IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) under the name Searcher. Bendett ironically notes that Israel manages to receive a multi-billion dollar military aid from the United States and at the same time sell defense technology to Russia.

No connection

According to Bendett, development of Russia's first heavy drone, the Altair, is behind schedule and under budget, and has been delayed indefinitely as a result.

Russian developers claim that the device weighing three tons with a wingspan of 28.5 meters is capable of carrying a load of up to two tons, covering a distance of ten thousand kilometers, climbing to a height of up to 12 kilometers and being in autonomous flight for up to two days. The prototype of the device made its first flight in August 2016, its mass production is scheduled for 2018.

In his report, Bendett noted that the director of the Kazan Design Bureau named after Simonov, who is creating a combat drone, was recently removed from his position (in fact, documents were seized in the bureau, and investigators talked to its head).

Bendett concludes that drones developed directly in Russia tend to be smaller and limited in range compared to foreign ones, but the expert admits that the Russian authorities have recently paid great attention development of unmanned systems - in particular, innovation and funding.

The Russian military is getting a lot of practical experience with drones, and one of the main purposes of the Orlan-10 apparatus is to assist in radio suppression. Three aircraft capable of carrying six kilograms of load are controlled from one KamAZ-5350: one drone acts as a repeater, and the other two are involved in creating radio interference.

In the development of GSM jamming complexes (in the specific case, RB-341V "Leer-3"), Russia is a leader and ahead of the United States. It is precisely in the creation of radio interference, and not for delivering a direct strike, that the United States sees the main danger of flying drones being created in Russia. In this context, the expert, of course, did not forget to mention a possible attack by the Russian military on soldiers' mobile phones.

Strong point

Outside the context of electronic warfare, the United States does not yet take Russian military drones seriously, but ground-based drones being developed in Russia are of great concern to American experts.

"Russia is building a whole menagerie of armed ground robots - down to the size of armored personnel carriers," said Paul Sharr, director of technology and security for the Center for a New American Security. He noted the 11-ton "Uran-9", the 16-ton "Whirlwind" and the 50-ton T-14 ("Armata" with an uninhabited tower).

Photo: Valery Melnikov / RIA Novosti

“Many of these heavy vehicles are heavily armed, and the Russians often display these prototypes at exhibitions,” agrees Bendett, who attended the recently concluded annual US Army Association conference and exhibition.

On the other hand, according to analysts, many Russian robots look more like publicity stunts than real ones. combat vehicles. To those, in particular, the experts attributed the anthropomorphic robot Fedor (FEDOR - Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research), capable of firing a pistol. The creators of Fedor boasted that the robot could sit on the twine and mastered the work of a storekeeper.

Most robots, as experts rightly point out, are not created from scratch, but in fact are ordinary armored vehicles converted for remote control. They cannot be considered truly autonomous products, since their operation requires the presence of a person, albeit outside the machine.

The automatic turret, created in Russia, according to Sharr, has "problems with distinguishing between an ally and an enemy in autonomous mode." However, he admits that with the development of artificial intelligence systems, the unit will cope with this task.

Bendett noted that most US military ground drones are remotely controlled (this makes it easier for the enemy to suppress radar), too light and practically not equipped with weapons, that is, in fact, they are not full-fledged combat robots. At present, American ground-based drones are as militarily useless as Russian drones.

Ultimately, experts found it difficult to name a leader in the development of drones. Scherr suggested that the United States is lagging behind Russia in the development of large ground combat robots due to ethical difficulties, involving the rationale for the possibility of destroying a person by a machine, as well as a "lack of ideas." Bendett, on the contrary, believes that Russia is now in the role of catching up, but is actively working to overcome the backlog in the development of aerial drones.

just business

It must be admitted that in military conflicts of the future, unmanned systems will play one of the key roles. This component of weapons is spelled out in the American "third offset strategy", which provides for the use of the latest technologies and control methods to achieve an advantage over the enemy. Currently, almost all countries of the world that have any noticeable weapons are developing promising drones.

“Priorities are mainly given not so much to the modernization of old types of weapons, but to the creation of new ones. These are promising aviation systems, including military transport and long-range aviation, these are unmanned systems, robotics, that is, everything related to the possibility and necessity of withdrawing a person from the affected area, ”the Deputy Prime Minister explained the concept of the upcoming draft of the Russian state arms program for 2018-2025.

On the other hand, any discussion of the problem of the backlog in armaments comes down to the issue of funding. In such a situation, the conversion component of new technologies is interesting. The feasibility of creating in Russia hypersonic missiles and electromagnetic weapons in conditions of economic stagnation is doubtful, while in the field of development of unmanned systems there are much fewer of them.

The latest version of the national budget for 2018 provides for an increase in the share of military spending by 179.6 billion rubles, while spending on social policy, education and healthcare is proposed to be reduced by 54 billion rubles. Thus, in 2018, the share of military spending could reach 3.3 percent of the country's GDP.

According to experts, unmanned aerial vehicles have an invaluable importance for modern military aviation. The advent of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, as they are also called, has changed the tactics of conducting hostilities. The "unmanned boom" occurred in the late 70s of the XX century. The generally recognized leaders in the global production of drones are the Americans.

The use of UAVs in Russia was seriously considered only in 2008. The basis for this was the Georgian conflict. After the events in Georgia, all the advantages that the use of drones can give have become obvious. Information about Russian military UAVs is presented in the article.

Introduction to the machine

The abbreviation UAV stands for "unmanned aerial vehicle". It indicates that a pilot is not needed to operate this aircraft. The movement of the UAV can be controlled remotely: from an aircraft, from the ground or from space.

About classification

Today, a huge number of different drones have been produced for the needs of aviation. Each model has its own configuration features and component characteristics. According to experts, in Russia, the UAV manufacturer has not yet developed standards for the manufacture of drones. This, in turn, led to the lack of requirements for a drone. UAVs can be classified using the following parameters:

• Design.
• Start type.
• Special purpose.
• Specifications.
• Type of power supply of the power plant.
• Navigation characteristics and radio frequency spectrum.

Drone types

Unmanned aerial vehicles presented on the global aviation market are:

• Unmanaged.
• Remote controlled.
• Automatic.

Depending on the dimensions, drones are divided into several groups:

• Microdrones. Their weight does not exceed 10 kg. Such aircraft are designed for a one-hour flight.
• Mini drones. UAVs weigh within 50 kg. They can stay in the air for 3 to 5 hours.
• Midi. The mass of such a drone is about a ton. He is able to overcome 15-hour flights.
• Heavy. The mass of such devices exceeds a ton. Of all the above types, these drones are considered the most advanced. Heavy UAVs are suitable for intercontinental flights.

In Russia, there is no production base focused on the commercial or consumer market.

About the advantages of drones

Unlike manned aircraft and helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles have the following strengths:

• In the UAV, overall characteristics are reduced, which cannot be said about traditional aircraft (LA).
• Production of drones is less expensive.
• The military command has the ability to use the UAV in combat conditions without putting the pilot's life at risk. Due to the relative cheapness of the device, if necessary, they are not sorry to "sacrifice".
• Since UAVs are capable of transmitting received information in real time, they can be used for reconnaissance purposes.
• Drones have high combat readiness and mobility. To launch them, there is no need to raise the entire flight crew.
• From several UAVs, small mobile complexes can be formed.

About the disadvantages

Despite the presence of undeniable advantages, unmanned aerial vehicles are not without some disadvantages. The weaknesses of the UAV are:

• Unlike traditional aviation, such nuances as landing and rescuing an aircraft are not sufficiently thought out for drones.
• Drones are significantly inferior to controlled aircraft and helicopters in such a parameter as reliability.
• IN Peaceful time UAVs are limited.

Tasks of drones on the "citizen"

UAVs appeared immediately after the creation of the first aircraft. However, the production of drones was put on stream only in the 1970s. As it soon turned out, with the help of these devices it is possible to make aerial photography, monitor various objects, geodetic research, and also deliver purchases to your home.

Areas of application of the UAV

In Russia, unmanned aerial vehicles are designed to perform the following tasks:

• Monitoring and protection of state borders.
• Intelligence and identification of the terrorist threat.

Drones are widely used by the military during a special operation in Syria. Drones are also used in agriculture. With the help of UAVs, aerial photography and inspection of oil pipelines are carried out. According to aviation experts, the civil sphere in the use of UAVs in Russia (drones) occupies only 30%.

About use in the army

The direction for the production of UAVs in Russia is set by the military. The army command uses drones primarily for reconnaissance missions. It is in this direction that the main UAV manufacturers in Russia are working. In recent years, in addition to reconnaissance drones, attack drones have begun to be produced. Kamikaze drones belong to a separate group. In addition, some UAV models are adapted for electronic warfare against the enemy, for relaying radio signals. Drones can also provide target designations for artillery pieces. During military exercises in Russia, UAVs are used as relatively inexpensive aerial targets. The cheap production of drones allows, when performed by the military important tasks donate those drones.

About the first models of Russian drones

Compared to Israel and the United States, Russia is significantly losing in the production of UAVs today. Many Russians are interested in the question of what kind of unmanned aerial vehicles the military aviation of their country has. One of the first, still Soviet, models is the Bee-1T drone.

The UAV made its first flight in 1990. Its task is to carry out the adjustment of firing from the artillery pieces "Smerch" and "Hurricane". Today, this model is in service with Russia. UAV "Pchela-1T" is designed for a range of up to 60 thousand meters. The weight of the device is 138 kg. To launch the drone, a special installation and rocket boosters are provided. The drone lands using a parachute. "Pchela-1T" was used by the Russian army during the Chechen conflict. During the hostilities, this Russian UAV made ten sorties. Two models were shot down by militants. According to aviation experts, today this sample outdated.

Another old-style Russian reconnaissance drone is the Dozor-85 model. After the tests successfully passed in 2007, the first batch of 12 drones was ordered by the military. "Dozor-85" is intended for border guards. The mass of the apparatus is 85 kg. The UAV of this model can stay in the air for no more than 8 hours.

About aircraft manufactured in 2007

Skat is a reconnaissance and strike UAV of Russia. The aircraft was designed in the experimental design bureau of Mikoyan and Gurevich and OJSC Klimov. The UAV was shown at the MAKS-2007 air show. The device was presented in the form of a full-size layout. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, as the main developer of the strike UAV of Russia, was the AKH Sukhoi. Soon, as stated CEO RAC "MIG" Sergey Korotkov, design work on the drone was stopped. The reason for this was insufficient funding for the project. However, as the CEO stated, as of 2015, the production of the drone was resumed again. The project is funded by the Russian Ministry of Industrial Trade. An unmanned aerial vehicle is intended for reconnaissance. In addition, with the help of aerial bombs and guided missiles from this device, it is possible to carry out shelling of ground targets.

The size of the UAV is 10.25 m. The height of the UAV is 2.7 m. The drone is equipped with a tricycle landing gear and one RD-5000B turbofan engine with a flat nozzle. UAV weight - no more than 20 thousand kg. The aircraft is capable of transporting a combat load of up to 6,000 kg. The drone is equipped with four suspension points. Their location was the internal bomb bays. The drone is capable of reaching a maximum speed of 850 km/h. Designed to overcome 4 km distances. The combat radius is 1200 km.

About the Russian-Israeli project

2010 was the year of signing a contract between the Russian military department and the Israeli company IAI for the manufacture of drones. According to the agreement, the machines are assembled at aircraft manufacturing enterprises of the Russian Federation. The Israeli-made Searcher drone of 1992 was taken as the basis. In Russia, the UAV was improved and renamed "Forpost". The takeoff weight of the drone is 400 kg. The flight range does not exceed 250 km. The device is provided with a satellite navigation system and thermal imaging cameras.

Other models

Since 2007, reconnaissance activities have been carried out by aircraft models of the Tipchak UAV. The starting weight of the aircraft is 50 kg. The duration of the drone flight does not exceed two hours. For the UAV, conventional and infrared cameras are provided.

In 2009, the Russian company Transas launched the Dozor-600 UAV. The aircraft is a multipurpose drone. It was first presented at the MAKS-2009 exhibition. Experts believe that this drone is an analogue of the MQ-1B Predator. However, there is no reliable information about the exact characteristics of the American UAV. In the future, Russian aircraft designers are planning to equip the radar system with a video camera and a thermal imager. A target designation system is also being developed for the drone. Using "Dozor-600", the military carries out reconnaissance and surveillance in the front-line zones. Information indicating the strike capabilities of this drone is not yet available.

The Russian military aviation uses the Orlan-3M and Orlan-10 UAV models. With the help of these devices, the following are carried out: reconnaissance, search work and target designation for volley fire from artillery pieces. Outwardly, both models of "eagles" are very similar. The slight differences are in their takeoff weight and range. A special catapult is used to launch both drones. UAV landing is carried out using a parachute.

About the new Russian UAV

For the needs of the military aircraft industry by Zala Aero Group has created a new model of unmanned aerial vehicle, which is known as Zala 421-08. Chief project manager: Zakharov A.V. The main task of the UAV is to carry out surveillance, correct salvo fire from artillery pieces. In addition, with the help of a drone, you can assess the damage. According to experts, a distinctive feature of this aircraft is the ability to perform video and photo surveillance from a short distance. For the drone, the “flying wing” scheme was applied. For the drone, there are:

• Glider with autopilot.
• Governing bodies.
• Power point.
• Feeding onboard system.
• Removable blocks containing the target load.
• The system that is responsible for landing using a parachute.

The body of the drone is equipped with special miniature LED lights. Thanks to them, the drone is not lost at night. The machine also provides automatic parachute landing. The video channel operates within a radius of 15 km, audio - 25 km. The drone has a short flight time - only 80 minutes. The wingspan is 81 cm. The maximum flight altitude is 3600 m. The drone is launched from a catapult. Landing is carried out using a parachute or a special net. The aircraft is equipped with a pull-type electric motor. The drone has a speed of 65 to 130 km/h. The maximum takeoff weight is 2.5 kg. The operation of the drone is possible in temperature conditions from -30 to +40 degrees, as well as at a maximum allowable wind speed of 20 m/s. The aircraft is equipped with a special module, with the help of which target tracking is carried out automatically.

About "Hunter-B"

Aircraft designers of the Sukhoi and MiG companies are carrying out design work on the manufacture modern model Russian UAV. 2017-2020 - such terms are given to designers to create an unmanned aerial vehicle. In the documentation, the drone is listed as "Hunter-B". In Russian media former leader The United Aircraft Corporation was told that Sukhoi was considered the main developer of the drone, and the MiG Corporation was acting as a co-executor in this project. According to the leading Russian expert in the field of unmanned systems Denis Fedutinov, the UAV will look no different from reconnaissance and strike vehicles produced by the United States and technologically advanced European countries. In the manufacture of the drone, Russian designers used the "flying wing" scheme. On this moment more detailed information about the future aircraft is not available. It is known that the Okhotnik-B will belong to the type of heavy drones, and its flight and combat characteristics will be as close as possible to the parameters of the X-47B, produced by the American company Northrop Grumman. For the Russian unmanned vessel, subsonic speeds will be possible, its range will be 4 thousand meters. It is planned to arm the Okhotnik-B with a variety of target loads, including shock. According to the expert, the mass of the load will be at least two tons. Flight tests are scheduled for 2018. The UAV will enter service with Russia no earlier than 2020.

About manufacturers

Geoscan Aero, Tranzas, Armair and Zala Aero (a subsidiary of the Kalashnikov concern) are carrying out design work to create unmanned aerial vehicles for the economic and military sectors of the country.

Aviation specialists at the Tupolev plant are developing a new Russian drone. The products of these companies are in demand both in the military and industrial, as well as in commercial sectors. With the help of the UAV released by Zala Aero, pipelines, reservoirs, state borders, reserves. Drones are used to carry out operational-search activities. The machines produced by Geoscan Aero are mainly used in the commercial sector. With their help, photo and video shooting and delivery of various goods to the customer are carried out.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Drones: advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of unmanned aerial vehicles are:

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

The disadvantages of UAVs include:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Varieties of drones

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

They can be:

• Unmanaged;
• remote controlled;
• Automatic.

According to their size, drones are:

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

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

Overview of foreign unmanned aerial vehicles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overview of Russian UAVs

What is available today? Russian army, and what are the prospects for Russian UAVs in the near future?

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

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

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

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

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

State testing of a new Russian heavy attack drone could begin as early as next year. This was stated Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov during a visit to the Kazan Design Bureau named after Simonov. Apparently, we are talking about the first Russian heavy strike drone "Zenica".

This drone was developed in Kazan and made its first flight in 2014. Now the output is a prototype, which takes into account all the experimental data obtained during preliminary tests. It is he who, as Borisov expects, will enter the state tests next year. The Deputy Minister is sure that the tests will be carried out in a short time and will fully confirm the fulfillment of the terms of reference by the designers. That is, purchases by the Zenica army are expected already in 2018. It is assumed that at first the serial production of the drone can reach 250 units.

We have been talking about strike drones for a long time. Not having them in service, we long and energetically "exposed" the American "Predator". It is allegedly an extremely indiscriminate weapon, raining down missiles on foot soldiers, on horseback, on personnel, on military equipment of the enemy, and on civilians.

However, already at that time, vigorous work was underway in our own state-owned design bureaus and private firms to create the first Russian analogues of the Predator. From time to time there were reports that some developer was already a stone's throw from transferring unmanned fighters of manpower and armored vehicles for state testing.

Most of all, it was said about the Dozor-600, created by the Kronstadt company since the middle of the last decade. The prototype made its first flight in 2009. Since then, information has periodically appeared that a little more and ... In 2013 Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu demanded to speed up the work. But that doesn't make much sense right now. Because Dozor-600 is yesterday's unmanned aircraft. Its payload is only 120 kg. The American veteran of the Predator, which has been in operation since the last century, has 204 kg. And the modern "Reaper" - 1700 kg. True, the developers insist that the Dozor-600 is not only a strike drone, but also a reconnaissance one. However, unmanned reconnaissance aircraft for every taste in our army is already quite enough.

Kronstadt also has one more development. And it was carried out jointly with the aforementioned Kazan Design Bureau. Simonov. This is Pacer, which is more impressive than Dozor-600 and has a higher readiness. A year ago, information appeared that the Gromov Flight Research Institute began testing the Pacer. Nothing is known about the prospects for adopting it. And this is not surprising, since he was also very late with the birth. Which is perfectly illustrated by a comparison of the main performance characteristics of the Pacer and the American Predator adopted in 1995.

LTH UAV "Predator" and "Pacer

Maximum takeoff weight, kg: 1020 - 1200

Payload weight, kg: 204 - 300

Engine type: piston - piston

Maximum flight altitude, m: 7900 - 8000

Maximum speed, km / h: 215 - presumably 210

Cruising speed, km / h: 130 - presumably 120-150

Flight duration, h: 40 - 24

Although, of course, light shock drones, which include the Pacer, have their own niche in the army. They do an excellent job of solving anti-terrorist tasks to eliminate "particularly outstanding" militants. This is the path Israel is taking, creating compact drones armed with one or two short-range missiles with precise targeting.

OKB im. Simonova approaches the problem of creating a domestic strike drone on a wide front, not limited to the development of two topics. At the same time, all developments are brought to the stage of at least the production of prototypes. The Simonovites pinned great hopes on the Altair drone of the middle class - weighing up to 5 tons.

Altair made its first flight at the end of last year. However, it turned out that the creation of a fully functional sample is still far away. OKB continuously and quite radically refines its offspring. So, instead of the declared 5 tons, the drone began to weigh 7 tons. And according to the terms of reference, it was assumed that it would have a payload mass of about two tons, a ceiling of 12 km. The maximum flight time is 48 hours. At the same time, the drone must have a stable connection with the control complex at a distance of up to 450 km without using satellite channels.

The rest of the features are classified. But from what is known, it can be assumed that the Altair should be at least as good as the American Reper. Its ceiling is slightly lower, but the flight duration is significantly higher - 48 hours versus 28 hours.

When the amount of development exceeded 2 billion rubles, the Ministry of Defense decided to cut funding. At the same time, Altair was given a chance - by offering to create a civilian modification for monitoring the Arctic regions, so that civilian structures could co-finance the project.

In case of receiving additional sources of funding, Kazan intends to complete the development of the Altair in 2019 and introduce the drone into mass production in 2020. The decision to cut funding was made two weeks ago.

With a careful study of the question of how many heavy attack drones the OKB im. Simonov, there is a suspicion (based on facts) that they are trying to present one product under the guise of another.

Firstly, Yuri Borisov, while in Kazan, said that the Simonov Design Bureau several years ago, in a tough competition, won the competition for the development of a heavy drone. However, we know for certain that in the tender the Simonovites won the right to create Altair, and not Zenitsa. The cost of the tender is also known - 1.6 billion rubles.

Secondly, Zenica is not a heavy drone, its takeoff weight is 1080 kg. And, therefore, the payload cannot exceed a quarter of a ton in any way. It is known that it was developed on the basis of the Soviet Tu-143 Reis drone, which was put into service back in 1982. Characteristics, of course, today are significantly improved. So, for example, the ceiling has grown from 1000 m to 9000 m, and the flight range - from 180 km to 750 km. But, of course, this became possible due to a significant increase in the mass of fuel, which did not benefit the payload. So, the 250 kg we are supposed to be may turn out to be unbearable for Zenitsa.

LTH UAV "Zenica"

Length - 7.5 m.

Wingspan - 2 m.

Height - 1.4 m.

The maximum takeoff weight is 1080 kg.

Cruise flight speed - 650 km / h

Maximum flight speed - 820 km / h

Maximum flight range - 750 km

Maximum flight altitude - 9100 m

Aircraft engine type - jet

So it can be assumed that under the guise of "Zenitsa" we are being offered "Altair", the attitude towards which the Ministry of Defense has changed dramatically due to unknown reasons.

If we talk about a truly heavy strike drone, which our aviation industry may soon issue "on the mountain", then this is the 20-ton Okhotnik UAV. Although he should have already been born under the name "Scat". The fact is that since the beginning of the "zero" years, "Skat" has been developed by the Design Bureau of Mikoyan and Gurevich. In 2007, a full-scale layout was presented at the MAKS-2007 salon. However, funding for the project soon ceased due to the policy of the then Minister of Defense Anatoly Serdyukov for the purchase of high-tech weapons for the army abroad.

After the change of minister, the project was thawed, but it was transferred to the Sukhoi Design Bureau. RAC MiG was involved in the project as a co-executor.

TK for the "Hunter" was approved by the Ministry of Defense in 2012. Its details were not disclosed. The drone will be built on a modular basis, which will allow it to be used to solve a wide range of tasks. The developers were determined to start testing the prototype in 2016 and deliver it to the army in 2020. However, as usual, the deadlines "floated". The year before last, the first flight of the prototype was rescheduled for 2018.

Since about LTH "Hunter" nothing is known, we give the characteristics of the Skat UAV. Logically, the performance of the "Hunter" should be at least as good.

Length - 10.25 m

Wingspan - 11.5 m

Height - 2.7 m

Maximum takeoff weight - 20000 kg

TRD engine thrust - 5040 kgf

Maximum speed - 850 km / h

Flight range - 4000 km

Practical ceiling - 15000 m