Even 20 years ago, Russia was one of the world leaders in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles. In the 80s of the last century, only 950 Tu-143 air reconnaissance aircraft were produced. The famous reusable spaceship"Buran", which made its first and only flight in a completely unmanned mode. I don’t see the point and now somehow give in to the development and use of drones.

Background of Russian drones (Tu-141, Tu-143, Tu-243). In the mid-sixties, the Tupolev Design Bureau began to create new tactical and operational unmanned reconnaissance systems. On August 30, 1968, the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR N 670-241 was issued to develop 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 in the Decree was stipulated: for the variant with photo reconnaissance equipment - 1970, for the variant with television intelligence equipment and for the variant with radiation reconnaissance equipment - 1972.

The reconnaissance UAV Tu-143 was mass-produced in two configurations of the nasal interchangeable part: in the photo reconnaissance version with information registration on board, in the television reconnaissance version with the transmission of information via radio to ground command posts. In addition, the reconnaissance aircraft could be equipped with radiation reconnaissance equipment with the transmission of materials on the radiation situation along the flight route to the ground via a radio channel. UAV Tu-143 presented at the exhibition of samples aviation technology 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 exposition, the MiG aircraft manufacturing corporation showed its Skat strike unmanned complex - an aircraft made according to the “flying wing” scheme and outwardly very reminiscent of the American B-2 Spirit bomber or its a smaller version is the Kh-47V marine unmanned aerial vehicle.

"Skat" is designed to strike both at previously reconnoitered stationary targets, primarily air defense systems, in conditions of strong opposition anti-aircraft weapons the enemy, as well as against mobile ground and sea targets when conducting autonomous and group actions, joint with manned aircraft.

Its maximum takeoff weight should be 10 tons. Flight range - 4 thousand kilometers. The flight speed near the ground is not less than 800 km / h. It will be able to carry two air-to-surface / air-to-radar missiles or two adjustable bombs with a total mass of not more than 1 ton.

The aircraft is made according to the scheme of the flying wing. In addition, the well-known methods of reducing radar visibility were clearly visible in the appearance of the structure. So, the wingtips are parallel to its leading edge and the contours of the rear of the apparatus are made in the same way. Above the middle part of the wing, the Skat had a fuselage of a characteristic shape, smoothly mated with the bearing surfaces. Vertical plumage was not provided. As can be seen from the photographs of the Skat layout, control was to be carried out using four elevons located on the consoles and on the center section. At the same time, yaw control immediately raised certain questions: due to the lack of a rudder and a single-engine scheme, the UAV required to somehow solve this problem. There is a version about a single deviation of the internal elevons for yaw control.

The layout presented at the MAKS-2007 exhibition had the following dimensions: a wingspan of 11.5 meters, a length of 10.25 and a parking height of 2.7 m. Regarding the mass of the Skat, it is only known that its maximum takeoff weight should have been approximately equal to ten tons. With these parameters, the Skat had good calculated flight data. At top speed up to 800 km / h, it could rise to a height of up to 12 thousand meters and overcome in flight up to 4000 kilometers. It was planned to provide such flight data with the help of a bypass turbojet engine RD-5000B with a thrust of 5040 kgf. This turbojet engine was created on the basis of the RD-93 engine, however, it is initially equipped with a special flat nozzle, which reduces the visibility of the aircraft in the infrared range. The engine air intake was located in the forward fuselage and was an unregulated intake device.

Inside the fuselage of the characteristic shape, the Skat had two cargo compartments measuring 4.4x0.75x0.65 meters. With such dimensions, various types of guided missiles, as well as adjustable bombs, could be suspended in the cargo compartments. The total mass of the Skat combat load was supposed to be approximately equal to two tons. During the presentation at the MAKS-2007 Salon, Kh-31 missiles and KAB-500 guided bombs were located next to Skat. The composition of the onboard equipment, implied by the project, was not disclosed. Based on information about other projects of this class, we can conclude that there is a complex of navigation and sighting equipment, as well as some possibilities for autonomous actions.

UAV "Dozor-600" (development of the designers of the company "Transas"), also known as "Dozor-3", is much lighter than "Skat" or "Breakthrough". Its maximum takeoff weight does not exceed 710-720 kilograms. At the same time, due to the classic aerodynamic layout with a full-fledged fuselage and a straight wing, it has approximately the same dimensions as the Skat: a wingspan of twelve meters and a total length of seven. In the bow of the Dozor-600, a place is provided for target equipment, and a stabilized platform for observation equipment is installed in the middle. A propeller group is located in the tail section of the drone. Its basis is the Rotax 914 piston engine, similar to those installed on the Israeli IAI Heron UAV and the American MQ-1B Predator.

115 Horse power engines allow the Dozor-600 drone to accelerate to a speed of about 210-215 km / h or make long flights at a cruising speed of 120-150 km / h. When using additional fuel tanks, this UAV is able to stay in the air for up to 24 hours. Thus, the practical flight range is approaching the mark of 3700 kilometers.

Based on the characteristics of the Dozor-600 UAV, we can draw conclusions about its purpose. The relatively low takeoff weight does not allow it to carry any serious weapons, which limits the range of tasks to be solved exclusively by reconnaissance. Nevertheless, a number of sources mention the possibility of installing various weapons on the Dozor-600, the total mass of which does not exceed 120-150 kilograms. Because of this, the range of weapons allowed for use is limited to only certain types. guided missiles, in particular anti-tank. It is noteworthy that when using anti-tank guided missiles, the Dozor-600 becomes largely similar to the American MQ-1B Predator, both in terms of technical characteristics and armament.

The project of a heavy strike unmanned aerial vehicle. The development of the research topic "Hunter" to study the possibility of creating a strike UAV weighing up to 20 tons in the interests of the Russian Air Force was or is being conducted by the Sukhoi company (JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau). For the first time, the plans of the Ministry of Defense to adopt an attack UAV were announced at the MAKS-2009 air show in August 2009. According to Mikhail Pogosyan, in August 2009, the design of a new strike unmanned system was joint work relevant units of the Sukhoi Design Bureau and MiG (project "Skat"). The media reported on the conclusion of a contract for the implementation of research "Okhotnik" with the company "Sukhoi" July 12, 2011. "and" Sukhoi "was signed only on October 25, 2012.

The terms of reference for the strike UAV was approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense in the first days of April 2012. On July 6, 2012, information appeared in the media that the Sukhoi company had been selected by the Russian Air Force as the lead developer. Also, an unnamed source in the industry reports that the strike UAV developed by the Sukhoi company will simultaneously be a sixth-generation fighter. As of mid-2012, it is assumed that the first sample of the strike UAV will begin testing no earlier than 2016. It is expected to enter service by 2020. In the future, it was planned to create navigation systems for landing approach and taxiing of heavy UAVs on the instructions of JSC Sukhoi Company (source).

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

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

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

Most recently, the Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, General Gerasimov, said that Russia is striving to completely robotize the battle, and perhaps soon we will witness how robotic groups independently conduct military operations, and this is what happened.

In Russia, in 2013, the newest automated control system "Andromeda-D" was adopted by the Airborne Forces, with the help of which it is possible to carry out operational control of a mixed group of troops.
The use of the latest high-tech equipment allows the command to ensure continuous control of troops performing combat training tasks at unfamiliar training grounds, and the command of the Airborne Forces to monitor their actions, being at a distance of more than 5 thousand kilometers from their deployment sites, receiving from the exercise area not only a graphic picture of moving units, but also a video image of their actions in real time.

The complex, depending on the tasks, can be mounted on the chassis of a two-axle KamAZ, BTR-D, BMD-2 or BMD-4. In addition, taking into account the specifics of the Airborne Forces, Andromeda-D is adapted for loading into an aircraft, flight and landing.
This system, as well as combat drones, were deployed to Syria and tested in combat conditions.
Six Platform-M robotic complexes and four Argo complexes participated in the attack on the heights, the drone attack was supported by self-propelled vehicles recently transferred to Syria artillery mounts(ACS) "Acacia", which can destroy enemy positions with mounted fire.

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

Combat robots, self-propelled guns, drones were tied to the Andromeda-D automated control system. The commander of the attack on the heights, in real time, led the battle, the operators of combat drones, being in Moscow, conducted the attack, everyone saw both their own area of \u200b\u200bthe battle and the whole picture.

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

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

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

Similar to giant rays, military remote-controlled strike 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, 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 remotely controlled jet aircraft… 60 years ago.

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 strike 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.

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. After all, apart from participating in offensive operations in safe or controlled airspace by allied forces, UAVs are completely incapable of passing through the battle formations of 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 the history of military aviation, an aircraft that was not detected by radar and was considered invulnerable was shot down.

For the only time in its entire combat service, the F-117 was discovered and shot down, moreover, on a moonless night (there were only three such nights in the five-week war) by a rocket of the antiquarian S-125 air defense system of Soviet production. But the Yugoslavs were not a rabble of marginals with primitive ideas about the art of war like Islamic state(ISIS, banned in Russia) or the Taliban, they were highly trained and cunning professional soldiers able to adapt to new threats. And they have proven it.

The Northrop Grumman X-47B UAV prototype took another historic step on May 17, 2013, making several landings with immediate take-off after touching down on the USS George W. Bush, off the coast of Virginia.

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. air battles The use of machine guns to destroy the enemy in the First and Second World Wars has now become a page of history, and the advent of second-generation air-to-air missiles has turned guns into a rather outdated tool for this task, and now they are only useful as auxiliary weapons. for shelling the ground from the air.

Today, this trend is reinforced by the emergence of hypersonic maneuverable missiles to destroy targets beyond the range of visual visibility, which, when launched in large quantities and in tandem with winged missiles, for example, leave virtually no chance for evasive action to any enemy flying at 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.

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 the air. The second participant in this event over the Chesapeake Bay was the Boeing KC-707 tanker. This is a real premiere for the UAV, as this test marked the first in-flight refueling of an unmanned aircraft.

At the turn of the new millennium, American pilots began to think about what could be done differently 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 associated with great risk to combat pilots, even those flying the latest jet fighter-bombers, the only way to solve this problem was to use weapons that were used outside the reach of enemy weapons. , and/or the creation of low-observable high subsonic attack drones capable of disappearing into the air through the use of special radar avoidance technologies, including radar absorbing materials and advanced jamming modes.

Remotely controlled attack drones of a new type, using data transmission channels with enhanced encryption from frequency hopping, 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"

By creating 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 important role that this new technology 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 for actively providing extremely low visibility.

Building on UAV technology demonstration programs, the Boeing X-45 and Northrop Grumman X-47, whose accomplishments 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, issues are being resolved safe work reconnaissance UAV in protected airspace, 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, albeit 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". Latest Options This station, with its specific frequency bands, can be spotted by F-117 and B-2 bombers from several hundred kilometers, and this does not remain a mystery to Pentagon experts!

A Taranis UAV at an air base in England, with a Typhoon fighter in the background, 2015. With almost the same size and proportions as Neuron, Taranis, however, is more rounded and does not have weapon bays.

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 of unified air defense systems were later sold to China, while Beijing got at its disposal 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.

Mobile two-coordinate all-round radar P-18

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

RLC 55ZH6M "Nebo-M"; decimeter radar module RLM-D

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 by American F-22A Raptor fighters (armed with GBU-39 / B SDB bombs or cruise missiles JASSM), 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 Russian troops in Syria, was able to close the circular zone around Aleppo with a radius of about 400 km for access by allied aviation. The complex, armed with a combination of at least 48 missiles (from 40N6 long-range to 9M96 medium range), 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 partially captures 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) RIAS radar (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...

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

Creation of inconspicuous UAVs

Well-informed about a new effective barring system that would counter Western manned aircraft in wartime, the Pentagon settled at the turn of the century on a new generation of stealth jet-powered flying wing attack drones. New unmanned aerial vehicles with a slight visibility, they 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 for distances 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 a 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!

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

If Boeing was the first creator of the X-45 UAV capable of dropping a bomb, then the American fleet was not involved in practical work by UBLA 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 implemented their own programs by UBLA. 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.

A demonstrator of the X-47B strike drone being unloaded from the side lift of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN77), May 2013. Like all US Navy fighters, the X-47B has folding wings.

Bottom view of the UAV Northrop Grumman X-47B, demonstrating its very futuristic contours. The drone with a wingspan of about 19 meters is equipped with a Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engine. It represents the first step towards a fully operational maritime strike drone, which is scheduled to appear on the list of regular aircraft after 2020.

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.

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. You can see the rarely seen registration designation F-ZWLO (LO stands for small EPO) applied to the door of the front landing gear compartment

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 Neuron's ability as a stealthy strike drone. Some of these real-life tests were carried out under the control of Saab, which, along with Dassault, Aiema, Airbus DS, Ruag and HAI, is implementing this advanced UAV program, which is likely to culminate in the creation of a promising air strike system FCAS (Future Combat Air System) around 2030

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 important step on the way to 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.

A drawing of what could turn into a promising 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. New undetectable strike drone may not appear before 2030

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 tasks. Experts in the field of military unmanned systems are confident that air Force will begin to deploy low-observable attack drones no earlier than 2030.

The ability to preserve the most valuable resource - the 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 the operator even when the unit is destroyed. One of the most relevant these days is the creation of unmanned aerial vehicles.

What is a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)

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

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

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

The history of the creation and development of the UAV

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

The famous German V-1, equipped with a pulse jet engine, became the first combat vehicle of this class. It is noteworthy that it was possible to launch warhead aircraft both from the ground and from air carriers.

The rocket was controlled by the following means:

an autopilot that was given altitude and heading parameters before launch;
the range was counted by a mechanical counter, which was driven by the rotation of the blades in the bow (the latter were launched from the oncoming air flow);
upon reaching the set distance (scatter - 6 km), fuses were cocked, and the projectile automatically switched to dive mode.

During the war years, the United States produced targets for training anti-aircraft gunners - the Radioplane OQ-2. Toward the end of the confrontation, the first reusable attack drones, the Interstate TDR, appeared. The aircraft turned out to be ineffective due to low speed and range, which were due to the cheapness of production. Besides, technical means of that time they were not allowed to conduct aimed fire, to fight at a long distance without following the control aircraft. Nevertheless, there were advances in the use of machines.

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

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

Tu-123 "Hawk";
Tu-141 "Swift";
Tu-143 "Flight".

Significant aviation losses in Vietnam for the United States Army turned into a resurgence of interest in UAVs.

Here appear the means to perform various tasks;

photo reconnaissance;
radio intelligence;
electronic warfare targets.

In this form, the 147E was used, which collected intelligence data so effectively that it paid off the cost of the entire program to develop them many times over.

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

Israeli specialists took part in the development of UAVs in the 80-90s. Initially, US devices were purchased, but our own scientific and technical base for development was quickly formed. The firm "Tadiran" proved to be the best. The Israeli army also demonstrated the effectiveness of the use of UAVs, carrying out operations against Syrian troops in 1982.

In the 80s and 90s, the obvious successes of unmanned aircraft provoked the start of development by many companies around the world.

In the early 2000s, the first percussion apparatus 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 reconnaissance systems with a short range - "Orlan-10".

Sukhoi Design Bureau and MiG are also developing a new heavy machine - a strike 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 for diverting enemy air defense systems;
intelligence service;
strikes against various moving and stationary targets;
electronic warfare and others.

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

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

UAV varieties

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

In addition, in the course of the classification by weight and performance characteristics:

Ultralight. These are the lightest UAVs, the weight of which does not exceed 10 kg. In the air, they can spend an hour on average, the practical ceiling is 1000 meters;
Lungs. The mass of such machines reaches 50 kg, they are able to climb 3-5 km and spend 2-3 hours in work;
Medium. 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 can climb to a height of 20 km and work for more than a day without landing.

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

Unmanaged

Unmanaged systems are the simplest form of UAVs. They are controlled by on-board mechanics, established flight characteristics. In this form, targets, scouts or projectiles can be used.

remote control

Remote control usually occurs by radio communication, which limits the range of the machine. For example, civilian aircraft can operate within 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 principle of operation of the 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, they have rotary or jet engines. This option is the most economical in terms of fuel and has a long range;
Multicopters. These propeller-driven vehicles, equipped with at least two motors, are capable of vertical takeoff / landing, hovering in the air, therefore they are especially good for reconnaissance, including in an urban environment;
Helicopter type. The layout is helicopter, propeller systems can be different, for example, Russian developments are often equipped with coaxial propellers, which makes models similar to machines such as the Black Shark;
Convertiplanes. This is a combination of helicopter and aircraft schemes. To save space, such machines rise into the air vertically, the wing configuration changes in flight, and the aircraft method of movement becomes possible;
Gliders. Basically, these are devices without engines that are dropped from a heavier machine and move along a given trajectory. This type is suitable for reconnaissance purposes.

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

The power plant is mounted in the housing, the 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 by remote control (if the range is short) or by satellite.

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

Navigation is carried out by GPS and electronic maps.

The incoming signals are transformed by the controller into commands that are already transmitted to the executing devices, for example, elevators.

Advantages and disadvantages of UAV

Compared to manned vehicles, UAVs have serious advantages:

Weight and size characteristics are improving, the survivability of a unit is growing, visibility for radars is decreasing;
UAVs are dozens of times cheaper than manned aircraft and helicopters, while highly specialized models can solve complex tasks on the battlefield;
Intelligence data when using UAVs are transmitted in real time;
Manned vehicles are subject to restrictions on use in combat conditions, when the risk of death is too high. There are no such problems with automated machines. Considering economic factors, sacrificing a few will be much more profitable than losing a trained pilot;
Combat readiness and mobility are maximum;
Several units can be combined into entire complexes to solve a number of complex tasks.

Any flying drone also has disadvantages:

manned devices have much more flexibility in practice;
so far it has not been possible to come to a unified solution to the issues of rescuing the apparatus in the event of a fall, landing on prepared sites, and reliable communication over long distances;
the reliability of automatic devices is still significantly lower than manned counterparts;
for various reasons, in peacetime, unmanned aircraft flights are seriously limited.

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

Unmanned vehicles of Russia

Yak-133

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

A-175 "Shark"

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

"Altair"

A reconnaissance and strike apparatus capable of staying in the air for up to two days. Practical ceiling - 12 km, speed in the range of 150-250 km / h. On takeoff, the mass reaches 5 tons, of which 1 t is the payload.

BAS-62

Civil development of the Sukhoi Design Bureau. In the reconnaissance modification, it is able to collect versatile data on objects on water and land. It can be used to control power lines, mapping, monitoring the meteorological situation.

U.S. drones

EQ-4

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

"Fury"

A Lockheed Martin drone designed not only for surveillance and reconnaissance, but also for electronic warfare. Able to continue flying up to 15 hours.

"Lightning Strike"

The brainchild of Aurora Flight Sciences, which is being developed as a vertical take-off combat vehicle. It develops a speed of more than 700 km / h, 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 vehicle.

Unmanned aerial vehicles of Israel

Mastiff

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

Shadmit

These devices were used for reconnaissance in the early 80s, when the first Lebanon war was going on. Some of the systems used transmitted intelligence data in real time, some 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 were developed by the Israeli company IAI. This is a tactical vehicle equipped with an infrared surveillance system and a combined optoelectronic filling.

Unmanned vehicles of 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 that managed to prove itself in the Balkans at the end of the last century (1990s). The creation was 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. In the air, the device can last up to three days.

In general, in Europe, the leading role in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles is played by France. New products are constantly appearing around the world, including modular multifunctional models, on the basis of which various military and civilian vehicles can be assembled.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

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 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 in the creation of radio interference, and not for delivering a direct strike, that the United States sees main danger airborne drones created in Russia. In this context, the expert, of course, did not forget to mention a possible attack by the Russian military on mobile phones soldier .

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 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 acknowledges that with the development of systems artificial intelligence unit will do the job.

Bendett noted that most of the American 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 complexes, 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 years.

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 are 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.

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

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

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

The reconnaissance UAV Tu-143 was mass-produced in two configurations of the nasal interchangeable part: in the photo reconnaissance version with information registration on board, in the television reconnaissance version with the transmission of information via radio to ground command posts. In addition, the reconnaissance aircraft could be equipped with radiation reconnaissance equipment with the transmission of materials on the radiation situation along the flight route to the ground via a radio channel. The Tu-143 UAV is presented at the exhibition of aviation equipment samples at the Central Aerodrome in Moscow and at the Museum in Monino (you can also see the Tu-141 UAV there).

"Skat" is designed to strike both at previously reconnoitered stationary targets, primarily air defense systems, in the face of strong opposition from enemy anti-aircraft weapons, and at mobile ground and sea targets when conducting autonomous and group actions, joint with manned aircraft.

The layout presented at the MAKS-2007 exhibition had the following dimensions: a wingspan of 11.5 meters, a length of 10.25 and a parking height of 2.7 m. Regarding the mass of the Skat, it is only known that its maximum takeoff weight should have been approximately equal to ten tons. With these parameters, the Skat had good calculated flight data. With a maximum speed of up to 800 km / h, it could rise to a height of up to 12,000 meters and overcome up to 4,000 kilometers in flight. It was planned to provide such flight data with the help of a bypass turbojet engine RD-5000B with a thrust of 5040 kgf. This turbojet engine was created on the basis of the RD-93 engine, however, it is initially equipped with a special flat nozzle, which reduces the visibility of the aircraft in the infrared range. The engine air intake was located in the forward fuselage and was an unregulated intake device.

115 horsepower of the engine allows the Dozor-600 drone to accelerate to a speed of about 210-215 km / h or make long flights at a cruising speed of 120-150 km / h. When using additional fuel tanks, this UAV is able to stay in the air for up to 24 hours. Thus, the practical flight range is approaching the mark of 3700 kilometers.

Based on the characteristics of the Dozor-600 UAV, we can draw conclusions about its purpose. The relatively low takeoff weight does not allow it to carry any serious weapons, which limits the range of tasks to be solved exclusively by reconnaissance. Nevertheless, a number of sources mention the possibility of installing various weapons on the Dozor-600, the total mass of which does not exceed 120-150 kilograms. Because of this, the range of weapons allowed for use is limited to only certain types of guided missiles, in particular anti-tank ones. It is noteworthy that when using anti-tank guided missiles, the Dozor-600 becomes largely similar to the American MQ-1B Predator, both in terms of technical characteristics and armament.

Hunter

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

The terms of reference for the strike UAV was approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense in the first days of April 2012. On July 6, 2012, information appeared in the media that the Sukhoi company had been selected by the Russian Air Force as the lead developer. Also, an unnamed source in the industry reports that the attack UAV developed by the Sukhoi company will simultaneously be a sixth-generation fighter. As of mid-2012, it is assumed that the first sample of the strike UAV will begin testing no earlier than 2016. It is expected to enter service by 2020. In the future, it was planned to create navigation systems for landing approach and taxiing of heavy UAVs on the instructions of JSC Sukhoi Company (source).

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

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

The use of the latest high-tech equipment allows the command to ensure continuous control of troops performing combat training tasks at unfamiliar training grounds, and the command of the Airborne Forces to monitor their actions, being at a distance of more than 5 thousand kilometers from their deployment sites, receiving from the exercise area not only a graphic picture of moving units, but also a video image of their actions in real time.

This system, as well as combat drones, were deployed to Syria and tested in combat conditions.

Six Platforma-M robotic systems and four Argo complexes took part in the attack on the heights, the attack of drones was supported by the Akatsiya self-propelled artillery mounts (SAU) recently deployed to Syria, which can destroy enemy positions with mounted fire.

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