What is an unmanned aerial vehicle. Unmanned aerial vehicles
In Hollywood science fiction films, the image of an unmanned aerial strike vehicle is quite often traced. So, at present The United States is the world leader in the construction and design of drones. And they do not stop there, more and more increasing the fleet of UAVs in the armed forces.
Having gained experience in the first, second Iraqi campaigns and the Afghan campaign, the Pentagon continues to develop unmanned systems. UAV purchases will be increased, criteria for new devices are being created. UAVs first occupied the niche of light reconnaissance aircraft, but already in the 2000s it became clear that they were also promising as strike aircraft - they were used in Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Drones have become full-fledged strike units.
MQ-9 Reaper "Reaper"
The last purchase of the Pentagon was order 24 strike UAVs of the MQ-9 Reaper type. This contract will almost double their number in the armed forces (in early 2009, the US had 28 of these drones). Gradually, the "Reapers" (according to Anglo-Saxon mythology, the image of death) should replace the older "Predators" MQ-1 Predator, about 200 of them are in service.
UAV MQ-9 Reaper first took to the air in February 2001. The device was created in 2 versions: turboprop and turbojet, but the US Air Force, becoming interested new technology, indicated the need for uniformity by refusing to purchase a reactive variant. In addition, despite the high aerobatic qualities (for example, a practical ceiling of up to 19 kilometers), he could be in the air for no more than 18 hours, which did not tire the Air Force. The turboprop model went into production on a 910-horsepower TPE-331 engine, the brainchild of Garrett AiResearch.
Basic performance characteristics of the "Reaper":
- Weight: 2223 kg (empty) and 4760 kg (maximum);
- Maximum speed - 482 km / h and cruising - about 300 km / h;
- Maximum flight range - 5800 ... 5900 km;
- With a full load, the UAV will do its job for about 14 hours. In total, the MQ-9 is able to stay in the air for up to 28-30 hours;
- Practical ceiling - up to 15 kilometers, and the working altitude level -7.5 km;
Armament "Reaper": has 6 suspension points, a total payload of up to 3800 pounds, so instead of 2 AGM-114 Hellfire guided missiles on the Predator, its more advanced counterpart can take up to 14 SD.
The second option for equipping the Reaper is a combination of 4 Hellfires and 2 five-hundred-pound laser-guided GBU-12 Paveway II guided bombs.
In the 500 lb caliber, it is also possible to use GPS-guided JDAM weapons, such as the GBU-38 ammunition. Air-to-air weapons are represented by the AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and more recently the AIM-92 Stinger, a modification of the well-known MANPADS missile adapted for air launch.
avionics: AN/APY-8 Lynx II Synthetic Aperture Radar capable of mapping mode - in the nose cone. At low (up to 70 knots) speeds, the radar allows you to scan the surface with a resolution of one meter, viewing 25 square kilometers per minute. At high speeds (about 250 knots) - up to 60 square kilometers.
In search modes, the radar, in the so-called SPOT mode, provides instantaneous "images" of local areas of the earth's surface measuring 300 × 170 meters from a distance of up to 40 kilometers, while the resolution reaches 10 centimeters. Combined electron-optical and thermal imaging sighting station MTS-B - on a spherical suspension under the fuselage. Includes a laser rangefinder-target designator capable of targeting the entire range of US and NATO munitions with semi-active laser guidance.
In 2007, the first attack squadron "Reapers" was formed., they entered service with the 42nd strike squadron, which is located at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. In 2008, they were armed with the 174th Fighter Wing of the National Guard Air Force. NASA, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Border Guard also have specially equipped Reapers.
The system was not put up for sale. Of the allies of the "Reapers" bought Australia and England. Germany abandoned this system in favor of its developments and Israeli ones.
prospects
The next generation of medium-sized UAVs under the MQ-X and MQ-M programs should be on the wing by 2020. The military wants to simultaneously expand the combat capabilities of the strike UAV and integrate it as much as possible into the overall combat system.
Main goals:
- They plan to create such a basic platform that can be used in all theaters of military operations, which will multiply the functionality of the Air Force unmanned grouping in the region, as well as increase the speed and flexibility of response to emerging threats.
- Increasing the autonomy of the device and increasing the ability to perform tasks in difficult weather conditions. Automatic takeoff and landing, exit to the combat patrol area.
– Interception of air targets, close support ground forces, the use of a drone as an integrated reconnaissance complex, a set of electronic warfare tasks and the tasks of providing communications and lighting the situation in the form of deploying an information gateway based on an aircraft.
- Suppression of the enemy air defense system.
- By 2030, they plan to create a model of an unmanned tanker, a kind of unmanned tanker capable of supplying fuel to other aircrafts- this will dramatically increase the duration of being in the air.
- There are plans to create UAV modifications that will be used in search and rescue and evacuation missions related to the air transfer of people.
- The concept of UAV combat use is planned to include the architecture of the so-called "swarm" (SWARM), which will allow for the joint combat use of groups of unmanned aircraft for the exchange of intelligence information and strike actions.
- As a result, UAVs should "grow" to such tasks as inclusion in the country's air defense system and even delivering strategic strikes. This is attributed to the middle of the 21st century.
Fleet
In early February 2011, a jet took off from Edwards Air Force Base (California) UAV Kh-47V. Drones for the Navy began to be developed in 2001. Sea trials should begin in 2013.
Basic requirements of the Navy:
— deck-based, including landing without violating the stealth regime;
- two full-fledged compartments for installing weapons, total weight which, according to a number of reports, can reach two tons;
— air refueling system.
The US is developing a list of requirements for the 6th generation fighter:
- Equipping with next-generation on-board information and control systems, stealth technologies.
- Hypersonic speed, that is, speeds above Mach 5-6.
- Possibility of unmanned control.
- The electronic element base of the aircraft's on-board systems should give way to optical, built on photonics technologies, with a complete transition to fiber-optic communication lines.
Thus, the United States confidently maintains its position in the development, deployment and accumulation of experience in the combat use of UAVs. Participation in a number of local wars allowed the US armed forces to maintain personnel in combat readiness, improve equipment and technologies, combat use and control schemes.
The Armed Forces received unique combat experience and the opportunity in practice to uncover and correct the flaws of the designers without major risks. UAVs are becoming part of a single combat system - conducting a "network-centric war".
However, given that the program for creating robotic combat systems in Russia is classified, it is quite possible that publicity in the media was not needed, because, perhaps, combat tests of promising models of robotics were carried out.
Let's try to analyze open information about what combat robots Russia currently has. Let's start the first part of the article with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Ka-37 is a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (unmanned helicopter) designed for aerial photography, broadcasting and relaying television and radio signals, conducting environmental experiments, delivering medicines, food and mail when providing emergency assistance in the process of eliminating accidents and disasters in hard-to-reach and dangerous for humans places.
Purpose
- Multipurpose unmanned helicopter
- First flight: 1993
Specifications
- Main rotor diameter: 4.8 m
- Fuselage length: 3.14m
- Height with rotation screws: 1.8 m
- Weight Max. takeoff 250 kg
- Engine: P-037 (2x24.6 kW)
- Cruise speed: 110 km/h
- Max. speed: 145 km/h
- Range: 20 km
- Flight range: ~100 km
- Practical ceiling: 3800 m
Ka-137- reconnaissance UAV (helicopter). The first flight was made in 1999. Developed by: OKB Kamov. The unmanned helicopter Ka-137 is made according to a coaxial scheme. The chassis is four-bearing. The body has a spherical shape with a diameter of 1.3 m.
Equipped with a satellite navigation system and a digital autopilot, the Ka-137 moves automatically along a pre-planned route and goes to a predetermined place with an accuracy of 60 m. On the Internet, it received the unofficial nickname "Pepelats" by analogy with the aircraft from the movie "Kin-dza-dza!" .
Specifications
- Main propeller diameter: 5.30 m
- Length: 1.88 m
- Width: 1.88 m
- Height: 2.30 m
- Weight:
- empty: 200 kg
- maximum takeoff: 280 kg
- Engine type 1 PD Hirht 2706 R05
- Power: 65 HP With.
- Speed:
- maximum: 175 km/h
- cruising: 145 km/h
- Practical range: 530 km
- Flight duration: 4 hours
- Ceiling:
- practical: 5000 m
- static: 2900 m
- maximum: 80 kg
PS-01 Komar - operational unmanned aircraft, remotely piloted vehicle.
The first flight was made in 1980, it was developed at OSKBES MAI (Special Design Bureau of the MAI). Three samples of the apparatus were built. On the device, a scheme of an annular plumage with a pusher propeller and rudders placed inside the ring was developed, which was subsequently applied to create a serial complex of the Bumblebee-1 type.
The design features of the RPV are the use of folding wings and the modular design of the fuselage. The wings of the device were folded in such a way that in the assembled (transport) form the aircraft was placed in a container 2.2x1x0.8 m. extreme provisions all folding elements.
The RPV fuselage had a detachable head module with three quick-release locks, which ensured a simple change of modules. This reduced the time to replace the module with the target load, the time to load the aircraft with pesticides or biological protection of agricultural areas.
Specifications
- Normal takeoff weight, kg 90
- Maximum ground speed, km/h 180
- Practical flight range with load, km 100
- Aircraft length, m 2.15
- Wingspan, m 2.12
Reconnaissance UAV. The first flight was made in 1983. Work on the creation of a mini-UAV has begun at the OKB. A. S. Yakovlev in 1982 based on the experience of studying the combat use of Israeli UAVs in the 1982 war. In 1985, the development of the Bumblebee-1 UAV with a four-bearing chassis began. Flight tests of the Shmel-1 UAV in the version equipped with television and IR equipment began in 1989. The device is designed for 10 launches, is stored and transported folded in a fiberglass container. Equipped with interchangeable sets of reconnaissance equipment, which include a television camera, a thermal imaging camera, mounted on a gyro-stabilized ventral platform. Parachute landing method.
Specifications
- Wingspan, m 3.25
- Length, m 2.78
- Height, m 1.10
- Weight, kg 130
- Engine type 1 PD
- Power, hp 1 x 32
- Cruise speed, km/h 140
- Flight duration, h 2
- Practical ceiling, m 3000
- Minimum flight altitude, m 100
"Bumblebee-1" served as a prototype for a more advanced machine "Pchela-1T" with which it is practically indistinguishable from the outside.
Pchela-1T
Pchela-1T- Soviet and Russian reconnaissance UAV. With the help of the complex, operational interaction is carried out with the means of fire destruction of the MLRS "Smerch", "Grad", cannon artillery, attack helicopters in the conditions of fire and electronic countermeasures.
The launch is carried out using two solid-propellant boosters with a short guide placed on the tracked chassis of the airborne combat vehicle. Landing is carried out on a parachute with a shock-absorbing inflatable bag, which reduces shock overloads. The Pchela-1 RPV uses a P-032 two-stroke two-cylinder internal combustion engine as a power plant. The Stroy-P complex with the Pchela-1T RPV, created in 1990 by A.S. Yakovlev, is designed for round-the-clock observation of objects and transmission of their television or thermal imaging images in real time to a ground control point. In 1997, the complex was adopted by the Armed Forces Russian Federation. Resource: 5 sorties.
Specifications
- Wingspan, m: 3.30
- Length, m: 2.80
- Height, m: 1.12
- Weight, kg: 138
- Engine type: piston
- Power, hp: 1 x 32
- The range of the complex, km: 60
- Flight altitude range above sea level, m: 100-2500
- Flight speed, km/h: 120-180
- RPV takeoff weight, kg: up to 138
- Control way:
- automatic flight according to the program
- remote manual control
- RPV coordinate measurement error:
- in range, m: no more than 150
- in azimuth, degrees: no more than 1
- Start altitude above sea level, m: up to 2,000
- Height range of optimal reconnaissance above the underlying surface, m: 100-1000
- RPV turn rate, deg/s: not less than 3
- Complex deployment time, min: 20
- TV camera field of view in pitch, deg: 5 - −65
- Flight duration, h: 2
- Number of takeoffs and landings (applications for each RPV): 5
- Operating temperature range of the complex, °С: -30 - +50
- Service personnel training time, h: 200
- Wind at RPV launch, m/s: no more than 10
- Wind during RPV landing, m/s: no more than 8
Tu-143 "Reis" - reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
Designed for conducting tactical reconnaissance in the front line by means of photo and telereconnaissance of area targets and individual routes, as well as monitoring the radiation situation along the flight route. It is part of the VR-3 complex. At the end of the flight, the Tu-143 turned around according to the program and returned back to the landing zone, where, after stopping the engine and the “hill” maneuver, landing was carried out using a parachute-reactive system and landing gear.
The use of the complex was practiced in the 4th Center for Combat Use of the Air Force. In the 1970s and 1980s, 950 pieces were produced. April 2014 Armed forces Ukraine reactivated the drones left over from the USSR and tested them, after which their combat use began on the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
- Tu-143 modification
- Wingspan, m 2.24
- Length, m 8.06
- Height, m 1.545
- Wing area, m2 2.90
- Weight, kg 1230
- Engine type TRD TRZ-117
- Thrust, kgf 1 x 640
- Accelerator SPRD-251
- Maximum speed, km/h
- Cruise speed, km/h 950
- Practical range, km 180
- Flight time, min 13
- Practical ceiling, m 1000
- Minimum flight altitude, m 10
Skat is a reconnaissance and attack unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the Mikoyan and Gurevich Design Bureau and Klimov OJSC. It was first presented at the MAKS-2007 air show as a full-size mock-up intended for testing design and layout solutions.
According to the Director General of RAC "MIG" Sergey Korotkov, the development of the unmanned attack aerial vehicle "Skat" has been stopped. According to the decision of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, according to the results of the corresponding tender, the Sukhoi AHC was chosen as the lead developer of a promising strike UAV. However, the groundwork for "Skat" will be used in the development of the "family" of the Sukhoi UAV, and RAC "MIG" will take part in these works. The project was suspended due to lack of funding. December 22, 2015 in an interview (Vedomosti newspaper) with CEO RSK "MiG" Serey Korotkov said that work on the "Skat" continues. The work is carried out jointly with TsAGI. The development is financed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.
Purpose
- Conducting reconnaissance
- Attacking ground targets with aerial bombs and guided missiles (X-59)
- Destruction of radar systems by missiles (X-31).
Specifications
- Length: 10.25 m
- Wingspan: 11.50 m
- Height: 2.7 m
- Chassis: tricycle
- Maximum takeoff weight: 20000 kg
- Engine: 1 × turbofan RD-5000B with a flat nozzle
- Thrust: without afterburner: 1 × 5040 kgf
- Thrust-to-weight ratio: at maximum takeoff weight: 0.25 kgf / kg
Flight characteristics
- Maximum speed at high altitude: 850 km/h (0.8 M)
- Flight range: 4000 km
- Combat radius: 1200 km
- Practical ceiling: 15000 m
Armament
Designed for observation, target designation, fire adjustment, damage assessment. Effective in conducting aerial photography and video shooting at a short distance. Produced by the Izhevsk company "ZALA AERO GROUP" under the leadership of Zakharov A.V.
The unmanned aerial vehicle is designed according to the “flying wing” aerodynamic configuration and consists of a glider with an automatic control system for the autopilot, controls and a power plant, an onboard power system, a parachute landing system and removable payload units. To ensure that the aircraft does not get lost late in the day, miniature LED lamps are installed on the body, requiring low power consumption. Runs ZALA 421-08 from the hands. Landing method - automatically with a parachute.
Characteristics:
- Range of video/radio channel 15 km / 25 km
- Flight duration 80 min
- UAV wingspan 810 mm
- UAV length 425 mm
- Maximum flight altitude 3600 m
- Launch for the body of the UAV or catapult
- Landing - parachute / net
- Engine type - electric pulling
- Speed 65-130 km/h
- Maximum takeoff weight 2.5 kg
- Target load mass 300 g
- Navigation INS with GPS/GLONASS correction, radio range finder
- Target loads Type "08"
- Glider - one-piece wing
- Battery – 10000 mAh 4S
- Maximum allowable wind speed 20 m/s
- Operating temperature range -30°C…+40°C (5 votes, average: 5,00 out of 5)
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 to develop 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 information transmitted 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).
As part of the aerospace show in Zhukovsky MAKS-2007 near Moscow, in the closed part of the exposition, the MiG aircraft corporation showed its attack unmanned complex Skat - an aircraft made according to the "flying wing" scheme and outwardly very reminiscent of the American B-2 Spirit bomber or its a smaller version is the Kh-47V marine unmanned aerial vehicle.
"Skat" is designed to strike both at previously reconnoitered stationary targets, primarily air defense systems, in the face of strong opposition from enemy anti-aircraft weapons, and at mobile ground and sea targets when conducting autonomous and group actions, joint with manned aircraft.
Its maximum takeoff weight should be 10 tons. Flight range - 4 thousand kilometers. The flight speed near the ground is not less than 800 km / h. It will be able to carry two air-to-surface / air-to-radar missiles or two adjustable bombs with a total mass of not more than 1 ton.
The aircraft is made according to the scheme of the flying wing. In addition, the well-known methods of reducing radar visibility were clearly visible in the appearance of the structure. So, the wingtips are parallel to its leading edge and the contours of the rear of the apparatus are made in the same way. Above the middle part of the wing, the Skat had a fuselage of a characteristic shape, smoothly mated with the bearing surfaces. Vertical plumage was not provided. As can be seen from the photographs of the Skat layout, control was to be carried out using four elevons located on the consoles and on the center section. Wherein certain questions immediately caused yaw control: 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 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, as technical specifications, as well as the composition of weapons.
The project of a heavy strike unmanned aerial vehicle. The development of the research topic "Hunter" to study the possibility of creating a strike UAV weighing up to 20 tons in the interests of the Russian Air Force was or is being conducted by the Sukhoi company (JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau). For the first time, the plans of the Ministry of Defense to adopt an attack UAV were announced at the MAKS-2009 air show in August 2009. According to Mikhail Pogosyan, in August 2009, the design of a new attack unmanned complex was to be the first joint work of the relevant units of the Sukhoi Design Bureau and MiG (project " Skat"). The media reported on the conclusion of a contract for the implementation of research "Okhotnik" with the company "Sukhoi" July 12, 2011. "and" Sukhoi "was signed only on October 25, 2012.
The terms of reference for the strike UAV was approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense in the first days of April 2012. On July 6, 2012, information appeared in the media that the Sukhoi company had been selected by the Russian Air Force as the lead developer. An unnamed source in the industry also reports that the strike UAV developed by Sukhoi will simultaneously be a sixth-generation fighter. As of mid-2012, it is assumed that the first sample of the strike UAV will begin testing no earlier than 2016. It is expected to enter service by 2020. In the future, it was planned to create navigation systems for landing approach and taxiing of heavy UAVs on the instructions of JSC Sukhoi Company (source).
Media reports that the first sample of the heavy attack UAV of the Sukhoi Design Bureau will be ready in 2018.
Combat use (otherwise they will say exhibition copies, Soviet junk)
“For the first time in the world, the Russian Armed Forces carried out an attack on a fortified militant area with combat drones. In the province of Latakia, the army units of the Syrian army, with the support of Russian paratroopers and Russian combat drones, took the strategic height 754.5, the Siriatel tower.
Most recently, the Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, General Gerasimov, said that Russia is striving to completely robotize the battle, and perhaps in the near future we will witness how robotic groups independently conduct military operations, and this is what happened.
In Russia, in 2013, the newest automated control system "Andromeda-D" was adopted by the Airborne Forces, with the help of which it is possible to carry out operational control of a mixed group of troops.
The use of the latest high-tech equipment allows the command to ensure continuous control of troops performing combat training tasks at unfamiliar training grounds, and the command of the Airborne Forces to monitor their actions, being at a distance of more than 5 thousand kilometers from their deployment sites, receiving from the exercise area not only a graphic picture of moving units, but also a video image of their actions in real time.
The complex, depending on the tasks, can be mounted on the chassis of a two-axle KamAZ, BTR-D, BMD-2 or BMD-4. In addition, taking into account the specifics of the Airborne Forces, Andromeda-D is adapted for loading into an aircraft, flight and landing.
This system, as well as combat drones, were deployed to Syria and tested in combat conditions.
Six Platform-M robotic complexes and four Argo complexes took part in the attack on the heights, the attack of drones was supported by the Akatsiya self-propelled artillery mounts (ACS) recently transferred to Syria, which can destroy enemy positions with mounted fire.
From the air, behind the battlefield, drones conducted reconnaissance, transmitting information to the deployed Andromeda-D field center, as well as to Moscow, to the National Defense Control Center of the command post of the Russian General Staff.
Combat robots, self-propelled guns, drones were tied to automated system control "Andromeda-D". 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.
A robot cannot harm a person or by its inaction allow a person to be harmed.
- A. Asimov, Three Laws of Robotics
Isaac Asimov was wrong. Very soon, the electronic “eye” will take a person into sight, and the microcircuit will impassively order: “Fire to kill!”
A robot is stronger than a flesh-and-blood pilot. Ten, twenty, thirty hours of continuous flight - he demonstrates constant vigor and is ready to continue the mission. Even when the g-forces reach the dreaded 10 gee, filling the body with leaden pain, the digital devil will keep his mind clear, calmly counting the course and keeping an eye on the enemy.
The digital brain does not require training and regular training to maintain skill. Mathematical models and algorithms of behavior in the air are forever loaded into the memory of the machine. Having stood for a decade in the hangar, the robot will return to the sky at any moment, taking the helm in its strong and skillful “hands”.
Their time has not yet struck. In the US military (a leader in this field of technology), drones make up a third of the fleet of all aircraft in operation. At the same time, only 1% of UAVs are able to use.
Alas, even this is more than enough to sow terror in those territories that have been given over to hunting grounds for these ruthless steel birds.
5th place - General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (“Reaper”)
Reconnaissance and strike UAV with max. take-off weight of about 5 tons.
Flight duration: 24 hours.
Speed: up to 400 km/h.
Ceiling: 13,000 meters.
Engine: turboprop, 900 hp
Full fuel capacity: 1300 kg.
Armament: up to four Hellfire missiles and two 500-pound JDAM guided bombs.
On-board electronic equipment: AN / APY-8 radar with mapping mode (under the nose cone), MTS-B electro-optical sighting station (in a spherical module) for operation in the visible and IR ranges, with a built-in target designator for illuminating targets for ammunition with semi-active laser guidance.
Cost: $16.9 million
To date, 163 Reaper UAVs have been built.
The most high-profile case of combat use: in April 2010, in Afghanistan, a third person in the leadership of al-Qaeda, Mustafa Abu Yazid, known as Sheikh al-Masri, was killed by an MQ-9 Reaper UAV.
4th - Interstate TDR-1
Unmanned torpedo bomber.
Max. takeoff weight: 2.7 tons.
Engines: 2 x 220 HP
Cruise speed: 225 km/h,
Flight range: 680 km,
Combat load: 2000 fn. (907 kg).
Built: 162 units
“I remember the excitement that gripped me when the screen charged and covered with numerous dots - it seemed to me that the telecontrol system had failed. After a moment, I realized it was anti-aircraft guns! After correcting the drone's flight, I directed it straight into the middle of the ship. At the last second, a deck flashed before my eyes - close enough that I could see the details. Suddenly, the screen turned into a gray static background ... Obviously, the explosion killed everyone on board.
- First sortie 27 September 1944
"Project Option" provided for the creation of unmanned torpedo bombers to destroy the Japanese fleet. In April 1942, the first test of the system took place - a “drone”, remotely controlled from an aircraft flying 50 km away, launched an attack on the destroyer Ward. The dropped torpedo passed exactly under the keel of the destroyer.
Takeoff TDR-1 from the deck of an aircraft carrier
Encouraged by the success, the leadership of the fleet expected by 1943 to form 18 strike squadrons consisting of 1000 UAVs and 162 command Avengers. However, the Japanese fleet was soon overwhelmed by conventional aircraft and the program lost priority.
The main secret of the TDR-1 was a small-sized video camera designed by Vladimir Zworykin. With a weight of 44 kg, she had the ability to transmit images over the air at a frequency of 40 frames per second.
“Project Option” is amazing with its boldness and early appearance, but we have 3 more amazing cars ahead of us:
3rd place - RQ-4 “Global Hawk”
Unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with max. takeoff weight of 14.6 tons.
Flight duration: 32 hours.
Max. speed: 620 km/h.
Ceiling: 18,200 meters.
Engine: turbojet with a thrust of 3 tons,
Flight range: 22,000 km.
Cost: $131 million (excluding development costs).
Built: 42 units.
The drone is equipped with a set of reconnaissance equipment HISAR, like that, which is put on modern U-2 scouts. HISAR includes synthetic aperture radar, optical and thermal camera, as well as a satellite data transmission channel with a speed of 50 Mbps. It is possible to install additional equipment for electronic intelligence.
Each UAV has a set of protective equipment, including laser and radar warning stations, as well as an ALE-50 towed trap to deflect missiles fired at it.
Forest fires in California, filmed by the reconnaissance "Global Hawk"
A worthy successor to the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, soaring in the stratosphere with its huge wings spread out. RQ-4 records include long distance flights (flight from the US to Australia, 2001), the longest flight of any UAV (33 hours in the air, 2008), a drone refueling demonstration by a drone (2012). By 2013, the total flight time of the RQ-4 exceeded 100,000 hours.
The MQ-4 Triton drone was created on the basis of Global Hawk. Marine reconnaissance with a new radar, capable of surveying 7 million square meters per day. kilometers of ocean.
The Global Hawk does not carry strike weapons, but it deserves to be on the list of the most dangerous drones for knowing too much.
2nd place - X-47B “Pegasus”
Inconspicuous reconnaissance and strike UAV with max. take-off weight of 20 tons.
Cruise speed: Mach 0.9.
Ceiling: 12,000 meters.
Engine: from the F-16 fighter, thrust 8 tons.
Flight range: 3900 km.
Cost: $900 million for X-47 R&D.
Built: 2 concept demonstrators.
Armament: two internal bomb bays, combat load 2 tons.
A charismatic UAV built according to the “duck” scheme, but without the use of PGO, the role of which is played by the carrier fuselage itself, made using the “stealth” technology and having a negative installation angle with respect to the air flow. To consolidate the effect, the lower part of the fuselage in the nose is shaped similar to the descent vehicles of spacecraft.
A year ago, the X-47B amused the public with its flights from the decks of aircraft carriers. This phase of the program is now nearing completion. In the future, the appearance of an even more formidable X-47C drone with a combat load of over four tons.
1st place - “Taranis”
The concept of an inconspicuous strike UAV from the British company BAE Systems.
Little is known about the drone itself:
subsonic speed.
Stealth technology.
Turbojet engine with a thrust of 4 tons.
The appearance is reminiscent of the Russian experimental UAV Skat.
Two internal weapons bays.
What is so terrible in this "Taranis"?
The goal of the program is to develop technologies for creating an autonomous stealth strike drone, which will allow delivering high-precision strikes against ground targets at long range and automatically evade enemy weapons.
Prior to this, disputes about a possible “jamming” and “interception of control” caused only sarcasm. Now they have completely lost their meaning: “Taranis”, in principle, is not ready for communication. He is deaf to all requests and entreaties. The robot is indifferently looking for someone whose appearance falls under the description of the enemy.
Flight test cycle at Woomera, Australia, 2013
Taranis is just the beginning of the journey. On its basis, it is planned to create an unmanned attack bomber with an intercontinental flight range. In addition, the advent of fully autonomous drones will open the way to the creation of unmanned fighters (since existing remotely controlled UAVs are not capable of air combat due to delays in their telecontrol system).
British scientists are preparing a worthy finale for all mankind.
Epilogue
War has no feminine face. Rather not human.
Unmanned vehicles are a flight into the future. It brings us closer to the eternal human dream: to finally stop risking the lives of soldiers and to hand over feats of arms to soulless machines.
Following Moore's rule of thumb (doubling computer performance every 24 months), the future could come unexpectedly soon...
The training mobile unmanned complex "GeoDrone L" is designed to train specialists who perform work on aerial photography, processing and analysis of the received data.
Solves the problems of teaching students, teaching staff, representatives of state and commercial enterprises working with drones and obtaining the necessary content for them in the form of photoplans, 3D terrain models, DTMs, vegetation maps (NDVI), etc.
The complex contains all the necessary methods and instructions for its inclusion in the composition educational programs add. education in universities and secondary vocational education as a training UAV.
The unmanned aircraft complex IDS-5 was developed by the research and production enterprise "IDS Technologies" and is intended for aerial monitoring and aerial photography of linear and areal objects of the national economy and transport infrastructure using various kinds target load. It has a long flight duration (up to 20 hours) and the ability to work from one launch pad without additional folding-deployment of the complex. It is used for flights to remote objects in hard-to-reach places. It is equipped with an internal combustion engine, which eliminates the dependence of the flight duration on the ambient temperature (especially important at low temperatures).
eBee X cartographic complex: professional aerial photography, accurate photogrammetry.
EBee X is a geodetic class UAV.
The latest eBee X unmanned aerial vehicle is based on the experience of a whole line of lightweight aircraft-type drones. The experience of using around the world in a wide variety of conditions has led to the creation of an incredibly productive, hardy, capable of operating in a minimum of free space, the most secure surveying class drone. New technology"Landing in a limited space" will allow you to work calmly in conditions where takeoff and landing is possible within a few tens of meters.
Tiguar is an advanced UAV developed by uAvionics with a wingspan of 4.1 m and a flight duration of over 20 hours designed for civil operations. Tiguar is a reliable and safe tool for monitoring and checking any places and areas where long working life or overcoming significant distances is required.
UAS "Ptero-G1" is capable of carrying a payload with a total weight of up to 10 kg. The time spent in the air with a standard payload of 2 kg is up to 8 hours. During this time, the device can cover up to 800 kilometers.
Use of specialized software for planning aerial photography routes and professional aerial photography equipment allow you to perform all types of aerial photography with high quality.
The largest apparatus of the Albatross company with a maximum flight time of 5 hours and a wingspan of 3.3 meters. Ideal for shooting large areas and when long continuous flight is required. Designed to create high-precision orthophotos, digital terrain models and multispectral models of objects of any area. The possibility of fast replacement of batteries is provided.
Avian-RTK - aircraft-type UAV. It is part of a complex designed for geodetic surveying of the terrain. With the use of this complex geodetic survey is significantly reduced in time, and the accuracy remains at a high level - 5mm.
The unmanned aircraft complex "COUGAR" is intended for:
Remote monitoring of the terrain in the area up to 70 km at any time of the day in a time mode close to real time.
Retransmission of ground-based data via UAVs at a distance of 70 km in the absence of direct radio visibility, including the organization of video communication.
The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) "Ocelot" is designed to obtain photographic images of the area in the daytime, obtain a video image of the area and determine the coordinates of ground objects in real time at any time of the day, and observe objects.
UAV MICROVISOR V1.8 is designed for medium tactical reconnaissance.
The product has a wingspan of 1800 mm, weight 5 kg. Distinctive feature products, this is the speed of deployment, simplicity and reliability in operation, resistance to mechanical and thermal influences, moisture protection
The unmanned system "Atlas 180 Oko" is designed for video surveillance from the air. Its scopes of application: detection of fires, protection and control and monitoring of extended objects, search and rescue operations, detection of people and animals.
The unmanned system "Atlas 180 Geo" is made according to the "flying wing" scheme from light and durable composite materials. The scope of the aircraft is aerial photography for mapping the terrain, topographic survey, geodesy, creating orthophotomaps and 3D modeling.
"Sapsan-3000" is an unmanned aerial vehicle with a "flying wing" aerodynamic design. Such a scheme, with well-calculated aerodynamics, allows you to achieve both high performance characteristics and ease of operation.
The mobile complex provides control and telemetry communication with the aircraft at the takeoff and landing site, and is also a mobile vehicle for the crew and carrier. The mobile complex can be implemented on the basis of any vehicle providing accommodation necessary equipment and crew.