UAVs in Russian Armed Forces: News

Austin wrote:Sounds good , So does it have just Radar or even EO sensors.

So know 3 UAV/UCAV under development

5 T UAV
1 T UAV
20 T UCAV 


ANy thing else ?

Here's a list of the main perspective UAVs in development, no pics nor much information for most of them, but google them up maybe you'll find something

Inokhodets/Иноходец - 1 ton class UAV, 400km range (Tranzas)
Altyus-Ml/Альтиус - 5 ton class UAV, +800 km range (Sokol/Tranzas)
Okhotnik-B and Okhotnik-U/Охотник-У - heavy 20 ton class jet-powered UCAVs, up to 800km range (MiG/Sukhoi)
Gonschik/Гонщик - fast jet-powered UAV class (?), 400km range (MiG)
Albatross/Альбатрос - helicopter UAV, 50km range (Kamov)
Corsair/Корсар - short-range UAV, 50km range (Vega)
Roller/Роллер - helicopter UAV, 50km range (Mil?)

Here's a model of what might be Altyus-Ml https://servimg.com/image_preview...=25&u=17812518
A model of what's believed to be Sokol's supersonic UAV project http://img3067.imagevenue.com/img.ph..._122_559lo.jpg
There's also an unnamed project on the creation of a UCAV on the basis of the PAK-FA; so something like the beggining of a 6th generation aircraft I'd imagine although still a long way from it.

Now as for current UAVs;

http://missiles2go.ru/2012/11/13/uvs-tech-2012_1/ -
http://missiles2go.ru/2012/11/13/uvs-tech-2012_2/ - Russian UAVs at the UVS-tech 2012 exhibition
http://igorrgroup.blogspot.co.nz/201...vs-part-1.html - a slightly out of date summary of small man-launched UAVs and small helo UAVs mostly; among which we can see some innovations such as UAVs that fold out from something like an RPG tube (edit: it's a Smersh-launched one - the T90-11)
http://roboair.ru/air-400x---carrier - nearly 2-metre wide crazy UAV complexes; they are launched from truck-trailer command-posts
https://servimg.com/image_preview...209&u=15113927 - Dozor UAV variant
https://servimg.com/image_preview...208&u=15113927 - Danem UAV
http://www.network54.com/Forum/21183...?action=signup - Lutch UCAV

Some recent UAV classes enterring service:

http://lenta.ru/news/2012/10/09/uavs/ - Orlan-10 UAVs (< 100km range UAV class, up to 50 units)
http://enics.ru/product?product_id=3 - Eleron-Z UAVs (34 are being bought)
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/658798.html - assembly of Israeli UAVs in Russia (OK, so they're not Russian ;P); 10 Searcher-2 and 27 Birdeye-400 complexes

There are two UAV-related projects with the UAE AFAIK. The first is the joint Russo-UAE venture on the creation of a helicopter UCAV on the basis of the Berkut VL ultra-light helicopter (http://www.aviationunion.org/news_second.php?new=101).

The secound is the Russian purchase of an unnamed UAV from the UAE.

From what I can gather, the two projects are unrelated (http://www.navaldrones.com/Berkut-VL-UCAV.html), but they do seem to involve the same UAE company - Adcom. I gather it's their only UAV company.

Now, why would they buy UAVs from a UAE company like Adcom, and also agree to a joint-venture where the same company will use a Russian helicopter as the basis for a new attack drone? The company must be pretty advanced, right?
Right. You see, the UAE doesn't exactly have much of a home-grown military-industrial complex, much less a high-tech scientific base and engineer graduates every year.
But what they do have is money, and lots of it; which they're busy investing. A lot of foreign specialists too, and expats - the country is basically built on them. They also have access to Western technology, and Western expertise/specialists - and here we come to the crux of the matter.
Russia initially tried to aquire advanced Western UAV technology via Israel - but only got the stuff that's a generation behind. Now I suspect it's trying to slip around Western unwillingness on tech-transfer - by co-operating with a UAE company which perhaps does have access to such resources.

medo wrote:Nice to see this new big twin engine UAV Altius. I hope it will be able to carry armament on hardpoints like Vikhr ATGMs or smaller laser guided bombs and rockets. With two engines it is strong enough.

Morpheus Eberhardt wrote:Possibly Al'tius-M.

The AFAR compartment is labelled.

What does "БО" stand for?

TR1 wrote:Bokovoi Obzor?

Side view? Just guessing.

Yup yup ^^

With a selection between:
Vikhrs as the general-purpose missile for most tasks
Hermes-As for targets at longer ranges
And perhaps S-25L/S-25LDs laser-guided rockets for cheap and cheerful fun at short-ranges where a good amount of explosive is needed.

eridan wrote:the image itself says they're not. 1000-1100 km/h top speed, so they're high subsonic.

Why not make it supersonic , Why keep it transonic ?

Thanks Garry , Since the 20 T UCAV was based on T-50 PAK-FA design as they mentioned it would be , I was expecting it to be supersonic.

I think if they are going for high subsonic design then most likely the 5 T and 20 T UCAV will be very stealthy.

Austin wrote:I think the Mig UCAV design of 5 T is Skat on Lite Diet.

It is half the weight of Skat UCAV and carries half the weapon load and they mentioned in the article that they will take inputs from Skat.