UAVs in Russian Armed Forces: News

Russia will not buy anymore Israeli UAVs

The largest forum of the Russian defense showed why we can not do without the purchase of foreign weapons

In Zhukovsky near Moscow yesterday, finished the 1 st International Forum " Technology in Mechanical Engineering - 2010 " . His leitmotif was the controversy on the subject , to buy or not to buy Russian foreign arms.

The Forum brought together four previously separate specialized exhibitions - International Exhibition of Technology in Mechanical Engineering " Intermash -2010 " Salon of weapons and military equipment of ground forces IDELF -2010 , as well as the exhibition " Aerospace 2010 "and" Unmanned multipurpose complex UVS-TECH- 2010 " . Platform for large-scale event was selected airfield Gromov Flight Research Institute , home of the Aviation and Space Salon MAKS.

The exhibition program involved 314 companies in 28 events on the program - more than 1500 delegates from the Russian and 42 foreign companies from 18 countries . They presented their products at private displays an area of over 6 thousand square meters and the outdoor area of more than 3,5 thousand square meters From the VIP-persons appeared at the forum , Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who met with President of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh and Chairman of the Board of Siemens AG , Peter Loescher , the head of Russian Technologies Chemezov , director of the FA PTS Mikhail Dmitriev , President Alexei Fyodorov, UAC .

The forum Roscosmos and the State Military Industrial Committee of Belarus signed a memorandum on cooperation in space technology. Expected to create a unified navigation and information space in the two states , the development of joint legal and regulatory framework for the establishment and use of space technology and satellite navigation system GLONASS, the regulation of network operators , the creation of optoelectronic devices for high resolution digital mapping of the complex.

At the exhibition , it was announced that Jordan started the construction of assembly plant launcher complexes " Hashim " . scheduled to begin production within 18 months , and it will be purely assembly : Russian military technology will not give Jordan .

Set the demonstrated military equipment and weapons in Zhukovsky was traditional, but not without innovations . For the first time were shown some examples of communications and signal monitoring . This radar ground reconnaissance CHAR - 10M , space-saving radar 1L122E Concern PVO Almaz- Antey " radar " Vitim NPK NIIDAR , the R -168 - 1KE Yaroslavl Radio Plant , multi-channel radio microwave and portable VHF concern "Constellation " , Mobile radio monitoring complex HF- band " Onslaught -1 " ON "Quantum ", a mobile communication system MIC - ISS scientific -industrial firm " Micran " , automated control system for ground troops " Acacia - E " concern " Systemprom . The latter is designed to provide communication between the General Staff and the operational headquarters for the calculation of the forces for combat operations , processing of information received from intelligence. The system has already been used in the exercises Kavkaz - 2009 " .

The first demonstration of an armored car "Wolf " , developed by the Military- Industrial Company ( part of the holding company , Russian Machines " ) - continued well -proven family of military vehicles "Tiger " . However , as already reported, the Russian Defense Ministry intends to buy armored LMV Italian company Iveco. They plan to collect the license for Kamaz.

Holding "Helicopters of Russia " ( a subsidiary of OPK Oboronprom , which is part of Rostekhnologii ) unveiled two new unmanned aircraft helicopter type - " Kite " and Ka -135 . UAV helicopter type - a new direction in the world of unmanned aircraft, are actively developing in the last decade . As a platform for the creation of unmanned systems may be considered Russian manned helicopters Mi- 34, Ka- 226 , " Patrol ", " Ansat " , " act ".

It was first shown 120 - mm rifled towed mortar semi Nona -M2 . He established the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering. Mortar is universal and can use all the world's 120 -mm mortar shells and with ready rifling .

The Forum was the scene of controversy surrounding the procurement of foreign weapons Russia . The Ministry of Defence and the French company Sagem Defense Securite ( group of companies SAFRAN) held talks on a possible purchase of the fire control system "Sigma -30 " for the modernization of the Russian artillery and multiple rocket launching systems ( MLRS ). Sagem is now supplying these systems virtually the entire range of Russian weapons export products, including the "Sigma -95 " for " dry " . The same system equipped with MLRS Germany and Italy , modernized armored Norway and Sweden.

MOD in talks about buying a French limited edition gear " soldier of the future "FELIN - for the special forces of the GRU . The cost of an order of magnitude lower than similar developments in Germany and the U.S., where it is 50-60 thousand Euro .

According to general director of the corporation Rostekhnologii Chemezov , buying abroad today is inevitable, because the share of Russian companies that are developing and deploying technological innovations , yet does not exceed 10 % and the share of innovative products of 5,5%.

But the Russian developers of drones have a chance to contract with the Defense Ministry, because plans additional purchases of foreign UAV after Israel no. Said first deputy defense minister Vladimir Popovkin . Defense plans this summer to choose the Russian developer drones , which will supply the Army aircraft in the class scout or target designator.

Research has shown steel materials and protective structure for local and individual reservations . In particular , helmets for the military are the easiest in the world , unique to them yet. Helmet withstand a shot from 5 meters from the Makarov pistol. Was presented and a new kind of armor from nanomaterials . So, perhaps , from the acquisition plans were in Germany , our military authorities refused.

Russian Corporation of communication " , part of the state corporation Russian Technologies , and the company " CELEX The system is integrative SpA (Included in the Italian group Finmeccanica ) signed an agreement on modalities for establishing joint venture in Russia to design and manufacture of complex automated systems security of protected objects and events .

On the ground in 5 hectares of land , specially built for the forum , together with the demonstration of the technology was conducted military - sports show involving DOSAAF and riot Interior , Ministry of Emergencies of Russia, GRU, the General Staff , the FSB . In preparing the demonstration program involved not only military specialists , but " civil " director of the Bolshoi Theatre Andrei Melanin . During a demonstration of military equipment in action there was almost no crowd . The fact that the organizers of the show for visitors to sell some tickets , and for the entrance to the exhibition - other . Guests are usually bought only a ticket for entrance. Moreover, instead of the planned two hits armor and special weapons have decided to hold three , but the third was scheduled for 18.00 , when none of the visitors to the airfield was no longer allowed .

Nicholas Poroskov

I have read on a website that Tupolev are working on a medium range UAV for the Russian AF... anybody heard anything more?

What happened with Skat UCAV ?

Austin wrote:What happened with Skat UCAV ?

no info, it coul be anything, it could fly by now as a prototype or its mockup could be rotting in some hall

I have also read that due to pretty much all the aircraft design bureaus now all being part of the UAC that they will have a department that focuses on UAV and UCAV development and that it wont be one design bureau or another project.

However in contradiction to that I have also read that the HALE UAV/UCAV will be made by Sukhoi and is called S-62 and the MALE UAV/UCAV will be made by Tupolev and is called TANK-SD or something and will not be related to Tupolevs previous UAV designs like the Reis and other recon drone families they made in the past.

The Sukhoi S-62 family of UAV looks promising hope it gets the desired funding.

Hope they operationalise a UCAV like Skat soon , US has already operationalise a classified UCAV ( Boeing ) and Brits are not far behind now with strategic ucav Taranis in the make

AFAIK the Russian officials constantly talk about a super high altitude recon platform and about the urgency of such things in their inventory.
This makes me think of the M-55 and M-17 in manned platforms and the S-62 in unmanned platforms, though I think there also might be platforms based on airships too.
There was a prototype shown a while back of what looked like a flying saucer which was an airship with a saucer shape to help it cope with high altitude winds.

GarryB wrote:AFAIK the Russian officials constantly talk about a super high altitude recon platform and about the urgency of such things in their inventory.
This makes me think of the M-55 and M-17 in manned platforms and the S-62 in unmanned platforms, though I think there also might be platforms based on airships too.
There was a prototype shown a while back of what looked like a flying saucer which was an airship with a saucer shape to help it cope with high altitude winds.

Well they talk about lot of things Hypersonic Aircraft , High Altitude Stratosphere Aircraft , UCAV , UAV but nothing concrete has shown up yet , may be more talks less action ?

Hopefully MAKS 2011 should have some info on these.

Can anybody provide a pdf file representing Russian advancement in UCAVS
After Georgian war much westerners do still think Russ is behind in this particular warfare because they hadn't used it then

Russian UAV is as worst as it gets and even the Russian Air Force chief says he prefers joint devl/lic manf of UAV from Israel rather then buying it locally as they are not upto the mark.

UCAV nothing much is known probably they are no better off then the UAV

Just until recently Russia did not have UAV/UCAV in its military planing budget. Only 2008 war triggered interest in it and Russia moved to its design late but strong. We see numerous projects witch still does not satisfy military but in time those problem will get solved.

The first unmanned system "Spectrum 301" will be delivered in November this year

Moscow. November 1. Airports - air unmanned systems for monitoring, surveillance and reconnaissance, "Spectrum 301" development company "Scientific-Production Center Firm NELK" will be delivered to the buyer in October-November this year, told AviaPort "the Head of Development firm Gaidar, Boris.

Interviewee refused to talk about the number of delivered systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, "Spectrum 301", as they are available for law enforcement agencies.

"Unmanned systems with UAV aircraft type Spektr-301 has successfully passed flight tests and is now made to order as civilian customers, and security structures of Russia", - he said.

B. Gaidar also refuted appeared in media reports about the possible sale of 500 thousand rubles unmanned helicopter-type complex on the order of the Government of Moscow. According to him, the Moscow city government has not appealed to us and talks on this topic were not conducted.

Unmanned aerial vehicle "Spectrum 301" made by airplane-type scheme "flying wing" with swept trailing edge of the wing. The power plant of the same engine with a pusher propeller located in the rear of the unit.

UAV Spektr-301 has a starting weight of 7 kg in weight payload of up to 1 kg. The flight speed is between 55 km / h to 150 km / h at the operating altitude of 50 m to 500 m. Range - at least 160 km and a maximum flight duration - up to 120 min. UAV flies in the automatic mode and semi-automatic.

UAV can be equipped with a wide range of specialized equipment and instrumentation. In particular, it can be set:

* thermal imaging camera with a resolution of at least 640h512 pixels and detection range human up to 5 km, the truck up to 12,5 km;
* TV camera with a magnification of 25-300, with a range of human recognition of 4-6 km, 6-8 km passenger car;
* Station radar reconnaissance with a range of detection of human 5 km, the truck 12 km, with an error range of up to five meters;
* laser rangefinder with a limit ranging from 5 to 15 km and an accuracy of up to 5 m;
* complex radio and electronic intelligence.


Dmitry Kozlov

Actually re-reading this page I am reminded of a drawing I saw of a small stealthy looking body with enormous wings.
At the time I though it was just fantasy art because it had no tail surfaces and square intakes and presumably exhausts.

However word that the final T-50 will have square exhausts for stealth purposes makes me think that perhaps this is more important than it looked.

Based on the name of the file (I found it a while ago... can't remember when or where) I think this aircraft is the M-63 multi-purpose high-flying version of a Myasishchev design. There is also the M-67 early-warning high-flying design mentioned that might be related.

Red Star Volume 20 - Soviet/Russian Unmanned Aerial Vehicals

Download

Thanks Austin, downloading now.

Can anybody provide a pdf file representing Russian advancement in UCAVS
After Georgian war much westerners do still think Russ is behind in this particular warfare because they hadn't used it then

Before the Georgian war the Russian military only dabbled in UAV technology.

It is not an accident that modern capable UAV systems cost millions of dollars to buy. They are not just simple remote control toys.

The thing is that you need high quality video systems that might cost over $100,000 dollars for the video system alone. Then you need to add a modern efficient engine, plus electronics and a good basic aerodynamic shape to fit everything into.
You also need to make the system easy to use and soldier proof.

Before 2008 the Russian military weren't even looking at UAVs so there were plenty at air shows but without any being bought there is no way a capable system could be funded so most of what was shown was one off prototypes.

After the conflict in Georgia the Armed forces wanted a capable tested mature system to buy and all they saw were prototypes.

In fact worse than that they saw cost cutting with cheap unstabilised cameras and low powered engines that couldn't fly high or fast and the image they captured was poor quality.

Their response was to buy Israeli UAVs for testing so they knew what to demand and what to expect. Remember an Air force will have different needs and wants from an Army. An Army will want UAVs for artillery spotting to find targets and to report back the effect of an artillery attack. For front line use an Army will want small compact systems a man can operate to see what is over the next hill or behind the trees in front of his troops position so they need to be small, and don't need to fly high or fast.
An airforce UAV on the other hand needs to be able to fly very high and may need to fly fast to get to an operational area but then loiter for hours or perhaps even days.
Flying high means powerful zoom cameras of very high quality with good stabilisation systems etc etc.

I would expect in the next few years that Russian companies will come up with much better UAVs and that if those UAVs are bought and the companies supported by the Military that in 10 years time the best available UAVs will include Russian models.

Regarding UCAVs I have posted this photo



Here is the Tu-300 UCAV.

The nose thimble is the guidance antenna for the ATAKA and SHTURM ATGMs. Fired from helicopters its range is 6km and 5km respectively but from 5-6km up that flight range might be 7-8km perhaps though I rather doubt they would glide very well.
ATAKA and SHTURM are popular because they are accurate enough to hit a vehicle at max range but are cheap because they contain no guidance systems or seekers.
The Russian Army will have enormous numbers of these missiles in stock though I would expect their use by dates will not allow them to be kept in storage forever.

Great thnx Austin

I would like to ask if there is any photo of Israeli UAVs in colors of Russian air force / army? Do they get all 60+ UAVs or only first batch of 12 UAVs and did they test them in north Caucasus? I would really like to know, how do they like Searcher II.

I believe the plan is for a testing unit to be set up to use the Israeli drones to test what they can and can't do, and to write operations manuals and develop training and combat use manuals for UAVs of various types for the Russian AF.

These Israeli drones will not operate in Russian service, they will be used strictly for training within a designated training unit so the Russian AF can decide what UAVs can do and create a set of requirements for new UAVs for service use to replace these UAVs.

Remember these UAVs are not new and I have read that the Russians are not hugely impressed with the cameras fitted to them, but then the first Russian UAVs without funding had cheap cameras too... when the Russian military tested them they criticised them for their rubbish cameras without stabilisation (mechanical or software based) so clearly the Russian UAV makers have stepped up if they are now criticising the Israeli UAVs for not having state of the art cameras... which as I said is not surprising as these are not new UAV designs.

If Russian MoD buy only first butch of 12 UAVs, I would believe, they are just for testing and training, but they buy second butch with 36 UAVs and third butch with 14 UAVs, together 62 UAVs and I doubt, they will be just for testing and training. Also they would like to make a factory with IAI to produce israeli UAVs in Russia. Maybe they are not intended for regular units, but GRU.

There are a wide range of uses for UAVs, including perimeter patrol and the Russian MVD already use Russian UAVs for all sorts of things.

I am guessing they want to buy production facilities for Israeli UAVs like they want production facilities to build Mistral carriers.

Initially it will build the foreign product but after that it will be used to build Russian UAVs.

The problem in the past has been that there has been no funding for UAVs in Russia so any UAVs shown in the past have been either mockups or hand made single prototypes. Even if the Russian military loved the model when they say... we want 500 systems what is the producer going to say? It is just a prototype... we need to develop the system to make it a deployable operational system... and we need money to make a factory and to tool up for mass production and to train a work force, and we need lots of money up front to buy all the components we need like combat ready lap tops to control the system that can be dipped in water and mud and still work, not to mention high quality high magnification video cameras and stabilisation systems and night cameras etc etc.

It makes more sense to find a system off the shelf that has been proven in combat and get a licence to produce that complete system. Once facilities are created then they can be adapted to allow Russian UAV makers to move in and they can give the factory their plans and parts supplier list and the factory can build 10 of their UAVs which can then be tested and faults found and corrected. If their datalink equipment is rubbish then they can use the datalink equipment from the Israeli systems... if their control software is too complicated for the average conscript to be able to use then the Israeli software can be developed or it could be developed in house. etc etc.

Israeli produced UAVs could be used by all sorts of non military organisations in Russia including the FSB and the police or border patrol etc etc. The size of the country alone means there is plenty of scope for the use of such systems.

Leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry showed Israeli and domestic UAV

Last week, on March 10, Air Force Base in Russia "Kubinka" was organized demonstration of unmanned vehicles, planned to use in the interests of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. The screening was attended by Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, the deputy defense minister for armaments, Vladimir Popovkin, the chief of General Staff Gen. Nikolai Makarov, Air Force Commander Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin, industry representatives.

Russian military leaders were shown the Israeli system of mini-class Bird Eye 400 and mid-range Searcher MkII, and a mini-UAV made in Russia, selected according to the results of comparative tests carried out in autumn 2010. Moreover, if the Russian systems were put only on a static site, then Israel has also been shown in action. Thus, the Searcher UAV flew a period of about 6 hours in the terminal area, "Kubinka" at altitudes of up to 5 miles, passing the image on the ground control station in real time.

Israeli drones arrived in Russia last year. This was followed by training of operators and maintenance personnel. And although the operation of the purchased equipment is just beginning, the Russian military, according to a source in the Defense Ministry has already appreciated the effectiveness of the Israeli system.

According to one of the leading Russian experts in the field of UAVs, the editor of Site UAV.RU Dennis Fedutinova, new UAVs will be based in 924-m center of training and retraining of personnel of the parts of unmanned aircraft. Earlier, the military center exploited exclusively Russian unmanned vehicles, the most advanced model of which was set with remote-piloted "Bee", created back in 1980. "In comparison with them the impression of Israeli systems will be like when transplanted with Zhiguli at Mercedes," - said Dmitry Fedutin.

However, according to Dennis Fedutinova, "the door is not closed and before the Russian software companies. This, in his opinion, demonstrated the previous year comparative flights mini-UAV, which resulted in a marked increase in quality of the software developer and has been promised purchase of dozens of complex numbers selected by the Commission Army for operational testing in the Army. In addition, while not engaged in tactical systems remains a segment of the class. In Russia there are two main contenders for this niche - Tipchak "created concern" Vega "and" Watch-100 "companies" Kronstadt ", of which the position of the second, more preferably, in view of the negative reviews of the first system, the data deputy defense minister Popovkin .

"As for the larger systems, it is also possible to continue cooperation with Israel - Russia's interest of line Heron. However, this issue obviously lies in the political sphere", - said editor in chief UAV.RU.

Oh well the Israels has been the masters of UAV and has many decades of operational experience and have fielded qualitatively better systems.

Russian UAV has not been upto the mark and i wont be way of the mark if I would state their UAV developed so far are just junk.

But things are improving starting with small tactical UAV in Searcher class and with attention paid there they would field better systems in next decade.

It would be better to develop a seperate entity in the lines of Mig or Sukhoi design bureau to build UAV and UCAV , so that they can pool all the resources from Industry,Aerospace companies and Universities to build better UAV.

The reality is that the Russian military has just paid lip service for the last 50 plus years regarding UAVs.

One of their earliest was a Tupolev model that used a single jet engine from the Mig-25 as propulsion that was destroyed every flight because the payload was recovered separately via parachute.

The enormous... an unnecessary cost of each flight must have turned the Soviets off such vehicles despite their potential.

Until they had Georgian UAVs pestering the heck out of them they really paid little attention and zero funding into UAVs, and despite the fact that they look like model aircraft with cameras Israel spent a lot of money developing UAVs... and the Russian military arrogantly assumes because Russia makes 5th gen fighter planes that UAVs should be easy... and why aren't they good enough?

They have had since about the mid 90s a little attention at airshows with one off prototypes shown hoping to get funding. In 2008 there have been exercises where the Russian military expects an entire range of UAVs of world class performance... I am sure the military would be so understanding if I popped up and said the Russian military has not had enormous funding like the US, but unlike the UAV developers it actually has had regular yearly funding... so why isn't it as good as NATO? If Russian companies can learn to make UAVs overnight surely all of the military's problems can be solved in a week.

This is what is missing: http://rt.com/programs/technology-update/science-startups-birth-business/

Download the video at the bottom of the page and watch...

Clipped from Take-off mag. provided by Austin; refers to the progress of Russian Helicopter UAVs & UCAVs
http://defencedog.blogspot.com/2011/03/russian-helicopter-industry-2010.html

I think the armed forces lacked the vision for UAV or Netcentricity for their military , else they could have funded at the bare minumum and kept it going in prototype stages.

Russian Military is deep into Nuclear Weapons,Missile, Armoured Carrier and Planes that they tend to over look the critical and soft factors like UAV or Net Centric Capability.

Since Gerogia provided the wake up call they are funding somewhat and working on both fronts , but the US and NATO have a decade advantage there.

No wonder Medvedev said they badly needed an organisation like DARPA to do long term technology planning that would shape the Military and bring about RMA.