UAVs in Russian Armed Forces: News

With wings attached and 9M120 Ataka & 9M113(M) Konkurs missile launch tubes on the KamAZ trailer.

The missile tube in front is new.

The missile tubes in front of the UAV are not pure cylinders... they appear to get wider near one end like the Konkurs did...
From what I remember the rear of Konkurs was wider to make room for the wire guidance spool that allowed it to reach targets at 4-4.5km range.

I rather doubt this missile is wire guided.

Perhaps we are looking at a new model of Kristantema with a modifed nose or warhead?

The launch tubes for Shturm, Ataka, and Krisantema, as well as Kornet are all straight cylinders... is this a new weapon?

Or a new version of an existing type?

speed...
ataka ,missiles = 400 m/s
9M113 Konkurs = 170 m/s

This is horribly slow , to hit anything..
in comparison..

Predator hellfire missile speed. = Mach 1.3

So literary the Predator missiles are up to 10x times the speed of the crap Russia drones use.
if your missiles are very slow.. it will give plenty of time for terrorist to do evasive maneuvers and hide..
if missiles are fast. terrorist will not have enough time to react. and hide.

The speed of sound at sea level is 320m/s, so this 10 times faster US missile moves at 416m/s.

Also Ataka moves at 450m/s, while the larger slower Krisantema moves at 420m/s but it has a larger warhead... and it has a slightly longer range... which is very important because all the speeds listed above are average speeds... which obviously depends on distance covered divided by flight time... so much longer range can make a faster missile seem slower.

Ironically the slowest operational missiles are Javelin and Spike... gonna bitch about them are we?

Holy S*** if this post doesn't get you ban for laughably delusional ignorance, I don't know what will.

No rules about going off half cocked... or being totally wrong.... which is just as well... I am not always right myself.

I'm really not fan of drones. They are not cheap at all and the cheapest trainer aircraft could be transformed in light reco anf attack to make their job.

They are rather small and hard to spot, yet can operate above the range of small arms fire, yet deliver weapons on target when needed.

Ataka is command guided so launching from 5km altitude you could probably hit targets 10km away... the target would have no idea it is under attack... especially as it moves at supersonic speed so the first sound the target will hear is the warhead exploding.

the same guidance is used with Pantsir and TOR missiles so it can be very accurate out to decent distances.

Don't think of these things as replacements for Su-25s and Mi-28/Ka-52s... these are a light recon tool that the local force commander can launch to see what is ahead or in an area he wants to monitor or may have to move into.

The point of these things is that they are disposable, so who cares if one gets shot down... but it does mean troops moving into new areas can have a good look there before setting boots there and any obvious target spotted can be dealt with immediately.

With Krisantema then you have a supersonic missile with a range of 6km+ that can penetrate 1.2 metres of steel plate, so even if it detects a tank it can start to take them on. Of course to soften the enemy if any air defence forces are detected they would likely take first priority to lessen their impact on follow up assets like Su-25s and Mils and Kamovs... but if the local commanders jeep is spotted then obviously that will be target number one... if a patriot battery is there or an MLRS battery then it would just as likely keep looking quietly as the target location information is passed up to HQ for an artillery barrage of 300mm unguided rockets from a nearby Smerch battery...

Russia proved itself that it can easily jam small drones in Syria and the best that US has. Same with Israel intercepting one with a chopper ...

So they can't use them to invade the US or Israel... there are still plenty of situations where they can be useful...

The bigger ones are easy targets for anti air systems. A yak 152 with reduced RCS and some missiles could do a far better job than those things. Pilots don't need an expensive training and the plane itself is cheap to operate.

Most will be operating at standoff distances and heights where ground fire should not be an issue... with a Yak-152, if you took that 90kg pilot and the 200kg ejection seat out you could put another 300 odd Kgs of equipment or fuel or weapons in there... leave the Yak-152 for training pilots and use the UCAVs for what they are good at.

The human factor can't be replaced in aviation.

It isn't... there will be a guy with the forces this drone is operating with monitoring the data it collects and populating maps with the location of the enemy forces... if the drone comes under fire or a particularly juicy target appears then they might open fire immediately, but half the time it will not fire and will bring its missiles back home for use another day. Video feed of targets can be used locally and sent to HQ for processing and passing on information or selecting targets to be engaged.

BTW Good explanation PapaDragon.... at one point we had whining because there were no Russia UCAVs... well now we see one and it is not well enough armed... which is hugely ironic of course

Recently a video was shown with objects like aircraft and missiles being hung in front of all manner of radars and IR sensors... the purpose of this was to determine the radar and IR signature of various enemy assets and equipment... that way they can be automatically identified by their radar or IR signature.

The same will be performed with optical signatures, so that video footage can be processed by software to detect and identify equipment and systems, which can be used with data on where the drone was when it took the video as well as laser ranging of objects in view the angle and distance is used to plot the targets on maps in real time that can be updated in frontline forces battle management systems... you are sitting in your Armata tank and you know you have orders to move forward over a low hill... hours before your operation one of these drones is sent and as it flys around targets start popping up on your map showing you the locations of visible enemy positions... pretty damn useful... especially if you can click onto the symbol on your screen and it brings up a still image of the target taken from the video from the drone...

Wont be perfect... targets move and some things wont be spotted every time... but it does build a picture... hell if you spot a threatening target the drone could remain in the air and local artillery could start firing laser homing missiles like the Krasnopol, or perhaps Smelchak if it is particularly hard... the drone can light up the target and boom... before ground forces even move.

My opinion... as long as it has good optics for stand off operations up high... having supersonic command guided ATGMs is ideal... a fraction of the cost of laser homing, yet precise and not range and speed limited like wire guided.

Being launched from 4-5km up would mean average speed would likely be boosted to the 500-550m/s range and horizontal range would also be improved.

With 5km altitude you are above small arms fire range and MANPADS should not be a huge issue, plus at that altitude they will never hear you or see you... just ideal to watch and find enemy targets...

Some more photos from April 26th night rehearsal of 2018 Victory Day Parade

Katran UAV


Katran UAV second version


Korsar UAV

An earlier prototype of AO KumAPP & GosNIIP coaxial rotor U(C)AV Katran observed during the 26.04 Victory Day Parade rehearsal in Moscow. Vitaly Kuzmin
As some might recall,it was first gleaned back in Dec.2016 during the 137 PDP VDV BMD-4 etc. handover





https://twitter.com/Russian_Defence/status/991660997344669697

Russia to furnish advanced Korsar drones with electronic warfare systems

The cutting-edge drone was unveiled during the night rehearsals of the Victory Day parade in Moscow

MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. Russia will upgrade its most advanced Korsar drone to increase its operational range and furnish it with an electronic warfare system, state hi-tech corporation Rostec said on Tuesday.

The cutting-edge drone was unveiled during the night rehearsals of the Victory Day parade in Moscow. The Korsar comprises several drones, a control panel and other systems.

"In the future, the system may be equipped with drones with improved characteristics and additional functions. In particular, there are plans to increase the operational range to 250 km and also equip the drones with electronic warfare systems and advanced reconnaissance means," the corporation said.

Work is currently underway to put Korsar systems into serial production, Rostec said.

In its present-day version, the Korsar is designed to reconnoiter the terrain, carry out patrol and observation flights and perform aerial surveys within a range of up to 120 km.

The drone is equipped with a piston engine and a pusher propeller and is capable of developing a speed of up to 150 km/h. The Korsar weighs 200 kg, has a wing span of 6.5 m and a fuselage length of 4.2 m.

As Rostec noted, the Korsar can be used for civil purposes, such as environmental monitoring, control of roads and infrastructural facilities, forest fire prevention and operations to search for and rescue people. The Korsar drone has been developed by the Rybinsk-based Luch Design Bureau, part of Ruselectronics Group.


More:
http://tass.com/defense/1003325

Roll-out of the demonstrator of S-70 unmanned aerial vehicle on the research project "Okhotnik-B"

As reported on June 28, 2018 by the agency Interfax, the first Russian heavy drone drone OKB Sukhoi Hunter entered the final stage of ground tests. This was reported to Interfax by an informed source.


   Unmanned aerial vehicle S-70, created by PJSC "Company Sukhoi" for research "Hunter-B" (c) Russian Ministry of Defense (via paralay.iboards.ru)

"At the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant (NAZ, a branch of the Sukhoi-IF company), the first roll-out of the drone was held - it passes ground tests on the eve of the first flight," the source said.

"The first flight of the" Hunter "is expected in 2019," - said the source.

About the ongoing research in the OKB "Sukhoi" research on the creation of heavy drone in 2014, said the director of the Directorate of Military Aircraft Programs of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), ex-commander of the Russian Air Force Vladimir Mikhailov.

 "Now the work is underway, we are doing work on the "Dry", called "Okhotnik". This machine is very promising, now there is a research work to 2015, with the subsequent transition to experimental design work," Mikhailov said on the radio station " Echo of Moscow ".

   The characteristics of the developed UAV are not disclosed at present. According to open data, its take-off weight will be 20 tons, which will make it the heaviest of the developed devices of this type. It was reported that for the first time it will take off in 2018, and in 2020 will be adopted.

   In 2017, on the Internet, a photograph of the "Okhotnik" was cut out, cut from the presentation of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, judging by which, the device is developed according to the "flying wing" scheme with a three-column chassis.

   Earlier, the interlocutor of Interfax informed about the tests of heavy drone UAV "Altius-O" weighing more than 7.5 tons, developed by the Kazan OKB named after Simonov.

   Deputy General Director of Techmash (part of Rostek) Alexander Kochkin told Interfax in March 2018 that the concern had begun developing a combat load for unmanned vehicles, which could be either short-range weapons or air bombs.

   The general designer and vice-president of UAC Innovation, Sergey Korotkov, told Interfax in December 2017 that Russia is working on creating drone drones that can be organized into groups and coordinated among themselves through secure communication channels.

   Ilya Tarasenko, General Director of the RAC "MiG", declared about the development of heavy drones at the forum "Army-2017". In November of the same year, the representative of the company noted that they are working on UAVs weighing from a ton to 15 tons.

   Russian President Vladimir Putin announced at the Russian Defense Ministry's board in late 2017 that, with the implementation of the new state weapons program, special emphasis will be placed on equipping troops with precision weapons, unmanned strike complexes, as well as with the newest systems of reconnaissance, communications and electronic warfare.

   In October 2017, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported on plans to equip the Russian Armed Forces with shock-free drones. "In the near future, to equip the Armed Forces will begin to receive complexes with multi-functional unmanned aerial vehicles, capable of solving not only reconnaissance but also shock tasks," Shoigu said.

   On the bmpd side, we recall that, as our blog reported a year ago with reference to the publication of the magazine "Air & Cosmos", within the framework of the research project "Okhotnik", a low-profile unmanned S-70 aircraft is being created. The work on the research work "Hunter" is carried out by PJSC "Company Sukhoi" under the contract of the Russian Defense Ministry, issued on October 14, 2011. The purpose of the research is to create an unmanned reconnaissance and strike system that would have a high speed and autonomy. The theme "Hunter" is characterized as "unmanned aerial vehicle of the sixth generation".

   It was reported that the demonstrator UAV S-70 was manufactured at the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant named after V.P. Chkalov - a branch of PJSC "Company" Sukhoi ", and the first flight of the demonstrator was previously planned for 2018. The weight of the UAV is in the range of 10-20 tons, and the maximum speed is estimated at 1000 km / h.

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/3253886.html

George1 wrote:Roll-out of the demonstrator of S-70 unmanned aerial vehicle on the research project "Okhotnik-B"

Great news! This looks very similar to X-47B and according to the references has the same size. That should allow for a payload >2 tons and huge fuel capacity, would have a lot of possibilities both for air force and navy as discussed in the respective threads

Looking forward to getting more news of this thing

Project to design multi-purpose far-range UAVs about to be completed in Russia

The source did not name the project that he was talking about

MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. A project to design multi-purpose far-range drones is nearing completion as part of Russia's state armament program, Head of the Russian General Staff's Office for UAV Development Maj. Gen. Alexander Novikov said in an interview published on Friday.

"As part of the state armament program, a project is about to be completed to design advanced systems featuring multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with longer range and duration of flight, whose specifications surpass those of their foreign rivals," the official said in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.

He did not specify what project he was talking about.

Currently, more than 1,900 drones are in service with the Russian armed forces. The most popular of them is the multi-purpose Orlan UAV, which can travel at the distance of about 600 km.

Novikov said that since the start of the anti-terrorism operation in Syria, Russian drones performed over 23,000 flights, lasting 140,000 hours in total. In particular, Russian drones provide 24-hour monitoring of the ground situation, covering almost entire territory of Syria.

He also said that the use of drones "ensured efficient use of high-precision weapons against international terrorists’ infrastructure, at the same time reducing to zero possible victims among the civilian population."

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said in early May that the Kazan-based Simonov Design Bureau plans to complete its work on the Altair heavy drone this year. The aircraft can carry a payload of up to two tonnes. According to unofficial sources, its range is up to 10,000 km. Besides, open sources also reported that the Sukhoi design bureau is currently engaged on a project to build the Okhotnik (Hunter) strike drone with a range of about 3,500 km. Similar projects are run by other companies as well.


More:
http://tass.com/defense/1012154

Russia’s attack drone prototype to start test flights this year

The source said that the work on the heavy long-range unmanned aerial vehicle is at the concluding stage

MOSCOW, July 8. /TASS/. The prototype of Russia’s new heavy attack drone Okhotnik (Hunter) developed by the Sukhoi Aircraft Company will start test flights in 2018, a source in the domestic defense industry told TASS on Sunday.

"The work on the heavy long-range unmanned aerial vehicle is at the concluding stage. In particular, work has been completed to create a prototype that will begin test flights this year," the source said.

"The work is being carried out at the Novosibirsk-based Chkalov Aviation Plant (part of the Sukhoi Aircraft Company)," the source added.

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation and the Defense Ministry declined to comment on this information to TASS.

According to open sources, a contract on developing the heavy attack drone Okhotnik weighing 20 tonnes was signed between Russia’s Defense Ministry and the Sukhoi Aircraft Company in 2011. A mockup of the drone was created in 2014 to hold ground tests.

According to unconfirmed data, the drone was developed using the ‘flying wing’ scheme, composite materials and stealth coating. The drone has a jet engine and is expected to develop a speed of up to 1,000 km/h.
Need for Okhotnik attack drone

Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Bespilotnaya Aviatsiya (Unmanned Aviation) Denis Fedutinov believes that Russia is possibly developing an unmanned aerial vehicle similar to foreign analogs, such as the X-47B developed by Northrop Grumman or the Phantom Bay made by Boeing (both variants are based on the ‘flying wing’ scheme and have a takeoff weight of 20 and 16 tonnes, respectively).

"Probably, the Okhotnik has been designed to accomplish missions similar to the assignments set for US UAVs - destroying enemy air defense systems, communications, command and control posts in situations when the use of aircraft is associated with considerable risks for crews," the expert believes.

As the editor-in-chief noted, the first flights of US analogs took place in 2011 but both drones remained as prototypes and did not go into serial production due to immature technologies primarily related to the possibilities of operation in autonomous mode.

"It cannot be ruled out that the Okhotnik will also be some demonstrator of technologies to practice solutions that will eventually be used on other promising drones," the expert added.


More:
http://tass.com/defense/1012351

Russia’s Okhotnik attack drone to become prototype of sixth generation fighter — source

The prototype of Okhotnik (Hunter) is ready and will start test flights this year

MOSCOW, July 20. /TASS/. Russia’s newest Okhotnik attack drone will become a prototype of the country’s sixth generation fighter jet, a defense industry source has told TASS.

According to the official, although the sixth generation fighter jet project "has not yet taken full shape, its main features are already known."

"First of all, it should be unmanned and capable of performing any combat task in an autonomous regime. In this sense, Okhotnik will become the prototype of the sixth generation fighter jet,’ the source said, adding that the drone will be able to "take off, fulfill its objectives and return to the airfield."

"However, it will not receive the function of decision-making regarding the use of weapons - this will be decided by a human," he said.

TASS was unable to officially confirm the information at the time of the publication.

Another defense industry source earlier told TASS that the prototype of Okhotnik (Hunter) was ready and would start test flights this year.

The Russian Defense Ministry and the Sukhoi Company signed a contract for developing the 20-ton Okhotnik (Hunter) heavy unmanned strike aircraft in 2011. The drone’s mock-up model was made in 2014. According to unconfirmed reports, composite materials and anti-radar coating were used to create the Okhotnik. The drone is equipped with a reaction-jet propulsion and is supposed to develop a speed of 1000 kilometers per hour.


More:
http://tass.com/defense/1014154