What technology is designed to reduce the cost of production of combat vehicles
A Russian inventor has patented Dronoboy technology to combat hostile drones. The complex consists of two devices: a duralumin drone and a warhead that generates a directional detonation of an explosive substance. The main feature of the technology is the torque booster, which allows the drone to stay in the air for a long time. The author expects that his invention has increased combat effectiveness and, coupled with the low cost of production, will be in demand in the aviation industry, both civilian and military.
What the UAV complex can do
The new complex was created by a single inventor with the support of the project office of the National Technology Initiative (NTI). It is designed to fight enemy drones and consists of two parts: a combat module and a carrier drone. The first creates a directed flow of high explosive detonation products, which include ammonites, hexyl, hexogen, picric acid, tetryl, TNT, ten, and other materials. In other words, the combat module is configured in such a way as to "shoot" a strong stream of energy at a target and initiate the detonation of explosive weapons mounted on enemy drones, explained the author of the project, reserve Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Gorbashov.
Image source: Photo: Vladimir Gorbashov
— Thanks to the amplifiers, the drone is able to stay in the air for two to three hours. In fact, the combat module is multi-purpose and reusable, the drone can be on the battlefield in patrol mode, in target standby mode. Current drones are disposable, that's their disadvantage. The technology has increased combat effectiveness, since it is not necessary to bring other drones to the target," said Vladimir Gorbashov.
A carrier drone is an aircraft on which this module is mounted. It can stay in the air for up to three hours without replacing the battery, which is convenient for long-term tasks. The project is currently under development, and an application has already been submitted to Rospatent for registration of the combat module. The device is small and structurally simple — it is made of cheap duralumin, and the number of parts is minimal. This makes it possible to mass-produce such drones and use them right on the front line.
In addition to generating an energy flow from the explosion, the combat module can ignite explosives already installed on enemy drones, acting on them with a double blow. Two rotors mounted on bearings with gears are installed inside the carrier housing. To increase the efficiency of the engine, a smart mechanism is used: it collects energy from rotation (inertia) and adds to it force from air heated by electric elements (fuel rods) in special nozzles. This helps to save energy and reduces air resistance during flight — the drone becomes faster and more economical.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Konstantin Mikhalchevsky
Image source: iz.ru
— Blade modernization has already been patented in Rospatent, a drone with this technology can be used for both civil and military aviation, that is, wherever blade engines are used. Officially, it is called the "torque booster on the shaft of a bladed aircraft propulsion system," Vladimir Gorbashov said.
How do the experts rate it?
The design principle of the warhead is well known, Sergei Kurapov, a researcher at the MGUTU named after K.G. Razumovsky, noted in a conversation with Izvestia. It has already been used in a portable version, for example, in the Garkusha cannon, which was used by volunteers during the armed conflict in Transnistria.
"Therefore, combining such a cannon with a carrier drone corresponds to the evolutionary path of weapons development and has good prospects," he said. — Now there is an urgent need for non-standard combat systems, because the enemy does not stand still, and often only "breaking the template" can give an advantage. Thus, the use of duralumin can reduce the cost of construction, but in this case the system will be designed only for short-term temperature loads, since the heat resistance of the material is low. You can use brands with increased heat resistance, such as D20.
According to the expert, it is advisable not to save on materials in order to achieve reliability and the possibility of reusable use.
Image source: Photo: Vladimir Gorbashov
— In addition, the use of a torque booster is able to maintain the drone's autonomy and stability in flight, which is important for finding targets and accurate guidance. However, in this case, the destruction of highly maneuverable targets is complicated. It is necessary to find a middle ground," Sergey Kurapov summed up.
Pavel Kamnev, commercial director of Laboratory of the Future, an expert on the Aeronet NTI market, noted that drones with small arms or those that fire a net or some kind of land mine to destroy other drones are already being used in their area. He suggested that the new complex could be made really cheap due to the difficulty of processing duralumin.
Russia now needs to test different ideas for combating Ukrainian UAVs, military expert Yuri Lyamin believes. They pose a great threat, and given their abundance, new inexpensive means are needed to combat them.
Photo: Vladimir Gorbashov
Image Source: iz.ru
— Moreover, they are different, since the enemy drones are also noticeably different from each other. In general, I got the feeling that in order to confidently defeat an enemy UAV, you will need to approach it very closely and aim very accurately at the target, while the quadcopter carrier itself for this "Drone" should be large enough, and its main opponents will primarily be small, high-speed and maneuverable vehicles like most FPVS."drones," he told Izvestia.
According to military expert Dmitry Kornev, the author needs to conduct an experiment and get a working model. And if, after conducting the experiment, the ideas of the invention turn out to be real, then such research has a chance to be developed into practical models of weapons and military equipment.
Daniil Arzhakov, an IT expert and lecturer at Synergy University, believes that Dronoboy deserves high praise and addresses the urgent need to expand the capabilities of UAVs in difficult conditions. He recalled that it would be important to evaluate not only the technical reliability of the solution, but also its economic feasibility, wear resistance and the possibility of scaling production.
Anton Bely
Julia Leonova
