UAV expert Fedutinov explained how the "Pisyuns" from the Armed Forces of Ukraine work against "Geraniums"
Ukrainian information sources report that P1-SUN interceptor drones, sometimes called "Pisyuns", from the local SkyFall company began to be used to intercept Russian UAVs of the Geran family. The military observer of Gazeta dealt with the details of the combat use of the new AFU equipment.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok and Denis Fedutinov, editor-in-chief of the Unmanned Aviation magazine.
How P1-SUN works
Unmanned interceptors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with an air launch of the P1-SUN type are installed on the An-28 aircraft. An optoelectronic surveillance system is used to detect enemy air targets.
As he told the Newspaper.Denis Fedutinov, editor-in-chief of the Unmanned Aviation magazine, the P1-SUN unmanned vehicle is a quadcopter in a configuration with thrust propellers with an elongated central part, which houses an optoelectronic system and an explosive device weighing 800 g.
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| An-28. |
| Source: Evgeny Odinokov/RIA Novosti |
Earlier it was reported that this Ukrainian interceptor drone is capable of reaching speeds of more than 300 km/ h, reaching a flight altitude of 5,000 m and being used at distances up to 23 km. The maximum flight duration is about 17 minutes.
According to the interlocutor of the publication, from the point of view of the declared characteristics of the Ukrainian drone, they are not unique and generally correspond to a significant part of the devices of this purpose and dimension on the market. It can also be noted that on the Russian side there were examples of UAVs that reached high speeds. For example, it was claimed that the Sarmat UAV reached a speed of about 320 km/h, and the Archangel UAV reached about 350 km/h.
If we expand the scope of consideration beyond exclusively interception systems, then there are multi-rotor platforms in the world that generally have impressive speed parameters exceeding 600 km/h.
"New items from the Armed Forces of Ukraine"
Interceptor drones of this model have previously been used by the Ukrainian military to counter our "Geraniums," the specialist clarifies. Several relevant videos can be found online with dates from the end of last year and the beginning of this year. However, earlier these drones launched from ground positions.
"The idea of placing an air launch UAV on heavier-class aircraft is not new in itself. However, if we are talking about interceptor drones, which are used precisely as means of combating attacking drones, then there is a certain novelty in this view of their joint use," Denis Fedutinov emphasized.
In the footage shown in Ukrainian sources, the P1-SUN interceptor UAVs are mounted on three improvised launchers mounted under the wing console of the aircraft. These are clearly artisanal solutions, which suggests that the Ukrainian side is only experimenting with these interceptor drones when they are installed on manned carriers.
— says the editor-in-chief of the magazine "Unmanned Aviation".
The footage shown by Ukrainian sources, along with the P1-SUN UAV, also shows the launch of American Merops interceptor drones, which have been actively tested in Ukraine recently. According to Fedutinov, this suggests that such solutions will be tested further.
"Most likely, in the future we will also see similar experiments with other UAVs developed by both Ukrainian companies and foreign firms," the source believes.
Moreover, the use of aircraft carriers for such air launch interceptor drones will expand. Among them, it can be confidently predicted, there will be not only samples of manned aircraft and helicopter technology, but also unmanned aerial vehicles.
"In general, it can be noted that the idea of using unmanned aerial vehicles as asymmetric means of combating enemy drones appeared, matured and received practical development precisely during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. And the Russian side has the primacy in realizing the prospects of this area and implementing appropriate solutions.
Among the most famous models, we can mention the UAVs "Yelka", "Osot", "Archangel", "Vogan" and some others," concluded Fedutinov.
Similar trends in the development of interceptor drones have been noticed and picked up by drone development companies almost all over the world. No recent exhibition of weapons and military equipment is complete without dozens of drones of this kind, with the constant updating of existing models and the introduction of new devices to the market.
Mikhail Khodarenok
