Light the way: future railway officers will be taught how to control drones

The devices will be needed to inspect stations and tracks.

Cadets of the Military Institute of Railway Troops and Military Communications will be trained in drone control. These devices will be used to survey stations and railway tracks. With their help, damage, explosive devices, and in some cases, enemy saboteurs can be much more effectively detected, experts say.

How railway cadets will study drones

Future officers of the railway troops will be trained in drone control. The introduction of an appropriate program for cadets of the Military Institute of Railway Troops and Military Communications is currently being discussed at the Ministry of Defense, sources familiar with the situation told Izvestia.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov

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As part of the course, instructors with combat experience will introduce cadets to the device of drones, give them theoretical knowledge, and then practical skills. They will be useful to railway officers during the inspection of stations - they can be used to record damage on tracks or facilities. In addition, they can be effective in conducting engineering reconnaissance of the area. In the end, all these activities will take much less time.

Drones can also be used to determine which sections of the tracks need to be repaired.

— This is a logical and necessary decision. Drones are now being used to survey such extensive infrastructure facilities as railway tracks," military expert Yuri Lyamin told Izvestia. — It is impossible to constantly conduct foot patrols so that people personally examine the canvas. This is especially true in combat areas.

The threat of drone strikes and sabotage attacks is growing in the area of the special military operation. New damage to the canvas can occur there all the time, the expert pointed out. The tracks need to be monitored, and cameras can't be installed everywhere. It is more practical to fly around the territory using a drone. This allows for more thorough monitoring and does not risk the lives of the crawlers.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov

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— With the help of drones, you can see not only damage, but even approaching saboteurs. This is a necessary measure. And not only in the conditions of military operations. But after their completion, drones will also be in high demand. We have a huge railway industry," concluded Yuri Lyamin.

Today, officers of all branches of the armed forces, including railway ones, need to control UAVs, says an associate professor at the Russian University of Economics. Colonel Alexander Perendzhiev Plekhanov. They need drones not only to conduct reconnaissance and study the terrain, but also to perform other tasks.

— Firstly, it is necessary to be able to protect a certain section of the railway or a train, - Perendzhiev explained. — This requires the ability to use interceptor drones. Secondly, it may be necessary to launch drone strikes. For example, if an armored vehicle or an enemy unit is approaching a section of the tracks. It is necessary to strike at distant approaches, and not wait for them to approach the railway.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Victor Antonyuk

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It is especially important that railway officers are able to detect damage to tracks at a distance, the expert added. This is necessary so that it is clear in advance which tools and technologies should be used, and which specialists should participate. As a result, the repair and maintenance team, which is just moving to the site, already knows what needs to be done.

How are the railway troops developing

The role of the railway troops has increased significantly since 2014, when they were entrusted with the construction of a railway line bypassing the territory of Ukraine. They built the Zhuravka–Millerovo section of the route ahead of schedule. Since 2022, the railway has been carrying out tasks in the special operation zone. They carry out anti-sabotage measures, protect infrastructure, conduct technical and engineering reconnaissance of routes, transport ammunition and provisions, and escort military echelons.

The troops are armed with special trains "Baikal", "Amur", "Volga" and "Yenisei". They are equipped with powerful weapons, including mortars, infantry fighting vehicles, heavy machine guns, and anti-aircraft guns. They also house electronic warfare equipment to suppress radio-controlled explosive devices.

Special trains escort military cargo trains and repair damaged sections of tracks. There are repair units and mobile tactical groups on them. The personnel can restore up to 100 meters of the upper structure of the track on their own.

Recently, railway warriors have been actively practicing their skills in dealing with drones. Various types of weapons are used to destroy the vehicles, including automatic and smoothbore weapons, as well as anti-aircraft guns mounted on special armored trains. In addition, electronic warfare (EW) equipment is used. The classes are conducted by instructors with combat experience.

Timofey Volkov