Russia is rapidly and consistently developing combat unmanned aircraft. In 2018, there was a key breakthrough, after which the family of military drones began to expand rapidly. By 2025, the number of drones in the Russian army will double, and their role in combat operations will become more visible.
The Chinese edition of "Zhongguo junwang" noted the success of Russia in the development of combat unmanned aircraft (the translation of the article was published by InoSMI). In the eight years since the introduction in the structure of the defense Ministry of the Department of building and development of a system of established UAV operator training, unit of drones appeared in all the units of army and air force, every fleet, the strategic missile forces and airborne troops. Detachments of Russian drones are deployed in Abkhazia, Armenia, Kaliningrad and Crimea.
The new "development Plan of national defence of the Russian Federation" provides for the establishment of unmanned units in each artillery brigade airborne regiment, aircraft and strategic missile forces. It is planned to allocate 570 million rubles for the creation of seven new digital polygons for modeling and testing UAVs.
In 2018, there was a breakthrough in the creation of new drones and their family has been continuously expanding since then. Several models have been developed, based both on our own developments and on imported technologies, and a scientific Foundation has been formed for further development. Such aircraft manufacturing giants as RSK MiG, Sukhoi design Bureau, Tupolev design Bureau and others are involved in the construction of drones. Due to the unification and modular design, Russian drones are characterized by high efficiency and good tactical characteristics. Among the successful devices, the publication notes "Tachyon", "Orlan", "Aileron"and " Garnet".
UAVs "Outpost" and "Zastava", created on the basis of the Israeli drones IAI Searcher and IAI Bird Eye 400, have become the main tool of the Russian military for reconnaissance on the battlefield and protection of important objects. 2020 brought significant progress in the development of heavy and shock-reconnaissance vehicles. Prototypes of drones "Hunter", "Altair", "Altius-U", "Orion" and others began flight tests. "Hunter" is working together with the fifth-generation fighter su-57. "Altair" can hang in the air for 48 hours and fly during this time 10 thousand kilometers. The Orion UAV is designed for group strike operations. The combat unit will be 3-6 drones, each can carry up to 4 missiles.
Much attention is paid to the training of operators. They are recruited from officers and contractors - with the same rights as fighter pilots. At the same time, the practice of using drones in modern combat is being improved. During the strategic exercise "Center-2019", drones were used for the first time for strikes, and they also coordinated reconnaissance and strike operations together with ground troops. The Northern fleet used drones to obtain information about the location of 36 ships involved in the mission. UAVs were also actively used during the exercises of the black sea fleet in the Crimea.
The development of the Svarog operator's helmet, which allows controlling drones by turning the head and eye movements, has been completed. The "bee swarm" tactics being tested by the military will open up new opportunities for mixed air groups, where a manned aircraft will lead and several drones will perform assault and reconnaissance tasks.
Anton Valagin
