MOSCOW, 1 Mar-RIA Novosti. A multi-purpose unmanned complex "Molniya", the jets of which will be launched by a swarm from a carrier aircraft, is being developed in the interests of the Russian Aerospace Forces, a source in the military-industrial complex told RIA Novosti.
Development work (R & D) on the project should begin in the near future, the source said.
The basis of the complex will be small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), made in the form factor of a cruise missile-with an elongated fuselage, a jet engine and a folding wing. "The devices can be used from various carriers - combat and military transport aircraft of the Aerospace Forces, from external and internal suspensions, including from cargo compartments. The Su-57, in particular, will be able to carry up to eight such vehicles in the fuselage compartments. Also, their carrier can be a drone "Hunter", - he explained.
According to the source, the company "Kronshtadt" has determined the preliminary tactical and technical characteristics of the devices of the "Lightning" complex, " however, they can be adjusted within the framework of the ROC." "So far, it is planned that one device of the system will have a length of 1.5 meters and a wing span of up to 1.2 meters. The speed of the device, equipped with a turbojet engine, is stated at the level of 600-700 kilometers per hour, the estimated mass of the warhead or payload is about five to seven kilograms. The range of the drone will be several hundred kilometers, " he said.
The drones will use stealth technologies that reduce their radar and thermal visibility, including a special coating, a flat nozzle and an air intake located on the top of the fuselage.
The company "Kronshtadt" did not comment on the information provided by the source to RIA Novosti.
The model of the device from the Molniya complex was demonstrated last Friday during the visit of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to the Kronstadt plant.
Our answer to " Gremlins"
Denis Fedutinov, a leading Russian expert in the field of unmanned aircraft, told RIA Novosti that the Molniya system, which is focused on the concept of swarming, is in some way a Russian response to the American Gremlins program.
He explained that the greatest effectiveness of the actions of such a group will be provided by the interaction between its member drones with automatic distribution of tasks in a rapidly changing environment, including reconfiguration when changing the composition by adding or removing individual vehicles.
A radical increase in the number of drones in the group will allow, for example, to effectively fight the enemy's air defense systems by saturating the airspace with such a number of targets that exceeds the capabilities of a one-time fight against them. "This, in turn, will save more valuable assets, such as manned aircraft, as well as advanced and expensive UAVs for other tasks," the expert believes.
In addition, the expert noted, the use of a swarm can become a cheap way to successfully perform many types of combat tasks, including suppressing enemy artillery, counter-terrorist actions, and so on. The viability of such an approach, according to Fedutinov, can be ensured by reducing the cost of individual UAVs that make up the group, which will allow without much burden of costs to produce drones in thousands of units as expendable funds.
