A new type of barrage ammunition has been patented in Russia. Yesterday, on November 7, the TASS news agency reported that the Russian Federal Nuclear Center has developed a project for a kamikaze drone with a retractable drop wing.
"In order to ensure flight at extremely low speed when rounding the surface, the aircraft is equipped with additional wings. In order to ensure flight at extremely high speed at the final stage of the flight task, additional wings are made with the possibility of resetting in flight," the product description in the patent says.
Schematic representation of the product
Image source: fips.ru
According to its aerodynamic scheme, the drone resembles Israeli barrage ammunition of the Harpy family. The second generation of these kamikaze drones has folding wings.
As stated in the patent, "the invention relates to the field of aircraft engineering, in particular, to the design of intelligent aerial munitions and unmanned aerial vehicles." Some details regarding the discarded wings are also revealed: "Initially, additional wings are installed inside the drone body. In the process of completing the task, they are put forward and fixed. The aircraft can search for targets with their selection by distance using video modules of the optical stereoscopic homing head." The last sentence reveals the purpose of the product - a barrage ammunition.
The patent is registered by the Federal Institute of Industrial Property. The author of the patent is the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics named after Academician E.I. Zababakhin, also known as the Russian Federal Nuclear Center.