Why does the Russian army need miniature drones
Rostec may develop miniature drones for the Russian military, the press service of the state corporation reported. "Newspaper.Ru" figured out what mini-drones are and what they can be used for.
"Rostec is carefully studying the existing experience and is ready to consider the possibility of creating mini-drones that meet the requirements of the military," the state corporation said. It is noted that mini-drones "can significantly increase the effectiveness of combat units."
"[Russia's special operation in Ukraine] has shown the importance of not only large and medium-sized drones, but also miniature drones. Such drones are almost invisible, fit literally in your pocket, while allowing you to adjust the fire, monitor and receive intelligence in real time," the state corporation said in a press release.
Back in 2016, Rostec reported on tests of mini-drones developed by the United Instrument Corporation, the size of which is "comparable to a dragonfly." It was noted that the Russian mini-copter is an analogue of the Norwegian drone Black Hornet ("Black Hornet"). This device weighing 16 g is used by American and British special forces. After that, there were no reports of Russian mini-drones in open sources.
In July 2020, it was reported that Syrian soldiers seized a Black Hornet copter belonging to the US Army. According to the American edition of The Drive, despite its small size and weight, the drone is equipped with two full-featured daytime video cameras and a thermal imager.
Experts interviewed by Gazeta.Ru", believe that such drones cannot be used as shock.
"Developments in the field of creating mini-drones have been underway for a long time. Such devices have certain prospects, but there are also limitations in their use. It is quite difficult to use them as purely combat, because a small drone cannot carry, for example, a large explosive charge. Accordingly, it cannot cause significant damage," said the editor-in-chief of the portal Avia.ru Roman Gusarov.
He added that at the moment mini-drones are promising only as scouts, but even here their capabilities are limited.
"Since the drone is small, it can be used quite locally, since its operating time and flight range will be limited - it is impossible to put a powerful transmitter on a small drone so that it can fly long distances. Such a drone can be used in the case, for example, of a building seized by terrorists. In such a situation, an inconspicuous robot can conduct reconnaissance - fly into the window, assess the situation inside. But there is no idea yet how to use these drones in the course of large-scale military operations. Therefore, they are not visible in Ukraine yet. The example of using Black Hornet drones in Syria is an attempt to test such devices in real conditions and understand their prospects," Gusarov believes.
Executive Director of the Avia portal.Pro Oleg Panteleev also believes that mini-drones cannot be used during "normal military operations." "For conducting military operations, when many tasks are solved by other forces and means - artillery strikes or the use of armored vehicles - such small drones are not relevant," Panteleev is sure.
"There is a task to solve the issue with Azovstal. How to understand who is there and how many people? Are there only "Azov" and the APU or are there still civilians? This issue cannot be solved by means of space and visual reconnaissance, and mini-drones would easily collect such information and help our military destroy the Azov. We would know exactly how many people there are and who they are. The siege of Azovstal is an ideal field of application for mini-drones," Mikhailin believes.
Irina Alshayeva
