According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian troops have already destroyed hundreds of enemy UAVs in Ukraine. The Russian army is also actively using drones. Right now, new modifications of drones are being tested during the battles, and some of their varieties have shown special effectiveness. Which UAVs proved to be the most useful during the special operation?
The Russian Armed Forces have begun using the Orlan-10 unmanned complex for strikes on armored vehicles. This was announced on Friday by the Zvezda TV channel. "During the special operation, the servicemen for the first time used the latest modification of the drone, which can now deliver precision strikes on the ground and hit manpower and equipment. UAV operators find the target and drop high-explosive fragmentation ammunition from a height of two kilometers," the TV channel reported.
The shells are in containers suspended under the wings of the drone. The full ammunition consists of four high-explosive fragmentation shells capable of hitting vehicles, mortar weapons and enemy manpower. It is emphasized that while the new modification affects light armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Orlan-10 belongs to the class of small drones. The length of the fuselage is 1.8 m . Wingspan – 3.1 m. Weight without equipment – 12.5 kg. The flight range is 110 km. It can stay in the air for at least 10 hours.
Hunting for "wandering mortars"
The editor of the magazine "Arsenal of the Fatherland" Alexey Leonkov recalled that the "Orlan-10" was created exclusively as a scout. It was these tasks that he performed in Syria, where he aimed at targets, which were then attacked by another combat UAV – Orion. During the Ukrainian operation, the role of attack drones has increased, the expert notes, since the enemy uses various cunning tactics, for example, a "nomadic mortar" or a "nomadic MLRS (multiple launch rocket system)." "It is difficult to catch such a technique. The reconnaissance drone only transmits data, but the target is able to change coordinates and go into hiding before it is hit," the expert explained.
A reconnaissance drone equipped with air–to-ground weapons can disable enemy armored vehicles by itself. "Responding to such a need, an appropriate revision has been made, and the Orlan is now a strike and reconnaissance complex," Leonkov stressed.
"Let me remind you that drones generally perform the role of a scout and spotter for firing means, ranging from mortars to heavy artillery or multiple launch rocket systems. If the enemy has weak air defense, the drone can penetrate with impunity to a depth of up to 50 km into the enemy's rear in search of troops, batteries, individual objects. However, at a depth of 100 km and beyond, reconnaissance aircraft are already needed," Leonkov explained.
Combat drones the size of a dragonfly
At the disposal of our troops should be both strategic and operational-tactical drones, and kamikaze drones, says Honored Military Pilot of the Russian Federation Vladimir Popov. "All these types of UAVs are already produced by the Russian military-industrial complex. We need a lot of drones – not only "Orlan-10", but also other small scouts "Tachyon", "Aileron-3", "Leer", "Sirius", etc. They must act simultaneously and in different directions – to conduct reconnaissance, attack, and so on. This is the only way to increase overall efficiency," he explained to the newspaper VZGLYAD.
But quadrocopters proved especially successful, according to experts, during the operation in Ukraine. Including, for example, in Mariupol, in conditions of urban and factory development, when the enemy uses it for camouflage and protection from direct hit, experts believe.
The fighting in Ukraine "clearly showed the value of unmanned systems of a small class of multirotor scheme (with several propellers), says Denis Fedutinov, an expert in the field of unmanned aviation. "Actions are often carried out in urbanized areas, while the emphasis is on the most accurate strikes, on minimizing collateral damage. In such conditions, the use of such systems is very effective: lower–level military units receive their own means of specific reconnaissance in the near radius," Fedutinov said.
"With the help of drones, you can adjust the fire and hit targets from the second shot,
Leonkov adds. – Drones are especially effective in urban combat, when you need to get operational data about what is happening behind the next house, around the corner. If the entire space is shot through, then entrusting such a task to a person is a great risk of losing a military specialist. It's better to risk a drone than a person." Leonkov expects that following the results of the special operation, a decision will be made on the development of a class of small drones – with a flight range of up to five kilometers.
The Russian defense industry has already announced last week that they will take into account the current experience of the Ukrainian operation. The official representative of Rostec promised that the state corporation will even release pocket 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 representative explained. In his opinion, small-sized drones will help to significantly increase the efficiency of units.
It is worth noting that in 2016, Rostec has already reported on the first use of mini-drones by Russian paratroopers during exercises in Serbia. They said that "a mini-drone is comparable in size to a dragonfly." As Interfax reminds, in 2019, the press service of the Southern Military District reported that for the first time more than 10 unmanned mini-quadrocopter-type aircraft were received by the 58th Army units stationed in the Caucasus. No more precise data was given.
APU hoped for "Fury"
In turn, the APU also uses drones for reconnaissance – both its own and American ones. For example, on Friday, the special forces of the Rosgvardiya destroyed a Ukrainian A1-CM "Fury" type drone in the Kharkiv region, the department told TASS. "The recordings from the unmanned aerial vehicle were seized and handed over to the employees of the competent authorities," the Rosgvardiya concluded.
"Military Review" noted that this reconnaissance drone was adopted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine quite recently - in mid–April. The Fury has compact dimensions: the length is just over a meter, and the wingspan is 1.6 meters. Its operational range is about 50 km, and the practical "ceiling" is 2.5 km. The Fury can stay in the air for up to three hours.
Meanwhile, the curators of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the USA decided to try out a completely new model of a kamikaze combat drone on the Ukrainian fields. This is Phoenix Ghost (or PG, conventionally translated as "Phoenix Ghost"). As Politico reported at the end of April, Washington included the supply of 121 PG-grade UAVs in the package of military assistance to Kiev. According to the publication, the drone is so small that it can fit into a small backpack and belongs to the category of barrage ammunition. It is able to stay in the air for 30-40 minutes – before the operator finds the target and activates the PG-mounted warhead.
The exact technical characteristics of the PG are classified, but experts consider it an analogue of the already well-known Switchblade military drone, the length of which is known to be 130 cm. Presumably, the drone is capable of hitting medium ground armored targets, including at night due to infrared sensors. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby called it "optimal" for the needs of the Ukrainian army in the Donbass. In early May, he reported that 20 Ukrainian military operators had been trained in PG management.
"The number itself – 20 operators of combat drones – is a solid number, a whole unit,
– explains the Honored military pilot Vladimir Popov. – But let's calculate: now the front in Ukraine is very long. Operators work in two shifts, that is, there will most likely be no more than 10 drones in the air at the same time. Consequently, they will be effective only on a certain one or two sites. And it makes no sense to "smear" them all over the front line."
Thus, according to the expert, the AFU will have a maximum of three mobile command posts, the location of which will be promptly determined by the Russian military. "KP will certainly be located near populated areas and within a radius of two to three kilometers from the bases of the drones themselves. After the first attack, the Russian Armed Forces will calculate the location of the drones along the flight path and destroy them. If there is no threat to the civilian population, they can strike at the KP," Popov admits.
If it is possible to shoot down Phoenix Ghost, it will be possible to copy it by creating similar weapons, but only in the future, notes Fedutinov, and for a quick result you need to use your own developments. "In Russia there are a number of developments of unmanned systems belonging to the mini-class. Most of them relate to systems created by private companies on their own initiative and often at their own expense," complains Fedutinov.
Leonkov is optimistic about this. "The launch of pocket drones in Russia depends on the component base. Russia has all this. Such small drones are likely to be helicopter-type and will really be able to fit in the palm of the operator's hand. Rostec can cope with this task by the end of the year. The first samples may appear already at the Army-2022 exhibition," Leonkov suggested.
Reverse engineering on the DPR fronts
During the conflict, both sides use not only military, but also civilian drones. The militia from the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) told about the irreplaceable role played by ordinary "peaceful" copters on the battlefield.
A detailed report on specific models and tactics of their application was com/watch?v=ai5gigUhcu8" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">published in mid-April by the authors of the GreyZone YouTube channel. According to them, the defenders of the DPR bought them simply on the Internet, then using them for intelligence. "Civilian" quadrocopters can climb 500 meters and cover a distance of up to four kilometers. At the same time, their size is almost pocket-sized. The Chinese-made DJI Mini 2 drone is only 13 centimeters long and weighs 249 grams. It is equipped with a double zoom (a parameter that affects the quality of shooting). It flies up to two kilometers, remaining at an altitude of 100-120 meters. With its help, bloggers from the DPR said, you can inspect, for example, a mined bridge. However, it can be used only under favorable weather conditions. With a strong wind, such a copter almost loses control.
The militia also used a more advanced model – the Mavic 3, equipped with a 28x zoom. Thanks to the thermal imager, the authors of the video detected the "enemy's manpower" at night, and with the help of a GPS module, they received the exact coordinates of the target.
By the way, a couple of weeks after the video was published, the Chinese company DJI, the world leader in the production of copters, announced the suspension of sales in Russia and Ukraine. By that time, in the European Union, or rather, in Germany, the copters of this company even began to be withdrawn from sale – after public accusations that its equipment was used in battles in Ukraine on both sides. "We do not support any use of our products that harms people's lives, rights or interests," DJI said at the time.
Fedutinov calls the alteration of copters for combat purposes "reverse engineering". In his opinion, the experience of folk craftsmen deserves to be studied, since our engineers and designers could later use it as the basis for new developments. "However, systems developed with such intellectual enrichment in mind will appear only in years. Many things are needed by our military right now. To do this, it is necessary to make maximum use of those developments that were made by Russian industrial companies on an initiative basis," the expert urges.
Rafael Fakhrutdinov, Artur Priymak
