A number of leaks and statements by officials can be interpreted in such a way that Russia has begun to develop specialized marine drones. For example, in order to equip the only Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov with them. What are the features of marine UAVs and which of them are most needed by the Russian Navy?
The aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, currently undergoing repairs and modernization, "will be made completely different." This was stated by the head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) Alexey Rakhmanov. He added, as reported by Zvezda, that "this concerns not only the ship itself, but also its air group."
Meanwhile, earlier it was reported that the Russian industry promises to soon demonstrate a carrier-based drone, TASS reports. With reference to a source in the Russian Navy, in particular, it is said that "the first test flight of the newest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) deck-based is scheduled for 2025. Its serial production for equipping ships of the Russian Navy (Navy) will begin in 2026."
If these two messages are connected, it can be assumed that the domestic industry is creating a special UAV for Kuznetsov. Although the concept of creating a drone specifically for the Kuznetsov looks strange, at least due to the uncertainty of the fate of this ship. His departure to the sea has been postponed again, this time to 2024. Even more strange are the ideas that these drones will be based on future universal amphibious assault ships of the 23900 project, which are allegedly being built in the Crimea. Such an idea is expressed on the Internet.
The fact is that although the formal laying of these ships took place almost two years ago, on July 20, 2020, there is still not even a photo of the keel on the slipway, although a lot of time has passed. There may be many reasons for this state of affairs, but in any case, there is no point in creating drones for these ships yet.
Perhaps that is why all reports about the creation of such equipment – specialized shipboard UAVs – are unofficial. But by themselves, the drones of the Russian Navy are very necessary. This is evidenced, for example, by the American experience.
Examples of the US Navy
The first special ship drones in the world were the American Gyrodyne QH-50 DASH anti-submarine helicopters. These aircraft, created in the late fifties of the last century, have been commissioned by the US Navy since 1963. They were used instead of full-fledged anti-submarine helicopters on destroyers, on which there was nowhere to place normal helicopters.
The experience turned out to be, on the one hand, "working" – the US Navy was able to use these machines effectively. On the other hand, they could not compare in efficiency with manned helicopters and were replaced at the first opportunity, as soon as mass ships capable of carrying large helicopters appeared. However, these unmanned vehicles had to fight – during the Vietnam War, drones equipped with television cameras were used to adjust artillery fire.
The second war of American shipboard drones was the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Then the Pioneer drones (ordinary mini-planes with wings that had to be caught with a net when returning) were used from Iowa-type battleships to adjust the fire of their monstrous 406-mm guns on Iraqi positions on the shore.
Since then, the importance of drones in the US Navy has never been disputed by anyone. Today, the US Navy is armed with various drones, of which the most interesting from the point of view of basing on ships is the unmanned reconnaissance helicopter Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout. This machine was originally intended for reconnaissance (mainly coastal purposes) and was used in this capacity in Afghanistan. Now the Americans are planning to retrofit the fleet of "Fire Scouts" with radar stations for their use as marine scouts. The Russian Navy has a lot to catch up on this issue.
Drones over the sea and our needs
The Russian Navy began mass use of drones in the 2010s, when the first "Eagles" appeared in the fleets. I must say that for the "Eagle" the ideal task is to conduct reconnaissance of ground targets and subsequent correction of the ship's artillery fire.
It can also be used for reconnaissance at sea, but the effectiveness is very low – this drone was not created for such tasks. Nevertheless, in the absence of a coat of arms, we write on a simple one – and it is the "Eagles" that are flying now from our ships. What does the fleet need and how to achieve it?
Firstly, for actions against the coast, you need a scout optimized for working above the ground, like the "Eagle", but without the disadvantages of the "Eagle" (like radar visibility, for example). Such a device, if it had a long range, could even find targets for the "Calibers" deployed on ships by itself. Now it is not necessary, since Russia is fighting right at its borders, but somewhere far from home it will be vital.
Secondly, we need a specialized apparatus for conducting naval reconnaissance directly – working over the sea and searching for ships with a possible "option" in the form of work against submarines, as it was with the Americans. Such a drone needs a different set of equipment. It should include, for example, a radar and a radio intelligence station on board, and a payload, for example, sonar buoys for detecting a submarine.
Such a marine drone will be able to detect the radiation of enemy ship radars, get close to a detachment of enemy ships, classify targets in his warrant and have time to transmit target data to his ship before his death. In this way, the notorious problem of targeting can be solved.
A specialized marine UAV may have other features. Having detected a trace of warm water among colder water masses with the help of a thermal imager, such a drone will be able to drop sonar buoys into a "suspicious" zone. This will allow you to check whether this water, warmer than the surrounding water, is a sign of the presence of a nuclear submarine at depth. Such a device needs a long range, so that by its appearance it does not let the enemy know where the ship from which it came is located.
Well, if you manage to repair an aircraft carrier or build landing ships, then you can place large machines on them that can also solve shock tasks. And taking into account the fact that the ship can go anywhere on the ocean – solve them anywhere in the world.
Equipping the Kuznetsov with drones takes on a special meaning if you look back at the state in which the aircraft wing of the ship has been in for the last thirty years. The 279th and 100th Naval aviation regiments (Su-33 and MiG-29K, respectively), unfortunately, have not become a model of combat effectiveness during this time. Meanwhile, huge amounts of money were spent on their maintenance and preparation, not to mention the financing of related infrastructure – for example, the NITKA complex.
Conclusions for the future
Thus, naval ship drones are vital for the Russian Navy. The question, however, is how this necessity will be embodied in metal. So far, the appearance of future marine drones is unclear, and officials do not speak directly on this topic.
In these conditions, it is impossible to exclude the risk of some conceptual errors, for example, the creation of a heavy drone for a ship that has not yet been built, which at the same time will not be able to fly from small frigates and corvettes standing in formation. Nevertheless, the course of thought on the creation of special marine drones is absolutely correct in principle. There is no doubt that the special operation taking place in Ukraine will make significant adjustments to the idea of how and what the Russian army should be armed with, including its naval aviation.
Alexander Timokhin
