Colonel Khodarenok explained why the United States is afraid of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV falling into the hands of the Russian Armed Forces
The United States refuses to supply Ukraine with the MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV. There is a version in the American media that the Pentagon is afraid of the technology of these drones falling into the hands of Moscow. What the Americans are really afraid of is in the author's material of the military observer of the Newspaper.Ru" by Mikhail Khodarenka.
The Pentagon fears that the MQ-1C Gray Eagle may fall into the hands of Russian specialists, and this will lead to the loss of critical technologies. "Military officials are seriously afraid that the Russians will copy this drone in its entirety or its components if they manage to shoot down and capture it," the Defense News portal notes, citing a source in the US Department of Defense.
The MQ-1C Gray Eagle heavy attack UAV is an upgraded version of the MQ-1B Predator developed by General Atomics. The Grey Eagle is equipped with a diesel engine and is capable of being in the air for up to 30 hours.
The device can be armed with missiles with semi-active laser or active radar guidance of the AGM-114 Hellfire type ("Hellfire"), four high-precision planning bombs with a GBU-44/B Viper Strike laser guidance head ("Viper Bite") for hitting ground targets, or eight AIM-92 Stinger anti-aircraft guided missiles ("Sting") for parrying aerial threats.
So far, negotiations on the possible supply of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle to Ukraine have not led to any concrete result.
On the one hand, the American side may finally refuse to transfer such weapons, quite rightly fearing the loss of critical technologies.
On the other hand, if such a device falls into the hands of Russian specialists, they will not be able to copy it and launch it into a series at the same time. For example, in a short period of time, it is hardly possible to create a copy of the single-row four-cylinder diesel unit Thielert Centurion, which is equipped with the "Gray Eagle". To do this, it is necessary to rebuild almost the entire engine-building industry of the country.
This fully applies to the MQ-1C Gray Eagle avionics - the AN/ZPY-1 STARIite radar and the AN/AAS-53 optoelectronic system.
Of course, if such a device were in the hands of Russian defense engineers, it would allow us to understand in detail and study many engineering and technical solutions that have found application in this device. But no less, and maybe even more, the Pentagon fears that the hypothetical combat use of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle in Ukraine may lead to discrediting this type of weapons and the Pentagon. They successfully bomb only the defenseless.
The fact is that UAVs of this class have shown themselves from the best side only when conducting combat operations with irregular formations that do not have anti-aircraft missile systems and complexes, as well as fighter aircraft. This was the case in Afghanistan, Libya, Iran.
At best, the rebels, militants and partisans could oppose small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery to heavy UAVs in these battles. The MQ-1C Gray Eagle and MQ-1B Predator, operating from heights of eight thousand meters or more, remained absolutely inaccessible to all types of weapons available to such detachments. By and large, this explains the high efficiency of the combat use of shock UAVs.
However, the picture of armed struggle will look completely different if the MQ-1C Gray Eagle type UAV turns out to be in the airspace where multifunctional fighters and modern anti-aircraft missile systems operate.
In fact, the Gray Eagle is a low-speed (250 km / h) and low-maneuverable aircraft with a wingspan of 17 m. This UAV with its reflective surface, even with the greatest imagination, cannot be considered a difficult target for fighters and anti-aircraft missile systems.
If the MQ-1C Gray Eagle is in the affected area of a Buk-M3/3 or S-300/400 type air defense system, it will be destroyed by the first missile in the queue. For pilots of Su-30SM and Su-35 aircraft, subject to the issuance of accurate targeting, the destruction of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle will generally be a kind of initial exercise of the combat training course.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for the newspaper.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy Commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia (1998).
Columnist of "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Military-Industrial Courier" (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok
