On November 23, it became known about the use of Russian unmanned aerial vehicles "Mosquito" in a special military operation in Ukraine, designed to conduct aerial electronic and optoelectronic reconnaissance. Earlier in the reports of the Ministry of Defense, it was said about the successful work of kamikaze drones "Lancet" in the zone of its defense, which destroyed the Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile system "Buk" and two American howitzers. Read more about the Russian UAVs involved in the SVO — in the TASS material"Mosquito"
The footage of the video distributed by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows a launcher that military personnel promptly install in combat positions of the Central Military District. A few seconds later, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) "Mosquito" takes off from it, created to suppress the control channels and data transmission of the enemy.
"These types of drones are designed for conducting aerial electronic and optoelectronic reconnaissance, opening enemy cellular subscriber terminals and blocking them. The positions of the armed formations of Ukraine — spotters of artillery fire, aircraft manufacturers, as well as sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the enemy were revealed in the zone of the SVO by the calculation of the complex. We also open the sources of radio emission, determine their location and transmit the coordinates to the groups of fire damage," says the operator of the UAV with the call sign Frenchman.
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| The Mosquito UAV. |
| Source: Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation/ TASS |
As previously reported by TASS with reference to the Russian Defense Ministry, the calculations of the modified Mosquito unmanned complexes were carried out on the basis of domestic Orlan-10 UAVs and equipped with additional electronic modules.
"This mobile means of electronic warfare is used by military personnel of the Central Military District in areas of combat contact to complicate the process of operational planning and control of enemy troops, affecting the communication nodes of nationalist command posts located at a considerable distance from the front. In addition, the operator of the payload of the Mosquito UAV, switching between electronic and video equipment, is able to conduct aerial reconnaissance and correct artillery strikes," the Defense Ministry explained.
"Lancet" and "Cube"
The Lancet kamikaze drone has also proven itself well in battles with the Ukrainian army, which is capable of not only independently carrying out reconnaissance, but also attacking a target. On October 29, the Russian Ministry of Defense showed footage of the destruction by the Lancet of the Buk-M1 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile system and two American M777 howitzers near the settlements of Vysokopolye and Novogrigorovka in the Kherson region.
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| Kamikaze drone "Lancet". |
| Source: Anton Novoderezhkin/ TASS |
According to the state corporation Rostec, which includes the manufacturer of UAVs, the company Zala, the strike drone can be attributed to the latest generation of weapons — barrage ammunition.
"This is a device with an integrated warhead, capable of making a long flight over the battlefield, independently detect a target and, if necessary, destroy it by diving like a guided missile. The ability of such drones to stay in the air for a long time, waiting for the moment to strike ("barrage" in the terminology of combat aviation), became the source of the corresponding name — "barrage ammunition". The term "hanging ammunition" or even simpler — "kamikaze drone" is also found, according to Rostec reference materials.
According to the manufacturer, currently devices carrying barrage ammunition are one of the most promising and effective types of high—precision weapons. Thanks to them, the target is hit much faster — there is no need to wait for the approach of combat aircraft to strike at the enemy.
Also, among the advantages of such UAVs, there is a high secrecy from traditional air defense systems. Small plastic drones do not reflect the radio signal, and they are very difficult to detect using conventional radars.
According to data from the accompanying materials of Zala, the Lancet has several types of guidance systems: coordinate, using optoelectronic means and combined. In addition, the drone is equipped with a television communication channel that transmits an image of the target, which allows you to confirm the success of the defeat.
Also this fall, data were received on the use of the Kub strike drone in a special military operation — another carrier of barrage ammunition created by Zala.
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| Impact UAV "Cube". |
| Source: TASS/Novoderezhkin Anton |
In an interview with the head of Rostec Sergey Chemezov published on November 23, TASS said that the Lancet and Cube are successfully coping with tasks in the area of their own, and soon another device should join them — the heavy Hunter drone, which engineers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau and the Radioelectronic Technologies concern are working on.
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| Heavy attack drone S-70 "Hunter". |
| Source: https://rostec.ru/ |
As previously reported by TASS, the C-70 Hunter UAV is made using stealth technologies, based on the principles of a flying wing, with a span of 19 m, a length of 14 and a take-off weight of 25 tons. The Hunter will be able to lift up to 3 tons of weapons and fly at a distance of up to 5 thousand km at a speed of at least 1 thousand km./h.
"Eagle" on the hunt
The Russian multifunctional drone "Orlan-10" in a special operation in Ukraine helps to search for targets for aviation and artillery. Drones of this type are equipped with the most modern optics and thermal imagers capable of detecting the enemy at any time of the day.
Also, "Eagles" can intercept negotiations and shoot enemy deployment areas with a camera mounted on a UAV. In addition, the devices are able to send SMS messages to phones within a radius of several kilometers with calls to lay down their arms.
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| A serviceman refuels an Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicle at the Chebarkul training ground in the Chelyabinsk region. |
| Source: © RIA Novosti / Pavel Lisitsyn |
The excellent qualities of the gunner "Orlan" showed in 2021 at the Uralvagonzavod training ground (part of Rostec) in Nizhny Tagil. The duo of a drone and a self-propelled howitzer "Msta-S" managed to hit the target at a maximum distance of 40 km.
Pilot School
In mid-November, Zala announced the development of a special simulator for controlling the Lancet and Cube UAVs. According to the manufacturer of drones, the device is exactly similar to the remote control of an impact drone. With the help of special software on the simulator, you can simulate various applications of UAVs with several levels of complexity. Also, with the help of the simulator, you can learn how to control several devices at once, and in any weather.
The special operation in Ukraine has shown that the skills of a military drone operator are becoming more and more in demand. Today, several Russian companies offer special courses lasting from three to 14 days. The training program includes theory, virtual flights on simulators and practice, including real independent flights.
In addition, military drone pilots are being trained in specialized centers of the Russian Ministry of Defense, such as the 924th State Center for Unmanned Aviation. Service personnel are also trained here, who, following the example of aviation technicians, will prepare UAVs for flights.
Prepared by Vasily Kuchushev
