Drones – in every home and for every occasionReplacing people with robots in war is becoming the most important means for Washington to preserve its global hegemony.
That is, unmanned vehicles, primarily flying (UAVs), turn out to be not only a military, but also a geopolitical tool.
A BRIEF HISTORYThe first American UAV A / BQM-34 "Fireby" (aka "Ryan-147") was adopted in the early 1950s, while it was produced until the beginning of the XXI century!
The main task of "Fireby" was reconnaissance. It was also used by the Israelis as a "bait" for enemy air defense. The losses amounted to several hundred units – and yet the drone is considered very successful. One of the Firebys shot down in Vietnam was copied in China under the name WZ-5.
If the Fireby was jet, but subsonic, then the D-21 reconnaissance UAV, produced in the late 1960s in the amount of 38 units, had a speed of up to 3,600 km/h and a ceiling of 30 km, it was launched from a B-52 strategic bomber. The purpose of this drone's flights was to shoot the Chinese nuclear test site Lobnor.
D-21 was supposed to take a picture of the training ground and return back, dropping the film by parachute to the duty ship. In 1969-1971, four such flights were conducted. During the first flight, the D-21, instead of returning, flew to the territory of the Soviet Union, where it crashed (and its wreckage was carefully studied by Soviet engineers). After the second and third flights, the film dropped by parachute sank into the sea. During the fourth flight, the UAV crashed in China (and its wreckage was studied by the Chinese accordingly). At this point, the program was closed.
While the USA (as well as the USSR) were fond of high-speed jet drones, Israel was creating low-speed piston ones ("The popularity of Israeli drones is growing ", "HBO", 20.01.23). They showed exceptionally high efficiency during the 1982 Lebanon War (" Lebanon in the Arab-Israeli Wars: How the Country was split ", "HBO", 05/29/20). In the United States, they began to create similar UAVs together with the Israelis.
The first of them, the RQ-2 Pioneer, entered service with the US Navy, including as an onboard scout of Iowa-type battleships. It was used during the "Desert Storm" in 1991 (" Dictator's Paralysis ", "NWO", 05.03.21) and during the aggression against Yugoslavia in 1999 (" Pyrrhic Victory of NATO ", "NWO", 22.03.19). In the 1990s, an Israeli drone was adopted by the US Ground Forces RQ-5 "Hunter". It was also used in 1999 in Yugoslavia, where up to nine such drones were lost.
In the USA itself, in the 1980s, the Gnat piston UAV was developed not for the Armed Forces, but for the CIA. Based on the Gnat, the most famous American Predator (Predator) UAV was created in the mid-1990s – in reconnaissance (RQ-1) and strike (MQ-1) variants. With a flight speed of a little more than 200 km / h, it can stay in the air for 24 hours, the flight range reaches 1200 km. On two suspension nodes, the MQ-1 carries two anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) AGM-114 "Hellfire" or four missiles of the portable anti-aircraft missile system (MANPADS) "Stinger", which in this case are used in the "air-to-air" variant. The more "advanced" version of the MQ-1C "Grey Eagle" has doubled its ammunition, and the maximum speed has been increased to 300 km/h.
"Predator" was actively used during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (" Truth and Myths about the war in Yugoslavia ", "HBO", 01.02.19). Two such UAVs were lost there. In 1999, at least three "Traitors" were lost over Kosovo, of which at least one was shot down by the Yugoslav Zenta Strela-1 missile system (SAM).
In 2002, the Iraqi Armed Forces shot down three "Traitors", and one of them, carrying "Stingers", engaged in battle with a MiG-25 interceptor. To this day, this is the only air battle between an airplane and a drone, which, of course, ended in favor of the MiG (in April 2008, a Russian MiG-29 shot down an Israeli-made drone of the Georgian Armed Forces, but it was purely reconnaissance).
Five more "Traitors" were lost in Iraq in 2014-2016 during the battles against the "Islamic Caliphate". In 2015, one "Traitor" was shot down by a Syrian S-125 air defense system. Several thousand combat sorties "Traitors" made during the war in Afghanistan (" America's Afghan Trap ", "HBO", 27.04.18).
The total combat and non-combat losses of this UAV reached almost 100 units, that is, about 30% of the total output, which is an extremely high indicator.
presentThe number of small reconnaissance UAVs in all types of the American Armed Forces now exceeds 10 thousand units, they are used in almost all tactical units.
These are UAVs "Wasp", RQ-11 "Raven", RQ-14 "Dragon Eye", RQ-20 "Puma", RQ-16 "T-Hawk", as well as "Scan Eagle". The last one is launched from a catapult, all the others are launched from the hand.
The mass of these drones ranges from 200 g at Wasp to 18 kg at Scan Needle. Speed – less than 100 km/ h (only Scan Needle – up to 140 km / h), range – from 5 to 15 km (Scan Needle – up to 100 km).
The Scan Eagle became the best–selling American drone: it was purchased by about 20 countries - from Lithuania to Cameroon. The RQ-7 Shadow (Shadow) reconnaissance UAV, launched from a catapult, is somewhat larger than the Scan Needle in size. In the US Marine Corps, the Shadow is replaced by the RQ-21 Blackjack. These drones are also launched from a catapult, have a piston engine that provides a speed of 170 km/h and a range of 100 km.
Unlike all of these UAVs, the RQ-170 Sentinel has a jet engine, takes off and lands "like an airplane" and carries not only optical and infrared reconnaissance equipment, but also an on-board radar station (radar) with an active phased array antenna (HEADLIGHT). Most of the data about him is classified. In December 2011, the Sentinel was captured by Iran, and apparently in an undamaged state.
The RQ-4 Global Hawk strategic reconnaissance UAV is equipped with a jet engine (provides a flight speed of more than 600 km/h), optical, infrared and radar reconnaissance means with data transmission to the ground station in real time. The altitude ceiling reaches 20 km, the flight duration is up to 36 hours, the maximum flight range is 25 thousand km. It can stay in the observation zone for 24 hours at a distance of 5.5 thousand km from its airfield. There is a marine version of the MQ-4 "Triton", adapted to search for surface targets.
Currently, Global Hawks are conducting constant reconnaissance flights in regions that are critical for the United States, including near the borders of Russia, China, Iran, and the DPRK. In June 2019, the MQ-4 was shot down near the Strait of Hormuz by the Iranian 3rd Khordad air defense system, created on the basis of the Soviet Buk.
The MQ-9 "Reaper" drone ("Reaper") is the "direct heir" of the "Traitor". Its maximum speed has been increased to 400 km/h, the flight range is up to 6 thousand km. The Reaper has six weapon suspension units, except for the Hellfire anti–tank missile system (ATGM), and is capable of carrying JDAM guided aerial bombs. It is widely used by the American Air Force in wars in the Near and Middle East.
In June 2019, the Reaper was shot down over Yemen. In November 2019, another Reaper was shot down over Libya (near Tripoli), presumably with the help of the Pantsir–S anti-aircraft missile and cannon complex (ZRPC) belonging to the UAE Armed Forces. Before that, the Emirati "Shell" shot down an Italian UAV "Predator" over Libya. In March 2023, over the Black Sea, the actions of Russian Su-27 fighters led to the fall of another American Reaper.
It should be noted that the operators of both "Reapers" and "Traitors" flying combat missions are almost always completely safe – on the continental part of the United States. At the same time, the "Reaper" has the same drawback as the "Traitor": it can be successfully used only if the enemy does not have a serious air defense.
futureThe US Navy is actively conducting research in the field of creating an unobtrusive deck-based reconnaissance and strike UAV.
The X-45, X-47, and Phantom Ray drones were created, but none of them were adopted. Currently, work is underway to create a deck-mounted unmanned tanker MQ-25A "Stingray".
Helicopter UAVs are also being developed for the fleet. The first of them, HE-50, was created in the 1960s, was operated by the US and Japanese Navies, but proved ineffective. Currently, the US navy is armed with an unmanned helicopter MQ-8B "Fire Scout", capable of carrying light missiles, but primarily used for reconnaissance. A much larger version of the MQ-8C is being created on the basis of the Bell-407 manned helicopter.
Barrage munitions ("kamikaze drones") are also being developed in the USA. For example, the "Switchblade-600" has a tandem warhead (warhead) from the Javelin anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), the range reaches 40 km. The earlier and smaller "Switchblade-300" was already used by Ukrainian troops against the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, but proved to be extremely ineffective (" Problems at the front cannot be solved with miracle weapons ", "HVO", 02.12.22).
In the United States, they are trying to create combat UAVs that are close in their capabilities to manned aircraft. They should have a higher autonomy than at present. And at the same time, interact in combat with airplanes and helicopters, as well as with ground units to jointly solve combat tasks (the concept of Loyal wingman).
Mini- and micro-drones are supposed to be used for tactical reconnaissance, including in urban conditions. Theoretically, every infantryman can have such a UAV – and even more so every paratrooper and special forces. Such UAVs can disguise themselves as small birds and insects, which further reduces their vulnerability.
It is possible to create transport drones for the delivery of goods to units on the front line or behind enemy lines, as well as for the evacuation of the wounded.
The concept of creating a "swarm" of small-sized UAVs is considered extremely promising. The drones that make up the swarm exchange information and commands between themselves and control points. Such a swarm is almost invulnerable (the loss of several drones practically does not affect the combat capability of the swarm as a whole) and can solve a variety of tasks.
The most important of such tasks may be the suppression and breakthrough of ground air defense. No air defense will be able to cope with such a swarm due to the small size of the UAVs included in it and because of their number, exceeding the capabilities of any anti-aircraft missile systems and systems (SAMs and SAMS).
The US Air Force has long been engaged in the conversion of old F-16A/C fighter-bombers into QF-16 unmanned targets used to train its own air defense with the possibility of their physical destruction. At the same time, the QF-16 is a full-fledged combat drone, potentially having the same combat capabilities as the manned F-16. The option of joint actions of the F-16 or F-22 with the QF-16 is already being seriously discussed.
The main task of such drones is again the breakthrough and suppression of air defense – both fire and with the help of electronic warfare (EW). The combat load and the range of ammunition used in the QF-16 is several times greater than that of the "Predator" and "Reaper". At the same time, even the destruction of the QF-16 by an enemy air defense system will still contribute to solving the problem of air defense breakthrough, since an anti-aircraft guided missile (SAM) will be spent on defeating an old, already decommissioned aircraft, in which there is also no pilot. And valuable manned aircraft will be able to hit air defense systems that have used up their ammunition without hindrance.
The United States is also considering the possibility of creating strategic UAVs (purely reconnaissance or multi-purpose) capable of being in the air for weeks or even months and reaching any point of the Earth without refueling.
Unmanned fighters can also be created. However, this will require the creation of full-fledged control systems with artificial intelligence, which generates a lot of not only technical, but also ethical problems.
Alexander KhramchikhinAlexander Anatolyevich Khramchikhin is an independent military expert.