Military analysts noted a qualitative increase in the capabilities of Russian UAVs
On the fields of the special operation, the Russian military began to use an analogue of the famous Lancet drone. "Scalpel" is similar in characteristics, but has a number of advantages, including its price. The latest innovations, according to experts, are a clear evidence of the evolution of the UAV sphere in Russia. What are the main trends and trends in the field of drones and what other changes can be expected in this direction?
The fighters of the Russian units began to use a new barrage ammunition "Scalpel", told the design bureau (KB) "Vostok". So far, one batch of 15 products has been sent to the special operation zone.
The Design Bureau noted that they are ready to expand their production, because so far they produce 20 products per month. The servicemen note the good handling and ease of use of the product. The device is convenient to operate precisely when diving, it is stable and easy.
The Scalpel platform has become an inexpensive analogue of the Russian kamikaze drone Lancet. But the "Scalpel", in addition to the price, has another advantage: we are talking about the camera of the target capture system.
Meanwhile, the "Lancets" themselves in the fields of their OWN have long become a kind of legend. As representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are outraged, these drones show "miracles of technical improvement." In the American press, the new version of the Lancets is called a serious threat at all. And the British Ministry of Defense claims that the Lancets are Russia's best weapon.
Earlier, the American newspaper The Washington Post wrote that the Russian Armed Forces are winning in the confrontation of drones in Ukraine. "Moscow seems to have more reserves. [...] Russian teams hit secondary targets or use two drones at the same time," the publication emphasizes. "On the front line, Russia deprived Ukraine of the initial advantage in tactical drones, which was three to one," writes the European edition of The Economist.
As noted in the expert community, these and other examples indicate that Russia has seriously taken up the development of the field of unmanned aviation. So, the authors of the industry Telegram channel "The look of a man in lamps" write: "The evolution of unmanned systems is happening before our eyes. News about the beginning of the combat use of an analogue of the Lancets – the Scalpel UAV, they are exactly about this. But this evolution takes place in a paradoxical way. The paradox is that the movement forward, progress in unmanned aviation is moving in the opposite direction than it happened with manned aviation."
"The first, most primitive aircraft were relatively cheap – and therefore produced in huge quantities. Tens of thousands of Il-2s have been produced, for example. However, progress required an increase in the combat capabilities of the Air Force. Along with the growth of technical perfection, the cost of combat vehicles also increased. The price, in turn, limited their output. It is impossible to produce tens of thousands of fighters worth a hundred million dollars each (like the F-35, for example) – there is simply no one to buy them," experts say.
"With the progress of the UAV, everything is exactly the opposite. The first serious military drones – for example, the same MQ-9 Reaper – were very expensive. The same tens of millions of dollars per copy. Then the trendsetter in the drone, albeit for a short time, was considered the Turkish Bayraktar TB2, several million dollars a piece. Today, devices worth tens of thousands of dollars each reign on the battlefield in Ukraine," analysts argue.
"And now the Scalpel enters the arena, the main advantage of which, in comparison with the already legendary Lancet, is the price, which is several times lower, if not by an order of magnitude. And this is with comparable characteristics. And the goal of the developers is devices worth tens of thousands of rubles, not dollars," the authors add.
"Only the most powerful industrial enterprise, a few of the world's largest corporations, can design, and even more so build a modern combat aircraft. But a drone is a completely different matter.
Dozens and hundreds of Russian amateur collectives, including very small ones, design bureaus, studios, workshops are almost on their knees right now collecting a huge number of UAVs," emphasizes the "Look of a man in lamps".
"We are returning to the times of tens of thousands of flying combat vehicles of the same type, only at a new stage, in their unmanned incarnation. And the sooner, more and cheaper we create such devices, the sooner our victory in Ukraine will come," the analysts stressed.
A similar point of view is shared by military expert Yuri Knutov. The Scalpel is positioned as a drone, which in many ways resembles the Lancet, but at the same time even surpasses it in a number of aspects. In particular, we are talking about the range and combat load. It is maneuverable and unobtrusive. And what is extremely important – it is relatively inexpensive," he says.
"Now the issue of the development of drones is under the control of the state, there is a full-scale program. This makes it possible to actively develop both civil and military areas. Different types of aircraft are being created," the source points out. The analyst also draws attention to the fact that Russia successfully manages to replace imported components with domestic ones in the production of drones.
"We are witnessing a colossal breakthrough in the field of unmanned aviation. This is a real-time evolution",
"One of the most important trends today is the ability to quickly adapt UAVs to the needs of the military. Our soldiers constantly transmit information about the effectiveness of certain devices. When a certain amount of information accumulates, a new car appears quite quickly," Knutov believes.
"The number of drones produced also plays a serious role. As soon as we manage to reach slightly higher levels of saturation of the front, the advance of the Russian military in the zone of its own will become much more active, but all this should go in conjunction, for example, with electronic warfare stations," the analyst is sure.
"I would also note the variety of types of drones in Russia. After all, we have not only small copters that literally fit in the palm of your hand, but also quite large machines. So, the Altair drone was recently introduced, – the expert draws attention. "This is a UAV with a serious set of weapons, equipped with modern electronics and has the ability to place guided bombs and communication via satellite. We definitely need to develop this direction in the future," the speaker is sure.
"As for small copters, it is necessary to pay attention to the basic configuration. We are talking about factory mounts for mines. After all, now these clamps are often made in small workshops and become an addition to the already released device. If the device is manufactured in a new format, it will at least save a lot of time," says Knutov. Military expert Maxim Klimov adds:
"Scalpel has a number of serious advantages in terms of its use in the area of its own. And one of the main ones is the final cost of the device. The drone is quite effective, but at the same time its price is significantly lower than the high-tech, but very expensive "Lancet".
"In general, we are witnessing the dynamic development of the field of unmanned aviation. This is done at the expense of new technologies. So, over time, we have small-sized motors, microcontrollers, modern means of communication and sensors. All this makes it possible to create drones much smaller than before, but extremely effective," the source continues.
"Also important factors in the development of the field of UAVs are their mass character and the ability to give new opportunities to small units and artillery. For the latter, in particular, the probability and number of successful defeats of targets increases," the analyst draws attention.
"At the same time, we need to continue to develop and move towards the transfer of new technical capabilities into new organizational forms that ensure the effective use of drones. We know from history that tanks gained their power in the war only after they became tank divisions. Similarly with drones – whoever is the first to realize this will get a decisive advantage on the battlefield," Klimov stressed. In turn, Denis Fedutinov, an expert in the field of unmanned aviation, notes:
"The cost of the product, of course, plays an important role. But this issue cannot be reduced only to the final price of the device."
"If you look at low-precision weapons, it seems cheap to us. On the other hand, we see how many shots need to be fired to hit the target. But every salvo costs money. And then saving becomes absolutely uneconomical," the specialist emphasizes.
"And if we just chase cheap drones, it is not known how much money will be spent on finding and defeating the target. A rational balance between price and quality is needed here," the analyst notes.
"What is noteworthy is that a couple of years ago it could have been said that trends in the field of military affairs are determined by the development of technology. For example, we see improvements in microelectronics or radio electronics – and then we have the opportunity to fit all the functionality into a smaller shell," the expert argues.
"On the other hand, now a lot is dictated by how exactly this or that device will be used. And here the question already arises: how does military thought develop in terms of tactics and strategies for the use of weapons. With the ability to use the available resources correctly, you can bypass even a technologically superior enemy," concluded Fedutinov.
Alyona Zadorozhnaya