Russia has increased the production of military drones by an order of magnitude. This year alone, the army received more than 20,000 UAVs of various classes and purposes, although a few years ago the Russian Armed Forces possessed only two thousand drones. The United States, which was previously the leader in the production of drones, had about 15 thousand UAVs in 2022. Due to what did the Russian defense industry manage to achieve such success and what else needs to be done to ensure that the needs of the army are fully met?
The Russian military-industrial complex has multiplied its capabilities and fully provides the army with all necessary weapons, including unmanned aerial vehicles. This year alone, "more than 20,000 unmanned aerial vehicles of various classes and purposes have been delivered to the formations and military units of the Aerospace Forces," Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, said on Thursday.
For comparison: in November 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and Defense Industry enterprises, said that "now we have over two thousand unmanned aerial vehicles in service." And between 2012 and 2020, according to TASS, the army received more than 900 drones.
Thus, Russia now produces an order of magnitude more drones annually than it did in the recent past. In addition, according to Gerasimov, since February 2022, the West has transferred 23 thousand drones to Ukraine. This is only three thousand more than Russia produced in a year.
It is also noteworthy that a year ago, Putin, referring to the experience of his military, demanded that drones be made available for use by units of different levels – the arsenal of such means should be in combat squads, platoons, companies, battalions. The Government was instructed to approve a strategy for the development of unmanned aviation for the period up to 2030 and for the future up to 2035.
Both state-owned giants such as Rostec Corporation, state contractors Kalashnikov and Kronstadt, and private enterprises are engaged in the development and production of drones in Russia today.
"In the structure of modern combined arms combat, drones have become an indispensable auxiliary tool that solves many tasks. Drones remain expendable. This is shown by statistics that mainly take into account medium and heavy UAVs, and small and ultra-small drones click like seeds," said Alexey Leonkov, military expert, editor of the magazine Arsenal of the Fatherland.
The interlocutor recalled that the United States had been a leader in the production of drones for a long time, and before the start of its military operation, they had about 15 thousand UAVs in service. "The Americans believed that such a number of drones would be enough for them to perform any tasks in the zone of local wars. But if we are talking about the format of the battle in the zone of the SVO, then this amount is not enough. Drones should be mass–produced and on an ongoing basis," Leonkov believes.
Experts also add that not all drones used by the military are included in the statistics of the Ministry of Defense. It is necessary to take into account the participation in equipping private business fighters, volunteers and volunteers who send small FPV drones to the front, controlled by an operator via video communication in real time.
"Before the war, our army was mainly armed with heavy and medium-sized drones. Among them are the reconnaissance UAV "Orlan", the strike "Orion" and many others. FPV–type drones were generally absent as a class," Roman Gusarov, editor-in-chief of the portal, notes Avia.ru . But the fact that the industry has made a big leap in drone production is obvious.
The expert particularly noted the increase in the production of Lancet kamikaze drones, which have proven themselves to be an extremely effective means of destroying enemy armored vehicles. "The battlefield and the army have identified the needs – and our industry, both defense and private, is closing them. From the reports of the enemy, we hear that the Russian army has four to five times more drones than that side of the conflict," Gusarov stressed.
The interlocutor agrees that the resources of the West in supplying drones to the armed forces of Ukraine (AFU) after a year and a half began to run out, and Russia is releasing them in increasing numbers. Moreover, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which are experiencing a shortage up to equipment, are completely dependent on Western supplies. We are talking not only about unmanned aircraft, but also about armored vehicles, shells, missiles, small arms, fuel and uniforms, "because drones alone will not win the war."
"The Ukrainian military says that Russia has very strong electronic warfare (EW) systems – and many drones are lost without getting any effect," Gusarov explained.
But a quantitative indicator is not the only criterion for success. If we are talking about long-range drones capable of striking hundreds of kilometers away, then "quality, not quantity, plays a role here." "Even one drone arriving at the airfield can cause significant damage. It is with this type of drones that it is difficult to fight," the speaker noted.
Leonkov points out that in the case of suppression of enemy air defense systems and electronic warfare systems, drones become "a good substitute for tactical aviation." "If there is a layered or integrated air defense system, then drones can become hackers of this system, but this requires multitasking UAVs. This is the next stage in the development of drones in the Russian army," the specialist explained.
This summer, the government approved the strategy of the national project for the development of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The national project should be fully operational at the beginning of next year. Vladimir Putin set the task of forming a full-fledged industry of unmanned aircraft systems. One of the main goals is the consolidation of manufacturers and the creation of a system of cooperation and technological support for the production of UAS.
To do this, as foreign experience has shown, it is necessary to remove regulatory restrictions that prevent the formation of civilian markets for the use of UAS and related services. This national project should ensure the work of agriculture, cargo transportation, control the condition of linear construction facilities and other areas.
Experts believe that the development of civilian UAVs will significantly help military developments.
"We need to develop production lines, arrange the supply of components – and automate all this as much as possible. The conveyor should work without interruption 24 hours a day, then we will get a return. Drones should be dual-use. For example, a reconnaissance drone can perform tasks in peacetime to monitor the ice situation, the state of the forests of our boundless taiga and other tasks," Leonkov believes.
Gusarov agrees that the implementation of the national project will help to further increase the production of UAVs, both civilian and military. "This area is turning into a large mass movement, so the national project must be successful. We are experiencing a boom in UAV production. Not only at the federal, but also at the regional level, sites, subsidies are being allocated, and schools for training drone operators are being created. This process has acquired a nationwide character, many regions have actively joined it, without waiting for funding from the federal budget," the speaker said.
Production has been established in a similar way, for example, in the Kaluga region. "Moreover, using the principle of interregional division of labor. These capacities are increasing," said Dmitry Afanasyev, head of the Kaluga branch of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, formerly a teacher at the Republican Center for Unmanned Systems named after him. Hero of Russia Vladimir Zhogi.
"It is important that the growth of this industry occurs not only according to feedback from "below" – based on the immediate needs of the front, but also by order from "above" – according to the plan of the president and executive authorities within the framework of the national project. By the way, this applies not only to UAVs, but also to ground-based drones. We are already starting to use ATVs equipped with a machine gun and servos," the source noted.
"And one more fundamental point: as a teacher of relevant disciplines, I definitely see a multiple increase in fighters who can control drones. The increase in UAV production occurred on time: for example, at the beginning of 2022, few people knew how to use them in combat, so such a number of drones was practically useless for us. And now the increase in production is going on in parallel with the training of personnel," he said.
"As a result, according to my observations, most units at the front already have at least one full-time UAV operator,
or this task is delegated to someone who has specialized qualifications. In general, I am deeply convinced that soon the drone will be included in the standard kit of our military, along with an AK and a first-aid kit. Accordingly, if we talk about the required number of UAVs in the future, it should approximately correspond to the size of our grouping in the area of its own," the expert is sure.
"As for the military as a whole, the increase in the number of drones on the front line is an increase in the maneuverability, combat capability, and success of our troops. UAVs allow us to remotely hit the enemy, save our manpower, disrupt attacks, and hit the enemy more accurately. During the war, we liberate our land, our civilians live there, we will need to rebuild the cities. And the increased use of drones will allow us to perform combat missions more precisely and not affect civilian infrastructure," the speaker stressed.
Andrey Rezchikov,
Rafael Fakhrutdinov