Bild columnist Repke: The APU installed a Kalashnikov assault rifle on a drone
Ukraine has developed a "flying Kalashnikov assault rifle". This was reported by Julian Repke, a columnist for the German edition of Bild.
We are talking about a quadcopter with a machine gun mounted on it. The combat complex can be controlled from a distance of several kilometers, and drone maneuvers are used to aim a rigidly fixed machine gun at a target. According to the journalist, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) first used the novelty in August in the zone of a special military operation (SVO). The effectiveness of the new weapon and the prospects for its production are unknown, he concluded.
There was also a video of a quadcopter firing a machine gun in flight. It is likely that the drone can be used to defeat both ground and air targets.
Viktor Zavarzin, a member of the State Duma Defense Committee, in a conversation with Lenta.ru" expressed confidence that the APU will not achieve results with the help of new products. "There will be a counterweight. This is unequivocal. At least what they will do. They will not change anything with these drones and will not change the position as a whole. We are studying all this. We are one step ahead. Therefore, I am sure that we will figure it out here," the MP said.
The APU repeated the Russian "Vyatka"
In June, it became known that a Vyatka quadcopter with a lightweight Kalashnikov AK-74M was tested in Russia. The Telegram channel "Military Informant" drew attention to the corresponding video.
An AK-74M was fixed in the lower part of the drone, which was stripped of the handle and plastic elements. This made it possible to reduce the weight of weapons. The machine was equipped with a muzzle brake-compensator of a closed type ("jar"), which dissipates the sound and extinguishes the flash when firing.
Today, the most common in the troops of both countries are FPV attack drones (First Person View, "first person view") and reconnaissance drones. The former carry anti-tank or anti-personnel ammunition from an RPG-7 grenade launcher, with the help of the latter, the locations of enemy personnel and military equipment are opened.
Engineers have managed to equip drones with a whole range of weapons
At the "dawn" of the era of combat drones, drop systems and a pair of hand grenades were installed on drones. This novelty has proven itself, allowing you to destroy enemy fighters in trenches and fortified strongpoints.
However, technology is improving rapidly. In particular, Russia tested the Perun-F quadcopter, which was armed with the Konkurs anti-tank missile system to defeat enemy armored vehicles.
It was also reported that repeaters are being installed on drones in the SWO area. Such antennas are used to increase the communication range, and with their help it becomes possible to control shock FPV drones at a distance of up to 30 kilometers.
The development of unmanned weapons is also being monitored in the West. In particular, in October 2023, Sig Sauer presented two quadrocopters with pistols at the US Army Association exhibition and conference. The design based on a commercial drone received a servo to pull the trigger.
