The production of the most demanded type of UAV at the front will become independent of foreign supplies
Russian specialists managed to create a kamikaze drone "Sparrow", made on a domestic component base. The UAV carries a payload of up to two kilograms and can operate at a distance of up to five kilometers from the base control station. Experts note the importance of import substitution in the production of the most popular type of drones at the front.
Characteristics of the Sparrow drone
The Sparrow UAV is an FPV drone (derived from the words First Person View — "first-person flight"), which is controlled by an operator who receives a real—time video picture from the drone's camera.
— The UAV is assembled from Russian components — this is its main distinguishing feature. The Russian component base began to appear after the start of its development, and it is strategically important to use it in order not to depend on foreign suppliers. Motors, speed controllers, flight controllers, video transmitters and other components can now be made in Russia," Andrey Vorobyov, head of the robotics laboratory of the military innovative technopolis Era and drone developer, told Izvestia.
The Sparrow UAV
Image source: Photo: Military Innovative Technopolis "Era"
According to him, the main features of the UAV are three frequencies of the control range, the introduction of technical vision with elements of artificial intelligence.
The Sparrow drone is initially focused on military applications.
— The UAV can carry a payload of up to two kilograms, — said Alexey Vorobyov. — First of all, it is planned to use it as a kamikaze. The drone also involves the installation of various ammunition drop systems, including those printed on a 3D printer. This will help to retrofit it with the necessary equipment directly in the troops.
The flight range is still up to five kilometers at full load.
— Depending on the capacity of the battery, the FPV drone can stay in the air for up to eight to ten minutes, — said the developer. — The devices are currently being tested, after which they will be given to our guys in the army for testing. Our industry is ready for mass production.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korotaev
Image source: iz.ru
In the future, there will be a more powerful eight—screw version of the Sparrow.
Drones with Sparrow characteristics are most in demand in the SVO zone — they solve many tasks directly on the front line, military expert Yuri Lyamin told Izvestia.
— The UAV is standard in its capabilities — it should become a workhorse, — said Yuri Lyamin. — It's no secret that now components for such drones are purchased abroad. The most important thing in this story is that we must get a drone based on a domestic component base. We are becoming independent of foreign supplies, which are strongly influenced by political trends. The army should not depend on supplies from other countries. The appearance of its components is important for the development of the entire industrial sector related to drones. Only after mastering fairly simple components, working out technologies, and receiving trained personnel, you can start working on more complex products.
Photo: Military innovative technopolis "Era"
Image source: iz.ru
The military technopolis was created not so long ago, but with the right development vector, it should seriously affect the development of weapons systems and other military products in the country, the expert noted.
"It can create additional competition within our defense industry,— Lyamin believes. — And this is important. Large defense industry organizations are often sluggish and prone to inertia. I would like technopolis to give a fresh look at solving certain problems.
What tasks does the military technopolis Era perform?
The Sparrow drone is just one of the products that was created in technopolis. Era is responsible for scientific support of developments, acceleration of the introduction and production of weapons systems and military equipment, as well as personnel training. Technopolis has three clusters: scientific and production, scientific and research, and scientific and educational.
Work is underway in 16 areas. Among them are robotics, artificial intelligence technologies, biomedicine, weapons based on new physical principles, information security, etc.
The Vorobey UAV of the military innovative technopolis Era at the X International Military-Technical Forum
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko
Era works closely with the troops participating in the military-industrial complex, with private manufacturers of military and dual-use products, as well as with enterprises and research institutes of the military-industrial complex. Technopolis helps to implement and modernize existing initiative developments, as well as create a foundation for promising projects for the future.
More than 50 products were presented at the international forum "Army-2024" from technopolis, mainly for the tactical army level. In particular, a multifunctional unmanned boat is shown, as Izvestia wrote about. It is capable of carrying 20 kg of cargo, and it can also be used as a kamikaze or a platform for two UAVs. The technical solutions used in the manufacture of the backup will help to quickly turn almost any boat or speedboat into an unmanned one.
Vladimir Matveev
