Image source: topwar.ru
The American defense company Anduril Industries has presented samples (prototypes) of reconnaissance and attack drones of the "new class" Bolt. The American military-political publication Defense News reports that the California-based company has introduced two versions of the drone, developed by order of the U.S. Marine Corps.
The basic model of the UAV is capable of performing reconnaissance, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, known in the American army as ISR. The second model, called Bolt-M, can be used as a kamikaze attack drone.
In general, until recently, the Pentagon mainly invested in the development and production of high-tech and, accordingly, expensive drones. However, the conflict in Ukraine has shown that the army has an advantage in modern warfare, which is armed with a large number of budget drones, including small-sized drones of various types and purposes. Now the US Department of Defense is trying to fix the situation.
In particular, the Bolt-M drone, developed under contract with the US Marine Corps under the Organic Precision Fires-Light program, should become a prototype for mass production of small attack drones that can be stored in a backpack. In addition to Anduril Industries, Aerovironment and Teledyne FLIR are involved in the implementation of the small-sized UAV development program. The total cost of the program is $249 million.
Chris Brose, head of Anduril's strategic department, told the publication.
He added that further sales will depend on the instructions of the Marine Corps, which is currently testing several UAVs from different companies and will decide on a purchase plan this fiscal year. Brose expressed hope that Bolt would be able to compete for army contracts.
American companies producing unmanned aerial vehicles, including Anduril, are sending their systems to Ukraine and are in close contact with the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Defense News writes.
Instead of choosing a fixed-wing model, Anduril has created a drone in the form of a quadcopter capable of taking off and landing vertically. At the same time, the UAV is equipped with special software that allows it to perform tasks in semi-autonomous mode without communication with the operator.
The company claims that soldiers can unpack and launch a Bolt in less than five minutes. According to the statement, it can stay in the air for 40 minutes and has a range of about 20 kilometers.
Judging by the declared technical characteristics, the development of Anduril does not differ much from the copter-type drones produced in China and Russia. Why this UAV is called the newest is not entirely clear. Obviously, this is precisely due to the fact that previously the US army did not pay due attention to the supply of small-sized multifunctional drones. By the way, if they were purchased, they were mainly in China.
It seems that, as in the case of hypersonic weapons, the United States has lagged far behind the PRC and the Russian Federation in terms of developing and mass producing inexpensive drones for the army. For example, the Pentagon supplies Ukraine with small batches of attack drones worth about $ 80,000. The manufacture of the Russian equivalent, the Lancet barrage munition, is much cheaper. And in terms of sales of FPV drones, which are massively used in the Ukrainian conflict by both sides, the undisputed world leadership belongs to Chinese companies.
