In December 2023, Kalashnikov began supplying troops with a new and improved modification of the kamikaze drone CUBE. A year later, in an interview with TASS, Alan Lushnikov, CEO of the concern, spoke for the first time about the latest version of this drone, as well as about the creation of a new modification of the Whirlwind-1 missile, a munition that already effectively hits Western armored vehicles in the special operation zone.
— Alan Valerievich, Vietnam Defense 2024 exhibition ended yesterday. The concern participated in this exhibition. What would you highlight from the Kalashnikov exposition in Hanoi?
— I would like to celebrate the premiere of our unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). For the first time in Southeast Asia, the concern introduced the KUB-E guided munitions and the SKAT 350M civilian UAV. The KUB-E is designed to destroy single and group armored vehicles in the tactical depth of the enemy. It is aimed at the target at the specified coordinates.
It is possible to strike with one or more carriers. The complex can be used around the clock, with wind gusts up to 10 m/s. The complex's control system receives and transmits control commands in real time.
The SKAT 350M civil-purpose UAV is designed for exploration and monitoring of extended facilities, and is indispensable in forestry and agriculture, the oil and gas industry, urban planning, environmental organizations, monitoring power lines and conducting search and rescue operations.
The UAV has a wide range of operating temperatures and, regardless of the terrain, is effectively operated in high clouds and strong winds. I would like to note that both devices are actively used in the area of a special military operation and receive very good feedback from military personnel.
In addition to UAVs, we presented our traditionally strong developments at the Vietnamese site. These are AK submachine guns of the two hundredth series, products of the Ratnik line, the PPK-20 submachine gun, Lebedev pistols, models of BK speedboats.
As you understand, special attention was paid to the KUB-E UAV and the 350M RAMP.
— Alan Valerievich, a year ago in December, you told us that a new modification of the KUB strike munition (UB) with increased power was being sent to its combat zone. How has this product performed over the past year?
— The CUBE demonstrates itself exclusively on the positive side, the reviews of the military personnel about it are very good. We have increased its production many times over the current year — almost 10 times. Moreover, we have developed several new products in the "Cubes" line. The permits for one of them are already ready, so I can briefly tell you about our new product.
This is the KUB-10E attack drone. It is designed to destroy enemy unarmored military equipment and armored personnel carriers, command posts, air and missile defense facilities, radio intelligence and electronic warfare, logistics facilities, combat and logistics units, field ammunition and fuel and lubricants storage depots, launch sites of complexes with unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft (helicopters) outside the shelters at the airfields (sites) of the base.
The complex can be used at any time of the day, in simple and complex meteorological conditions, with wind gusts up to 15 m/s, in the ambient temperature range (near the earth's surface) from -30 ° C to +40 °C.
The range and combat power of the new guided munition significantly exceed the performance of previous models of the line. The UB guidance method is based on the specified coordinates, data from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS). It is launched from a catapult. Its cruising speed is 100 km/h. The flight altitude range is 100-2500 meters.
— Alan Valerievich, what is new in the segment of precision weapons produced by Kalashnikov?
— To begin with, our high-precision products, which, let me remind you, are the Strela anti-aircraft guided missile, the Vortex-1 air-launched anti-tank guided missile and the Kitolov-2M guided artillery shell, are actively and successfully used in the area of their defense. We have also increased the production of these products several times this year.
I would also like to note that we have mastered the production of a new modification of the Whirlwind-1 rocket with enhanced combat capabilities. I will not comment in more detail, this is the prerogative of the customer. But from our side, I can say that we have put it into production and are already shipping it.
In December, the commissioning of two new workshops for the production of missiles for the Strela air defense system is being completed: in fact, as planned, we will do this by the end of the year.
— Does the concern have any new items in the line of artillery or anti-tank weapons?
- yes. Again, just recently we received permits for a set of equipment for remote wired control of the launcher of the Konkurs-M anti-tank missile system (ATGM), referred to on the line of combat contact along with other types of ATGMs as "trench artillery".
We made a remote control based on the experience of combat use of ATGMS in a special operation zone, in order to maximize the protection of the complex's crew from enemy fire: this equipment allows military personnel to search for and hit enemy targets from cover, being at a sufficient distance from the launcher.
Among the features of the new product, I would like to emphasize that one such device allows the ATGM operator to control three Konkurs-M launchers in turn during daylight hours. Their targets are main battle tanks and other armored vehicles, helicopters, firing points, dugouts and enemy manpower.
The greatest distance of the operator from the ATGM launchers is up to 100 meters, which is achieved by connecting four cables. It is important to note that the time for the calculation to enter combat mode, taking into account the installation of attachments on launchers, is no more than 20 minutes. The weight of the remote control does not exceed 10 kg, and the continuous operation time of the remote control kit is up to 8 hours. The device remains operational at ambient temperatures from -10°C to +50 °C.
Let me remind you that our Kirov-based Mayak plant is mass-producing a launcher for the Konkurs-M and Fagot anti-tank missile systems, which have repeatedly proven their high combat effectiveness in the area of a special military operation.
