The device allows you to deliver water, ammunition and other goods to the hottest spots on the front line.
The Ilya Muromets cargo FPV drone began to be massively used in the SVO zone. Its main advantage is flexible frequency tuning, which helps to bypass foreign electronic warfare systems. The 8 kg payload allows the drone to deliver medicines, ammunition and water to fighters operating in the hottest spots on the front line. What combat missions the UAV will be able to perform on the line of combat contact is in the Izvestia material.
Characteristics of the "Ilya Muromets" FPV drone
The Ilya Muromets FPV drone is a heavy tactical drone that can lift up to 8 kg of cargo and deliver it to a range of up to 15 km. This makes it possible to supply remote positions with food, water, medicines and ammunition.
In particular, it is in demand to supply units on the Dnieper islands, where the Russian Marines are entrenched, Oleg Fedorov, CEO of FROBOTICS, a drone developer, told Izvestia. According to him, Ilya Muromets is almost the only reliable means of delivering goods in the area.
Any equipment in the water or on land immediately falls into the sights of enemy drones, and it is easier for an aircraft to break through to its forward positions, Fedorov explained. The drone is also successfully used for remote mining and reconnaissance.
"As the load decreases, the flight radius of the Ilya Muromets will increase," Oleg Fedorov noted. — In this case, you can use the air control signal repeater.
Photo: FROBOTICS press service
Image source: iz.ru
He said that the drone has eight motors, which increases flight stability and provides a reserve of power. The device is made from 100% Russian components.
For units operating in the SVO zone, the communication unit is completed based on the requests of the fighters.
— At different points of the front, the enemy uses electronic warfare systems, the characteristics of which differ from each other, — said the developer. — Depending on the request, for example, we choose the operating frequencies. Drones operate on analog communication. And also with the help of special communication systems "Grasshopper" and "Hermes". They allow you to change the control frequencies in flight. And in many sectors of the front, these are almost the only communication systems that cannot suppress the AFU electronic warfare systems. This increases the noise immunity of the devices.
Earlier, Izvestia reported that massive shipments of Hermes special communications devices for drones had begun. The military receives more than 40,000 kits per month.
What are heavy drones for?
In the area of a special military operation, there is a need for any means of cargo delivery, military expert Dmitry Kornev told Izvestia.
—15 km doesn't seem like much, but it will be enough to work between the nearest rear and the front edge," he said. — The load capacity of 8 kg allows you to transfer, for example, medicines and documents. In extreme situations, in particular, small amounts of water, food, and ammunition can be transferred to the environment. And such drones should have the most noise-proof communication system possible.
Military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexey Maishev
Military expert Yuri Lyamin also noted the problem with the delivery of supplies to the front positions due to the active opposition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a conversation with Izvestia.
"Robotic platforms are being used more and more actively now, from ground—based to aerial platforms," he noted. — It often turns out that the positions of our fighters may be without supplies, in particular, when the assault operations were carried out, the group gained a foothold, but it is difficult to break through to it and deliver ammunition with water. On the one hand, I've seen photos of this drone, and it's not big enough to be a noticeable target. On the other hand, 8 kg is a decent load, thanks to which you can bring a couple of bottles of water and cartridges. Resistance to electronic warfare is important, especially in frontline positions.
Key components for Russian-made UAVs
Earlier, Izvestia wrote that Russia has launched the first large-scale production of key components for UAVs, which has no domestic analogues. This will allow us to quickly supply components to customers without complex logistics chains, simplify and speed up the assembly of UAVs.
One of Rostec's enterprises has mastered the production of navigation modules and controllers for engines of various capacities. Flight controllers for small UAVs are on the way. All these are completely domestic developments, a worthy replacement for imported "stuffing". This is exactly the import substitution that was very much anticipated, Izvestia's defense industry sources noted.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov
Image source: iz.ru
The Rostec press service confirmed the information to Izvestia and added: "We have our own developments that have been completed and put into mass production in a short time. The relevance does not need to be explained, the country's need for such products is very high. Thanks to engineering solutions, products can be integrated into the design of drones from different manufacturers as quickly as possible."
Julia Leonova
