In recent years, due to the intensification terrorist organizations the problem of the effectiveness of protecting borders between states and controlling territory comes to the fore. With the development of unmanned aerial monitoring, the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) along borders for patrol tasks is becoming quite common.
The United States already has seven years of experience using drones on two borders. It is the northern border separating the United States from Canada, 4,121 miles long, and the southern border separating the United States and Mexico, 2,062 miles long. Both borders have hundreds of official and unofficial entry points and "countless unofficial crossings." The US Customs and Border Protection employs more than 10 thousand employees, but due to the fact that part of the border passes through uninhabited regions and difficult to reach places, problems with control by ground means remain. Despite comprehensive security using video cameras, ground sensors, physical barriers, ground Vehicle and aviation, cases of illegal border crossings and drug smuggling occur frequently. One of the important tasks is the detection of terrorists and cases of illegal import of weapons.
All these circumstances prompted the US Congress in 2003, in addition to existing funds, to call on the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to study the possibility of using UAVs at the borders. That same year, drones were tested for the first time for use on the US-Mexico border during Operation Protect, and the DVB soon declared that the Predator B UAV was most suitable for these purposes.
Figure 1. UAV Predator B (Reaper)
Compared to traditional manned surveillance systems such as light aircraft and helicopters, the use of UAVs has both strengths and weaknesses. One of the beneficial aspects of using unmanned vehicles is that they have undoubted technical capabilities to improve control of remote and hard-to-reach areas. Using onboard optoelectronic and infrared capabilities, the operator can receive information in real time and provide detection and recognition of “potentially hostile objects.” Another advantage of Predator B UAV systems is the ability to fly for more than thirty hours without refueling. Traditionally, drones are less expensive than manned ones aircrafts. Of course, the cost of UAVs varies widely. In 2003 prices, the Shadow UAV cost $350 thousand, and the Predator - $4.5 million (in 2009, the cost of one such UAV was already $10 million). But the costs of planes are even higher. The P-3 patrol aircraft operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement costs $36 million, and the Blackhawk helicopters often used at the border cost $8.6 million each.
Figure 2. Predator UAV
Despite the benefits of using UAVs, various problems that may hinder them wide application in the border service. In particular, unfortunately, the use of UAVs is associated with high level accident rate. It has been officially concluded that the accident rate of UAVs is 100 times higher than that of manned aircraft. In 2006, one of the cases of a Predator UAV crashed while flying along the Mexican border. The reason for this is the significantly lower reliability and redundancy of the main systems than is customary in manned aircraft. In the event of failures in the operation of systems, the pilot is in some cases able to diagnose and correct the emergency situation on board, take responsibility for manual control during landing, but in the case of a UAV the same is impossible. Another weak point of the UAV is the weather limitation of the operation of optical-electronic and IR systems. Frequent cloudiness and high humidity climate on the Mexican border. To minimize this impact, it is planned to equip the Predator B with an additional on-board synthetic aperture radar operating at high resolution. But such radar has poor ability to track moving targets and requires the use of so-called motion indication technology (MTI). However, such a functional expansion significantly increases the cost of the UAV and operating costs. In addition, to integrate UAV systems into civil airspace, several regulatory safety issues must be resolved at the US Federal Aviation Administration level.
The UAV implementation program continued in 2004. In particular, two Israeli-made Hermes 450S UAVs leased by the Border Patrol were used to patrol the border areas along Tucson and Yuma, known for the massive phenomenon of illegal immigrants crossing the border. The devices are equipped with optical sensors and video cameras that provide round-the-clock surveillance and can remain in the air for 20 hours. The drone equipment is capable of detecting intruders at a distance of up to 24 km. Trial use of the Hermes 450S was planned to be completed in September 2004.
Figure 3. Hermes 450 UAV
In February 2009, in accordance with the UAV program for border security, it was announced that Predator B UAVs, which are in service with the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, will be involved in patrolling the border with Canada in support of the Department of Customs and Customs. US border control. The area of responsibility includes border regions along a 400-kilometer stretch between the Canadian province of Manitoba and the American states of Dakota and Minnesota. It must be said that currently the US Customs and Border Protection Agency already has its own Predator B UAVs, the number of which is not disclosed. The drone is capable of detecting an intruder at a distance of more than 10 kilometers, and the information can be transmitted to the operator at the ground control point and, further, to representatives of the Customs and Border Protection Agency.
According to official statistics, every year about 4,000 arrests of violators are made and up to 18 tons of drugs are confiscated at the US-Canadian border. There are 12 border crossing points in Manitoba. Much of the area between the points contains swamps, lakes, crop fields and Indian reservations. American authorities intend to improve control of this area, which “could potentially be used for the transport of drugs, illegal migrants and terrorists.”
To ensure that the US borders are “locked”, measures are being taken further measures. In particular, a project of an unmanned aircraft carrier wing was recently announced, which is a UAV carrier that monitors the border line and produces miniature UAVs for “detailed additional reconnaissance of suspicious places.” The concept of such a special border UAV was developed by the American company AVID. The carrier UAV will be equipped with eight small reconnaissance UAVs. The patrol height will be about 6 kilometers.
Border control is a very pressing issue for Israel as well. Recently, the first unit equipped with the new Eitan (Heron TR) multi-purpose UAVs began operating in the Israeli Air Force. Reportedly, three such UAVs are capable of providing continuous real-time collection of intelligence information about the situation on the border with South Lebanon. In accordance with the plans of the Israeli Air Force command, by 2012 it is planned to put into operation about 10 such UAVs, capable of carrying on board more than a ton of payload and automatically carrying out patrols at altitudes of up to 12,000 meters for 60 hours continuously.
Figure 4. Eitan UAV
Heron TP (Eitan) - reconnaissance UAV, developed by IAI. Equipped with systems satellite navigation, tracking and target detection equipment in the optical, infrared and radio ranges. Perhaps the new modifications have weapons. The wingspan of various modifications reaches from 26 to 35 meters (indeed, comparable to the Boeing 737). Can fly up to 15,000 km. The height ceiling is 4.5 km. Can carry up to 1.8 tons of “payload”.
Back in 2006, the European Union decided to use it for border patrol in the area of the English Channel and the coast. Mediterranean Sea unmanned aerial vehicles. It was reported that UAVs will also be used to patrol the border in the Balkan Peninsula area. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles is part of the EU government's plan to equip customs and border services modern systems surveillance, and only $1.6 billion has been allocated for this program. The types of UAVs have not yet been named, but it is clear that they must be equipped with video surveillance devices and ensure the prevention of illegal immigration, smuggling and terrorist attacks.
The Italian Ministry of Defense also uses UAVs. Thus, in 2009, two additional American MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles with a mobile ground control station were ordered. The transaction value is estimated at $63 million. This transaction is in addition to four MQ-9 Reaper drones ordered earlier in August 2008. Then the cost of the deal was $330 million. It was planned that the UAVs would be used to support troops and patrol the state border.
The Turkish military department also intends to use UAVs both over the territory of the country and for border security tasks. For this purpose, in 2008 it was planned to receive three Israeli Aerostar-type devices from Aeronautics. The air forces of the USA, Israel and Angola are already equipped with such drones. Aerostar UAVs are capable of recording the location of an object and transmitting data to a ground point. The UAVs should greatly simplify the collection of intelligence information about the location and movements of PKK fighters.
Figure 5. Aerostar UAV
The Indian Armed Forces plan in the coming years to significantly increase the fleet of UAVs for conducting, first of all, reconnaissance and patrolling. According to Jane's, India is currently armed with 70 Israeli-made reconnaissance UAVs such as Searcher Mk 1, Searcher Mk 2 and Heron. Along with this, India is going to purchase combat UAVs of the General Atomics RQ-1 Predator type, on board which can be installed HellFire missiles with a laser homing head. They are planned to be placed along the borders with Pakistan and China in the area of disputed areas to ensure the detection of various targets, incl. means of nuclear, biological and chemical attack.
The Brazilian Defense Minister in 2008, during large-scale cross-border army and police exercises in the southern state of Parana, announced that unmanned vehicles to protect the country's borders. At the first stage, it is planned to produce three samples by the aircraft manufacturing complex in the state of Sao Paulo. total cost The project should amount to 1.3 million Brazilian reals (616 thousand US dollars).
As reported in 2009, Brazil, which is considering using drones to control its state border, entered into a contract with the Israeli company IAI to supply UAVs. The cost of the contract then amounted to 350 million dollars. It is expected that the contract will be implemented in two stages. At the first stage it was planned to supply 3 UAVs with necessary equipment. During the second stage, the Israeli company will supply 11 more. The type of UAVs ordered is not known.
In addition, these UAVs will be used to ensure security for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. It is known that trade relations with IAI provide for the sale of Heron-type UAVs for use in the Brazilian police.
In 2009, it was reported that the United States and Lebanon had agreed to supply Raven-type UAVs to strengthen border control and combat terrorism. The supplies are part of military cooperation to ensure the protection of the border and the entire territory of the country, including southern part Lebanon, which is still really controlled by Hezbollah.
A locally produced unmanned aerial vehicle was tested in Georgia.
According to the Georgian Ministry of Defense, the presented aircraft can be used to carry out complex combat missions, as well as for border patrols, electronic reconnaissance, aerial photography, disaster monitoring, radiation monitoring and testing.
Flight control is carried out using a computer, and the aircraft takes off using a pneumatic catapult.
Specifications:
Flight duration - 8 hours
Flight altitude -100-3000 meters
Speed - 60-160 km/h
Payload - dual camera video platform, photo camera, thermal camera and infrared camera
Presumably the drone can take off from any location and land on any terrain.
As reported in the media in the summer of 2010, the border troops of Turkmenistan also received unmanned equipment. In addition, in 2009, the Russian company Unmanned Systems supplied the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan with a complex of unmanned aerial vehicles ZALA 421-04M (421-12), which are also in trial operation by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB of Russia.
IN soon Unmanned vehicles should play a significant role in protecting the borders of Kazakhstan. It is assumed that drones will be able to patrol long, sparsely populated border areas. The process began in 2009, when a target program for the development of scientific, technical and industrial potential in Kazakhstan and, in particular, the creation of unmanned aircraft systems for the period 2009-2020 was launched. The main areas of application of UAV systems will be border protection and maintaining law and order, anti-terrorism measures, detection of emergency situations and liquidation of their consequences, environmental monitoring and protection of natural resources, monitoring of industrial facilities, transport and energy infrastructure. To implement the program, a partnership has been organized, which includes the companies Yak Alakon, Net Style, Astel and the Irkut Corporation. It is reported that a number of multi-purpose complexes have already been identified and partially tested. So far, the share of the Kazakh component is 30-50%, but in the future it is planned to increase it to 80-90%.
All of the above countries, despite their diversity, have one thing in common - they have very long borders, often running along sparsely populated or inaccessible areas. It was these countries that were the first to pay attention to the opportunities offered by the use of UAVs. It is safe to say that other states will soon follow the example of these countries, since with the gradual settlement of relevant regulatory, legal, insurance and, partly, technical issues, the use of UAVs to solve border protection problems will expand due to economic feasibility and efficiency, in comparison with other means.
TOP 10 UNMANNED AIRCRAFT
UAV, aircraft, Boeing, Fire Scout, Sea Scout, Pioneer, Scan Eagle, Global Hawk, Reaper, AeroVironment Raven, Bombardier, RMAX, Desert Hawk, Predator
This type of aircraft is becoming more advanced and mobile every year. Moreover, some samples already allow us to talk seriously about the development of unmanned civil aviation. And so, the Internet resource Aviation.com has identified the 10 most advanced, functional and reliable UAVs existing on this moment.
10. -Fire Scout/Sea Scout from Northrop Grumman Corporation
The RQ-8A Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle, built on the basis of the Schweizer Model 330SP light manned helicopter, is capable of conducting reconnaissance and tracking a target, remaining motionless in the air for more than 4 hours at a distance of almost 200 kilometers from the launch site. Take-off and landing are carried out vertically, and control over the device is carried out through the GPS navigation system, which allows the Fire Scout to work autonomously and be controlled via ground station, which can control 3 UAVs simultaneously. An improved version, the Sea Scout, is capable of carrying precision surface-to-air missiles. An even more advanced model, the MQ-8, has been developed for the United States Army, which fully meets the criteria of the next generation automated combat system. The United States plans to purchase up to 192 such devices for the army and navy.
9. - RQ-2B Pioneer
The proven RQ-2B Pioneer (produced by the US-Israeli joint venture Pioneer UAV) has been in service with the United States Marine Corps, Navy and Army since 1986. Pioneer is capable of conducting reconnaissance and surveillance for 5 hours, day and night, acquiring a target for automatic tracking, providing support for naval fire and assessing destruction throughout the entire military operation. The device can take off both from a ship (using a rocket or catapult) and from a land runway. In both cases, landing is carried out using a special braking mechanism. Its length is more than 4 meters, its wingspan is 5 m. The high altitude ceiling reaches 4.5 km. The take-off weight of the device is 205 kg. In addition, the Pioneer can carry a 34-kilogram payload of either optical and infrared sensors or mine and chemical weapons detection equipment
8. - Scan Eagle from Boeing
The 18kg Scan Eagle, based on Insitu's Insight UAV, can patrol a designated area for more than 15 hours at a speed of just under 100 km/h at an altitude of about 5 km. The device with a payload of up to 5.9 kg can be launched from any terrain, including from ships. The Scan Eagle, which has a 10-foot wingspan, is invisible to enemy radar and barely audible more than 50 feet away, the U.S. Marine Corps says. The device is controlled via GPS, and the maximum speed reaches 130 km/h. The universal gimbaled turret mounted in the nose is equipped with either an optical camera with storage device or an infrared sensor
7.- Global Hawk from Northrop Grumman
The world's largest unmanned aerial vehicle, the RQ-4 Global Hawk, became the first UAV certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration, allowing the Global Hawk to fly custom flight plans and use civil air corridors in the United States without prior notice. Probably, thanks to this development, the development of unmanned civil aviation will significantly accelerate. RQ-4 successfully flew from the United States to Australia, completing a reconnaissance mission along the way, and returned back across the Pacific Ocean. As you can see, the flight distance of this UAV is impressive. The price of one Global Hawk, including development costs, is $123 million. The device is capable of climbing to a height of 20 km and from there conducting reconnaissance and surveillance, providing command with high-quality images in almost real time.
6. - MQ-9 Reaper from General Atomics
An MQ class unmanned aerial vehicle was developed especially for the US Air Force, where “M” means multifunctionality and “Q” means autonomy. The Reaper was based on General Atomics' early and highly successful Predator design. By the way, at first Reaper was called “Predator B”. The US Air Force uses this device in Afghanistan and Iraq primarily for search and strike operations. The MQ-9 Reaper is capable of carrying AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and laser-guided bombs. The maximum take-off weight of the device is 5 tons. At an altitude of up to 15 km, the speed reaches 370 km/h. The maximum flight range is 6000 km. The 1.7 t payload could include a modern complex of video and infrared sensors, a radiometer (combined with a radar with synthesized equipment), a laser range finder and a target designator. The MQ-9 can be disassembled and loaded into a container for delivery to any US air base. Each Reaper system, which includes 4 devices equipped with sensors, costs $53.5 million.
5. - AeroVironment Raven and Raven B
The RQ-11A Raven, developed in 2002-2003, is primarily a half-size version of the 1999 AeroVironment Pointer, but with more advanced technical equipment the device now carries on board control equipment, payload and the same GPS navigation system module. Made from Kevlar, each 1.8-kilogram Raven costs about $25,000 to $35,000. The operating distance of the RQ-11A is 9.5 km. The device can remain in the air for 80 minutes after takeoff at a cruising speed of 45-95 km/h. The Raven B version weighs a little more, but has higher performance characteristics, more advanced sensors and is capable of carrying a laser designator. However, Raven and Raven B are often broken into pieces when landing, but after repair they are ready for “battle” again.
4. - Bombardier CL-327
If you look at the Bombardier CL-327 VTOL, it becomes clear why it is often called the “flying nut”, however, despite such a funny nickname, the CL-327 is an extremely capable UAV. It is equipped with a WTS-125 turboshaft engine with a shaft power of 100 hp. The CL-327, whose maximum take-off weight is 350 kg, can conduct terrain surveys, patrol borders, and also be used as a relay and take part in military intelligence missions and counter-narcotics operations. The device can remain motionless in the air for almost 5 hours at a distance of more than 100 km from the launch site. The payload is 100 kg and the altitude ceiling is 5.5 km. There may be various sensors and data transmission systems on board. The device is controlled using GPS or an inertial navigation system
3. - Yamaha RMAX
The Yamaha RMAX mini-helicopter, almost the most common civilian UAV (about 2000 units), is capable of performing a variety of tasks, from irrigating fields to research missions. The device is equipped with a Yamaha two-stroke piston engine, but the height ceiling is software limited and reaches only 140-150 m. As a payload, the RMAX can carry both conventional and video cameras for research, but it has really gained great popularity among farmers for its effective spraying of substances for pest control in rice and other plantations in Japan. In addition, RMAX performed well in April 2000, allowing us to closely examine the eruption of Mount Usu on the island. Hokkaido. This operation was also the first experience of autonomous remote control of a helicopter beyond visual range.
2. - Desert Hawk from Lockheed Martin
The Desert Hawk, originally developed to meet US Air Force requirements for air defense and control, entered production in 2002. The device is made of reliable material, polypropylene foam. The pushing propeller is driven by an electric motor. The Desert Hawk is launched by two people using a shock-absorbing 100-meter cable, which is attached to the device and then simply released. The normal altitude for this UAV is 150 m, but, meanwhile, the maximum ceiling reaches 300 m. Controlling the aircraft through the GPS system and programmed waypoints, the military actively uses Desert Hawk in Iraq to patrol specified areas. The route can be adjusted during the flight using a ground control station that can control 6 UAVs simultaneously. The Desert Hawk's cruising speed is 90 km/h and its operating range is 11 km.
1. - MQ-1 Predator from General Atomics
A medium-altitude UAV with a long flight duration to isolate a combat area and has the ability to conduct combat reconnaissance. The Predator's cruising speed is approximately 135 km/h. The flight distance reaches more than 720 km, and the altitude ceiling is 7.6 km. The MQ-1 can carry two AGM-114 Hellfire laser missiles. In Afghanistan, he became the first UAV in history to destroy enemy military forces. The complete Predator system includes 4 aircraft equipped with sensors, a ground control station, a primary satellite data link and approximately 55 personnel for round-the-clock maintenance. The 115-horsepower Rotax 914F piston engine allows you to accelerate to 220 km/h. The MQ-1 can take off from hard runways with dimensions ranging from 1500x20 m. In order to take off, the device must be in sight, although satellite control provides over-the-horizon communication.
RUSSIAN DEVELOPMENTS
In recent years, new domestic manufacturers of unmanned vehicles have grown. First of all, these are commercial and aviation companies working on orders from civil organizations. Tasks such as monitoring territories and objects, monitoring power lines, conducting search operations, and aerial photography of the area are in great demand in the civilian market. And the presence of a need for such equipment has allowed a large number of domestic highly qualified specialists in the field of aviation technology to use their knowledge in their specialty. Companies such as Zala Aero", "ENICS", "Aerokon", "Radar MMS", "Irkut Engineering" and others, not only meet the needs of commercial structures and departments of Russia, but also successfully promote their products to foreign markets.
In Belarus there is a very interesting design bureau "INDELA", which has achieved great success in the creation of helicopter-type UAVs. On the basis of the 558th aircraft repair plant, JSC AGAT - Control Systems, together with INDELA, is preparing to produce mini-UAVs, short-range UAVs and UAVs short range; Development of medium- and long-range devices is underway. The helicopter-type UAV, INDELA, has a number of ready-made and successfully sold samples in the light class. Not only the UAVs themselves, but also the navigation and communication means are made on their own base.
The developments of the Istra Experimental Mechanical Plant are interesting. For example, an unmanned electronic jamming system capable of operating without the use of GLONASS/GPS satellite navigation, using an inertial system, and a radio beacon system for high-precision landing. UAVs of the Istra series complex still have a small combat radius of 250 km, but the plant plans to master the production of the RITM piston aircraft engine, which will allow the creation of vehicles with greater range and autonomy. Electronic warfare equipment is represented by a set of replaceable small-sized jamming stations for suppressing: radio communication systems, satellite navigation receivers, air defense radar systems, state friend-or-foe identification systems, satellite telephone communications, radio relay lines; in the version of countering air defense systems, it is capable of creating several hundred false targets. The plant also produces automatic control and landing systems for drones of its own design.
Roshydromet of the Russian Federation has long been using UAVs from the Kazan company ENIKS. Eleron-3 devices were used at the North Pole polar stations, and Eleron-10 was tested in Spitsbergen last year.
Roskomnadzor will use NPC NELK UAVs to provide radio monitoring of the airwaves. The company's devices will participate in competitions for conducting R&D of the Ministry of Defense.
For the first time, reports that drones were already guarding hard-to-reach sections of the Russian border appeared back in 2005. It is known from media reports that by the beginning of 2010, the FSB already had experience using the domestic Eleron UAV developed by ENIKS CJSC for aerial reconnaissance. According to the Kommersant newspaper, based on the results of their use in the North Caucasus, an order was issued for further development of this UAV in a reconnaissance version. The same publication reports that in the interests of the FSB, tests were carried out on complexes with Dozor UAVs from the St. Petersburg company Transas and Istra-010 from the Istrinsky Experimental Mechanical Plant, but serial purchases of such devices were not reported.
UAV "Eleron-3"
UAV "Dozor-85"
In addition, in 2007, according to a number of media reports, it follows that the Unmanned Systems company won a number of FSB tenders for the supply of complexes with aircraft-type ZALA 421-04M and helicopter-type ZALA 421-06 UAVs for border patrol. In May 2010, Deputy Head Border Service FSB of the Russian Federation Nikolai Rybalkin stated that, despite some rumors about possible deliveries of Israeli UAVs, the border service “intends to purchase only domestic unmanned aerial vehicles.” Somewhat earlier, the first deputy head of the Border Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation, Colonel General Vyacheslav Dorokhin, said that “The Border Service currently uses seven domestically produced UAV complexes, these complexes consist of two or three devices, and in total the department now has 14 UAVs.” . In June 2010, the same was confirmed by the head of the Border Service of the FSB of Russia, Vladimir Pronichev, in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, stating that “the service has currently purchased seven complexes with Russian-made UAVs such as ZALA 421-05, Irkut-10 and "Orlan-10", and they are undergoing operational tests on the border of the Russian Federation with Kazakhstan." The head of the border service added that “unmanned aerial systems are used to inspect hard-to-reach areas, clarify information obtained using technical means of border security, as well as identify poaching activities and direct border patrols to violators.”
UAV "Irkut-10"
UAV ZALA 421-04M
Preliminary tests of the Orlan-30 UAV developed by Special Technology Center LLC (STC) will soon be completed; based on the results, it will be finalized and transferred for state testing in the interests of the Moscow Region. The estimated flight duration of the device is 10-20 hours, depending on the mass of the target load, with a launch weight of only 27 kg, a flight altitude of 4500 m and the ability to take off and land like an airplane.
Another UAV "Orlan-10" has a launch weight of 14-18 kg with a payload weight of five kg. The device is launched from a collapsible catapult and lands by parachute. Speed - 90-170 km/h, maximum flight altitude above sea level - 5 km. The duration of the Orlan-10 flight is about 14 hours.
As a conclusion.
Having analyzed the entire range of UAVs produced by domestic companies, we can conclude that specialists from domestic companies are capable of creating worthy examples of unmanned aerial vehicles, of course, if they have a sufficient understanding of the appearance of the final product and the tasks that it must solve.
In the minds of most people outside of aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles are somewhat more sophisticated versions of radio-controlled model airplanes. In a certain sense this is true. However, the functions of these devices are Lately have become so diverse that it is no longer possible to limit ourselves to just this way of looking at them.
The beginning of the unmanned era
If we talk about automatic flight and space remotely controlled systems, this topic is not new. Another thing is that in the last decade there has been a certain fashion for them. At its core, the Soviet shuttle Buran, which made an uncrewed space flight and landed safely in the now distant 1988, is also a drone. Photos of the surface of Venus and many scientific data about this planet (1965) were also obtained automatically and telemetrically. And lunar rovers are quite consistent with the idea of unmanned vehicles. And many other achievements of Soviet science in the space field. Where did the mentioned fashion come from? Apparently, it was the result of experience in the combat use of such equipment, and he was rich.
How to use this?
Controlling unmanned aerial vehicles is the same specialty as an ordinary one. An expensive and complex machine can easily be crashed on the ground by making an inept landing. It can be lost as a result of an unsuccessful maneuver or shelling by the enemy. Like a regular plane or helicopter, you need to try to save and remove the drone from danger zone. The risk, of course, is not the same as in the case of a “live” crew, but it’s not worth throwing away expensive equipment. Today, in most countries, instructor and training work is carried out by experienced pilots who have mastered the control of UAVs. They, as a rule, are not professional teachers and computer specialists, so this approach is unlikely to last long. The requirements for a “virtual pilot” differ from those that apply to a future cadet upon admission to a flight school. It can be assumed that the competition among applicants for the specialty “UAV operator” will be considerable.
Bitter Ukrainian experience
Without going into the political background of the armed conflict in the eastern regions of Ukraine, we can note the extremely unsuccessful attempts to conduct aerial reconnaissance by An-30 and An-26 aircraft. If the first of them was developed specifically for aerial photography (mainly peaceful), then the second is an exclusively transport modification of the passenger An-24. Both planes were shot down by rebel fire. What about Ukrainian drones? Why weren't they used to obtain information about the location of rebel forces? The answer is simple. There is none of them.
Against the backdrop of a permanent financial crisis in the country, the funds necessary to create modern weapons were not found. Ukrainian drones are at the stage of preliminary designs or simple homemade devices. Some of them are assembled from radio-controlled aircraft models purchased at the Pilotage store. The militias act in exactly the same way. Not long ago, an allegedly shot down Russian drone was shown on Ukrainian television. The photo, which shows a small and not the most expensive model (without any damage) with a makeshift video camera attached, can hardly serve as an illustration of the aggressive military power of the “northern neighbor”.
Just 20 years ago, Russia was one of the world leaders in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles. Only 950 Tu-143 aerial reconnaissance aircraft were produced in the 80s of the last century. The famous reusable spacecraft Buran was created, which made its first and only flight in completely unmanned mode. I don’t see any point in somehow giving up on the development and use of drones now.
Background Russian drones(Tu-141, Tu-143, Tu-243). In the mid-sixties, the Tupolev Design Bureau began creating new complexes unmanned reconnaissance tactical and operational purpose. On August 30, 1968, Resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers N 670-241 was issued on the development of a new unmanned tactical reconnaissance complex "Reis" (VR-3) and its included unmanned reconnaissance aircraft "143" (Tu-143). The deadline for presenting the complex for testing was specified in the Resolution: for the version with photo reconnaissance equipment - 1970, for the version with equipment for television reconnaissance and for the version with equipment for radiation reconnaissance - 1972.
The Tu-143 reconnaissance UAV was mass-produced in two variants with a replaceable nose part: a photo reconnaissance version with recording information on board, and a television reconnaissance version with the transmission of information via radio to ground command posts. In addition, the reconnaissance aircraft could be equipped with radiation reconnaissance equipment with the transmission of materials about the radiation situation along the flight route to the ground via a radio channel. The Tu-143 UAV is presented at an exhibition of aviation equipment at the Central Aerodrome in Moscow and at the Museum in Monino (you can also see the Tu-141 UAV there).
As part of the aerospace show in Zhukovsky MAKS-2007 near Moscow, in the closed part of the exhibition, the MiG aircraft manufacturing corporation showed its attack unmanned system "Scat" - an aircraft designed according to the "flying wing" design and outwardly very reminiscent of the American bomber B-2 Spirit or its a smaller version is the X-47B maritime unmanned aerial vehicle.
"Scat" is designed to strike both pre-reconnaissance stationary targets, primarily air defense systems, in conditions of strong opposition from enemy anti-aircraft weapons, and mobile ground and sea targets when conducting autonomous and group actions, joint with manned aircraft.
Its maximum take-off weight should be 10 tons. Flight range - 4 thousand kilometers. Flight speed near the ground is at least 800 km/h. It will be able to carry two air-to-surface/air-to-radar missiles or two adjustable aerial bombs with a total mass of no more than 1 ton.
The aircraft is designed according to the flying wing design. In addition, well-known techniques for reducing radar signature were clearly visible in the design. Thus, the wingtips are parallel to its leading edge and the contours of the rear part of the device are made in exactly the same way. Above the middle part of the wing, the Skat had a fuselage of a characteristic shape, smoothly connected to the load-bearing surfaces. Vertical tail was not provided. As can be seen from the photographs of the Skat model, control was to be carried out using four elevons located on the consoles and on the center section. At the same time, certain questions were immediately raised by the yaw controllability: due to the lack of a rudder and a single-engine design, the UAV needed to somehow solve this problem. There is a version about a single deflection of the internal elevons for yaw control.
The model presented at the MAKS-2007 exhibition had the following dimensions: a wingspan of 11.5 meters, a length of 10.25 and a parking height of 2.7 m. Regarding the mass of the Skat, all that is known is that its maximum take-off weight should have been approximately equal to ten tons. With such parameters, the Skat had good calculated flight data. At a maximum speed of up to 800 km/h, it could rise to a height of up to 12 thousand meters and cover up to 4000 kilometers in flight. Such flight performance was planned to be achieved using a two-circuit turbojet engine RD-5000B with a thrust of 5040 kgf. This turbojet engine was created on the basis of the RD-93 engine, but was initially equipped with a special flat nozzle, which reduces the visibility of the aircraft in the infrared range. The engine air intake was located in the forward part of the fuselage and was an unregulated intake device.
Inside the characteristically shaped fuselage, the Skat had two cargo compartments measuring 4.4 x 0.75 x 0.65 meters. With such dimensions, it was possible to suspend guided missiles in the cargo compartments various types, as well as adjustable bombs. The total mass of the Stingray's combat load should have been approximately two tons. During the presentation at the MAKS-2007 salon, next to the Skat there were Kh-31 missiles and KAB-500 adjustable bombs. The composition of the on-board equipment implied by the project was not disclosed. Based on information about other projects of this class, we can draw conclusions about the presence of a complex of navigation and sighting equipment, as well as some capabilities for autonomous actions.
The Dozor-600 UAV (developed by Transas designers), also known as Dozor-3, is much lighter than the Skat or Proryv. Its maximum take-off weight does not exceed 710-720 kilograms. Moreover, due to the classic aerodynamic layout with a full fuselage and a straight wing, it has approximately the same dimensions as the Stingray: a wingspan of twelve meters and a total length of seven. In the bow of the Dozor-600 there is space for target equipment, and in the middle there is a stabilized platform for observation equipment. A propeller group is located in the tail section of the drone. It is based on a Rotax 914 piston engine, similar to those installed on the Israeli IAI Heron UAV and the American MQ-1B Predator.
The 115 horsepower engine allows the Dozor-600 drone to accelerate to a speed of about 210-215 km/h or make long flights at a cruising speed of 120-150 km/h. When using additional fuel tanks, this UAV is capable of staying in the air for up to 24 hours. Thus, the practical flight range is approaching 3,700 kilometers.
Based on the characteristics of the Dozor-600 UAV, we can draw conclusions about its purpose. The relatively small take-off weight does not allow it to transport any serious weapons, which limits the range of tasks it can perform exclusively to reconnaissance. However, a number of sources mention the possibility of installing various weapons on the Dozor-600, the total mass of which does not exceed 120-150 kilograms. Because of this, the range of weapons permissible for use is limited only to certain types guided missiles, in particular anti-tank ones. It is noteworthy that when using anti-tank guided missiles, the Dozor-600 becomes largely similar to the American MQ-1B Predator, both in technical characteristics and in the composition of its weapons.
Heavy attack unmanned aerial vehicle project. The development of the research topic “Hunter” to study the possibility of creating an attack UAV weighing up to 20 tons in the interests of the Russian Air Force was or is being carried out by the Sukhoi company (JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau). For the first time, the plans of the Ministry of Defense to adopt an attack UAV were announced at the MAKS-2009 air show in August 2009. According to a statement by Mikhail Pogosyan in August 2009, the design of a new attack unmanned system was to be the first joint work of the respective departments of the Sukhoi and MiG Design Bureaus (project " Skat"). The media reported the conclusion of a contract for the implementation of the Okhotnik research work with the Sukhoi company on July 12, 2011. In August 2011, the merger of the relevant divisions of RSK MiG and Sukhoi to develop a promising strike UAV was confirmed in the media, but the official agreement between MiG " and "Sukhoi" were signed only on October 25, 2012.
The terms of reference for the strike UAV were approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense on the first of April 2012. On July 6, 2012, information appeared in the media that the Sukhoi company had been selected by the Russian Air Force as the lead developer. An unnamed industry source also reports that the strike UAV developed by Sukhoi will simultaneously be a sixth-generation fighter. As of mid-2012, it is expected that the first sample of the strike UAV will begin testing no earlier than 2016. It is expected to enter service by 2020. In 2012, JSC VNIIRA carried out a selection of patent materials on the topic of R&D “Hunter”, and in In the future, it was planned to create navigation systems for landing and taxiing heavy UAVs on the instructions of Sukhoi Company OJSC (source).
Media reports that the first sample of a heavy attack UAV named after the Sukhoi Design Bureau will be ready in 2018.
Combat use (otherwise they will say exhibition copies are Soviet junk)
“For the first time in the world, the Russian Armed Forces carried out an attack on a fortified area of militants with combat drones. In the province of Latakia, army units of the Syrian army, with the support of Russian paratroopers and Russian combat drones, took the strategic height of 754.5, the Siriatel tower.
More recently, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Gerasimov, said that Russia is striving to completely robotize the battle, and perhaps soon we will witness how robotic groups independently conduct military operations, and this is what happened.
In Russia in 2013 it was adopted airborne weapons the latest automated control system "Andromeda-D", with which you can carry out operational control of a mixed group of troops.
The use of the latest high-tech equipment allows the command to ensure continuous control of troops performing training combat missions at unfamiliar training grounds, and the Airborne Forces command to monitor their actions, being at a distance of more than 5 thousand kilometers from their deployment sites, receiving from the training area not only a graphic picture of moving units, but also a video image of their actions in real time.
Depending on the tasks, the complex can be mounted on the chassis of a two-axle KamAZ, BTR-D, BMD-2 or BMD-4. Moreover, given specifics of the Airborne Forces, "Andromeda-D" is adapted for loading into an aircraft, flight and landing.
This system, as well as combat drones, were deployed to Syria and tested in combat conditions.
Six Platform-M robotic complexes and four Argo complexes took part in the attack on the heights; the drone attack was supported by self-propelled drones recently deployed to Syria artillery installations(self-propelled guns) "Acacia", which can destroy enemy positions with overhead fire.
From the air, drones conducted reconnaissance behind the battlefield, transmitting information to the deployed Andromeda-D field center, as well as to Moscow in National Center defense management command post Russian General Staff.
Combat robots, self-propelled guns, drones were tied to automated system Andromeda-D control. The commander of the attack to the heights, in real time, led the battle, the operators of combat drones, being in Moscow, led the attack, everyone saw both their own area of the battle and the whole picture as a whole.
The drones were the first to attack, approaching 100-120 meters to the militants’ fortifications, they called fire on themselves, and immediately attacked the detected firing points with self-propelled guns.
Behind the drones, at a distance of 150-200 meters, Syrian infantry advanced, clearing the heights.
The militants did not have the slightest chance, all their movements were controlled by drones, artillery strikes were carried out on the discovered militants, literally 20 minutes after the start of the attack by combat drones, the militants fled in horror, abandoning the dead and wounded. On the slopes of height 754.5, almost 70 militants were killed, there were no dead Syrian soldiers, only 4 wounded.”
The US Armed Forces are actively working in the field of creating attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
One of the significant programs in the field of advanced combat UAVs is the J-UCAS Joint Attack UAV Program for the Air Force and Navy, which was carried out by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the interests of the US Air Force and Navy. By now, there were reports from the US Air Force and Navy that the program was again divided by branch of the armed forces. At the same time, the devices under study were preserved.
The J-UCAS program is focused on research, demonstration and evaluation of advanced technologies necessary for the technical implementation of carrier-based and ground-based attack UAVs capable of performing core Air Force and Navy combat missions, as well as identifying activities necessary for the accelerated development and production of such combat systems. The goal of the Program is to reduce the risks for the Air Force and Navy in creating and acquiring effective and affordable combat UAVs capable of complementing groups of manned combat aircraft (Fig. 1). The Program must develop the concept of an attack UAV that is fully integrated into the promising joint forces of the future.
Among the factors that determine the need and relevance of work in the field of attack UAVs in the United States, the following are usually identified.
Limitations on response time and access to threatened areas
The ability of the armed forces to quickly respond to threats is considered by US leaders and politicians as an important tool for deterrence and achieving political solutions, including resolving a crisis or eliminating a threat to the country's interests. However, this ability can be significantly complicated for remote areas due to restrictions on access to foreign ports, airfields and, accordingly, combat areas (Fig. 2). This is reminiscent of the restrictions imposed when installing access control in an enterprise. An example of such a situation would be the American intervention in Afghanistan, which was complicated by geographical and political obstacles. Conflict with a landlocked country or surrounded by states with which the United States does not have formal basing agreements or whose airfield and port infrastructure is inadequate necessary requirements, forces us to rely on carrier-based aircraft or those based at remote air bases.
The US operation in Iraq was also plagued by forward basing issues due to political restrictions on the use of Turkish ports and airfields even with formal basing agreements in place.
On the other hand, forward deployment near threatened areas, when some potential adversaries (e.g., Iran, North Korea, and China) have long-range strike weapons, are sufficiently vulnerable to guarantee deterrence functions. The enemy's presence of long-range strike weapons or air defense systems allows them to create and maintain coastal "no-go" zones within which the US Navy cannot "feel" safe.
For ground forces, the problem of the length of the response cycle and access to threatened areas is an objective limiting factor in the ability to perform the mentioned deterrence functions. For these purposes, mobile and fast forces are needed, capable of operating as part of strike groups limited in size, within the framework of network information and control structures with the centralized use of available weapons. The latter imposes new requirements on the methods of conducting combat operations by the Navy and Air Force, including the requirement for information and target integration of weapons.
Along with the requirements for efficiency and strike conditions, the Navy and Air Force also provide rapid transport of large volumes of military cargo to enable mass deployment. heavy means ground forces and tactical aviation.
The Navy's Sea Shield, Sea Strike, and Sea Based concepts and the Air Force's Global Strike and Global Sustained Attack concepts reflect the importance and recognition of the challenges posed by response time constraints and access to threat areas for the U.S. joint force in the future. These concepts assume an initial period of hostilities, during which they will be conducted using non- large quantity ports and air bases. Such actions can mainly be supported by carrier-based forces and long-range aircraft from bases located beyond the diplomatic and military reach of the enemy.
The development of such forces and means in accordance with the American concept of joint warfare is associated with solving the problems of ensuring the ability to build up the necessary combat potential during the conflict.
Among the bottlenecks of current US capabilities is the inability of mobile forces to conduct massive combat operations over long distances in the presence of time and access constraints. Of all the weapons systems planned for the US mobile force by 2015, only the stealth aircraft - the B-2 bomber and the F-117, F-22 and F-35 fighters - will be able to operate freely in protected enemy airspace. Of these, only the B-2 will be able to operate effectively at long distances in the absence of air bases in the theater of operations, but the United States has a limited group of these aircraft (production of the B-2 was limited to only 21 aircraft).
An additional challenge for strike forces is the increased proportion of mobile or response time-sensitive targets. Under these conditions, it is possible to guarantee the defeat of any target from a possible set of targets only if the weapon carrier is located within the range of the weapon at the time of its detection by US reconnaissance means (air- or space-based). To assess the effectiveness of defeating enemy mobile targets, a number of assumptions are proposed below. An estimate of five minutes is proposed as a measure of time sensitivity from the moment a target is received (after detection) until the target is hit. This, for a typical US weapon capable of traveling about eight miles per minute with a launch delay of about one minute, corresponds to the requirement for the weapon carrier to be within 32 miles of the target. For existing weapons, such parameters are possible when using aircraft with a long flight duration.
Requirement to cover the combat area with the weapon's impact zone
One of the advantages that UAVs have over a manned aircraft is that the maximum flight time is independent of the physiological capabilities of the flight crew. This is a significant advantage in the context of operational-strategic requirements in accordance with the concepts of "Global Strike" and "Global Sustained Attack". The influence of the available flight duration factor can be demonstrated using the following example. For a hypothetical 192 x 192 mile combat area, assuming the above requirement, it would be necessary to have weapons-carrying strike aircraft within 32 miles of any point in the area (a five-minute response time to ensure mobile targets are hit), which requires continuous presence in the area of at least nine carriers of the lesion. To this should be added restrictions on basing conditions (from land or sea bases) with a typical distance of about 1,500 miles from the center of the combat area.
The B-2 bomber is the only strike system available today that can operate at this range and survive in moderately enemy-defended airspace. According to existing practice, B-2 bombers carried out global combat missions with a total flight duration of more than 30 hours, while the aircraft were in the airspace protected by the enemy air defense system for only a few hours, while two pilots could take turns resting (sleeping) during flights to and from the combat zone. Today there is no confident answer about the endurance limits of an aircraft crew in terms of the duration of work in protected airspace: according to some expert data, the upper estimate is between five and ten hours. For the conditions of the example under consideration, each B-2 bomber can spend about 10 hours in protected airspace and a total of about 6 hours in flights; There is practically no time left for rest (sleep).
To continuously ensure the response time for each target detected in the area indicated above, at a level of no more than 5 minutes, for each of the nine B-2 aircraft patrolling in the area, sorties must be carried out every 10 hours, with a total of about 22 sorties required. in a day. Given the current operating limitations for the B-2 bomber (about 0.5 sorties per day), a group of aircraft of 44 fully operational B-2 aircraft will be required, and taking into account additional requirements for reserve, reliability and other operational factors, the required group size will increase up to 60 aircraft.
An attack UAV to solve such a problem must have the following capabilities:
- to long loitering (including when using air refueling);
- survival in the face of enemy opposition;
- defeating detected targets based on promptly issued target designation.
In the interests of assessing the combat capabilities of currently available UAVs, a Global Hawk type UAV, which is capable of continuously remaining in the air for 36 hours with the ability to deploy weapons, can be considered. For the above hypothetical operating conditions, nine UAVs would be required with the ability for each vehicle to take off every 30 hours. In total, to support the operation, it would be necessary to carry out about seven sorties per day, which is about three times less than what is needed when using manned systems.
The key problem in the design of UAVs is the search for design compromises between the size of the UAV, combat survivability, size of ammunition, and cost (which determines the size of the group in conditions of limited appropriations). The upper level of flight duration according to the experience of the Global Hawk UAV, taking into account scientific and technological progress, can be several times higher than the achieved level of 36 hours for this UAV.
It should be noted that for an attack UAV, the required duration of stay in the combat area should be determined taking into account the intensity of consumption of weapons, ammunition on board, as well as its survivability levels. The optimal ratio of fuel reserves and weapon ammunition depend on the predicted conditions of combat use - the intensity of combat operations, and for its operational management during combat use, various technical solutions can be used, for example, the presence of a modular weapons compartment with the ability to accommodate both fuel and weapons.
A significant limitation on the size of a UAV is its cost. For conditions of joint use with manned attack aircraft, the specified appearance parameters of UAVs (including cost, survivability and combat effectiveness) must be determined by complex performance indicators with a search for a rational composition of the aviation group of manned and unmanned attack systems and a rational distribution of the shares of combat missions between them.
The defining qualities of a UAV are more survivable, faster and cheaper
UAVs have a clear advantage over manned systems when agility is required, but this is not their only strength. The use of UAVs does not involve the risk of losing the crew, which expands the conditions for their rational use, including in situations where enemy air defense systems create too high a risk of loss for manned systems. This should not imply that the loss of a UAV is not worth anything. In terms of size and cost, attack UAVs can be comparable to manned aircraft, so they cannot be considered as disposable systems.
The use of UAVs has the potential to reduce the time required to respond to an ongoing crisis once appropriate measures are taken. political decision. The reduction in overall response time is also due to the fact that there is no need to deploy the supporting assets required when using manned aircraft in risky conditions, including, for example, the preliminary deployment of combat search and rescue forces in the region. Such deployment is vulnerable and typically requires several days, during which time the attack UAVs may already be in use.
There is still a certain strategic vulnerability of the United States associated with a fairly high sensitivity to personnel losses. Attack UAVs could potentially reduce this “vulnerability” since there would be no loss of life when used.
Unmanned combat systems should be less expensive to operate than manned aircraft, which is an important addition to the advantages associated with the above-mentioned factors of greater combat effectiveness of strike UAVs in missions where it is necessary to achieve continuous coverage of the combat area with the affected area, conditions for conducting combat operations at large distances from base locations or deep in the combat area. It should be noted that the realization of these advantages requires ensuring a high degree of integration, reliability and safety of UAVs in peacetime and war, which they must provide. There are certain problems for existing UAVs in this area. However, there is potentially no technical or operational reason to overcome them in the future and achieve levels characteristic of manned aircraft.
The reduction in operating costs is associated with a reduction in the cost of preparing and training UAV operators, given that most flight stages are performed automatically, including en route flight, takeoff and landing. Training UAV operators should be less expensive than training pilots and navigators of manned aircraft, through the use of simulators and training modes of operation. A significantly smaller number of actual training flights will lead to savings in fuel and spare parts and will increase the service life of the UAV, reducing the need to reproduce new vehicles. By some estimates, unmanned combat systems could be 50-70% less expensive to operate than manned aircraft. Considering that operating costs and support costs are almost half of the cost life cycle aircraft, the potential cost reduction is very significant.
An effective complement to manned strike systems
Despite the many obvious advantages that attack UAVs have in combat conditions, manned aircraft still have a clear advantage in dynamic combat environments and when tight integration with ground forces or naval forces is required. Achieving air superiority and supporting ground forces in direct contact with the enemy are two combat missions that fall under the designated conditions. At the same time, even under these conditions, there is a sufficient number of combat missions in which UAVs are more effective. This creates the prerequisites for increasing integral efficiency through the rational joint use of UAVs and manned systems while taking advantage of the advantages of both systems.
As noted, one of the limitations of long-term use of manned aircraft is the fatigue of the aircraft crew. Crew fatigue is a cumulative phenomenon, which is the reason for the limitation of daily and monthly flight hours for the aircraft crew. Prolonged combat operations quickly deplete an aircraft's aircrew's allowable flight hours, so combat sortie standards are typically limited by the number of aircrew available rather than the number of aircraft available. In conditions of prolonged combat operations, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles makes it possible to more rationally use the flight time resources of manned aircraft crews and, on this basis, maintain a high intensity of combat operations.
Having the ability to be configured for various tasks - surveillance and reconnaissance or attack, or suppression, or destruction of enemy air defense systems - the UAV can serve as an effective assistant for manned combat systems, including expanding the information situational awareness of the crews of a manned aircraft, suppressing and neutralizing enemy air defense systems . In such missions, UAVs will enhance the effectiveness and survivability of manned systems, especially during the initial period of conflict under the aforementioned limited access conditions characteristic of the Air Force's Global Strike concept.
Until recently, a significant problem for UAVs was the lack of reliability and labor-intensive operation in a combat situation. UAVs were used mainly for surveillance and reconnaissance, since in combat conditions they can suffer heavy losses. One of the goals of the J-UCAS program is to solve these problems, including by developing and testing the technologies and capabilities necessary to create attack UAVs that would become fully functional and reliable means of solving combat missions.
Among the objectives of the J-UCAS program, the problems of reducing the cost of creating UAVs, as well as the volume of material support required for use, were particularly highlighted than those of comparable manned aircraft, including reducing the cost of operation to levels lower than for today's carrier-based fighters. DARPA and the branches of the military have set similar ambitious goals, covering the entire mission cycle from strike to communications, command and control, interoperability and stealth.
An important component of the J-UCAS program is the verification of combat capabilities using prototypes. As part of this task, it is expected to achieve confirmation of not only technical characteristics, but also combat capabilities. To do this, it is planned to use modeling, testing and demonstration flight methods, which should confirm that the technical advantages will actually translate into the ability to perform combat missions.
The J-UCAS program also aims to prepare technical specifications for the transition to a development and production program. The J-UCAS program is primarily a demonstration program, and, at least for the Air Force, it is unlikely that current demonstration systems will be considered as a major production option. DARPA, aware of this problem, at the same time sets the task of developing options that are close (ready) for acquisition, except for demonstration ones.
Addressing these challenges within the programs includes consideration of alternatives to aircraft with a wide variety of sizes, speeds and operational modes, including complementing and improving the capabilities of manned strike systems, both existing and future, to ensure joint use in various combinations of manned and unmanned systems.
Given the requirements of the Global Strike and Global Sustained Attack concepts and existing Air Force capability bottlenecks, DARPA is prioritizing a large-scale UAV demonstrator with a large endurance and payload. It is anticipated that such a demonstrator will provide adequacy and credibility to operational and combat evaluations, enhance the reliability of concept application proposals, and enable faster transition to a development and production program. The Air Force envisions that the Large Strike UAV has the potential to close combat capability gaps in long-range operations for limited access situations, including ground and air target suppression capabilities, special operations support and ground operations support.
To date, a new version of the X-45S has been developed with a payload of 2 tons in two internal weapons bays. It is possible to attach additional fuel tanks to increase its range to 2400 km; aerial refueling capability is due to be demonstrated in 2007, bringing its performance level closer to that of a manned aircraft. The UAV can carry a large payload with the ability to drop up to eight small-caliber bombs, and can also use JDAM guided bombs. Boeing is currently exploring the X-45D as a future ultra-long-range strike platform.
Northrop Grumman (developer of the X-47 UAV for the US Navy), as part of the J-UCAS program, presented the X-47B UAV, competing with the Boeing X-45C UAV (Fig. 3). The X-47V UAV is a larger modification of the X-47A with a range of 2770 km and a payload weighing about 2.5 tons.
According to available data, the starting position of the US Department of Defense regarding the size of attack UAVs (declared in connection with work on the X-47B and X-45C) is that they should be in the class of standard combat tactical multirole aircraft with the ability to use more than two tons of ammunition at a distance of at least 1850 km. DARPA's requirements for the X-47B define the ability to perform reconnaissance and strike operations (including reconnaissance in the enemy's protected area and delivering precision strikes when deck-based or ground-based). The Navy requires a variant with multiple catapult takeoffs and a short landing distance.
As we have repeatedly emphasized in publications, science never stands still, and the development of technology is gaining momentum every year. The wildest dreams that science fiction writers could not even think of are coming true. Fly on or ? Please, everything is done. However, perhaps the most global changes and innovations have occurred in the field of robotics and automation of various equipment, ranging from industrial machines to robots and military equipment.
One of the most bright examples, of course, is the development of unmanned aerial vehicles by mankind. However, as everyone knows, nothing happens simply for altruistic purposes and the economic issue is always considered first. This is exactly the situation at the moment with the production of unmanned aerial vehicles, but this was not always the case, especially considering that the “ancestors” of modern drones served only as ordinary targets for training pilots and anti-aircraft gunners.
History of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/UAVs
It doesn’t matter that today we are talking about drones, the history of these devices begins on the water rather than in the air. At the end of the 19th century, to be precise, in 1899, the well-known inventor, physicist and engineer Nikola Tesla designed and demonstrated to the public the world's first radio-controlled boat, which did not go unnoticed in the scientific community and gave impetus to the development of the field of controlled objects.
Despite Nikola Tesla’s general message, the next “drone” turned out to be not a ship, but an ordinary aircraft. In 1910, military engineer and inventor Charles Kettering, inspired by the successes of the Wright brothers, proposed creating an aircraft controlled not by a person, but by a clockwork mechanism, which at a certain time dropped its wings and fell on the enemy. Surprisingly, despite the innovative and extravagant idea, Kettering was given the green light and, with the help of funding from the US Army, managed to create several working models. Alas, after several test flights with varying degrees of success, the project little by little came to naught and the development did not take part in combat operations during the First World War.
DH.82B Queen Bee – Target UAV
However, the truly breakthrough year for drones of the 20th century was 1933, which is officially considered the ancestor of all further developments. It was in this year that British engineers developed the first UAV, which, by the way, was, among other things, reusable. The project was called the DH.82B Queen Bee, and were restored models of Fairy Queen biplanes that were remotely controlled from the ship via radio. And it was this drone that was destined to become a target aircraft for future aces and anti-aircraft gunners. The DH.82B Queen Bee served with Her Majesty's Air Force from 1934 to 1943.
Naturally, neither Germany, nor the USSR, nor the USA could ignore such an innovation during the Second World War. For example, Germany used Henschel Hs 293 and Fritz X guided bombs, which showed themselves successfully during combat operations in the Mediterranean Sea, but it was not they that were destined to go into mass production, but the “projectile” V-1 rocket, and since 1942, V-2. But in the USSR during World War II, the designed structures failed to become reality, despite the attempts of aircraft designer Vasily Nikitin. It was through his efforts that there was a project for an unmanned flying missile, whose flight range was 100 km or more at a speed of 700 km/h, but as already mentioned, the project remained only on paper. However, in 1941, the USSR successfully used the TB-3 heavy bomber as an unmanned aircraft to blow up bridges.
But the United States followed in the footsteps of Great Britain and launched mass production of Radioplane QQ-2 drones, which were used as target aircraft. Moreover, during World War II, Radioplane created almost 15 thousand similar UAVs for the US Air Force, including the QQ-3 and QQ-14 models. It is interesting that the authorship of these drones belongs to Denis Rigenathalt, who in the 30s of the 20th century was a successful actor and was British by birth. However, he later showed interest in radio-controlled models, and in 1934 he opened his own shop as a hobby. However, the most successful US development can be considered the Interstate TDR-1 unmanned strike bomber, which is comparable only to the V-1 and can be considered the world's first unmanned aerial vehicle of this type and specialization. Until 1944, several modifications of the TDR-1 were produced: XTDR-1, TDR-1, XTD2R-1, XTD3R-1, XTD3R-2, TD3R-1. However, despite the abundance of modifications, in serial production Only the TDR-1 itself was received - more than 180 pieces and TD3R-1 - an order of 40 pieces, which, however, was later canceled.
Despite the fact that after the Second World War, only the USA and the USSR actively used UAVs in one way or another, at the moment the USA is considered the leading leader in the development and use of drones. Suffice it to say that in 2012, the number of unmanned aerial vehicles in service with the US Air Force was 7,494, while there were almost 11 thousand manned aircraft.
At the moment, in terms of the importance of technology development in this area, it is necessary to note not only the USA, but also Russia, Israel, as well as the UK, which expanded its fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles in March 2014.
Civil unmanned aerial vehicles
However, despite the development of UAVs in military sphere, we must not forget about the civilian use of these devices. Firstly, more and more such devices appear every year. Secondly, some of the devices developed by private companies are more technologically advanced due to their narrow specialization and small production volumes, which allows engineers to more quickly respond to changes in the consumer market.
The history of the development of civilian drones goes back much less time than their military ancestors, because the first civilian drones appeared only in 2000 and were significantly different from their predecessors, but the pace of development of this separate branch is much more impressive. Already now, in the United States, legislators are seriously concerned, and at this time, startups are appearing more and more often, offering to produce not only large unmanned aircraft, but also drones for everyday use.
One of the most striking examples at the moment is the project of the American company Amazon. So, in December last year, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos promised his users a truly futuristic option for delivering goods purchased through their online store. Bezos' plan is that if you are no more than 15 km from the company's warehouses and make a purchase, then literally in half an hour a drone will land on your doorstep and leave a package. Sounds interesting at least. Another condition for such an undertaking is the weight of the parcel, which should not be heavier than 2 kg (by the way, more than 80% of Amazon orders weigh less than this figure). This technical innovation, according to Bezos, should see the world in 2015. And everything would be fine if not for several moments that cast doubt on the implementation of this idea. There are several reasons for this, including both funny ones (for example, your mail drone could be shot down by a sharp shooter on the way and pick up the package) and serious ones, which should be discussed in more detail.
Despite how democratic the United States is and its penchant for introducing innovations, human rights activists are confident that Bezos’s idea will be a fiasco in 2015. For now Federal Administration US civil aviation simply will not take such a step as allowing the introduction of such transport drones into operation, and the likely “yes” may not be earlier than 2020. In addition, drones can hardly be called safe. Cases of equipment failure are far from uncommon, and when a heavy drone with explosive batteries and sharp propellers falls into a densely populated area, then such an Amazon venture seems less interesting.
One way or another, Jeff Bezos remains optimistic, because just in 2007, in New York, a man who launched his drone near the Statue of Liberty was fined 10 thousand dollars, but filed a counterclaim and won the case, thereby paving the way all US civilian unmanned vehicles. And therefore, Amazon still has a chance to defend its idea; moreover, Congress has already adopted a resolution to clear airspace for the commercial use of drones since 2015. But for now these are just declarations of intent. In addition, it cannot be ruled out that Bezos’ statement is nothing more than a marketing ploy; this is explained by the fact that in the States the company already has an extensive network of 52 distribution centers with a total warehouse area of 3.7 million square meters. m. Moreover, it was created with the condition of saving money by renting land far from cities, and therefore it is at least not profitable from a business point of view to change your strategy so radically.
But in Europe everything is not so rosy. In addition to the lack of a legal framework regarding this issue, Europeans simply cannot afford to invest in a program for the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, not only for military, but especially for civilian purposes. According to experts, due to the pan-European approach to the issue, there is a possibility that the market will be occupied by manufacturers from developing countries, be it China, Türkiye or South Africa.
Advantages of UAVs compared to manned aircraft
- Already, manned aircraft are much more expensive than drones, both in terms of maintenance and production. While a conventional aircraft requires protection and life support systems for pilots, an unmanned aerial vehicle costs little. Last but not least are the costs of training and training pilots, which takes much more time than training a UAV operator.
- Unmanned aerial vehicles consume much less fuel due to their weight, while the possibility of using alternative fuels is not excluded. For example, according to the overwhelming majority of aircraft designers, it is possible to switch to cryogenic fuel, which is used by spacecraft
- While a manned aircraft must be landed on a huge landing pad, a drone lands freely on a small runway of no more than 600 meters, not to mention micro-class drones that can even land on a house threshold or window sill.
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