The American army showed the capabilities of one of the the latest developments in the field of unmanned aircraft - “swarming” microdrones. Yesterday, January 9, the results of tests of Perdix drones equipped with artificial intelligence and capable of acting in a “pack”.
Tests of miniature drones took place on October 25 last year, but they became known only yesterday. During testing, three US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets launched 103 miniature Perdix drones, which then formed a “swarm” and carried out a reconnaissance mission. The drones were dropped from special hanging containers. The testing site was the China Lake military base (California).
Perdix drone testing
The tests took place as part of a special study by the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO), which examined the possibilities of using drones and their autonomous operation. Now the drone operator does not need to control each individual drone: for example, it is enough to set a target for reconnaissance, after which the drones independently follow it and circle, transmitting reconnaissance information. At the same time, drones are able to “communicate” with each other, coordinating their movements and flight directions.
"Because of complex nature Combat Perdix are not pre-programmed drones. They are a collective organism that makes decisions with a single divided brain, like swarms in nature. Because each Perdix communicates and cooperates with other members of the swarm, the swarm has no leader and can seamlessly adapt to new circumstances, acting alone, in small or large groups.", said SCO Chief William Roper.
The Perdix is a disposable, relatively inexpensive reconnaissance drone that can be deployed for additional reconnaissance prior to air strikes. The drone is made of plastic, equipped with a small electric motor with a pushing propeller, as well as a video camera and a radio transmitter (the video and radio signals are transmitted to the pilot and the command center).
One of the Perdix drone prototypes.
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Perdix is designed to be launched from an aircraft and quickly collect critical data that will allow pilots to better identify and strike targets, Roper said. Perdix was originally designed to launch “flocks” of drones that could attack or distract ground-based air defense systems, but as the project progresses, the military is finding more and more uses for disposable drones.
The American army is developing in principle the new kind armed forces- squads of unmanned vehicles with swarm intelligence. In October 2016 there were successful tests the world's largest swarm of microdrones, consisting of 103 Perdix devices, according to the website of the US Department of Defense.
Swarm intelligence involves the coordinated actions of a large number of agents (boids) that locally interact with themselves and environment. Although each boid follows simple basic rules, but collectively the swarm intelligence system exhibits exceptionally complex cooperative behavior. It actually acts like one big organism.
For example, in the final episode of the last season of Black Mirror, they demonstrated a typical swarm intelligence system of robotic bees, which had to replace the extinct population of living bees. So, having received a simple command to reach the target in the inner ear of a girl who, according to the results of a vote on Twitter, people recognized as the most hated girl of the day, the robotic bees showed different ways her achievements. Some tried to break through the window, others through the door, others through the ventilation. It's not because bees are so smart and resourceful. Quite the contrary, they acted exclusively primitively, following a basic set of simple rules. They tried all the options, stupidly poking into all the cracks. This clearly demonstrates the principle of complex behavior of a system based on simple rules.
A movable sculpture of robotic bees in the developer's office. Photo: Black Mirror series
As the swarm of robotic bees was given one task, it seemed as if they were being guided by some invisible force. Although in reality each drone was autonomous and governed by a simple set of basic rules.
By the way, engineers from Harvard University helped the filmmakers in developing the robot bees from Black Mirror.
The US Department of Defense drones are much less advanced than in the movies. And when the military calls them with the prefix “micro-,” this can only cause a smile. Perhaps a new definition for the word “micro” should be added to the dictionary?
Micro Perdix drone
Technical characteristics of the devices:
Propellers: 6.6 cm
Frame: 16.5 cm
Wingspan: 30.0 cm
Weight: 290 g
Flight time: more than 20 minutes
Maximum speed: more than 40-60 knots (74-111 km/h)
Perdix is the nephew and student of Daedalus in Greek mythology.
The swarm drone system was developed by the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) of the US Department of Defense, in cooperation with the Command aviation systems US Navy (Naval Air Systems Command). The devices were launched into the air from three carrier-based F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter-bombers.
During testing, the group of drones demonstrated a number of unique swarm formation capabilities, including collective decision making, adaptive formation changes on the fly, and “self-healing” of the group.
Each of the boids in the swarm system American army kept in touch with other boids. There is no leader or commander, which allows the swarm to successfully survive the loss of individual boids and continue coordinated actions.
According to the military leadership, such groups of cheap disposable boids are capable of effectively carrying out complex missions for which large, expensive devices are now used. In addition, there is no need for constant human control. People may become detached from the operation of such autonomous systems. In the absence of a person, they act much more efficiently, because they make decisions faster and instantly react to external factors.
Perdix is a cheap, lightweight drone whose body is 3D printed. The drones themselves were originally created by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and then adapted for military use by scientists and engineers from the Lincoln Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT Lincoln Laboratory). The work has continued since 2013. Since then, Perdix's software and hardware configuration have continually improved: it is now in its 6th generation of drones. The system will continue to be upgraded in the future.
Tests have proven the drones' functionality after being transported at Mach 0.6 at a temperature of -10°C, as well as after shocks due to the shooting of IR decoys from fighter jets.
IN characteristics of Perdix It is indicated that this is a drone for reconnaissance missions, but the use of swarm intelligence significantly expands the functionality of this device. It’s easy to imagine how a swarm of such drones, armed with explosive ammunition (for example, grenades), carries out combat missions.
The use of armed drones on the battlefield is intended to reduce losses in manpower, but at the same time creates additional risks. In February 2016, experts published a report warning of an increased risk of erroneous strikes when using autonomous weapons: “This could happen due to hackers, enemy manipulation of the drone’s behavior, unexpected interactions with the environment, or simple breakdowns and errors in the drone.” software, writes Paul Scharre of the Center for a New American Security, one of the authors of the report. - Moreover, as the complexity of systems increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to verify the behavior of the system under all possible conditions; the number of potential interactions between the system and the environment is simply too large.”
Human Rights Watch calls for signing international agreement, which will preemptively ban the development, production and use of autonomous weapons.
The United States tested a swarm of attack mini-drones to suppress air defense or offensive weapons. The 3D-printed devices can be launched towards the enemy from a fighter or bomber. It will be very difficult to fight such weapons with conventional air defense systems; modern radio-electronic weapons are needed against such systems, say experts interviewed by Gazeta.Ru.
The US Department of Defense is testing a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed for electronic and fire suppression of enemy assets air defense(air defense) and attacks on positional areas of offensive weapons probable enemy. The head of what was once one of the most secret divisions of the Pentagon - the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) - William Roper spoke about this during a report to US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, writes a military analytical publication.
According to Roper, the implementation of this program will give the US armed forces unprecedented advantages in modern warfare. Mini-drones are designed and built on standard elements already developed by American industry, the Pentagon official emphasized.
Promising unmanned aircraft has already received the name Perdix (Latin for “partridge”), which is dissonant to the Russian ear.
“They are single-use, fly at extremely low altitudes and can also be used as a reconnaissance weapon. You can have many of these mini-drones, and only as many as you need to complete the combat mission in a given case. A large number of The UAV creates considerable advantages over the enemy. He will be forced to invest much more in his defense more funds and time to reliably protect yourself from such swarms,” Roper explained.
Drone of the Perdix project, named after the ancient Greek heroine Perdika
However, in his public statements, he never named any specific technologies used in the creation and operation of new drones.
The only thing William Roper clarified: small drones can be easily launched from a carrier aircraft.
Such machines can be located in some kind of cassette on board a fighter or bomber and sent by the pilot to carry out a combat mission with the press of a button. In numerous tests, F-16 and F/A-18 aircraft are used as swarm carriers.
“Although mini-drones do have advantages in terms of combat use, according to the “efficiency - cost” criterion, in comparison with many other types of weapons and military equipment“Small drones still have a very limited range,” says William Roper.
According to him, the external contours of the Perdix drone are created using 3D printing to ensure fast production and lower device prices.
According to the authors of this idea, small-sized drones should fly up to their targets with the minimum possible intervals and distances between each other. One of the main problems with this is the collision of drones with each other. For safe autonomous flight, special computer algorithms are used. In this regard, the developers, in their own words, have made significant progress.
There are also serious limitations in the use of mini-drones, the authors of the program believe.
The US military is not yet able to design such vehicles that could return to the carrier aircraft from which they were launched.
American developers are now studying preliminary test results. If necessary, the necessary changes and additions will be made to the program.
The unmanned aerial vehicle mentioned by Pentagon officials is just one of many systems being developed for “swarm use,” a Russian expert in the field of unmanned systems explained to Gazeta.Ru. Chief Editor magazine "Unmanned Aviation" Denis Fedutinov. “In the USA, several interested structures have organized work in this area. Examples include the LOCUST program of the Office of Naval Research (ONR), as well as the DARPA Gremlins project,” says Fedutinov.
It is assumed that the drones will operate against an enemy equipped modern systems Air defense. It will be overcome through the simultaneous use of many drones.
For this unmanned vehicles must be able to interact with each other, forming an information network. This property should ensure the redistribution of combat missions in a changing situation, including in the event of some of the drones being disabled. Such UAVs, designed to withstand high losses, must be relatively cheap and consist of the most available components.
According to the expert, there have also been some projects in Russia aimed at developing swarm technologies in relation to UAVs. However, this topic has not yet been seriously addressed in our country. To actually implement such ideas, serious government investment is needed, the expert explains. First of all, in the development of the necessary flock algorithms. The cost of this work may exceed the cost of creating the hardware, Fedutinov emphasizes.
The US Office of Strategic Capabilities, which operates closely with the defense industry, was created to speed up the long, expensive and bureaucratic process of adopting a particular type of weapon. Management must integrate science and military industry. “Often people who have never met before are natural partners in creating promising weapons. We must use this situation for constructive purposes,” William Roper, head of the US Strategic Capabilities Directorate, explained his tasks to reporters.
“We want to give commanders undeniable advantages during combat operations over the enemy. We take risky concepts and bring the result of the work to a state where it can be used in combat,” the Pentagon official emphasizes.
Such American developments should be regarded as a serious threat, says Konstantin Makienko, deputy director of the Center for Strategies and Technologies. “And this, without any exaggeration, revolution in military affairs can happen quite quickly and suddenly,” says Makienko. - Fight similar packs small drones It will be very difficult physically. No mirror counteraction is suitable here. In my opinion, only the use of radio-electronic weapons, which destroy intellectual connections in such a swarm, will be effective.”
MOSCOW, March 21 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. The Russian Ministry of Defense on Tuesday announced the start of large-scale exercises of air defense forces in the south of the country. They involve more than two thousand military personnel and the entire range of air defense systems - from portable anti-aircraft missile systems(MANPADS) "Igla" to heavy long-range systems S-300V4.
“A feature of the field training of the air defense district troops this spring is the execution of firing at small-sized air targets simulating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of a mock enemy,” the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense reports details of the maneuvers.
Many countries have long used drones in wars and conflicts around the world, along with aviation. But never before have UAVs collided en masse with a modern air defense system. How ready are the Russian Armed Forces today to counter these weapons and which drones of a potential enemy pose the greatest danger?
Easy target
Perhaps today the most “promoted” funds mass media and Hollywood films are the American strategic reconnaissance UAV RQ-4 Global Hawk and attack MQ-9 Reaper. These drones are capable of staying in the air for more than a day and operating at a distance of thousands of kilometers from the operator. The MQ-9 and their predecessors, the MQ-1 Predator, are actively used by the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq, where they inflict guided missiles strikes on terrorist positions. The country is armed with hundreds of such systems and thousands of simpler reconnaissance UAVs.
The US military leadership has never hidden the fact that in future military conflicts the main focus will be on unmanned weapons. The advantages of such weapons are obvious: firstly, UAVs are simpler and cheaper to produce than modern fighter or a bomber. Secondly, the operator is located thousands of kilometers from the battlefield and controls the device with the movement of a joystick. Thirdly, training such a “gamer” will cost much less than training an airplane pilot. But UAVs also have serious disadvantages.
“To use these drones against us in the event of a hypothetical conflict is to waste expensive devices,” military expert Mikhail Khodarenok told RIA Novosti. Anti-aircraft missile systems The S-300 and S-400 are designed to destroy all classes of aerodynamic targets, and the UAV does not pose much of a threat to them. The same Global Hawk and Reaper have a large reflective surface, which allows radars to detect them at considerable distances. Low speed coupled with lack of funds electronic warfare(EW) for self-defense make them an easy target for an anti-aircraft missile. And smaller targets can be dealt with by short-range air defense systems - “Thor”, “Pantsir” and MANPADS.”
Dangerous midge
According to Mikhail Khodarenok, a much greater threat to our air defense systems is still posed by manned aircraft, which fly faster, are better armed, and are capable of operating in active conditions. electronic jamming. However, drones are constantly being improved, and in the future they can pose a serious threat to any air defense.
Military expert: American swarm drones - "money down the drain"In the USA they are testing new type weapons - a swarm of mini-drones to suppress air defense systems. Military observer Vladislav Shurygin expressed the opinion on Sputnik radio that this is another unreasonably expensive project.“The Americans have been working on the concept of a “swarm of drones” for a long time and quite successfully,” said Leonid Ivashov, president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems. “It involves the massive use of small-sized drones of various configurations and purposes. They will conduct reconnaissance and strike in narrow sectors of the front. Over time, the military The US leadership plans to make this development its main striking force. Even a modern air defense system will find it extremely difficult to combat it.”
The latest tests of a “swarm of drones” were reported in October last year by the American publication The National Interest. The author of the article publishes excerpts from the report of the head of the Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capabilities, William Roper, to Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter. Roper, in particular, said that defense industry managed to create a small-sized reconnaissance drone Perdix the size of a crow, the glider of which was actually printed on a 3D printer. This means it is cheap - and this is vital for mass production.
“They are single-use and can also be used as a reconnaissance weapon. You can have many of these mini-drones, and exactly as many as you need to complete the combat mission in this particular case,” Roper explained. “A large number of UAVs creates considerable advantages over the enemy. He will be forced to invest much more money and time in his defense in order to reliably protect himself from such swarms.
It is planned to launch such a “midge” from F-16 and F-18 fighters. William Roper emphasized that Perdix is just one of many UAV variants being developed as part of the “drone swarm” concept. In the future, there will be models capable of carrying weapons.
ISIS militants have been using something similar recently in Iraq. They began hanging homemade bombs in a plastic case under ordinary quadcopters, which can be bought on the Internet. The UAV hovers over the target and, at the operator’s command, drops the load directly on its head. The tank, of course, cannot be destroyed, but there are many videos on the Internet where an improvised bomber easily disabled Hummer armored vehicles. Now imagine that there are many similar devices above the target, their combat load is greater, their accuracy is higher, and it is difficult to detect them from the ground due to their small size. Simply put, this is the prototype of the “drone swarm” concept.
"This is very dangerous weapon for a number of reasons,” said Mikhail Khodarenok. — Firstly, mini-drones have a small reflective surface. Secondly, they will be able to fly with high overloads at extremely low altitudes. Thirdly, there can be a lot of them. Hitting a swarm with missiles is like firing a cannon at a flock of sparrows."
Interception of control
In mid-March, the head of the US Army Training Command, David Perkins, gave an example of an unsuccessful fight against drones at a local symposium. He told listeners that one of the Pentagon's military allies used a two hundred dollar drone to destroy anti-aircraft missile Patriot worth $3.4 million. He emphasized that a more cost-effective means is needed to combat small threats.
“The most effective weapon against drones - both large and small - can only be modern electronic warfare systems,” said Mikhail Khodarenok. “The main thing is not to shoot down the UAV, but to destroy the communication channel with the operator or at least significantly complicate the navigation of the device.”
Such systems are in service Russian troops electronic warfare. These include, for example, the Krasukha family of electronic warfare systems. They are capable of jamming spy satellites, ground-based and air-based radars (AWACS), as well as disrupting or intercepting control of enemy UAVs.
The technical characteristics of these systems are classified, but it is claimed that Krasukha-4 can operate effectively at ranges of up to 300 kilometers. This significantly exceeds the range of Hellfire missiles, the main weapon of American strike UAVs. And a swarm of mini-drones that falls within the Krasukha’s range of action will most likely fail in its entirety. If the powerful Reaper and Global Hawk drones are not equipped with electronic defense systems, then what about their smaller “brothers”?
American UAVs have already encountered modern electronic warfare systems. On December 4, 2011, the Iranian military managed to “steal” the most modern stealth drone of the US Armed Forces, the RQ-170 Sentinel, from the route and land it at one of its air bases. On December 9, he was shown on national television without any visible damage. How exactly they managed to intercept control is not reported, but experts believe that this was the work modern complex EW supplied to Iran by either Russia or China.
And on March 12, 2017, the head of the Rostec state corporation, Sergei Chemezov, announced that Russia had created systems capable of physically destroying the on-board equipment of drones.
“The Radioelectronic Technologies Concern has created an electronic warfare system, with the help of which the control of drones becomes unusable,” Chemezov explained. — Onboard radio-electronic equipment burns out, and the drone essentially becomes a piece of iron. Without control, it might just fall."
Technical details new system are currently strictly classified.
*Terrorist organization banned in Russia.
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