The American army is developing in principle the new kind armed forces- squads from unmanned vehicles with swarm intelligence. In October 2016 there were successful tests the world's largest swarm of microdrones, consisting of 103 Perdix devices, said on 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 goal 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 robot bees showed different ways to achieve it. 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?
Microdrone Perdix
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' performance after being transported at Mach 0.6 at a temperature of -10°C, as well as after being subjected to 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 great.”
Human Rights Watch calls for signing international agreement, which will preemptively ban the development, production and use of autonomous weapons.
MOSCOW, March 21 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. The Russian Ministry of Defense on Tuesday announced the start of large-scale military exercises air defense 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 what kind of drones probable 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. Their low speed, coupled with the lack of electronic warfare (EW) capabilities for self-defense, makes 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 conditions of active electronic suppression. However, drones are constantly being improved, and in the future they could 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 in his defense. more funds and time to reliably protect yourself 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 it was possible to intercept control is not reported, but experts believe that this is the work of a modern electronic warfare complex, 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.
The US Department of Defense has released a video clearly demonstrating the testing of a swarm of 3D-printed reconnaissance drones. The project is known as “Perdix”.
The development of swarming 3D printed drones has been underway for several years, but until now only the systems in action have been available. The new video clearly demonstrates the use of a new system capable of penetrating enemy air defenses. The emphasis is not on quality, but on quantity. During testing at the China Lake training ground, two fighter-bombers naval aviation F/A-18 Super Hornet dropped 103 Perdix drone, united in a flock and completed a number of tasks, while demonstrating the ability to coordinate actions and adapt to a changing environment. Nothing is known for certain about the purpose of the system, but it can be assumed that, if necessary, such devices will be used not only for aerial reconnaissance, but also delivering strikes in conditions of concentrated air defense.
"In view of complex nature fighting Perdix is not a synchronized swarm of drones with individual programming, but a collective organism with a common, distributed intelligence that allows it to assess the current situation and make coordinated decisions, as swarms do in nature. Each drone communicates and coordinates with other drones in the group. Thus, there is no specific leader, which allows the swarm to adapt to losses or growth in numbers,” explains William Roper, director of the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO).
The development of the Perdix system has been ongoing since 2013. Original idea owned by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), but the project was adapted to the needs of the US Department of Defense. Since then, the drone's design has changed six times, and the current version has proven capable of being deployed from aircraft flying at Mach 0.6 and operating in temperatures as low as -10°C using only cheap, publicly available components. The supporting structure of drones is made using 3D printing, and in long term The US Department of Defense intends to ramp up drone production and produce thousands of Perdix drones. And do you have interesting news? Share your developments with us and we will tell the whole world about them!
US Department of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office in conjunction with Air Systems Command naval forces conducted tests of miniature unmanned aerial vehicles. Microdrones called Perdix should improve the chances of successful reconnaissance, but this is not their only purpose.
It is planned that “flocks” of UAVs (for which, by the way, it was developed to control) will be able not only to destabilize its missile defense and air defense systems, as well as accompany aircraft or be used as bait.
The advantage of small robotic scouts is undeniable. Existing air defense systems will not be able to withstand groups of several hundred drones: it is assumed that at least several devices will reach the target in any case and be able to transmit the collected data to the operator.
During the first tests, which took place in October 2016 over test site China Lake, California, three F/A-18 Super Hornets launched 103 Perdix drones into a swarm. The military tested the ability of aircraft to independently “choose a leader,” as well as distribute roles among themselves and replace “colleagues” in the event of losses.
According to the US Department of Defense, all tests were successfully completed by the devices. “The microdrones demonstrated “advanced” patterns of swarm behavior, such as collective decision-making, adaptive formation in the air and “self-healing,” the Pentagon said in a press release. The department publicly announced the success only now, apparently for security reasons.
Perdix drones are known to be disposable and relatively inexpensive. They are equipped with radio transmitters, receivers and cameras. The devices are designed in such a way that fighters can launch them from standard automatic decoy guns. Once launched, the drones fly low over the target and then transmit intelligence data to the aircraft. The entire flock is controlled by an operator who can also coordinate the actions of individual segments.
The drones have folding front and rear wings. The mass of one microscout is no more than 300 grams, and the size, taking into account the wingspan, is 16 centimeters. To reduce the cost of construction, the cases are made of plastic - they are printed on a 3D printer. A small electric motor with a pushing propeller is responsible for the movement of the drone. Other details are still classified.
Now the Pentagon is selecting companies that could engage in large-scale serial production of microdrones.
We also add that Perdix UAVs were initially developed by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and were subsequently refined together with representatives of the Pentagon. Since 2013, devices have been constantly improved and updated. Representatives of the sixth generation of these devices took part in the current tests.
By the way, we previously told you that American engineers developed . Also, armies of drones are widely used for peaceful purposes: for example, for or.
Today, you won’t surprise anyone with devices such as drones and microdrones. They have gained great popularity, for example, Perdix Drone is one of the latest developments of microdrones, the development and testing of this device is being monitored great attention and is of interest not only to ordinary fans of aviation toys, but also to government services in many countries.
This aircraft was created by scientists from the American Institute of Technology for security services and military intelligence operations. First of all, this drone is intended for conducting observations and recording the coordinates of the object being monitored.
The uniqueness of this model is that the Perdix AI drone is equipped artificial intelligence, which allows you to independently coordinate your movement in a flock of other objects. In other words, these devices can fly in a so-called swarm, and among a large number of similar aircraft, each of them will maintain a given distance and fly unhindered by other objects. These machines are capable of not only flying in a large group, but at the same time choosing a leader, i.e. the leader of the swarm, and replacing each other’s positions in case of losses.
The developers claim that this device can be launched in large quantities from fighters, this will allow them to disperse and remain invisible to the enemy. This device belongs to the category of unmanned mini reconnaissance aircraft.
Its cost is quite low. Manufacturers indicated that a 3D printer is used to manufacture the main elements and fuselage. This fact gives every reason to believe that mass release this device is possible for quite short term and with minimal financial costs. US government services do not finally disclose all the data that this unmanned aerial vehicle possesses, but it is known that today there are already 4 versions of the Perdix micro UAV and they are being used perfectly in their work.
Of course it's specifications and the possibilities arouse great interest from others, because such a swarm of locust robots can be used in for different purposes, including not always peaceful ones.
Main characteristics of the Perdix drone
The first thing I want to say is that this device is actually extremely simple. It is a model for one-time use, i.e., after completing the work assigned to it and completing 1 flight, it is unsuitable for further use.
Basic energetic force This mini airplane is brushless type motor and propeller. Thanks to this motor, the drone can accelerate its speed to 110 km/h, but its flight duration is no more than 20 minutes.
The Perdix drone has the following technical data:
- Its weight is 290 g.
- Length - 11.5 cm.
- Height - 6 cm.
- The flight range is 15 km.
- Maximum speed -110 km/h.
- Cruising speed - 80 km/h.
- Maximum flight altitude is 2110 m.
- The drones are equipped with folding front and rear wings. The total wingspan is 0.3 m.
The rest of the technical data of Perdix Swarm Demo is unknown; classified data is not disclosed by US government agencies. The tests carried out with this drone in 2016 received wide publicity; representatives of the American military services officially announced their results.
First of all, they conducted a report on the work done by scientists: a big problem in the development of this robot was ensuring that the distance between objects was maintained during the flight, but according to the committee, this problem was solved quite well. The development of this strategic object is currently being carried out secret services Pentagon.
Combat swarm test results
The Perdix microdrone swarm of 103 vehicles was launched in 2016 by the US Department of Defense and Navy from 3 F/A-18 Super Hornet carrier aircraft.
The main task that was set for testing unmanned vehicles was to carry out a joint flight of more than 100 microdrones. At the same time, they had to keep a distance from each other, follow the leader and replace each other during the flight. In other words, they must make a general change of positions for full-scale observation.
Shearwater Perdix, this is exactly what the name of this device sounds like, translated into Russian means “partridge”. Combat drones are the size of a human palm, a large swarm of these mini-robots looks more like a swarm of locusts.
Their task is to suppress and overload the enemy’s air defense with the help of their large numbers and false signals. The report stated as an example that the air defense of the Russian military services can simultaneously track no more than 80 aircraft.
As representatives of the Pentagon services stated, the testing was successful, and Perdix AI fully coped with the assigned tasks.
An interesting fact remains that the flight range of this device is 15 km, and the instrumental air defense range is 400 km. Thus, it turns out that carrier aircraft will have to enter the coverage area of air defense installations. In fact, there are still a lot of questions regarding technical capabilities Perdix AI, but unfortunately, more detailed data about the microdrone is classified.
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