The Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces named after Peter the Great (Balashikha) presented at the exhibition "Interpolitech-2019" a project for a complex of active counteraction to enemy UAVs. We are talking about an unmanned fighter, whose task is to hunt small enemy drones near strategically important targets.

The complex counteracts enemy vehicles by means of fire destruction. Launch containers of small caliber unguided missiles are located under the wings of a fighter. The UAV control system launches ammunition in automatic mode, focusing on the data of the laser rangefinder.

The fight against "homemade"

The drone is made by the flying wing aerodynamic design. The top of the device is covered with a thin film silicon solar battery. An electric motor with a propelling thruster, a block of resettable powder accelerators, a battery, control and satellite navigation systems, and a stabilized surveillance camera are installed on board the fighter.

As Dmitry Danilochev, the senior assistant to the head of the military academy of the Strategic Missile Forces, explained in a conversation with RT, the fight against modern serial UAVs is not particularly difficult. In his opinion, “artisanal home-made products”, which have been actively used by militants in recent years, including in attacks on the Russian Khmeimim air base, pose a more serious threat.

“If we talk about serial UAVs, their channels for transmitting information, frequencies, geo-positioning, and tactical and technical characteristics are well known. When such a drone is identified, it can be eliminated by regular means, for example, electronic warfare systems (electronic warfare. - RT ). However, it is more difficult to deal with “homemade goods”. And our task of active counteraction should simplify this task, ”Danilochev said on the sidelines of Interpolitech-2019.

RVSN unmanned fighter is designed to patrol airspace, flying on a given route. However, the operator of the complex can change the course of the device. The time spent by the fighter in the air is limited by the battery charge. However, according to the developer, this is a very long period of time, which allows you to "repeatedly detect, pursue and destroy enemy UAVs."

“The body of an unmanned aerial vehicle, made in the form of a flying wing, multi-section with compartments filled with lifting gas, can compensate for the mass of the device and payload by increasing the operating time,” the patent documentation (RF patent No. 2669881) says on the fighter.

Detection of enemy vehicles is carried out by a surveillance camera, then the UAV is taken for auto tracking. The operator recognizes the object and decides to open fire. The laser range finder determines the distance to the target and, through the control equipment, “cocks up a system for using unguided rockets”.

  • UAVs involved in the attack on Russian military facilities in Syria
  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Powder boosters can be used to quickly reduce the distance with an enemy drone. To hit one target, two projectiles are launched. At the same time, the complex is able to maneuver, avoiding retaliatory defeat by enemy ammunition.

Suppress All Ranges

Another development of the Strategic Missile Forces Military Academy, which can be used to combat UAVs, is a portable semiconductor laser emitter. A sample of this weapon is presented at Interpolitech-2019. It is designed to disable the optoelectronic systems of the enemy, including surveillance and guidance systems.

The device differs from its predecessors in semiconductor material - crystalline silicon, from which the surface of the receiver of optical radiation is made. The laser system also implements technology that allows you to rebuild the optical range and thereby change the wavelength.

Dmitry Konradi, an adjunct (graduate student) of the Strategic Missile Forces Military Academy, told RT that the product is capable of counteracting hyperspectral complexes, as well as systems that operate in the visible, infrared and ultraviolet ranges.

“The laser emitter is capable of suppressing all ranges at once. It can be carried with you, and it does not require external power sources. Instead, pyrotechnic lamps are used. When they burn, an outbreak is formed, which is converted into electricity. Then it is transmitted to the laser control unit, ”Conradi said.

As the specialist explained, the brainchild of the Academy generates laser radiation, the duration of which is equal to the flash pulse of a pyrotechnic lamp. The device can be made in the form of a gun or any other convenient weapon for carrying.

“In fact, our product is a laser weapon. For example, military personnel can use it during special operations. In addition, I am sure that the emitter will find application in civilian needs. In particular, he is able to conduct spectral analysis of rocks, that is, we can talk about its relevance in the exploration field, ”said Konradi.

According to him, the laser complex surpasses existing analogues in power due to the use of single-crystal silicon. Another advantage of the product is the ability to operate in almost any weather, with the exception of heavy snowfall and heavy rain.

  • Russian commandos in exercises
  • RIA News
  • © Evgeny Epanchintsev

The operating range is 100 m. Konradi does not hide that this indicator is “small”. At the same time, he emphasized that this deficiency can be corrected by “scaling” - the creation of more dimensional emitters.

Inexpensive and effective

In an interview with RT, the founder of the portal Military Russia Dmitry Kornev noted that the fight against drones, especially artisanal production, has become a serious problem for all the leading armies in the world. It’s difficult to fix the “home-made” acts of terrorists with the radar facilities that equip air defense units.

“We need new, possibly non-standard solutions. Given the dynamics of the development of modern optoelectronic devices, it is quite realistic to use them to detect drones. Scientific and technical thought is moving towards the appearance of drones equipped with electronic warfare systems and fire weapons. Laser technology is booming. These are inexpensive and quite effective ways to combat drones, ”Kornev emphasized.

In a RT commentary, Viktor Murakhovsky, editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, suggested that an unmanned fighter would be in demand for troops operating in the frontline zone. The choice of developers in favor of small-sized jet weapons, according to the expert, is absolutely justified.

“In my opinion, the UAV, presented by the Strategic Missile Forces Academy, is not very suitable for covering objects in the interior of the Russian Federation. Rather, it is designed to cover facilities and units located near the area where hostilities are ongoing or may begin, ”Murakhovsky concluded.