Old shells are installed with new technology, and agricultural machines can also be transformed into military drones
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The "Defense Blog" website reported on October 2 that in the conflict with Armenia, Azerbaijan converted the old An-2 aircraft into a drone.
Satellite images show that Azerbaijan has deployed more than 50 An-2 UAVs at Yevrak Airport near the conflict zone.
The reporter of Science and Technology Daily learned that the total output of this vintage aircraft originated from the Soviet Union exceeded 18,000, and its 45-year long production period set the Guinness World Record at that time.
Military expert Wen Chang said: "The main production line of the An-2 aircraft was discontinued in 1991. It is certain that the An-2 aircraft equipped in Azerbaijan has been in service for a long time and is very old. Moreover, various information also shows that Azerbaijan There are many An-2 aircraft equipped. This provides objective conditions for the An-2 to be converted into an unmanned aerial vehicle to utilize the waste heat. It can be said that it is of high quality and low price, and waste utilization."
Public information shows that after World War II, with the resumption of production on a large scale, the Soviet Union urgently needed to develop an economic and durable civilian aircraft.
After all, the Soviet Union could not always use expensive military aircraft to spray pesticides and transport civilian materials. That would be uneconomical.
At that time, Soviet aircraft designer Antonov began to lead the design alone and engaged in the development of civil aircraft.
The An-2 is one of the first batch of aircraft independently developed.
This is a single-engine biplane propeller aircraft designed in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Soviet Union, equipped with a piston engine, and first flew in 1947 and put into production.
Wenchang said: "The biggest feature of the An-2 aircraft is the dual-wing layout, and the wings are covered with canvas. It is simple to manufacture, low cost, easy to maintain, and safe and reliable. Even if the engine is parked in the air, it can land safely by gliding. ."
An-2 can carry up to 12 passengers or more than 1 ton of cargo, and can fly smoothly at a low speed of 160 km/h.
Although it is small and not fast, the An-2 has good maneuverability and can perform many maneuvering operations that are very dangerous on other aircraft.
Moreover, the An-2 aircraft does not need to specialize in the airport, it only needs to roll for 180 meters to take off, and it can be off the ground after a roll of 30 meters. After modification, it can even take off on snow and water, with good adaptability.
"These characteristics also made the later An-2 aircraft changed from an agricultural aircraft to a multi-purpose aircraft. It can not only complete tasks such as spraying pesticides and aerial seeding afforestation, but also perform military tasks such as troop transport and the retreat of frontline wounded. During parachuting, The utilization rate of An-2 aircraft is also quite high." Wenchang said.
This makes the An-2 one of the best-selling aircraft after World War II, selling well in many countries.
Public information shows that my country has imitated and developed the Yun-5 aircraft based on the introduction of the An-2 aircraft.
So, what upgrades and changes need to be made to install the drone control system on such an old aircraft?
"It should be said that it is not uncommon for a retired aircraft to be converted into a UAV. Many countries are doing it. Of course, the technology required to convert a manned aircraft into a UAV is very complicated. For An-2, it is' "New wine in old bottles", although it is an old shell, the technology used is very advanced." Wenchang said that the original life-saving ejection, radio, communication and navigation systems should be removed first, and then automatic navigation systems and automatic flight control systems should be installed. , Automatic entry/correction system, control system, automatic electrical system, multi-target remote control system, automatic attack system, etc.
For example, an automatic navigation system generally uses a combination of satellite + strapdown inertial navigation, but also needs to install a navigation computer, an altimeter, a rapid route generation and binding system, and a navigation information inspection system, which is quite complicated.
For now, such technology is not available in Azerbaijan.
According to public reports, the An-2 modified drone was carried out with the help of Israel.
In 2016, Azerbaijan and Israel signed a military strategic agreement.
It is estimated that about 60% of Azerbaijan’s equipment is supplied by Israel.
Of course, Azerbaijan may have Turkey's help behind it.
Both Israel and Turkey have the technical strength to convert manned aircraft into drones.
From the current point of view, it is more cost-effective to convert the An-2 aircraft into a drone than to directly purchase a drone.
At present, most of the An-2 drones used in Azerbaijan are suicide drones.
Suicide drones have three main attack modes. One is an autonomous suicide attack, which requires a pre-planned route and uses an automatic navigation system to directly attack the target coordinates; the other is a remote suicide by a person in a loop Attack, the aircraft can hover, reconnaissance, and identification near the target, before the attack can be used as a reconnaissance aircraft, and then the ground remote control personnel determine the target, waiting for the opportunity to launch an attack; the third is a passively guided suicide attack, the most typical is anti-radiation Man-machine.
"At present, the Azerbaijan An-2 UAV mainly uses autonomous suicide attacks." Wenchang said.
Our reporter Zhang Qiang