At the training ground in Crimea, the Orion heavy reconnaissance and strike drone, which is in service with the Russian army, shot down an air target for the first time.
The role of the target was performed by a helicopter-type drone.
The corresponding footage was demonstrated by the RF Ministry of Defense.
Also, the TV channel "Russia 24" reported about these tests in the program "Vesti Nedeli".
“During the flight, Orion hit ground targets and a helicopter-type drone simulating a maneuvering air target,” the Russian military department's YouTube page says.
The legend of the exercise was that the Orion operator was required to detect and hit an intruder UAV that was trying to break through to a military airfield.
Both drones launched at a distance of 100 km from each other.
The unmanned helicopter of the simulated enemy was actively maneuvering, clinging to the seashore and hiding behind the terrain.
The search and interception were also complicated by low clouds.
However, the Orion operator used a thermal imager, which was able to fix the contrast spot of the engine of the imaginary enemy's apparatus.
After that, a laser beam was aimed at the intruder drone and a successful missile launch was carried out.
The ammunition hit the engine compartment and completely destroyed the UAV.
“The tests were successful.
The target is hit by a direct hit.
At the same time, I had to carry out tasks under the clouds.
10-point cloudiness.
At the same time, the task has been completed successfully, "Major General Alexander Novikov, Head of the Directorate (Construction and Development of a System for the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, commented in an interview with Rossiya-24 on the Orion test.
Orion, developed by JSC Kronshtadt, is the first Russian UAV belonging to the elite class MALE (Medium-altitude long-endurance).
The drone is capable of staying in the air for more than a day and performing combat missions in a wide range of climatic conditions.
Takeoff and landing of the drone can be carried out in the absence of satellite navigation.
As the general director of the development enterprise Sergey Bogatikov explained in a recent interview with RT, "Orion" is a universal platform that is used "to develop advanced technologies and develop new devices."
The Orion's payload is 200 kg.
The drone can use high-explosive fragmentation bombs OFAB 100-120, guided aerial bombs weighing 20 and 50 kg with a folding wing, adjustable KAB-20 ammunition and small-sized missiles.
"On any medium"
The plot reported that for Orion, taking into account the experience gained in the Syrian operation, new ammunition was developed.
In particular, the strike on the target drone in the Crimea was carried out by a recently created guided missile, which was placed in a launch container under the UAV's fuselage.
Experts believe that a modification of the Kornet-D (Kornet-EM) Russian anti-tank missile system (ATGM), which is capable of hitting low-speed air targets, including helicopters, was used as a launcher on the Orion.
Strikes against them can be delivered at any time of the day, in difficult weather conditions and when the enemy sets up radio-electronic and optical interference.
Drone "Orion" of the Russian Aerospace Forces
Instagram
© @kronshtadtcompany
The mass of the Kornet-D launcher is 26 kg, the weight of the thermal imaging sight is 8.7 kg, the vertical guidance angles are from -5 to + 20 degrees, and the horizontal is 360 degrees.
An important feature of the ATGM is the integration of a sighting channel with variable magnification.
This product made it possible to increase the target detection range and reduce the likelihood of aiming errors.
The newest version of this complex is the Kornet-D1, which is also capable of striking not only ground, but also air targets.
The maximum range of destruction of the improved ATGM is 10 km.
Its developer is the team of JSC “Design Bureau of Instrument Making named after V.I.
Academician A.G.
Shipunova "(part of the holding" High-precision complexes "of the state corporation" Rostec ").
"Cornet-D1" was presented at the international military-technical forum "Army-2021".
As the press service of High-Precision Complexes told TASS agency, thanks to the modular architecture of the ATGM, it can be installed “on any carrier that has the appropriate carrying capacity and internal space.”
At the same time, the complex received wider combat capabilities compared to its predecessor.
"A completely new complex" Kornet-D1 "(possesses. -
RT
) doubled effective firing range, new base chassis, as well as the ability to fire in automatic mode and simultaneous firing of two targets, spaced along the front, range and elevation." , - quoted by TASS press service of the holding.
In an interview with RT, the founder of the Military Russia portal Dmitry Kornev suggested that the use of ATGMs on Orion indicates the desire of the military to equip this UAV and other heavy-class drones with universal weapons capable of hitting both ground and air targets.
“As far as I understand, the logic is that the drone should always be able to shoot at almost any target, especially if it is sent on a mission where there is not enough data on the enemy's forces.
If there are no problems with aiming and illuminating the target, then the ATGM is a quite suitable platform for the emergence of a universal weapon, "says Kornev.
The expert emphasized that the Kornet ATGM family is a very powerful and at the same time small-sized weapon.
Its conditional drawback, like other portable anti-tank systems, is the speed limit of the targets being hit - it should not exceed 300-350 km / h.
“If we talk about Kornet-D and Kornet-D1, then they work well for low-flying helicopter-type targets.
Probably, such experiments have not yet been carried out, but hypothetically, modern heavy aircraft drones, which are still not very maneuverable and high-speed, can be shot down from the same Orion using an ATGM missile, ”says Kornev.
UAV "Orion"
Instagram
© @kronshtadtcompany
According to Kornev, a light multipurpose missile capable of striking ground and air targets was created for Orion and samples of heavy unmanned vehicles that are now in development.
The expert assumes that it was she who was used on tests in the Crimea.
“This event in Crimea means that Orion and subsequent generations of drones of the RF Armed Forces will be able to perform the functions of fighters, which significantly increases their combat significance.
Of course, the "fighter functionality" will not yet be the main one due to significant technical limitations, but in the future, I am sure that it will develop, "Kornev added.