"Convenient and easy to use": how Russia is improving the means of combating UAVs

The Russian Ministry of Defense posted on its Telegram channel footage of combat work in the NVO zone of special forces armed with anti-drone guns.

“During combat work at the forefront, special forces groups of the Central Military District are calculating the location of the drones of Ukrainian nationalists, who are reconnaissance of our positions and adjusting artillery fire,” the video caption says.

With the help of anti-drone guns, the special forces disrupt the control systems of Ukrainian UAVs and land them.

Then the devices are dismantled for spare parts or destroyed.

As one of the soldiers with the call sign Historian stated, in order to interfere with the control system of an enemy drone, certain frequencies must be selected.

The impact on the UAV can be carried out at a distance of 800-1000 m. According to the commando, when the enemy device loses the ability to continue flying, it either freezes or goes to land.

If the drone remains in the air, then it is hit by firearms.

The historian emphasized that the range of UAV use in the NVO zone is extremely wide.

In particular, drones can be used by Ukrainian forces to drop grenades and mines.

In this regard, the urgency of countering such a technique has significantly increased.

Lighter and more compact

The publication of the Ministry of Defense does not name the brand of anti-drone guns.

The special forces officer Historik himself stated on the video that several models of this weapon are used in his unit.

At the end of last year, TASS, citing the PPSh Laboratory company, announced the testing of a new modification of the anti-drone gun called LPD-802.

According to the developer, the improved complex has become smaller, more powerful, received an energy-intensive battery and an additional interference frequency range to suppress American-made UAVs.

• LPD-801

• RT

• © Alexey Zakvasin

“The effective range of the LPD-802 will be revealed during field tests, during which drones using frequency bands within 2.4 GHz, 5.1 GHz and 5.8 GHz, and GNSS navigation channels (global navigation satellite systems. -

)", ​​- the company said.

The previous model, called LPD-801, is capable of incapacitating small-sized drones at a distance of up to 1-1.5 km.

The fighter's wearable kit includes four quick-release batteries weighing 0.6 kg each.

The operating time of one battery in signal suppression mode is one hour.

LPD-801 is able to block Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, Beidou, Galileo, GLONASS satellite systems and prevent unauthorized data transmission.

The gun operates in three operating frequency ranges: 2400-2483 MHz, 5725-5925 MHz, 1575-1602 MHz.

The weight of the product is about 3.5 kg, the length is slightly less than 1 m.

In an interview with RT, which took place in the fall of 2021, the specialists of the PPSh Laboratory described their offspring as a convenient and unpretentious complex for combating small UAVs.

“For example, the antenna fastening is very reliable, in general, the product has a minimum of protruding parts.

The gun has a folding butt, you can safely throw it into a pickup truck and transport it along with other weapons without worrying about safety, ”Denis Oslomenko, CEO, told RT earlier.

Also in the line of anti-drone guns, products of the Kalashnikov concern are known.

Back in 2019, the company demonstrated to the general public a portable REX-2 complex weighing only 3 kg.

“The REX-2 anti-drone has become lighter and more compact than its predecessor (REX-1. -

): the dimensions of the product have been reduced, and its weight is now only 3 kg.

The standard package contains three signal suppression modules: 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz, SNS (satellite navigation systems. -

).

The suppression unit for satellite navigation systems is integrated into the body.

It also has a battery charge indicator to make it easier to control its level, ”the Kalashnikov website says.

In addition to combating UAVs, REX-2 can be used to disable improvised explosive devices that are activated using a mobile phone signal.

In addition, the arsenal of Russian military personnel includes the Harpoon-3 portable UAV countermeasure system developed by the Moscow company Information Technologies and Solutions.

• Gun-antidrone "Harpoon-3"

• © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

According to the company, the weapon is capable of precisely blocking control and navigation channels, making it impossible for the drone to determine its location and receive control commands from the operator.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, in the NMD zone, portable means of combating UAVs are used, among other things, to cover the work of artillery.

For example, in October 2022, the military department published footage of the use of electromagnetic anti-drone devices to ensure the operation of the Uragan MLRS.

“In the areas of deployment and combat positions, artillery units are protected by electromagnetic systems, the crews of which monitor the airspace and, if enemy drones are detected, destroy them with an electromagnetic pulse,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Convenience and simplicity 

As Dmitry Kornev, founder of the Military Russia portal, explained in a RT commentary, the antidron gun is a compact electronic warfare (EW) tool.

The use of such a product is effective against small-sized drones that are in the visibility zone.

“Such guns emit an electronic pulse that affects the onboard equipment of the drone.

This is a convenient and easy-to-use means of protection against UAVs in the hands of the infantry.

Of course, any small drone can be shot down with small arms, but, as a rule, it maneuvers very quickly and unpredictably, so it is very difficult to hit it,” Kornev said.

A similar point of view is shared by a military expert, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin.

In an interview with RT, he stated that "antidron guns show good performance in the fight against mini-UAVs."

At the same time, as Litovkin says, they are not without flaws.

Among them are a rather high price, relatively weak batteries and a limited range of exposure to electromagnetic radiation.

At the same time, according to the expert, Russia has everything necessary for the further improvement of hand-held anti-drone systems, and the deployment of their mass production should significantly reduce the cost.

“Without a doubt, it makes sense to saturate our units near the line of contact and in the rear with anti-drone guns.

But you cannot completely rely on this weapon.

Firstly, these guns are only effective against small UAVs.

Secondly, the enemy will sooner or later start working on their protection, ”the expert emphasized.

At the same time, according to Litovkin, in order to destroy drones of larger sizes and at long distances, one cannot do without anti-aircraft equipment.

According to the interlocutor of RT, to intercept such air targets, you can use the Igla and Verba MANPADS, which are equipped with infantry units of the Russian Armed Forces.

At the same time, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, simpler anti-aircraft equipment is also a threat to UAV drones.

At the end of January, the military department announced the successful use of the ZU-23 anti-aircraft gun in the NVO zone.

It is noteworthy that this means of destruction is used in conjunction with an anti-drone gun.

According to Kornev, the most optimal way to deal with UAVs is to combine various means of detection and destruction on one platform.

Such a complex is the Pantsir family of air defense missile systems.

• Ukrainian UAV intercepted by a unit of the Airborne Forces

• RIA News

• © Russian Ministry of Defense

Specialists of the Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant decided to create a new platform for protection against small drones.

At the beginning of this year, an article was published in the Military Thought magazine of the Ministry of Defense for the highest and senior command staff of the RF Armed Forces, which stated that the engineers of this enterprise had developed a unique anti-drone system based on the chassis of the Typhoon-VDV armored vehicle.

The arsenal of the machine consists of a remote-controlled module based on the ZU-23, the Verba MANPADS, microwave suppression equipment and laser systems with a range of up to 1 km.

“Now the battlefield requires a universal, mobile and relatively simple solution in the field of countering drones.

I think that domestic design thought is developing in the right direction.

On the one hand, means of combating drones are being simplified and, as far as possible, cheaper, on the other hand, new projects of short-range self-propelled air defense systems are being worked out, ”summed up Kornev.