— Before the start of the special operation, you worked in the IT field, and then you created a design bureau for the manufacture of drones. What guided you in making such a decision, and what results have you achieved to date?

— I started my professional career with Russian science and defended my Ph.D. thesis on the experimental data of the large hadron collider. Then he went into IT, was engaged in crypto, big data analysis, high-frequency trading (electronic trading at a very high speed. - RT).

This experience allowed us to gain competencies in project management, where specialists in various fields work - machine learning, programming, hardware development.

When the SVO began, I, like many caring people, could not calmly look at the situation with drones. For my own money, I organized a design bureau to produce products that were in demand in our troops.

Initially, we wanted to create a drone similar to the drone, which is now widely known as "Geranium", but quickly realized that testing such a UAV requires very significant resources and that such a device can only be used by large army units. At the same time, we do not have the opportunity to carry out deliveries under the State Defense Order.

As a result, our design bureau focused on FPV-drones (a kind of kamikaze drones) for small military groups near the line of combat contact. These are deliveries to PMCs and volunteer formations. But we don't just work for them. In particular, the Design Bureau cooperates with the Military Space Academy named after A.F. Mozhaisky.

— Please explain for readers: what are FPV drones? And what are your current developments in this segment?

- FPV is an abbreviation for the English first person's view. The bottom line is that the operator uses VR glasses and a regular television channel to directly control the drone. This gives the maximum level of control, the ability to pursue a moving target and high accuracy of destruction. Now in the SVO, FPV drones are usually understood as kamikaze drones.

The UAV itself is structurally simple, but, as a rule, quite maneuverable. This portable ammunition can be different, including designed to disable armored vehicles, such as a tank or a self-propelled howitzer.

In the SVO zone, FPV drones are used by both sides. Strikes with these UAVs are inflicted on infantry in shelters, vehicles, firing points, armored vehicles. Competent use of such simple weapons can cause very serious material damage to the enemy, at least - to "nightmare", as they say at the front, his manpower.

The problem is that our guys need much more kamikaze drones and FPV drones at the front. Any UAVs in the SVO zone should in principle be expendable material, almost like, for example, artillery ammunition. If required, then the enemy literally needs to be bombarded with them, not allowing to raise his head.

  • Application of the FPV-drone of the Russian Airborne Forces in the SVO zone

However, the reality is that at the moment no Russian enterprise can fully deploy a truly large-scale production of tactical drones due to the shortage of element-component base (ECB) and electronic equipment. At the same time, as I have already said, these UAVs are needed now and in large quantities.

In this regard, KB "Oko" sees its task in the manufacture of devices from available components, without complex, often expensive electronic stuffing and automation tools. Our UAVs, like Kalashnikov assault rifles, should be extremely simple, reliable and functional.

Our main product today is the FPV drone "Hi-82". We have developed and tested the device. In the very near future, several parties will receive volunteer formations operating on the front line of the CBO zone.

Privet-120 is under development. This is a much larger kamikaze drone, capable of carrying about 20 kg of explosives. A number of other devices are in the process of design, which I would not like to talk about now.

In the context of talking about our products, it is worth making an important remark. KB "Oko" is a small private enterprise that unites caring engineers. We do not have a license to produce weapons. Therefore, we cannot work in the system of the State Defense Order, and our UAVs are delivered without combat units.

Explosives will be installed by specific users, that is, fighters at the front. However, almost all private enterprises in Russia now work like this. A variety of tactical UAVs go to the front line, which are then "brought to mind" by the troops. Cameras, grenades, mines, TNT and other VU (explosive devices. - RT) are hung on them.

— Tell us about the purpose and characteristics of the Privet-82 apparatus.

"This is a drone for striking a wide range of targets on the line of combat contact: military infrastructure facilities (in particular, strongholds) and various types of equipment, including armored vehicles, artillery, air defense systems.

The maximum range of the device is 30 km, the payload is up to 5.5 kg, like the upgraded kamikaze drone "Lancet", which is the carrier of the KZ-6 ammunition.

The flight is carried out on an electric motor. Cruising speed is about 80 km / h, maximum horizontal speed - 140 km / h. On the final section, when diving, the device accelerates to 160 km / h.

When developing the Hi-82, we went a little further than other companies, offering those who are at the front a way to use drones. We called it the concept of "picking up."

  • Russian military on the use of UAVs in the SVO zone

The bottom line is that the launches of attack drones are carried out by the department, which is located in the rear, about 10 km from the front line, and the corresponding task comes from the forward units. Such a launch is not so easy to detect, and it does not unmask the fighters at the front.

When the drone approaches the line of contact, the operator on the front takes control of it. "Privet-82" is capable of making an automatic flight, but in this case the exact coordinates of the target must be known.

There is also a signal relay function that allows you to reliably control the UAV - for this, it is necessary to lift the Mavic quadcopter with a special antenna into the air.

In a certain sense, our drone will replace artillery, which in the SVO zone is called both during offensive and defensive actions. With the proper use of 5.5 kg of explosives on several UAVs, it is enough to disable a column of armored vehicles.

For the installation of explosives in the "Privet-82" the necessary hollow space is provided. As I said above, the frontline fighters will install the VU themselves. Perhaps it will be TNT.

Another important bonus of the "Hello-82" is that it is perfectly adapted for mass production. The device is made of elements that are cut on a conventional laser machine. There are no composites in it, because they are expensive, require a lot of manual work, and highly qualified. "Hi-82" can be assembled by a person with a minimum amount of technical knowledge. This is an important factor for the mass and cheapness of production.

The drone does not have an automatic target capture function, like the Lancet, but an experienced operator very quickly masters the control of the UAV and in manual mode can easily hit targets. Management and operation will not be difficult for beginners.

Our other device "Privet-120" has a very solid destructive power and a significant flight range. Initially, it was designed to install 120 mm mines, but then it was adapted to accommodate a 20 kg VU.

The cruising speed of the UAV reaches 180 km / h, during a dive - 200 km / h, the range of application - 250 km. At the same time, its antennas are installed in such a way that they are partially protected from the effects of electronic warfare (EW) from the lower hemisphere.

  • Electronic stuffing of UAV developed by KB "Oko"
  • © KB "Oko"

From our point of view, the Privet-120 is suitable for those purposes for which it is a pity to raise aviation into the air, use missiles and other guided munitions. These are objects of energy infrastructure of local importance, engineering structures, strongholds.

In the future, oko Design Bureau intends to transform the Privet-120 into a device that, in fact, will perform the function of a front-line bomber, and not a kamikaze drone. That is, the "one hundred and twentieth" will drop 20-kilogram ammunition on the enemy.

However, in this case, "Privet-120" will need a runway. With a catapult as in the kamikaze version, you can't start it.

- From your words it follows that kamikaze drones are evolving into reconnaissance and strike weapons. But how justified is this approach? Why don't you or other Russian enterprises create transport and launch containers for the mass launch of drones at the enemy?

- Transport and launch containers really allow you to increase the number of drones launched against the enemy. This is a progressive scheme for disposable UAVs. But you need to understand that we are talking about quite complex and expensive technologies. Firstly, it is required to design such an installation, and secondly, to create a drone with folding wings. We at oko design bureau thought about creating a container, but soon abandoned this idea, stopping at the catapult.

Yes, the catapult may seem like a very primitive means of launching a UAV, and, probably, it is worth thinking about creating a different, more technologically advanced device.

Nevertheless, so far it copes with its function perfectly. If you need to arrange a massive attack with kamikaze drones, then you can simply charge more catapults.

In addition, kamikaze drones are really evolving into reconnaissance and strike weapons. Why? A kamikaze drone requires reconnaissance support, which is not always possible in the chaos of hostilities. It's much easier to use a bomber drone that can go back if it doesn't find a target.

Therefore, we plan to make a bomber from the "eighty-second". At the same time, the practice of the current armed conflict shows that, on average, tactical drones live no more than two weeks. They are shot down with small arms, disabled by means of electronic warfare and other weapons. In the end, they "die" due to bad weather conditions and operator errors.

The statistics that I voiced once again suggest that there is no great sense in making some "sophisticated" UAVs with expensive materials and expensive electronics.

— Can your products be used as a means of opening and breaking through air defense-missile defense?

- The consumers of our products are free to choose the methods of specific application, but I agree that our drones can be used to open and subsequently break through air defense systems.

  • «Hi-82»
  • © KB "Oko"

The scheme with such use of drones is not a secret. First, UAVs are launched at the enemy, which, as they say, are not sorry. The enemy's radar and firepower focus on defeating them and thereby unmask themselves.

In addition, a significant amount of ammunition is consumed, there is a need to reload, which takes time that the enemy may not have, because cruise and ballistic missiles will fly next. In the end, the mass use of UAVs can simply "overload" the computing capabilities of air defense-missile defense systems.

— Are you working towards the creation of drones to disable objects that emit radio signals - communication nodes, electronic warfare and air defense systems?

- Yes, such work is underway. At the moment, I can report that we plan to create such a UAV based on the Privet-82. The drone will receive a homing head to strike the objects you have listed.