Foreign unmanned aerial vehicles TTX. The use of UAVs in the interests of naval forces abroad. Beginning of practical application

However, given that the program for creating robotic combat systems in Russia is classified, it is quite possible that publicity in the media was not needed, because, perhaps, combat tests of promising models of robotics were carried out.

Let's try to analyze open information about what combat robots Russia currently has. Let's start the first part of the article with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Ka-37 is a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (unmanned helicopter) designed for aerial photography, broadcasting and relaying television and radio signals, conducting environmental experiments, delivering medicines, food and mail when providing emergency assistance in the process of eliminating accidents and disasters in hard-to-reach and dangerous for humans places.

Purpose

• Multipurpose unmanned helicopter
• First flight: 1993

Specifications

• Main rotor diameter: 4.8 m
• Fuselage length: 3.14m
• Height with rotation screws: 1.8 m
• Weight Max. takeoff 250 kg
• Engine: P-037 (2x24.6 kW)
• Cruise speed: 110 km/h
• Max. speed: 145 km/h
• Range: 20 km
• Flight range: ~100 km
• Practical ceiling: 3800 m

Ka-137- reconnaissance UAV (helicopter). The first flight was made in 1999. Developed by: OKB Kamov. The unmanned helicopter Ka-137 is made according to a coaxial scheme. The chassis is four-bearing. The body has a spherical shape with a diameter of 1.3 m.

Equipped with a satellite navigation system and a digital autopilot, the Ka-137 moves automatically along a pre-planned route and goes to a predetermined place with an accuracy of 60 m. On the Internet, it received the unofficial nickname "Pepelats" by analogy with the aircraft from the movie "Kin-dza-dza!" .

Specifications

• Main propeller diameter: 5.30 m
• Length: 1.88 m
• Width: 1.88 m
• Height: 2.30 m
• Weight:
  • empty: 200 kg
  • maximum takeoff: 280 kg
• Engine type 1 PD Hirht 2706 R05
• Power: 65 HP With.
• Speed:
  • maximum: 175 km/h
  • cruising: 145 km/h
• Practical range: 530 km
• Flight duration: 4 hours
• Ceiling:
  • practical: 5000 m
  • static: 2900 m
• maximum: 80 kg

PS-01 Komar - operational unmanned aircraft, remotely piloted vehicle.

The first flight was made in 1980, it was developed at OSKBES MAI (Special Design Bureau of the MAI). Three samples of the apparatus were built. On the device, a scheme of an annular plumage with a pusher propeller and rudders placed inside the ring was developed, which was subsequently applied to create a serial complex of the Bumblebee-1 type.

The design features of the RPV are the use of folding wings and the modular design of the fuselage. The wings of the apparatus were folded in such a way that in the assembled (transport) form the aircraft was placed in a container 2.2x1x0.8 m. .

The RPV fuselage had a detachable head module with three quick-release locks, which ensured a simple change of modules. This reduced the time to replace the module with the target load, the time to load the aircraft with pesticides or means biological protection agricultural areas.

Specifications

• Normal takeoff weight, kg 90
• Maximum ground speed, km/h 180
• Practical flight range with load, km 100
• Aircraft length, m 2.15
• Wingspan, m 2.12

Reconnaissance UAV. The first flight was made in 1983. Work on the creation of a mini-UAV has begun at the OKB. A. S. Yakovlev in 1982 based on the experience of studying the combat use of Israeli UAVs in the 1982 war. In 1985, the development of the Bumblebee-1 UAV with a four-bearing chassis began. Flight tests of the Shmel-1 UAV in the version equipped with television and IR equipment began in 1989. The device is designed for 10 launches, is stored and transported folded in a fiberglass container. Equipped with interchangeable sets of reconnaissance equipment, which include a television camera, a thermal imaging camera, mounted on a gyro-stabilized ventral platform. Parachute landing method.

Specifications

• Wingspan, m 3.25
• Length, m 2.78
• Height, m ​​1.10
• Weight, kg 130
• Engine type 1 PD
• Power, hp 1 x 32
• Cruising speed, km/h 140
• Flight duration, h 2
• Practical ceiling, m 3000
• Minimum flight altitude, m 100

"Bumblebee-1" served as a prototype for a more advanced machine "Pchela-1T" with which it is practically indistinguishable from the outside.

Pchela-1T

Pchela-1T- Soviet and Russian reconnaissance UAV. With the help of the complex, operational interaction is carried out with the means of fire destruction of the MLRS "Smerch", "Grad", cannon artillery, attack helicopters in the conditions of fire and electronic countermeasures.

The launch is carried out using two solid-propellant boosters with a short guide placed on the tracked chassis of the airborne combat vehicle. Landing is carried out on a parachute with a shock-absorbing inflatable bag, which reduces shock overloads. The Pchela-1 RPV uses a P-032 two-stroke two-cylinder internal combustion engine as a power plant. The Stroy-P complex with the Pchela-1T RPV, created in 1990 by A.S. Yakovlev, is designed for round-the-clock observation of objects and transmission of their television or thermal imaging images in real time to a ground control point. In 1997, the complex was adopted by the Armed Forces Russian Federation. Resource: 5 sorties.

Specifications

• Wingspan, m: 3.30
• Length, m: 2.80
• Height, m: 1.12
• Weight, kg: 138
• Engine type: piston
• Power, hp: 1 x 32
• The range of the complex, km: 60
• Flight altitude range above sea level, m: 100-2500
• Flight speed, km/h: 120-180
• RPV takeoff weight, kg: up to 138
• Control way:
  • automatic flight according to the program
  • remote manual control
• RPV coordinate measurement error:
  • in range, m: no more than 150
  • in azimuth, deg: no more than 1
• Start altitude above sea level, m: up to 2,000
• Height range of optimal reconnaissance above the underlying surface, m: 100-1000
• RPV turn rate, deg/s: not less than 3
• Complex deployment time, min: 20
• TV camera field of view in pitch, deg: 5 - −65
• Flight duration, h: 2
• Number of takeoffs and landings (applications for each RPV): 5
• Operating temperature range of the complex, °С: -30 - +50
• Service personnel training time, h: 200
• Wind at RPV launch, m/s: no more than 10
• Wind during RPV landing, m/s: no more than 8

Tu-143 "Reis" - reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

Designed for driving tactical intelligence in the front line by photo and telereconnaissance of area targets and individual routes, as well as by monitoring the radiation situation along the flight route. It is part of the VR-3 complex. At the end of the flight, the Tu-143 turned around according to the program and returned back to the landing zone, where, after stopping the engine and the “hill” maneuver, landing was carried out using a parachute-reactive system and landing gear.

The use of the complex was practiced in the 4th Center for Combat Use of the Air Force. In the 1970s and 1980s, 950 pieces were produced. April 2014 Armed forces Ukraine reactivated the drones left over from the USSR and tested them, after which their combat use began on the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

• Tu-143 modification
• Wingspan, m 2.24
• Length, m 8.06
• Height, m ​​1.545
• Wing area, m2 2.90
• Weight, kg 1230
• Engine type TRD TRZ-117
• Thrust, kgf 1 x 640
• Accelerator SPRD-251
• Maximum speed, km/h
• Cruise speed, km/h 950
• Practical range, km 180
• Flight time, min 13
• Practical ceiling, m 1000
• Minimum flight altitude, m 10

Skat is a reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the Design Bureau of Mikoyan and Gurevich and JSC Klimov. It was first presented at the MAKS-2007 air show as a full-size mock-up intended for testing design and layout solutions.

According to the Director General of the RAC "MIG" Sergey Korotkov, the development of the unmanned attack aerial vehicle "Skat" has been stopped. According to the decision of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, according to the results of the corresponding tender, the Sukhoi AHC was chosen as the lead developer of a promising strike UAV. However, the groundwork for Skat will be used in the development of the "family" of Sukhoi UAVs, and RAC MIG will take part in these works. The project was suspended due to lack of funding. On December 22, 2015, in an interview (Vedomosti newspaper) with the General Director of the RAC MiG, Serey Korotkov, it was said that work on Skat was ongoing. The work is carried out jointly with TsAGI. The development is financed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.

Purpose

• Conducting reconnaissance
• Attacking ground targets with aerial bombs and guided missiles (X-59)
• Destruction of radar systems by missiles (X-31).

Specifications

• Length: 10.25 m
• Wingspan: 11.50 m
• Height: 2.7 m
• Chassis: tricycle
• Maximum takeoff weight: 20000 kg
• Engine: 1 × turbofan RD-5000B with a flat nozzle
• Thrust: without afterburner: 1 × 5040 kgf
• Thrust-to-weight ratio: at maximum takeoff weight: 0.25 kgf / kg

Flight characteristics

• Max speed at high altitude: 850km/h (0.8M)
• Flight range: 4000 km
• Combat radius: 1200 km
• Practical ceiling: 15000 m

Armament

Designed for observation, target designation, fire adjustment, damage assessment. Effective in conducting aerial photography and video shooting at a short distance. Produced by the Izhevsk company "ZALA AERO GROUP" under the leadership of Zakharov A.V.

The unmanned aerial vehicle is designed according to the “flying wing” aerodynamic configuration and consists of a glider with an automatic control system for the autopilot, controls and a power plant, an onboard power system, a parachute landing system and removable payload units. In order for the aircraft not to get lost in late time days, miniature LED lights requiring low power consumption. Runs ZALA 421-08 from the hands. Landing method - automatically with a parachute.

Characteristics:

• Range of video/radio channel 15 km / 25 km
• Flight duration 80 min
• UAV wingspan 810 mm
• UAV length 425 mm
• Maximum flight altitude 3600 m
• Launch for the body of the UAV or catapult
• Landing - parachute / net
• Engine type - electric pulling
• Speed ​​65-130 km/h
• Maximum takeoff weight 2.5 kg
• Target load mass 300 g
• Navigation INS with GPS/GLONASS correction, radio range finder
• Target loads Type "08"
• Glider - one-piece wing
• Battery – 10000 mAh 4S
• Maximum allowable wind speed 20 m/s
• Operating temperature range -30°C…+40°C
(5 votes, average: 5,00 out of 5)

Even 20 years ago, Russia was one of the world leaders in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles. In the 80s of the last century, only 950 Tu-143 air reconnaissance aircraft were produced. The famous reusable spaceship"Buran", which made its first and only flight in a completely unmanned mode. I don’t see the point and now somehow give in to the development and use of drones.

Background of Russian drones (Tu-141, Tu-143, Tu-243). In the mid-sixties, the Tupolev Design Bureau began to create new complexes unmanned reconnaissance tactical and operational purposes. On August 30, 1968, the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR N 670-241 was issued to develop a new unmanned complex tactical reconnaissance "Flight" (VR-3) and the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft "143" (Tu-143) included in it. The deadline for presenting the complex for testing in the Resolution stipulated: for the variant with photo reconnaissance equipment - 1970, for the variant with equipment for television intelligence and for the variant with equipment for radiation reconnaissance - in 1972.

The reconnaissance UAV Tu-143 was mass-produced in two configurations of the nasal interchangeable part: in the photo reconnaissance version with information registration on board, in the television reconnaissance version with information transmitted via radio to ground command posts. In addition, the reconnaissance aircraft could be equipped with radiation reconnaissance equipment with the transmission of materials on the radiation situation along the flight route to the ground via a radio channel. UAV Tu-143 presented at the exhibition of samples aviation technology at the Central Aerodrome in Moscow and at the Museum in Monino (you can also see the Tu-141 UAV there).

As part of the aerospace show in Zhukovsky MAKS-2007 near Moscow, in the closed part of the exposition, the MiG aircraft corporation showed its attack unmanned complex Skat - an aircraft made according to the "flying wing" scheme and outwardly very reminiscent of the American B-2 Spirit bomber or its a smaller version is the Kh-47V marine unmanned aerial vehicle.

"Skat" is designed to strike both at previously reconnoitered stationary targets, primarily air defense systems, in the face of strong opposition from enemy anti-aircraft weapons, and at mobile ground and sea targets when conducting autonomous and group actions, joint with manned aircraft.

Its maximum takeoff weight should be 10 tons. Flight range - 4 thousand kilometers. The flight speed near the ground is not less than 800 km / h. It will be able to carry two air-to-surface / air-radar missiles or two adjustable bombs with a total mass of not more than 1 ton.

The aircraft is made according to the scheme of the flying wing. In addition, the well-known methods of reducing radar visibility were clearly visible in the appearance of the structure. So, the wingtips are parallel to its leading edge and the contours of the rear of the apparatus are made in the same way. Above the middle part of the wing "Scat" had a fuselage characteristic form smoothly coupled with bearing surfaces. Vertical plumage was not provided. As can be seen from the photographs of the Skat layout, control was to be carried out using four elevons located on the consoles and on the center section. At the same time, yaw control immediately raised certain questions: due to the lack of a rudder and a single-engine scheme, the UAV required to somehow solve this problem. There is a version of a single deviation of the internal elevons for yaw control.

The layout presented at the MAKS-2007 exhibition had the following dimensions: a wingspan of 11.5 meters, a length of 10.25 and a parking height of 2.7 m. Regarding the mass of the Skat, it is only known that its maximum takeoff weight should have been approximately equal to ten tons. With these parameters, the Skat had good calculated flight data. With a maximum speed of up to 800 km / h, it could rise to a height of up to 12,000 meters and overcome up to 4,000 kilometers in flight. It was planned to provide such flight data with the help of a bypass turbojet engine RD-5000B with a thrust of 5040 kgf. This turbojet engine was created on the basis of the RD-93 engine, however, it is initially equipped with a special flat nozzle, which reduces the visibility of the aircraft in the infrared range. The engine air intake was located in the forward fuselage and was an unregulated intake device.

Inside the fuselage of the characteristic shape, the Skat had two cargo compartments measuring 4.4x0.75x0.65 meters. With such dimensions, various types of guided missiles, as well as adjustable bombs, could be suspended in the cargo compartments. The total mass of the Skat combat load was supposed to be approximately equal to two tons. During the presentation at the MAKS-2007 Salon, Kh-31 missiles and KAB-500 guided bombs were located next to Skat. The composition of the onboard equipment, implied by the project, was not disclosed. Based on information about other projects of this class, we can conclude that there is a complex of navigation and sighting equipment, as well as some possibilities for autonomous actions.

UAV "Dozor-600" (development of the designers of the company "Transas"), also known as "Dozor-3", is much lighter than "Skat" or "Breakthrough". Its maximum takeoff weight does not exceed 710-720 kilograms. At the same time, due to the classic aerodynamic layout with a full-fledged fuselage and a straight wing, it has approximately the same dimensions as the Skat: a wingspan of twelve meters and a total length of seven. In the bow of the Dozor-600, a place is provided for target equipment, and a stabilized platform for observation equipment is installed in the middle. A propeller group is located in the tail section of the drone. Its basis is the Rotax 914 piston engine, similar to those installed on the Israeli IAI Heron UAV and the American MQ-1B Predator.

115 horsepower of the engine allows the Dozor-600 drone to accelerate to a speed of about 210-215 km / h or make long flights at a cruising speed of 120-150 km / h. When using additional fuel tanks, this UAV is able to stay in the air for up to 24 hours. Thus, the practical flight range is approaching the mark of 3700 kilometers.

Based on the characteristics of the Dozor-600 UAV, we can draw conclusions about its purpose. The relatively low takeoff weight does not allow it to carry any serious weapons, which limits the range of tasks to be solved exclusively by reconnaissance. Nevertheless, a number of sources mention the possibility of installing various weapons on the Dozor-600, the total mass of which does not exceed 120-150 kilograms. Because of this, the range of weapons allowed for use is limited to only certain types of guided missiles, in particular anti-tank ones. It is noteworthy that when using anti-tank guided missiles, the Dozor-600 becomes largely similar to the American MQ-1B Predator, both in terms of technical characteristics and armament composition.

The project of a heavy strike unmanned aerial vehicle. The development of the research topic "Hunter" to study the possibility of creating a strike UAV weighing up to 20 tons in the interests of the Russian Air Force was or is being conducted by the Sukhoi company (JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau). For the first time, the plans of the Ministry of Defense to adopt an attack UAV were announced at the MAKS-2009 air show in August 2009. According to Mikhail Pogosyan, in August 2009, the design of a new attack unmanned complex was joint work relevant units of the Sukhoi Design Bureau and MiG (project "Skat"). The media reported on the conclusion of a contract for the implementation of research "Okhotnik" with the company "Sukhoi" July 12, 2011. "and" Sukhoi "was signed only on October 25, 2012.

The terms of reference for the strike UAV was approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense in the first days of April 2012. On July 6, 2012, information appeared in the media that the Sukhoi company had been selected by the Russian Air Force as the lead developer. An unnamed source in the industry also reports that the strike UAV developed by Sukhoi will simultaneously be a sixth-generation fighter. As of mid-2012, it is assumed that the first sample of the strike UAV will begin testing no earlier than 2016. It is expected to enter service by 2020. In the future, it was planned to create navigation systems for landing approach and taxiing of heavy UAVs on the instructions of JSC Sukhoi Company (source).

Media reports that the first sample of the heavy attack UAV of the Sukhoi Design Bureau will be ready in 2018.

Combat use (otherwise they will say exhibition copies, Soviet junk)

“For the first time in the world, the Russian Armed Forces carried out an attack on a fortified militant area with combat drones. In the province of Latakia, army units Syrian army, with the support of Russian paratroopers and Russian combat drones, took the strategic height 754.5, the Syriatel tower.

Most recently, the Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, General Gerasimov, said that Russia is striving to completely robotize the battle, and perhaps in the near future we will witness how robotic groups independently conduct military operations, and this is what happened.

In Russia in 2013 adopted armament of the Airborne Forces the latest automated control system "Andromeda-D", with the help of which it is possible to carry out operational control of a mixed group of troops.
The use of the latest high-tech equipment allows the command to ensure continuous control of troops performing combat training tasks at unfamiliar training grounds, and the command of the Airborne Forces to monitor their actions, being at a distance of more than 5 thousand kilometers from their deployment sites, receiving from the exercise area not only a graphic picture of moving units, but also a video image of their actions in real time.

The complex, depending on the tasks, can be mounted on the chassis of a two-axle KamAZ, BTR-D, BMD-2 or BMD-4. In addition, considering the specifics of the Airborne Forces, "Andromeda-D" is adapted for loading into an aircraft, flight and landing.
This system, as well as combat drones, were deployed to Syria and tested in combat conditions.
Six Platform-M robotic complexes and four Argo complexes took part in the attack on the heights, the drone attack was supported by self-propelled vehicles recently transferred to Syria artillery mounts(ACS) "Acacia", which can destroy enemy positions with mounted fire.

From the air, behind the battlefield, drones conducted reconnaissance, transmitting information to the deployed Andromeda-D field center, as well as to Moscow, to the National Defense Control Center command post General Staff Russia.

Combat robots, self-propelled guns, drones were tied to the Andromeda-D automated control system. The commander of the attack on the heights, in real time, led the battle, the operators of combat drones, being in Moscow, conducted the attack, everyone saw both their own area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe battle and the whole picture.

Drones were the first to attack, approaching 100-120 meters to the fortifications of the militants, they called fire on themselves, and self-propelled guns immediately attacked the detected firing points.

Behind the drones, at a distance of 150-200 meters, the Syrian infantry advanced, clearing the height.

The militants did not have the slightest chance, all their movements were controlled by drones, artillery strikes were carried out on the detected militants, literally 20 minutes after the start of the attack by combat drones, the militants fled in horror, leaving the dead and wounded. On the slopes of a height of 754.5, almost 70 militants were killed, the Syrian soldiers had no dead, only 4 wounded.

A robot cannot harm a person or by its inaction allow a person to be harmed.
- A. Asimov, Three Laws of Robotics

Isaac Asimov was wrong. Very soon, the electronic “eye” will take a person into sight, and the microcircuit will impassively order: “Fire to kill!”

A robot is stronger than a flesh-and-blood pilot. Ten, twenty, thirty hours of continuous flight - he demonstrates constant vigor and is ready to continue the mission. Even when the g-forces reach the dreaded 10 gee, filling the body with leaden pain, the digital devil will keep his mind clear, calmly counting the course and keeping an eye on the enemy.

The digital brain does not require training and regular training to maintain skill. Mathematical models and algorithms of behavior in the air are forever loaded into the memory of the machine. Having stood for a decade in the hangar, the robot will return to the sky at any moment, taking the helm in its strong and skillful “hands”.

Their time has not yet struck. In the US military (a leader in this field of technology), drones make up a third of the fleet of all aircraft in operation. At the same time, only 1% of UAVs are able to use.

Alas, even this is more than enough to sow terror in those territories that have been given over to hunting grounds for these ruthless steel birds.

5th place - General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (“Reaper”)

Reconnaissance and strike UAV with max. take-off weight of about 5 tons.

Flight duration: 24 hours.
Speed: up to 400 km/h.
Ceiling: 13,000 meters.
Engine: turboprop, 900 hp
Full fuel capacity: 1300 kg.

Armament: up to four Hellfire missiles and two 500-pound JDAM guided bombs.

On-board electronic equipment: AN / APY-8 radar with mapping mode (under the nose cone), MTS-B electro-optical sighting station (in a spherical module) for operation in the visible and IR ranges, with a built-in target designator for illuminating targets for ammunition with semi-active laser guidance.

Cost: $16.9 million

To date, 163 Reaper UAVs have been built.

The most high-profile case of combat use: in April 2010, in Afghanistan, a third person in the leadership of al-Qaeda, Mustafa Abu Yazid, known as Sheikh al-Masri, was killed by an MQ-9 Reaper UAV.

4th - Interstate TDR-1

Unmanned torpedo bomber.

Max. takeoff weight: 2.7 tons.
Engines: 2 x 220 HP
Cruise speed: 225 km/h,
Flight range: 680 km,
Combat load: 2000 fn. (907 kg).
Built: 162 units

“I remember the excitement that gripped me when the screen charged and covered with numerous dots - it seemed to me that the telecontrol system had failed. After a moment, I realized it was anti-aircraft guns! After correcting the drone's flight, I directed it straight into the middle of the ship. At the last second, a deck flashed before my eyes - close enough that I could see the details. Suddenly, the screen turned into a gray static background ... Obviously, the explosion killed everyone on board.

"Project Option" provided for the creation of unmanned torpedo bombers to destroy the Japanese fleet. In April 1942, the first test of the system took place - a “drone”, remotely controlled from an aircraft flying 50 km away, launched an attack on the destroyer Ward. The dropped torpedo passed exactly under the keel of the destroyer.

Takeoff TDR-1 from the deck of an aircraft carrier

Encouraged by the success, the leadership of the fleet expected by 1943 to form 18 strike squadrons consisting of 1000 UAVs and 162 command Avengers. However, the Japanese fleet was soon overwhelmed by conventional aircraft and the program lost priority.

The main secret of the TDR-1 was a small-sized video camera designed by Vladimir Zworykin. With a weight of 44 kg, she had the ability to transmit images over the air at a frequency of 40 frames per second.

“Project Option” is amazing with its boldness and early appearance, but we have 3 more amazing cars ahead of us:

3rd place - RQ-4 “Global Hawk”

Unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with max. takeoff weight of 14.6 tons.

Flight duration: 32 hours.
Max. speed: 620 km/h.
Ceiling: 18,200 meters.
Engine: turbojet with a thrust of 3 tons,
Flight range: 22,000 km.
Cost: $131 million (excluding development costs).
Built: 42 units.

The drone is equipped with a set of reconnaissance equipment HISAR, like that which is put on modern scouts U-2. HISAR includes a synthetic aperture radar, optical and thermal cameras, and a satellite data link at a speed of 50 Mbps. Installation possible additional equipment for conducting radio intelligence.

Each UAV has a set of protective equipment, including laser and radar warning stations, as well as an ALE-50 towed trap to deflect missiles fired at it.

Forest fires in California, filmed by the reconnaissance "Global Hawk"

A worthy successor to the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, soaring through the stratosphere with its huge wings spread out. RQ-4 records include long distance flights (flight from the US to Australia, 2001), the longest flight of any UAV (33 hours in the air, 2008), a drone refueling demonstration by a drone (2012). By 2013, the total flight time of the RQ-4 exceeded 100,000 hours.

The MQ-4 Triton drone was created on the basis of Global Hawk. Marine reconnaissance with a new radar, capable of surveying 7 million square meters per day. kilometers of ocean.

The Global Hawk does not carry strike weapons, but it deserves to be on the list of the most dangerous drones for knowing too much.

2nd place - X-47B “Pegasus”

Inconspicuous reconnaissance and strike UAV with max. take-off weight of 20 tons.

Cruise speed: Mach 0.9.
Ceiling: 12,000 meters.
Engine: from the F-16 fighter, thrust 8 tons.
Flight range: 3900 km.
Cost: $900 million for X-47 R&D.
Built: 2 concept demonstrators.
Armament: two internal bomb bays, combat load 2 tons.

A charismatic UAV built according to the "duck" scheme, but without the use of PGO, the role of which is played by the carrier fuselage itself, made using the "stealth" technology and having negative angle settings in relation to the air flow. To consolidate the effect, the lower part of the fuselage in the nose is shaped similar to the descent vehicles of spacecraft.

A year ago, the X-47B amused the public with its flights from the decks of aircraft carriers. This phase of the program is now nearing completion. In the future, the appearance of an even more formidable X-47C drone with a combat load of over four tons.

1st place - “Taranis”

The concept of an inconspicuous strike UAV from the British company BAE Systems.

Little is known about the drone itself:
subsonic speed.
Stealth technology.
Turbojet engine with a thrust of 4 tons.
The appearance is reminiscent of the Russian experimental UAV Skat.
Two internal weapons bays.

What is so terrible in this "Taranis"?

The goal of the program is to develop technologies for creating an autonomous stealth strike drone, which will allow delivering high-precision strikes against ground targets at long range and automatically evade enemy weapons.

Prior to this, disputes about a possible “jamming” and “interception of control” caused only sarcasm. Now they have completely lost their meaning: “Taranis”, in principle, is not ready for communication. He is deaf to all requests and entreaties. The robot is indifferently looking for someone whose appearance falls under the description of the enemy.

Flight test cycle at Woomera, Australia, 2013

Taranis is just the beginning of the journey. On its basis, it is planned to create an unmanned attack bomber with an intercontinental flight range. In addition, the advent of fully autonomous drones will open the way to the creation of unmanned fighters (since existing remotely controlled UAVs are not capable of air combat due to delays in their telecontrol system).

British scientists are preparing a worthy finale for all mankind.

Epilogue

War has no feminine face. Rather not human.

Unmanned vehicles are a flight into the future. It brings us closer to the eternal human dream: to finally stop risking the lives of soldiers and to hand over feats of arms to soulless machines.

Following Moore's rule of thumb (doubling computer performance every 24 months), the future could come unexpectedly soon...

Hello!

I want to say right away that it’s difficult, almost impossible to believe in everything, the stereotype is to blame, but I’ll try to state it clearly and argue with specific tests.

My article is intended for people related to aviation or those who are interested in aviation.

In 2000, an idea arose, the trajectory of the movement of a mechanical blade along a circle with a turn on its axis. As shown in Fig.1.

And so imagine, the blade (1), (flat rectangular plate, side view) rotating around the circle (3) turns on its axis (2) in a certain dependence, by 2 degrees of rotation around the circle, 1 degree of turn on its axis (2) . As a result, we have the trajectory of the blade (1) shown in Fig. 1. And now imagine that the blade is in a fluid medium, in air or water, with such a movement the following occurs, moving in one direction (5) along the circumference, the blade has maximum resistance to the fluid, and moving in the other direction (4) along the circumference, has minimal fluid resistance.

This is the principle of operation of the propeller, it remains to invent a mechanism that executes the trajectory of the blade. This is what I did from 2000 to 2013. The mechanism was named VRK, which stands for Rotating Unfolding Wing. IN this description wing, blade, and plate have the same meaning.

I created my own workshop and started to create, I tried different options, around 2004-2005 I got the following result.

Rice. 2

Rice. 3

I made a simulator to check the lifting force of the VRK Fig.2. The VRK is made of three blades, the blades along the inner perimeter have a stretched red raincoat fabric, the meaning of the simulator is to overcome the force of gravity of 4 kg. Fig.3. I attached the steelyard to the VRK shaft. Result Fig.4:

Rice. 4

The simulator lifted this load with ease, there was a report on the local television of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company of Bira, these are frames from this report. Then he added speed and adjusted it to 7 kg., the simulator lifted this load as well, after that he tried to add more speed, but the mechanism could not stand it. Therefore, I can judge the experiment by this result, although it is not final, but in numbers it looks like this:

The clip shows a simulator for testing the lifting force of the VRK. On the legs, a horizontal structure is hinged, on the one hand, a VRK is installed, on the other, a drive. Drive - el. engine 0.75 kW, efficiency el. engine 0.75%, that is, in fact, the engine produces 0.75 * 0.75 \u003d 0.5625 kW, we know that 1l.s \u003d 0.7355 kW.

Before turning on the simulator, I weigh the VRK shaft with a steelyard, the weight is 4 kg. This can be seen from the clip, after the report I changed the gear ratio, added speed and added weight, as a result, the simulator lifted 7 kilograms, after which, with an increase in weight and speed, it could not stand it. Let's return to the calculations after the fact, if 0.5625kW lifts 7 kg, then 1hp = 0.7355kW will lift 0.7355kW / 0.5625KW = 1.3 and 7 * 1.3 = 9.1kg.

During testing, the VRK propulsor showed a vertical lifting force of 9.1 kg / per horsepower. For example, a helicopter has half the lift. (I compare specifications helicopters, where the maximum takeoff weight per engine power is 3.5-4 kg / 1 hp, for an aircraft it is 8 kg / 1 hp). I would like to note that this is not the final result, for testing, the VRK must be done in the factory and on a stand with precision instruments, to determine the lifting force.

The VRK propulsor has the technical ability to change the direction of the driving force by 360 degrees, which allows for vertical take-off and switching to horizontal movement. In this article, I do not dwell on this issue, it is set out in my patents.

Received 2 patents for VRK Fig.5, Fig.6, but today they are not valid for non-payment. But all the information for creating a VRC is not in the patents.

Rice. 5

Rice. 6

Now the most difficult thing, everyone has a stereotype about existing aircraft, this is an airplane and a helicopter (I'm not taking examples of jet propulsion or rockets).

VRK - having an advantage over the propeller, such as a higher driving force and a change in direction of movement by 360 degrees, allows you to create completely new aircraft for various purposes, which will take off vertically from any platform and smoothly switch to horizontal movement.

In terms of the complexity of production, aircraft with VRK are no more complicated than a car, the purpose of aircraft can be very different:

• Individual, put on the back, and flew like a bird;
• Family type of transport, for 4-5 people, Fig. 7;
• Municipal transport: ambulance, police, administration, fire department, Ministry of Emergency Situations, etc., Fig.7;
• Airbuses for peripheral and intercity traffic, Fig.8;
• An aircraft taking off vertically on a VRK, switching to jet engines, Fig. 9;
• And any aircraft for various tasks.

Rice. 7

Rice. 8

Rice. 9

Their appearance and the principle of flight are difficult to perceive. In addition to aircraft, the VRK can be used as a propulsion device for swimming vehicles, but we do not touch on this topic here.

VRK is a whole area that I cannot cope with alone, I would like to hope that this direction will be required in Russia.

Having received the result in 2004-2005, I was inspired and hoped that I would quickly convey my thoughts to specialists, but until this happened, all the years I made new versions of the VRK, applied different kinematic schemes, but the test result was negative. In 2011, repeated the 2004-2005 version, email. I turned on the engine through an inverter, which ensured a smooth start of the VRK, however, the mechanism of the VRK was made from the materials available to me according to a simplified version, so I can’t give the maximum load, I adjusted it by 2 kg.

Slowly I raise the speed of email. engine, as a result of the VRK shows a silent smooth takeoff.

Full clip of the last test:

On this optimistic note, I say goodbye to you.

Sincerely, Kokhochev Anatoly Alekseevich.

The fifth generation fighters have not yet managed to become a full-fledged weapon of war, and heated discussions about the sixth generation of winged vehicles are already flaring up. It is still difficult to describe in detail the appearance of the latter, but some trends are already obvious.

Generation conflict

The issue of generations of winged vehicles is debatable, there is often no clear line between them. The fifth generation, which managed to set the teeth on edge, is characterized, first of all, by stealth, supersonic cruising speed and super-maneuverability, as well as integration into a single information and command system.

But no matter how perfect aviation complexes fifth generation, they have one weak link: the human. It is believed that the combat potential of a fighter today is constrained by the limitations of the human body and mind. That is why there is reason to argue that sixth-generation machines can become completely unmanned and will be capable of speed and maneuverability that designers of past years have not dreamed of.

aircraft of the future

However, this seemingly obvious thesis is only partly true. The fact is that neither tremendous speed nor outstanding maneuverability can save aircraft from anti-aircraft missiles. Over the past decades, air defense systems have made big jump forward, and now almost the only salvation from them is stealth.

On the other hand, the use of stealth technologies often leads to a deterioration in flight performance, and always to a sharp increase in the cost of the aircraft. Especially the difference in price is noticeable for unmanned systems. For example, the RQ-4 Global Hawk reconnaissance UAV costs $140 million, while promising American vehicles built using stealth technology will cost several times more. Therefore, the question of whether the sixth generation fighter will be unmanned largely lies in the economic plane.

According to leading experts, such an aircraft should exist both in manned and unmanned versions, and the manned version can be used as a leader for a small link, including several unmanned vehicles. But why turn a fighter into a drone control center, isn't it easier to do it from the ground? The problem is that UAVs have not yet become fully autonomous, and sending signals from a distance of several thousand kilometers means delays. In modern dogfight, where everything is decided by fractions of seconds, such delay is similar to death. In addition, in a serious conflict, both sides will actively use all kinds of jammers: it is better to stay close to your drones at such moments.

aircraft of the future

aircraft of the future

It is believed that the appearance of the next generation of combat vehicles will be very different from the previous ones: even more inconspicuous, they should acquire even greater flight capabilities. If machines of the fifth generation can perform complex maneuvers at subsonic speeds, then the sixth generation should already do this at supersonic speeds, and in the afterburner gain hypersonic speeds (exceeding Mach 5 - about 6 thousand km / h).

Otherwise, the sixth generation machines will not be fundamentally different from the fifth or fourth generation with two pluses. They will learn to interact even more widely with land or sea connections. The armament will become even more long-range, which will make it possible to operate hundreds of kilometers from the zone of destruction of enemy anti-aircraft missile systems. The gigantic price of combat vehicles will not allow the creation of highly specialized aircraft, fighters will only expand their versatility by learning to use the entire range of existing weapons.

The sixth generation will not soon supplant the fifth. Even four-plus generation fighters will serve for more than one decade, and even such aircraft as the PAK FA will remain in service until the 2050s. The modernization potential of modern fighters is very high, and the technologies of the sixth generation will first find their application on the machines of the previous generation.

Perhaps, laser weapons will also be added to our usual adjustable bombs and missiles. Thus, the US Air Force plans to equip the sixth generation with several types of laser systems. Low-power - to disable enemy sensors, medium power - to destroy missiles. Finally, powerful lasers will have to hit enemy aircraft and disable ground equipment. But in order to seriously talk about it, you need to solve the problem with the power source, increase the power and reduce the price of laser systems.

aircraft of the future

Opinions

With a request to clarify the question of how the sixth generation fighters will look like, we turned to a senior lecturer at the National Aerospace University. N. E. Zhukovsky Pavel Solyanik. “The challenges facing fighter aircraft developers have not changed,” he explained. – One of the main aspects are more powerful engines. They should allow the development of supersonic cruising speed without using forcing. In addition, they must be economical and allow you to fly on high altitudes. Maintainability is another important area in the creation of new combat vehicles. It is believed that the sixth generation fighters will be hypersonic. Indeed, now there are hypersonic aircraft, but they all exist only in the form of experimental samples. As you know, the difference between the experimental and serial apparatus is very, very large.

The Americans came up with the idea of ​​dividing jet fighters into generations, but not everyone agrees with their methodology. For example, the Swedes refer to their fifth generation Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter. They believe that to last generation all fighters that can operate within a single information field should be included.

We asked the same question to the producer, QA manager, aviation documentation specialist at Eagle Dynamics, which develops military flight simulators, including for the US Air Force, Andrey Chizh. “In the United States, the “face” of the sixth generation fighter is already being determined,” he said. - Basic and fundamental difference from existing machines in that the sixth generation is likely to be unmanned. The absence of a person on board solves many problems at once, starting with the physiological limitations of the human body in terms of overload and flight duration, and ending with the moral and ethical problems of the possible death of the pilot.”

aircraft of the future

“With the end of the Cold War, the rate of aircraft generation change has slowed down significantly,” Andrey Chizh added. - If in the middle of the 20th century a generation change took place in 10-15 years, then the fourth generation of fighters served 30-40 years. The fifth generation, according to some forecasts, will last more than 50 years. During this time, combat artificial intelligence technologies will advance far ahead, which will allow you to create unmanned aerial vehicles more efficient than manned ones. Even today, promising UAVs, such as the Kh-47, are being tested, which are designed for reconnaissance and strike operations without human intervention. They, with certain reservations, can be considered the first signs of a new generation. The first prototypes of such fighters will probably appear in the 2020-2030s of our century. Most likely in the USA.

bald eagle

As you might guess from the name, we will talk about American developments. Indeed, it was the Americans who came closest to understanding what the sixth generation fighter should be like.

The US Navy is very interested in such an aircraft. More than 450 modern F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters and about 400 other F/A-18 modifications are currently in service with the US Navy. In the foreseeable future, a deck modification of the F-35 - F35C will be added to them. But the resource of the "hornets" is not unlimited, and the F-35 program is being severely criticized for being too expensive and not very efficient.

aircraft of the future

Paradoxically, the Pentagon's most expensive project, the latest F-35 fighter jet, does not formally belong to the fifth generation. It is believed that the fifth generation fighter should be able to fly at supersonic speeds without the use of afterburner and have super maneuverability. The F-35 fighter is incapable of this. In addition, the aircraft is inferior to many fourth-generation machines in terms of thrust-to-weight ratio.

Especially for the US Navy, Boeing has developed the concept of the sixth generation F/A-XX carrier-based fighter. Sometimes this program is also called Next Generation Air Dominance. In the future, the F/A-XX will be part of the Gerald Ford-class aircraft carriers, which will begin service in 2015. F/A-XX fighters can be used to gain air superiority, destroy ground moving and stationary targets, and destroy enemy ships.

The appearance of the sixth generation fighter was presented to the public in 2008, during the San Diego air show. It was created according to the tailless aerodynamic scheme: there is no vertical tail, and the wing shape resembles the wings of the inconspicuous F-22 and F-35. If you believe the Americans that in terms of frontal stealth, the F-22 can be compared with an insect, then it is worth believing that the F / A-XX will become even more invisible. Detecting such an aircraft with outdated radar will be almost impossible.

In the image, the F / A-XX appears as a two-seat aircraft, which indirectly confirms the idea of ​​​​using it to control the UAV. In the future, a co-pilot will most likely not be needed to solve standard combat missions. But for coordinating the actions of drones built on the basis of the F / A-XX, the operator is very useful. The developers believe that the unmanned version will be able to stay in the air for up to 50 hours.

The gigantic weight of the F/A-XX leaves a strange impression. It is hard to imagine how a huge 45-ton "monster" soars into the sky from the deck of an aircraft carrier. On the other hand, an increase total weight fighters is a trend of recent decades, and this issue is being solved by installing more powerful engines. For example, the weight of an empty F-22A is even more mass rather heavy Su-27 (19,700 kg versus 16,300 kg for the Su-27P), but the thrust-to-weight ratio - the ratio of engine power to aircraft weight - is better for the F-22A.

aircraft of the future

At the first stage, the F / A‑XX can use the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, the most powerful of the existing ones: in afterburner it is capable of developing thrust up to 19,500 kgf. The F-35 is now equipped with it, but unlike them, the F / A-XX will have two F135 engines. The F/A-XX fighter jet could become operational around 2025-2030, but to seriously talk about a full-fledged development, the US Navy needs to raise at least $40 billion.

In addition to the F / A-XX project, there is another concept of the sixth generation from Boeing - F-X. As far as one can judge, it implies the creation of a fighter not for the fleet, but within the framework of the requirements of the US Air Force. Such an aircraft will have to replace the F-22A Raptor in the ranks of the Air Force. The head of the Boeing Phantom Works division, Darryl Davis, said that the new fighter will fly faster than the F-35 and will be able to reach supersonic cruising speed. The F-X air intakes are located in the upper part of the fuselage - a rather unusual solution for a fighter. So far, the concept is being developed only at the expense of Boeing itself: in recent years, the Pentagon has allocated money for new developments without much zeal. In addition to creating two different combat vehicles, a variant of a single fighter for the US Air Force and Navy is being worked out.

As expected, another powerful corporation, Lockheed Martin, joined the arms race. Her idea of ​​the sixth generation is different from Boeing's designs. The LM concept looks a little more traditional: the aircraft is made according to an integrated aerodynamic scheme and is in many ways similar to the YF-23. After the 2030s, it will have to gradually replace the F-22A. There is almost no information on the new project, while it does not even have a name. But it is clear that Lockheed Martin will pay special attention to reducing the aircraft's radar signature. The company's employees have vast experience in this area, because the F-22A and F-35 stealth fighters are their developments.

aircraft of the future

Technology Demonstrators

The Europeans approached the issue of the new generation in an original way: they abandoned the fifth and immediately proceeded to create the sixth. Dassault nEUROn has become a kind of test for next-generation technologies. The stealth reconnaissance and strike drone first saw the sky in 2012. The device is subsonic and can reach a maximum speed of Mach 0.8. The experimental UAV will not go into series, but it will allow us to work out a number of technologies that will form the basis of real sixth-generation machines. But even if a new generation aircraft is created in Europe, it is naive to believe that it will be able to compete with American fighters. Still, it is quite difficult to step over a whole generation and stay on a par with the leading manufacturers.

China in this moment is busy developing the fifth generation J-20 and J-31 fighters and is also not averse to fantasizing about the aircraft of the future. In 2013, the flight of the Chinese stealth strike drone Lijian took place, the technology of which will provide this very future. Lijian can take a payload of up to 2 tons, and its flight range reaches 4 thousand km. You can be completely sure that Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation and Shenyang will soon come close to the appearance of the new aircraft.

aircraft of the future

Japan also expressed a desire to acquire the sixth generation. The fighter will be created on the basis of experience gained as a result of testing the ATD-X experimental apparatus. The development of the sixth generation will be carried out jointly with the Americans. The ATD-X project itself is sometimes called the fifth generation prototype, but this, as far as one can tell, is not true. ATD-X is not a prototype, but a demonstrator of future technologies.

How are things in Russia

In order to maintain the status of a great power, Russia needs to focus on new technologies. The development of a sixth-generation fighter is included in the plans of the leadership of the Russian Federation, but it is not known exactly when it will begin. The fifth-generation fighter T-50 PAK FA is seen as an important link in the chain leading to new aircraft. Much of what will be used on the sixth generation machine is planned to be worked out on the PAK FA.

Last year, the former commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force, Pyotr Deinekin, said that Russian specialists were already working on the appearance of a new combat vehicle - probably, the sixth generation fighter would be unmanned. But it will hardly be possible to create it faster than the Americans. If in the field of manned military aviation Russia successfully competes with the United States, but in terms of drones it lags behind very noticeably. UAV test dates are constantly being postponed, and the tests themselves often end in failure.

aircraft of the future

True, honored test pilot Sergei Bogdan believes that it is not worth rushing things, just as one should not write off manned aircraft. Moreover, in his opinion, the first fighter of the sixth generation will appear only in fifteen years, and during this time a lot can change.

Although the situation with the development of unmanned technologies in Russia is not easy, they still do not stand still. The most ambitious domestic project in this area has become the unobtrusive Skat UAV, whose technologies may someday form the basis of a sixth-generation fighter. The reconnaissance and strike drone was developed by the MiG Design Bureau and presented at the MAKS-2007 air show. Alas, the shown car was just a mock-up, and the further development of the Skat was frozen.

In conclusion, we note that now any confident forecasts regarding the sixth generation are premature. Most likely, the sixth generation fighters will inherit a lot from the fifth, and in addition they will become unmanned. A more predictable option is that the unmanned and manned versions of the new fighters will coexist. In any case, at the first stage.