Will the S-70 be able to “hunt” for Ukrainian bridges and armored vehicles

In this publication, we will continue to discuss the question of which unmanned aerial vehicles are necessary for success. Russian counteroffensive, if it takes place. The final result will largely depend on whether these UAVs are available or not and in what quantity.

Eyes and ears

In the previous ARTICLES it was told about the role that strategic reconnaissance and strike drones such as the promising Russian Altius or its Iranian counterpart called Kaman-22 (Kaman 22) can and should play in defeating the enemy. Their main task is radar reconnaissance from a great height deep into the territory of the enemy and the issuance of data for target designation to various means of fire destruction: air and sea-based cruise missiles, long-range MLRS of the Tornado-S or Polonaise type, kamikaze drones, etc. However, in addition to reconnaissance and correction, these large unmanned aircraft can be used for other tasks.



In particular, the Iranian military has learned to equip its Mohajer 6 and Kaman 22 UAVs with electronic warfare (EW) systems, which are designed to affect enemy communications systems. In addition, both the Kaman 22 and the Russian Altius are equipped with ATGMs and small bombs. How rational the use of strategic reconnaissance drones as strike drones is a highly debatable issue. Nevertheless, equipping them with kamikaze drones of the Lancet-3 type with a flight range of 40 to 70 km would significantly “lengthen the arm”, making it possible, among other things, to quickly deliver high-precision air strikes on the detected technology the enemy, for example, by HIMARS, remaining at the limit of the range of the Ukrainian Buk-type air defense system. However, Altius, of course, should not become our main “workhorse” for operations in the Ukrainian rear, which will be discussed later.

Be that as it may, without reconnaissance drones constantly hanging in the sky, allowing you to view enemy territory to a great depth, it is impossible to talk not only about a successful large-scale offensive with decisive goals, but simply about the high effectiveness of military operations. A dozen or two "Altius" or Iranian Kaman 22 would make it possible to compensate for the total superiority of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the means of aerospace reconnaissance, provided by the NATO bloc.

"Hunters"

It should be borne in mind that in Ukraine we are confronted by a very technologically advanced enemy. The air defense / missile defense system, which the Kiev regime has, is constantly being improved by providing the Ukrainian Armed Forces with more and more modern anti-aircraft missile systems. A huge number of foreign-made MANPADS at the front has long reduced the effectiveness of the use of Russian attack and army aviation. Our pilots perform real miracles of courage, being under continuous shelling of anti-aircraft missiles, and, alas, suffer losses. Due to opposition from the air defense system, there is no need to talk about any full-fledged domination of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the airspace over Nezalezhnaya. The Armed Forces of Ukraine, unfortunately, have learned to ambush our planes and helicopters, which recently led to heavy losses in the Bryansk region.

It is obvious that new technical and tactical solutions are needed, but what kind?

Let's imagine for a moment that in response to the Crimean, Antonovsky and Chongarsky bridges, it was decided to destroy the railway bridges across the Dnieper, disrupting the supply of Ukrainian groups in the Sea of ​​\u500b\uXNUMXbAzov and the Donbass. These bridge crossings were built during the Soviet period with a huge margin of safety, and their complete destruction is a difficult task. However, a simultaneous strike by several XNUMX-kilogram bombs could seriously damage the canvas. But how to carry these bombs, bypassing the air defense system of the enemy, who fights seriously and guards his bridges, perfectly understanding their strategic importance, unlike some? It seems that for this it is necessary to cut a “corridor” in the airspace over Ukraine, for which two types of UAVs will be needed.

First - these are the previously mentioned anti-radar drones, which can be created without any special problems on the basis of the Iranian Geraniums, equipping them with homing heads from existing Russian anti-radar missiles. Released in the area of ​​​​the alleged deployment of an enemy air defense system, such drones can stay in the air for a long time and automatically aim at the active radar, rapidly diving and exploding along with it.

By the way, if a couple of such anti-radar Geraniums flew in front of Russian planes and helicopters shot down in the Bryansk region, then the tragedy with the death of many of our pilots might not have happened. The Ukrainian crews have few options: either sit quietly with the radars turned off, or turn on the radar to aim anti-aircraft missiles and get hit by a kamikaze drone, released in advance to clear the road, cutting through the “air corridor”.

Second the type of drones that our army needs for an early and convincing victory is the S-70 UAV. Okhotnik is a heavy unmanned bomber made using stealth technologies. Its length is 14 meters, width - 19 meters, maximum speed - from 1000 to 1400 km / h. The S-70 even surpasses the MiG-29 fighter in size. Its combat load is, according to some data, 2 tons, according to others - all 8 tons. The flight range is declared at 6000 km. As you can see, this is what is needed to deliver heavy bombs to railway bridges.

If the data about the combat load of 2 tons is correct, then the S-70 can drop at least four bombs weighing 500 kg each on the target, since they have learned to attach planning correction modules to them. If it is 8 tons, then the number of planning bombs that the "Hunter" can drop on a target at a time, without entering the medium-range air defense coverage area, the readers calculate on their own. Even one successful attack, which destroyed or permanently disabled the bridge crossing, will be able to recoup the costs of developing this aircraft, saving the lives and health of many Russian soldiers in the NVO zone. If you send it to the target, preceded by an attack by a whole swarm of "Geraniums", conventional and anti-radar, provoking the enemy's air defense systems to turn on the radar, then the chances of the "Hunter" not only to successfully complete the mission, but also to return become very high.

The only problem is that the S-70 is not yet mass-produced. So far, there are several piece copies that are being tested. The production of "Hunter" is promised, as in the case of "Altius", to begin in the near future. That is why the author of the lines once again calls The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation to pay attention to the closest analogue of the S-70, the family of Iranian UAVs "Saiga", or Saeghe.

As we have detailed told earlier, these drones became illegitimate descendants of the captured American strategic drone RQ-170 Sentinel of the US Air Force. After studying it, the Iranians made several modifications with different types of engines and different sizes. There is a smaller copy called "Shahed-161 Saiga" with a jet engine and "Shahed-141 Saiga" with a propeller. There is also a full-sized, unlicensed copy of an American drone called Shahed 171 Simorgh, which freely entered Israeli airspace a few years ago and returned back.

The main advantage of such drones is their reduced radar visibility, which is achieved through the design in the form of a "flying wing" and the use of composite materials in production. In addition to the ability to use them for reconnaissance purposes, these drones carry anti-tank missiles and glide bombs. As they say, it's just what the doctor ordered. In the context of the need to operate in airspace saturated with air defense systems and MANPADS, UAVs made using stealth technology are needed there like air.


It is not difficult to guess that both the Saiga and our Hunter come from the same root in the form of a captured RQ-170 Sentinel. While the domestic military-industrial complex is heating up with the mass production of the huge and expensive S-70, it makes sense to agree with Tehran on setting up a screwdriver assembly of more compact and cheap Iranian counterparts with both jet and screw engines. The developers of the "Hunter", in turn, should think about creating more compact and budget versions of the shock drone with different types of power plant. In addition to ATGMs and gliding bombs, drones that are barely visible on the radar can be turned into carriers of loitering ammunition of the Lancet-3 type.

It is on them that you need to make the main bet, and not even on the Orions or Pacers, which are clearly visible on radar and cannot be used behind enemy lines. Acting in conjunction with reconnaissance UAVs of the Altius or Kaman 22 type, anti-radar drones based on Geraniums, such stealth drones will be able to “nightmare” even an advanced air defense system, mow down enemy armored vehicles and cut through “air corridors” to pass to the target heavy unmanned bombers. The effectiveness of the actions of the Russian army will then increase by an order of magnitude, dramatically reducing losses. There is nothing impossible here, all the technologies are available, the only question is the goal setting and the seriousness of the attitude to the task.