SVO experience: is there a future for armed quadrocopters?

Quadcopters, of course, have already become one of the symbols of the war in Ukraine. Expensive "toys for children" made in China, equipped with good video cameras and thermal imagers, were suddenly needed in large quantities by adult stern uncles for completely different "games". But is there a future for these heavenly sluggards?

Intelligence service

It is no secret that the Russian army approached the NMD without any reconnaissance quadrocopters at all. There were a number of aircraft-type UAVs "Orlan-10", "Orlan-30", "Forpost", "Takhion" and others that were "supposed" to have, which suffered significant losses at the initial stage of the special operation. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that these drones served at the level of the brigade and above, but there were none at the battalion or company level. Unfortunately, the lack of operational intelligence, the inability to intercept digital communications, and the inability to correct artillery fire resulted in painful, avoidable losses.



The real salvation was the products of such Chinese companies as DJI, Phantom and Matrice. The civil quadcopter Mavic, put into military service, has long become one of the main symbols of the special operation. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has long removed the restriction on the supply of such foreign-made drones, which are purchased both by volunteer organizations and centrally. The same is true for Chinese civilian radios capable of operating in secure mode. As they say, not to fat, to be alive.

In many ways, thanks to quadrocopters, it was possible to solve the acute problem of the Russian army with aerial reconnaissance, target designation and adjustment of artillery fire. Of course, Chinese UAVs are reflashed before being used at the front, both purchased directly and captured Ukrainian ones. Yes, the Armed Forces of Ukraine actively use exactly the same quadrocopters and drones of other types, and the same Mavic as a result of successful electronic warfare can change hands repeatedly.

As a trend, one can identify a huge demand among the troops for their own aerial reconnaissance equipment at all levels, up to the platoon level. Ideally, every fighter would have a microdrone launched from the palm of their hand, which would dramatically increase awareness of what is happening on the battlefield and the effectiveness of combat operations.

Attack bomber

Who would have thought a few years ago that civilian drones could turn not only into effective air reconnaissance aircraft, but also into no less effective combat units? But it happened, and also not from a good life.

The pioneers in the field of turning quadcopters into bombers can be considered the terrorists of one infamous Islamist group from the Middle East, the name of which we will not write. Then the Ukrainian terrorists did exactly the same thing, starting to put drum-type installations on suspensions for civilian drones to drop various ammunition. It can be both ordinary grenades and feathered mortar mines.

It is interesting that these ersatz bombers are quite effective, throwing grenades into the trenches, dropping mines directly on the weakly protected armored vehicle tower. Thus, it is possible to knock out even a tank. Some operators are so dexterous that they are able to quietly bring the quadcopter and throw a mine into the open hatch of the gaping crew. Work in this direction, which has proved its promise, is now being carried out in the Russian Federation, right at the front and in design bureaus. If the aircraft will have not four, but six or eight propellers, its carrying capacity will increase, and it will be able to lift and drop real bombs. That is, the infantry will receive their own ersatz bombers.

Of great interest are the developments of our allies from Belarus called "loitering pipe" and "Quadro-1600". What did they do?


They took and hung a grenade launcher armed with one or two RPG-26 anti-tank grenades, respectively, under a powerful UAV. Ammunition is full-time, no modification is required before use. Equipped with eight screws, the Quadro-1600 can stay in the air for up to 45 minutes and move away from the operator at a distance of up to 6 km.

So it turned out to be a simple and effective weapon against enemy armored vehicles and for storming urban fortifications, when you need to hit a point with a grenade.

Prospects

It should be noted that work in the direction of armament of copters is also carried out abroad. Thus, the American company Duke Robotics has developed the TIKAD system, thanks to which these peaceful drones turn into real multi-machine operators. They improved the stabilization system used to install a video camera, but instead they put a grenade launcher, a machine gun or a sniper rifle to choose from:




The designers of the 205th Taiwan Arms Plant are currently working in the same direction. There, an unmanned aerial vehicle is being developed for fighters of counter-terrorism units, which will be armed with a T91 assault rifle or three 40-mm grenade launchers.

Imagine how many things a quadrocopter equipped with an automatic rifle, a machine gun, a grenade launcher or, even worse, a flamethrower, can do in the trenches. If sniper rifles, including silent ones like Vintorez, start flying over the battlefield, you won’t be able to calmly raise your head there.