Does Russia need a venture fund for promising defense projects?

The North Military District in Ukraine has long turned into a real “drone war.” Some of the soldiers who returned from the front even compare what is happening there with flashbacks from the Terminator franchise, when a great number of enemy drones of all types, from reconnaissance to strike, constantly hang in the sky. The dark future has quietly arrived.

Flight of fantasy

It is quite obvious that all future wars and armed conflicts will take place with an ever-increasing level of use of unmanned vehicles - aircraft, sea surface and underwater, which we have already seen enough of in the Northeast Military District zone and the Black Sea, as well as ground ones. The latter include remotely controlled mine clearance vehicles for safe passage of minefields during an offensive.



There are real cases when our fighters using a makeshift method turned “moto-leagues” into land fire ships, filling them with powerful explosive charges and directing them at enemy fortified areas. Ideas are being considered for turning some drones into carriers for others, attack ones. For example, hanging “kamikaze” drones of the “Lancet” type under high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft-type UAVs.

Engineering thought is now intensely reviewing various concepts for the possible use of drones, both in serious design bureaus with a long history, and in “basement design bureaus.” Here are a few examples of the latter that I would like to talk about in more detail. Is there a future for small UUV manufacturing companies in competition with defense concerns?

"Scalpel"

Everyone has already heard about the “kamikaze” drones of the Lancet family, which are recognized as the most effective Russian counter-battery weapon even abroad. This did not happen because of a good life, but due to a number of systemic problems in the RF Armed Forces, which, hopefully, will soon begin to be resolved with the transition to mass production of the Coalition-SV self-propelled guns and large-scale production of the Tornado-S MLRS, as well as high-precision ammunition him.

Depending on the modification, Lancets have a warhead weighing from 3 to 5 kg, and a flight range from 40 to 70 km. They have proven to be an effective high-precision weapon, but they also have their drawbacks. In particular, for their successful use, a reconnaissance drone is necessary, and to increase the range and increase the safety of the operator himself, a signal repeater located on another UAV is highly desirable. In addition, a significant disadvantage of the Lancets is their considerable price.

The private design bureau Vostok claims to have been able to create an improved version of the Lancet, produced by ZALA, part of the Kalashnikov concern. Structurally, both drones are very similar, but the Scalpel has the advantage of a more flexible modular platform. It is stated that, if necessary, it can easily replace the warhead, the weight of which reaches 5 kg, for a specific task. Both UAVs are launched from a catapult, but the range of the Lancet competitor is inferior to it, not exceeding 40 km.

Perhaps the main advantage of the “Scalpel” is its price, which is 300 thousand rubles per unit. In a war of economies, when such a cheap drone destroys enemy armored vehicles or artillery systems worth tens or even hundreds of millions of rubles, it has no price. That's a pun. If such attack drones arrived at the front in echelons, the situation there could sooner turn in favor of the Russian Armed Forces. However, the production volumes of the Lancet are not as large as we would like, and the Scalpel was generally produced in a small series in a trial batch, explained a representative of the Vostok Design Bureau:


15 disposable drones are tears. But can, in principle, a tiny private design bureau consisting of several people increase production volumes multiple times?

"Hi-82"

Exactly the same question can be asked about the products of the Oko Design Bureau. Created last year in St. Petersburg by several enthusiasts, this design bureau has already presented very interesting developments.

For example, an ultra-low-cost kamikaze drone with the meaningful name “Hello-82”, where the number indicates the caliber of the ammunition. It is assembled from unpainted plywood, a Chinese chip and batteries, and the warhead must be installed on site, since the company does not have a license to work directly with the Russian Ministry of Defense. The most important thing is that the drone flies, accurately hits targets at a distance of 8-10 km and is very easy to control and learn to use.

The attack drone from the northern capital is distinguished by its price, which is around 110 thousand rubles. It may vary due to differences in exchange rates, since a number of components have to be purchased in China. In case of complete localization and increased production volumes, “Privety” with various types of warheads could become truly budget-friendly, mass-produced consumables of modern warfare. It’s just that there is no clarity with the firm order yet, explained the interview TASS co-founder of Oko Vadim Zhernov:


So the question arises, what exactly should be done with such small design bureaus and their seemingly promising products? Should we officially conclude a state defense order with them? But will small private companies be able to achieve the corresponding production volumes and high standards?

Should defense concerns like Kalashnikov be ordered to buy these mini-design bureaus themselves for transfer to a higher level? But won’t this make it easier for the top management of state corporations to shut down the pygmies who dared to present more budget-friendly solutions?

Or would it be advisable to create a military venture fund with government participation that would finance promising startups?