Seeking out tactical unmanned capability

Russian President Vladimir Putin in mid-June said the country must develop a range of new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Consequently, on top of purchasing foreign UAV designs several years ago the Russian Defense Ministry will now shop for unmanned systems domestically.

It appears that in terms of mini-UAV requirements the ministry has settled for the systems readily available on the domestic market. This class is currently well served by Russian manufacturers.

In the MALE (medium altitude, long endurance) UAV class, two programs were started in Russia last year, led by St Petersburg-based specialist Transas and by Kazan-based Sokol design house. Transas is developing a system weighing up to 1 t, whereas Sokol is working on a heavier vehicle with up to 5 t MTOW. The companies signed a strategic partnership agreement to ensure cross-platform commonality of the control system and mission equipment. Flight tests of both vehicles are set for 2014; deliveries should start in 2016.

There is however one more class of unmanned aerial systems, fitting in between mini-UAV and MALE: tactical vehicles. It is exemplified by the AAI RQ-7 Shadow. The Defense Ministry’s procurement plans for such systems are as yet unclear. The Russian military obviously needs the capability, which cannot be provided by the several obsolete designs currently in service. Russian UAV developers have analysed the combat experience of foreign countries that used tactical unmanned aircraft in various military conflicts of the past several decades. The results of this study indicate a high effectiveness of such systems.