By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
This week, Russia took the opportunity to show off what the government-run TASS news agency called the “military-industrial complex” – a trade fair where the latest drones, guided missiles and helicopter gunships were on display.
Called HeliRussia 2024, the show provided some hint of what Russia may end up using in Ukraine – or has already used. One company, the Stratim Design Bureau, unveiled several new drones. Among them was the Golub bomber copter. It is said to be able identify armed people in uniform using a neuro network, and attack them using 12 munitions or an 82 mm mine.
Another, called the Strepet, is a convertible vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) scout drone used for reconnaissance, guidance and fire adjustment. It has a range of 100km and is still undergoing tests. Gorizont-Aero Company also has come out with a VTOL drone with a range similar to that of the Strepet.
One of the most talked-about weapons at the show was the Hunter reconnaissance-strike drone made in Belarussia by Unmanned Systems Company. The system consists of two helicopters, a ground control station, a provision vehicle and two transportation platforms. The drone is armed with eight missiles, 16 anti-tank bombs and is said to be capable of destroying sea drones.
The HeliRussia show was aimed at countries friendly to Russia who are in the market for weapons systems. The CEO of one of the companies taking part, Rosoboronexport’s Alexander Mikheyev, told TASS there are orders from more than 20 countries for over 170 helicopters.
One of those is the Ka-52 Alligator, a twin-seat attack helicopter. It has seen action in the war with Ukraine, and Rosoboronexport has upgraded the Alligator based on that experience. It now has longer-range missiles, new ballistic protection and onboard defense against man-portable air defense systems.
Moscow appeared to have a shortage of drones when the war with Ukraine began. Iran came to the rescue, shipping hundreds of armed drones to Russia. Last year, the Biden administration said Iran was providing Russia with materials to build a drone factory several hundred miles east of Moscow.
Drones have been used in other wars this century. But the way they’ve been deployed in the war between Russia and Ukraine is likely to change the way future conflicts are fought.
Ukraine began the war with larger drones capable of carrying the munition load needed to hit heavy targets. But, aided by the US and others, Ukraine has shifted to more use of smaller drones. One of those is the Switchblade-600, built by California-based AeroVironment.
The entire Switchblade system, including its launcher, transport bad and payload weighs less than six pounds. Ukrainian troops have used the drone successfully to take out Russian tanks.
Now the Switchblade is being upgraded for US forces. It will play a central role in the early stages of the Pentagon’s Replicator unmanned systems program, which involves swarms of drones using artificial intelligence-enabled computing. One of the ideas behind the program is that small, lower-cost drones can be lost in combat with little negative impact on the overall mission.
