Army aviation protects Russia's borders from drone attacks. How the famous "Night Hunter" swiftly attacks drones, and how air defense and electronic warfare systems cope with entire groups of UAVs, is covered in a report by www1.ru.
"Night Hunter" on Guard of Russia
Units of the Russian Aerospace Forces have already begun their combat duty. Their main task is to protect the country's borders from enemy drone attacks. In particular, one of the airfields for combat missions is located in Orel, and the Mi-28 helicopter has become the main fighter against enemy drones.
The powerful rotorcraft nicknamed "Night Hunter" can soar into the sky in just a couple of minutes. With the help of the helicopter, the military has created a fundamentally new type of air defense system. The Mi-28 is capable of intercepting targets and escorting them, noted Honored Pilot of the USSR Viktor Zabolotsky.
The Mi-28 uses three anti-tank systems: "Shturm", "Vikhr" and "Ataka". The machine destroys air targets with Igla anti-aircraft missiles. The Mi-28 was also equipped with a new R-74 missile with a range of up to 40 km.
The helicopter strikes ground targets with a 30-millimeter cannon. The gun is difficult to use for combating drones due to shaking, but this problem is solved by special shells with a remote detonator. The "Night Hunter" can chase drones around the clock and performs tasks thanks to an upgraded guidance and fire control system.
Reliable "Pantsir"
Helicopters successfully cope with slow-moving air targets. But if an enemy drone flies at over 300 km/h, air defense systems come into play. Russia has seriously increased the production of anti-aircraft missile and gun systems "Pantsir". These SAMs have proven themselves on the front lines as the most reliable weapon against any drones.
The peculiarity of the "Pantsir" is that it has both cannon and missile armament. The SAM destroys targets with a dozen supersonic anti-aircraft missiles, and a pair of twin-barreled guns fires up to five thousand shots in 60 seconds.
"Pantsirs" are mainly installed in directions where mass breakthroughs of UAVs are possible - in hard-to-reach areas, in ravines and estuaries. Radar warfare systems are also installed in such places, explained military expert Vladimir Orlov.
"Security Dome"
Modern electronic warfare equipment deprives drones of controllability within a radius of several kilometers. One of the most powerful systems of this kind - the "Security Dome" - is currently being developed in Moscow. It extinguishes the signals of drones that fall into its zone.
The "Security Dome" will cover the border regions of Russia and the Crimean Peninsula. Orlov suggested that the technology is based on the complex interaction of on-duty helicopter units, electronic warfare systems and air defense.
Protection of Russian Airports
The country's air harbors are also reliably protected by air defense and electronic warfare systems. When anti-aircraft units detect a UAV, the "Carpet" plan is promptly introduced at the airport. This means that civilian aircraft are prohibited from landing and taking off so that they do not become a target for UAVs with guided anti-aircraft munitions.
Earlier, the features of the combat mode of the Buk-M1 SAM became known. It detects rockets at 15 km, and low-visibility drones at 25 km.
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