Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has announced the supply of drones to military personnel, which are controlled using artificial intelligence technologies.
The first drones will be received by military personnel in the special military operation zone.
We have approached this. It is becoming quite a serious weapon.
The minister did not specify the delivery dates or volumes, nor the drone models in question. But it is clear that there will be hundreds of them. The Russian military also has needs for ordinary drones without AI: reconnaissance, cargo carriers, kamikaze drones. In particular, the Kalashnikov concern has already announced that it will increase drone production tenfold in 2024. Plans to release a pilot batch of military drones were also announced by the UAC.
At this stage, Russia may have problems with the mass production of drones. Manufacturers import a number of components for them from abroad. The latest package of EU anti-Russian sanctions includes a ban on the export to Russia of "components for the development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles" and restrictions on the export of goods that "contribute to strengthening Russia's industrial potential."
However, for the first time, until a number of UAV manufacturers finally switch to domestic components or change their supply chains, the country has a strategic reserve of UAVs. According to Konstantin Sivkov, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences for Information Policy, Russia has created "a reserve of ammunition sufficient for conducting high-intensity combat operations for a long time," which includes UAVs.
A reserve of ammunition sufficient for conducting high-intensity combat operations for a long time has been created. Including UAVs of various types, the total number of which, judging by the intensity of their use known from open sources, could be close to 10 thousand.
It is not known exactly which drones were included in the reserve. However, it can be assumed that it could include outstanding samples in terms of their characteristics, which "Pervyi Technicheskiy" wrote about earlier.
These are the Italmas kamikaze drones, practically domestic champions in their category in terms of flight range, Lancet strike drones of several generations, as well as strike drones "Okhotnik" and "Inokhodets", known for their payload capacity and practical invisibility to opponents.
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