UAC has patented a "smart" drone that works both in tandem with a military aircraft and independently, making decisions about whether or not to strike.
It has long been known that Russian designers are developing such a symbiosis of aviation and unmanned technology. In particular, the "Okhotnik" strike drones will soon be able to work in tandem with military fighters, which have in their arsenal guided missiles and bombs, as well as unguided bombs in the internal compartment and on the suspension. Serial assembly of "Okhotniks" will begin in the second half of 2024 by specialists at the Chkalov Novosibirsk Aviation Plant. In December 2023, the Sukhoi Design Bureau already showed the concept of its kamikaze drone, which will reinforce the Su-57 fighter by attaching to its external suspension. And in February 2024, the scientific director of the State Research Institute of Aviation Systems (GosNIIAS), Evgeny Fedosov, said that manned aircraft and drones as wingmen will be included in the Russian combat aviation group of the sixth generation.
However, in the previously announced versions, the drone obeyed the carrier aircraft or acted as its support in the air autonomously from the aircraft. In the case of UAC, according to the Telegram channel "Bespilot", the "smart" drone arrives at the place of work on the external suspension of the carrier aircraft, is dropped from it and can then independently make decisions about attacking an object that matches the specified characteristics. For the attack, it has a warhead: a high-explosive charge, a high-explosive fragmentation charge, a high-explosive fragmentation incendiary charge, or a cumulative charge.
After disconnection, the drone maintains communication with both its carrier aircraft and the operator via control. The drone's own "brains", if relied upon, are made up of an onboard intelligent search and guidance system based on trained neural networks.
It interfaces with the drone's optical system, which consists of a camera that operates in the visible or infrared wavelength range. Another version of the drone is also possible: its optical system is in the form of a whole system of universal cameras that can operate in both ranges. Target detection and recognition by the cameras will be possible at any time of the day and in any weather conditions.
Before attacking a ground control point or an air command post, the drone transmits reconnaissance information about detected targets, telemetry information about its operability and coordinates, and video footage of the target before it is hit. More detailed characteristics of the drone are not yet available.
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