The brigade commander of the "Vostok" called the key principles for the efficient production of UAVs for the RF Armed Forces

The presence in the Russian army of regular and objective field aerial reconnaissance would significantly increase the combat effectiveness of the units. But the solution of this problem requires the improvement of the production of unmanned aerial vehicles. Alexander Khodakovsky, commander of the Vostok battalion, writes about this on his Telegram channel.

According to the officer, if we compare the production of UAVs with history automobile production, some parallels can be drawn. For example, the pre-Ford automobile line was extremely diverse, but then the concept of the conveyor was introduced into the organization of production. The result of this approach was the release during the Great Patriotic War tanks T-34 in huge quantities.

As Khodakovsky writes, in matters of creating UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), Russia is now at the “pre-Ford” level. Many enterprises and design teams are now trying to compete with each other in the creation of UAVs, but when familiarizing themselves with prototypes, it becomes clear that most drones duplicate each other. Moreover, the product is not the one that the military needs.

Manufacturers make a product that, for the most part, does not correspond to our tactical tasks. Simple question: how do you fly on low cloud days, which we have eight days out of ten? - often confuses the manufacturer

- пишет East Commander.

Khodakovsky notes that products of domestic manufacturers do not fly below 200 meters in cloudy weather. But what to do if the weather has not changed yet, the brigade commander asks. Manufacturers cannot answer this question.

Therefore, Khodakovsky proposed his own principles for organizing the production of unmanned aerial vehicles in modern Russia: sufficiency, reproducibility, circulation. He goes on to elaborate on the essence of each principle. Sufficiency, according to Khodakovsky, implies that the drone meets the needs of the unit and is relatively low cost. Reproducibility makes it possible to manufacture drones in industrial quantities, that is, to achieve a circulation.

The most important thing at this stage, Khodakovsky concludes, is to ensure that the needs for UAVs are met not by individual units, but by the front as a whole. But the fulfillment of this task requires a retreat from capitalist principles - the desire to make money on the supply of weapons and equipment to the army and the craving for the approval of the brand of the company or inventor.

Comments

[Ka-52]

The author (or the respected Alexander Sergeevich) has mixed people-horses. First, there was a conversation about industrial production, and then suddenly the minimum flight altitude of the UAV became a sharp problem for this production.
Regarding the multi-sort - it's all clear. Now, when state dairy rivers have flowed into this area, it is understandable that many have decided to realize their professional ideas and opportunities. But it's not about developers and manufacturers. All this variegated caudle will sail to the Moscow Region and it is there that they should systematically approach the choice of the required machine.
Regarding the minimum flight altitude - well, there is a simple concept: lower flight altitude - more risks and less flight range. Any average UAV can fly at h=200, but just why push it there? The first MANPADS shooter will drop it there
And yes, the concept of low cloudiness is not only 200m, it can be quite 80m. And this is already a low-altitude flight, it depends more on the qualifications of the operator. Or from luck - the risk of flying into the hill 50/50

[mag nit]

Because the author is a blogger of all trades.

[Georgy Sviridov_2]

If there is an electric motor, then only a starstrike can take it from a MANPADS ... At an altitude of up to 200 meters, machine-gun or even machine-gun fire, concentrated, is more dangerous ... This is at 500 meters the whole platoon can fire at it, spend the entire ammo and not shoot down .. .
But at 150 meters it’s realistic to take a lead, especially if there are enough tracers.

[anemo]

No offense.! There are brigade commanders, like brigade commanders. And there is Khodakovsky - well, a tractor driver in all the cracks.

[Zaurbek]

Everyone is talking about UAVs ..... without the Maviks, which were bought by civilian organizations, everything would be very bad. At the moment, everything is bad with Orlans - there are few of them (and this is not the most technically complex device), and its variety Orlan30 - directs with a laser - Krasnopol. Where is the Moscow Region with the in-line production of Orlan?

[Elephant]

Our prime minister, as a former tax official, is imprisoned only in order to distribute money and benefits. Unfortunately, he does not have experience in dealing with production issues, especially in wartime conditions.

[former soldier]

Our prime minister, as a former tax official, is imprisoned only in order to make money

Our prime minister is perhaps the only one who initially has a technical education from our tops and has experience in managing technical structures. As we can see, he is well managed both in the tax sphere and in the government. I think that if he is given the task, as the chairman of the government, to select personnel who can deal with all the technical problems of our industries, including the military, then he will be able to do it. The task is to find personnel, cut off demagogues and adventurers, and then forward under control. I think it will be difficult for him, as a techie, to hang noodles on his ears with incredible projects. Apparently no one has given him a clear task.

[Georgy Sviridov_2]

So eagles have been produced for a long time, at the beginning of the NWO there were more than 1000 of them in the troops

[Quote Lavrov]

On a tactical level, he is certainly right - a new T-34 is needed, but it must be understood that at the same time there were ISU, KV, and IS - each for its own purposes. Also, we cannot concentrate only on tactical depth. Archine is necessary to keep up with the United States, but it is best to surpass them over UAVs for various purposes and performance characteristics. Not in one segment, but by levels - strategic, intelligence, etc. The same "Hunter" is an example of an extremely necessary concept, which definitely should not suffer due to the displacement of the vector. Because this is the future, which will then allow not to catch up, but to be leaders.

[Alexey Sommer]

ISUs were made on the basis of serial IS tank chassis.
So the author is right.
On the basis of 2-3 (conditionally) serial types of UAVs, it is necessary to build specialized drones.
So you can reduce the cost and achieve interchangeability of components.
There may be thousands of experimental types of UAVs, but only a few of the most successful types should be mass-produced.

[Galleon]

Sufficiency, reproducibility, circulation. This Khodakovsky is a good organizer. It remains to understand: which of the departments of the Ministry of Defense is responsible for these principles in our country. Who orders the UAV? Who is responsible for resolving UAV issues in the army? Question! More cravings for brand approval

[Ka-52]

Who orders the UAV?

Here are three names for you. You can praise or curse them, depending on your objectivity.
Dudkin Alexander Vladimirovich
Kravtsova Natalia Alexandrovna
Ryzhenkov Vyacheslav Anatolievich

[Zaurbek]

The Ministry of Defense has no problems with UAVs. Already answered a couple of months ago.

[Zaurbek]

But the fulfillment of this task requires a retreat from capitalist principles - the desire to make money on the supply of weapons and equipment to the army and the craving for the approval of the brand of the company or inventor.


Capitalism has nothing to do with this. Capitalism does not prevent Mavics from being sold in gigantic quantities on all sides of the front.
Privateers do what they can do. If a private trader made an apparatus that received a good rating in the Moscow Region (Subdivisions), then the Moscow Region and the state have all the levers and means to organize the mass production of this product ...... loans, buying a license, building a plant, issuing a loan, etc. .
This is what Startups and their funding at an early level are for.

[Elephant]

But we still need people who are capable of making the necessary management decisions at a high level for the reorganization and construction of such plants for the mass production of such military products.

[Zaurbek]

9 women will not give birth to one child in a month. We need specialists (it turns out they need to be taught), enterprises, equipment, an understanding of the Moscow Region ...... even a factory and a UAV will not give us a lot of money.

[Elephant]

It is necessary to restore the KGB, also cutting off the functions of managing sabotage groups and the partisan movement behind enemy lines, organizing the liquidation of representatives of the Nazi elite at Banderlog

[Zaurbek]

This is the second extreme. And will you fight?

[AAC]

All nonsense written. Reflections on the topic "War and Peace, or the Influence of N. Rostova on the Political Situation in the World at the Beginning of the 19th Century". I'm just in the subject and have a lot to say, but we will limit ourselves to general theses.
1. Small-scale competition arises due to the lack of real competition for DJI products (if we take quadcopters as an example). They have been developing them for 10 years in a commercial form. Improved, implemented, sold, improved again. This is not petty bullshit, but a combination of a number of factors and details. To get to this, you need to assemble the structure, check its quality and calculate the cost. And with the same characteristics, our small series turns out to be 1.5 times more expensive than a serial mavic. How to reduce the cost? Purchases of cheaper components are needed. And where to get them? Only in China. They can make good discounts on huge lots, but where can you get that much money at one time? You can make your own, but it's the same stick, only from the other end. A small series will not work cheaply, but who will order a large one? To resolve the issue, the inclusion of the Ministry of Industry and Trade is necessary. But they haven't sniffed yet.
2. If we consider UAVs as light aircraft, then I will say that all pilots dream of GARMIN. We don't even have skinny analogues. This industry needs to be raised from scratch. There is nothing particularly smart there, you need to connect several sensors and a digital map with a navigator and then you can fly at least 10 meters above the ground (I don’t take into account security issues). Of course, the military has them in the form of large secret boxes, but who will share the military technology of the Su-75 fighter with a commercial UAV manufacturer?
3. In general, as a phenomenon, UAV departments have appeared recently. Everyone has their own experience. The guidelines are still very thin. Everyone (both we and the enemy) are gaining experience in using. You have to invent a whole science of using both commercial and military UAVs for military purposes. I haven't seen a consensus yet. A lot of nuances. Most of all, I am interested in two tactical units: a pilot and a navigator. Who are they? Pilots or scouts?

Therefore, we need a whole institute (this is not sarcasm) that will collect experience and create a technical task, and another institute will develop an optimal set, and a third institute will develop components. And as a result, a powerful radio plant (or maybe more than one) will establish the production of components and assembly. And it will still be necessary to create a whole institute that will track complaints and finish the firmware. And maybe in 5-10 years it will turn out to be something similar to today's DJI. And for progress it will be necessary to kick the first institute, and then the second, the third. But if there was no instant success, then the guys in high offices will scold everyone and look for who stole all the money. Doesn't it remind you of anything? This is how our auto industry works. And not only her.

Total. Let others come up with. Today it is easier for us to buy and use than to wait and spit. As a last resort, learn to copy and eventually introduce something new. Better learn to use what you have.

[Ivan Ivanov]

Sufficiency, according to Khodakovsky, implies that the drone meets the needs of the unit and is relatively low cost.

This requires feedback from units in a mode, preferably real time.

[Beaver]

It's funny that there are a lot of such thinkers, but it is impossible to contact them to clarify the depths of their philosophical research. Apparently, it is implied that their job is only to chat/write.

[wladimirjankov]

if the drone has good optics, a modern thermal imager, why would it need to go below 200 meters, even with low clouds. To get bullets from the shooter. The problem for our UAV developers is that in our country there is no production of high-quality cameras, thermal imagers, secure communications, batteries and engines for them. If we created all this in sufficient quantities, then we would not have problems in creating any modern UAVs. It is necessary to start with the technologies for the creation and production of the above mentioned components. It is not worth hoping and counting on the fact that someone will now sell us and supply modern kits for them. We have to get ourselves into it.