"Hello" from KB "Oko" - it is possible that the Russian UAV storm begins today
Perhaps, it was the conflict between Russia and NATO countries on the territory of Ukraine that in many ways showed how important unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are for the successful conduct of hostilities and what a huge role they will play in the future. Yes, more recently, a lot was said about UAVs during the period of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, but the Turkish Bayraktar UAVs that distinguished themselves in it in Ukraine showed themselves far from being so good - the high effectiveness of the air defense systems (air defense) of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (RF Armed Forces) ).
What areas of UAV development will receive priority development in the future?
It can be assumed that they will develop high-altitude and medium-altitude reconnaissance UAVs, as well as their promising subspecies - stratospheric UAVs. A new type of weapons that has not yet been tested in real conditions are slave UAVs capable of operating in conjunction with manned combat aircraft, both against ground and against air targets. All these are complex, high-tech and expensive products.
At the forefront, small-sized UAVs will be used in ever-increasing numbers, providing tactical reconnaissance, target designation and fire adjustment. The fight against small-sized UAVs will become one of the most important tasks on the battlefield, which will be solved, including with the help of the same small-sized drones.
The sizes of existing and prospective UAVs vary from a few centimeters to tens of meters.
Kamikaze UAVs should be singled out as a separate category, since they are expected to have the greatest impact on the nature of future military conflicts. Videos of the defeat of armored vehicles, rocket and artillery installations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU) with the help of Russian Lancet UAVs regularly appear on the Internet.
Destruction of military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the help of UAV-kamikaze "Lancet"
The Chinese approach is something like a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) firing kamikaze UAVs
If, however, to produce kamikaze UAVs in the format of the so-called FPV-drones (First Person View - first-person view), which are relatively inexpensive, they can become the main means of defeating ground targets (and possibly air targets) on the front line - it will be extremely difficult to defend against small-sized kamikaze UAVs, if at all possible.
But an even greater impact on the battlefield can be made by kamikaze UAVs, which have a long range, are partly the equivalent of a cruise missile, but cost an order of magnitude or two less. The lower cost will allow them to be produced in hundreds of thousands, and even millions a year. Previously, we have already considered the methods and consequences of the production of long-range kamikaze UAVs in quantities that make their use comparable in effectiveness to the use of tactical nuclear weapons. weapons, in materials Project Condor: death from heaven и UAV storm rises.
However, theoretical research is good, but can it be put into practice? In the USA and China, most likely, yes - they have a fairly developed industry and significant financial resources, but is it possible to produce hundreds of thousands of kamikaze UAVs in Russia? It seems that the contours of the answer are gradually beginning to emerge.
KB "Oko"
Design Bureau (KB) "Oko" is a small company from St. Petersburg. Based on the information posted on the telegram channel of KB Oko, its staff is only ten people. Although the company was founded in 2022, its achievements at the beginning of 2023 are impressive, even more impressive are the announced plans of KB Oko.
Image (logo?) from the website of KB "Oko"
The specialization of the company declared on the website is ultra-cheap multifunctional unmanned aerial vehicles aimed at solving the tasks of volunteer battalions and PMCs. As we can see, the Oko design bureau does not set itself the task of supplying the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which is not surprising, since compliance with all the requirements in terms of various GOSTs, the need for military acceptance, compliance with the secrecy regime, and so on and so forth, will immediately put an end to all undertakings - a small team with limited funding just can't do it.
Also from the website of KB "Oko":
“We believe that the modern world makes it possible to produce high-tech devices based on standard manufacturing solutions. Translating into Russian, we strive to create devices “from a household store” at the price of large household appliances.”
So.
At the moment, only the use of widely available civilian components can make complex high-tech products cheap, and it doesn’t matter from which branch of human activity these same components will have to be borrowed - building materials, sanitary ware, Christmas decorations, hair curlers, children's cars or something else - the main thing is that it is suitable for solving the task, stably produced in a large series and relatively cheap (not at the expense of quality).
At the moment, Oko Design Bureau is openly talking about several major projects - the kamikaze UAV "Privet-82" and the kamikaze UAV "Privet-120".
UAV-kamikaze "Privet-82"
"Privet-82" is an aircraft-type kamikaze UAV with an electric motor. Its flight range is about 30 kilometers with a payload of up to 5,5 kilograms, which allows you to carry an 82 mm mortar mine as a warhead (it’s clear where the name “Hi-82” came from). The takeoff of the Hi-82 kamikaze UAV is carried out from a catapult, cruising speed in flight is 90 kilometers per hour, in a dive on a target - 160 kilometers per hour.
3D-model of UAV-kamikaze "Privet-82"
Mortar mine caliber 82 mm - warhead UAV-kamikaze "Privet-82"
UAV-kamikaze "Privet-82" can be aimed at the target using the coordinates of the global navigation satellite systems GLONASS / GPS and / or by the operator manually, with electronic flight stabilization, frequencies of 915 MHz / 2,4 GHz are used for control and 1,2 GHz / 5,8 .15 GHz for video signal transmission, at a distance of up to three kilometers in line of sight and up to XNUMX kilometers when using a repeater.
A preliminary exit to the target can be carried out by GLONASS / GPS signals in radio silence mode, followed by the operator pointing exactly at the target, which makes it possible to retarget the UAV in the final flight segment and hit mobile targets.
Pre-production copies of the Hi-82 kamikaze UAV - takeoff from a catapult
Several dozen pre-production copies of the Hi-82 kamikaze UAV have already been produced, which in the near future should undergo (or may already be undergoing) testing in the NVO zone in the interests of an unnamed customer.
The estimated cost of the Hi-82 UAV is about 110 rubles.
UAV-kamikaze "Privet-120"
"Privet-120" is an ultra-cheap cruise missile - an aircraft-type kamikaze UAV based on an internal combustion engine (ICE), or more precisely, an engine for agricultural machinery that makes the same “flowery” sound in flight that the management loved so much Ukraine.
3D-model of UAV-kamikaze "Privet-120"
The 5 horsepower gasoline engine, originally designed for agricultural vehicles, provides a flight range of up to 250 kilometers with a payload of up to 16 kilograms and a flight speed of about 100 kilometers per hour. The launch is carried out by aircraft from the site.
In fact, this is the same “cruise missile for the price of a washing machine”, as the developer says, its price should be about 300 rubles.
Pre-production copies of the Hi-120 kamikaze UAV
UAV-kamikaze "Hi-mini S"
"Hi-mini S" is one of the prototypes that gradually turned into a separate project of a small kamikaze UAV with a flight range of up to 2 kilometers at speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour, with a payload of 1 kilogram. UAV-kamikaze "Hi-mini S" is controlled by the operator using FPV guidance, launched from the hand. It can be used to defeat snipers, machine gun crews and other firing points, as well as enemy manpower and other unprotected targets.
UAV-kamikaze "Hi-mini S"
A version with a carrying capacity of 2 kilograms is being developed, capable of carrying a shot from a hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher (RPG) as a warhead - such a drone will already be able to hit armored vehicles in vulnerable projections, partially replacing anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs).
Technologies and features
The main criterion for the creation of the UAV-kamikaze of KB "Oko" is to minimize the cost of the final product, which will ensure high serial production. The company declares its readiness to produce 100 kamikaze UAVs per day, that is, 36 kamikaze UAVs per year.
The need to minimize the cost leads to the fact that the products of KB "Oko" resemble the products of an aircraft modeling circle. However, all this does not matter - the final result is important.
In addition, do not forget that products are at the very beginning of their life cycle - for example, at the development stage, prototypes are made of plywood, and in large-scale production, polymer parts made by injection molding or otherwise will be used.
Simple materials ensure fast development, large series and low cost
In addition to the development of the kamikaze UAVs themselves, Oko Design Bureau is developing various scenarios for their use, and also lays in the design some features that can significantly increase the efficiency of the use of products.
For example, the “Pickup” concept involves the launch of the “Privet-82” kamikaze UAV from the rear area, where the risk of detection and destruction of the UAV and its deployment team by the enemy before takeoff will be minimized. Then the kamikaze UAV in autonomous flight in radio silence mode according to GLONASS / GPS coordinates goes to the forward area, where it sends a prearranged signal and is “picked up” by the operator for further direct guidance to the selected target, including a moving one.
The concept of "Catch"
Thus, for units launching UAVs, the risks of being hit by the enemy are minimized, and advanced units do not need to carry heavy UAVs and ammunition for their combat units - just take control panels.
Also, Oko Design Bureau plans to add a “silent attack” mode to its products, when, before diving on the target, not only the engine is turned off, but the propeller is also fixed to prevent its rotation in autorotation mode (under the influence of an oncoming air flow). Thus, the Oko kamikaze UAVs can fall on the target absolutely silently.
Conclusions
The UAV storm is becoming more and more real. According to some reports, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have bought tens, if not hundreds of thousands of FPV drones in China and Taiwan, and are training operators by the thousands, preparing to deliver a crushing blow to Russian troops, it is possible that this could happen in the near future. In Russia, FPV drones are purchased and assembled by volunteers, they are not supplied to the RF Armed Forces, and Lancets, apparently, are not enough for everyone.
And at this time, those who are closely watching the Russian-Ukrainian conflict from the outside are already fully preparing for new formats of warfare. For example, China is already openly publishing the concept of massive kamikaze UAV strikes, and there is no doubt that it is implementing them in practice.
Chinese concept of massive use of kamikaze UAVs
There will be more and more kamikaze UAVs - over time, they will begin to fall on enemy positions like an endless rain of fire. To win this and future military conflicts, Russia urgently needs to ensure the mass production of kamikaze UAVs. If a small company of 10 people is preparing to produce 100 drones a day, how many can they produce with government support? And if the state is still not ready to invest in such projects, then maybe with the support of big business?
It is necessary to further optimize the design of the kamikaze UAV, taking into account mass production, we need appropriate funding, the absence of bureaucratic obstacles, assistance in testing, logistics, supply of UAV components, including from abroad, the maximum possible localization of the production of UAV components in Russia, it is expedient to develop robotic conveyor lines for the manufacture of drones and so on and so forth.
In addition, it is necessary to develop tactics and strategies for the massive use of kamikaze UAVs by the armed forces, since foolishly, without clear plans, you can waste even a million UAVs.
Yes, 100 kamikaze UAVs per day or 36 kamikaze UAVs per year will already have an impact on the course of hostilities, but they will not affect it radically. But 500 kamikaze UAVs a day or more will not only have an impact, but will change the course of the conflict as a whole. And it is precisely these figures that we should strive for.
And there is no doubt that these figures are quite real, there would be a desire among those who have the opportunity to influence this situation, tipping the scales in our favor.
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