ATGM from a drone: Fagot ATGM installed on the Perun-F UAV
The high intensity of hostilities in the zone of the Russian Special Military Operation (SVO) in Ukraine has led to the emergence of a huge number of new technical solutions, options for refinement and/or modernization of new and long-outdated weapons, as well as tactics for their use.
As we have said many times, one of the beneficiaries of this war is unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are actively used by both sides of the conflict. There are many UAVs - at the top of the power chain are heavy jet UAVs, followed by medium-altitude MALE-class UAVs, then small-sized aircraft and quadcopter (octacopter/hexacopter) UAVs, as well as long-range kamikaze and FPV UAVs.drones-kamikaze. However, this list is far from complete.
Today we will talk about small-sized quadcopter UAVs (octacopter/hexacopter type), which are used on the line of combat contact (LCC) or near it, or more precisely, about an interesting combination implemented by Russian military personnel - the installation of an anti-tank missile system (ATGM) on a quadrocopter UAV.
"Bassoon" plus "Perun-F"
At the end of January this year, a video appeared on Russian Telegram channels showing the Perun-F UAV with a 9K111 Fagot ATGM installed on it.
The specified ATGM 9K111 “Fagot” was developed in the Tula Instrument Design Bureau and adopted by the Soviet Army back in 1970; it includes the 9P135 launcher (PU) and the 9M111 anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). The ATGM is aimed at the target by wire in a semi-automatic mode - the operator must hold the crosshairs of the sight throughout the entire flight of the ATGM to the target. The maximum firing range of the basic 9M111 ATGM is 2 meters. The 000P9M launcher can be used with the 135M9 “Konkurs” and 113M9M “Konkurs-M” ATGMs with a maximum firing range of up to 113 meters.
ATGM 9K111 "Bassoon". Image by Mike1979 Russia
The Perun-F quadrocopter UAV has dimensions of about 1,7 meters, it is capable of rising to a height of up to 3 kilometers, while its range of action is about 20–30 kilometers. The carrying capacity of the Perun-F UAV reaches 150 kilograms, built-in sensors monitor the center of gravity of the UAV with cargo, and the communication system provides control at a distance of up to 55 kilometers.
The video posted on the Internet shows how the Perun-F UAV fires from the Fagot ATGM, both while in the air and when landing on the surface - judging by open data, this was implemented for the first time in the world.
The Perun-F UAV fires from the Fagot ATGM while in the air
The question is, is all this necessary? After all the concept of UAVs is such that they themselves, to some extent, should serve as consumables, of course, only if at a certain point in time their developers did not “turn in the wrong direction”.
In reality, everything is much more complicated.
Cost-effectiveness
It’s one thing when a UAV is initially developed and produced for short-term use, which primarily applies to kamikaze UAVs, including their most common and widespread subtype - FPV drones. Another thing is when a UAV is developed as reusable, but in fact on the battlefield it becomes disposable.
For example, we can hit an enemy with an FPV drone; for 10 opponents we will need (conditionally) 10 FPV drones. We can also hit 10 enemies by dropping unguided munitions from a UAV bomber. So, if a UAV-bomber can hit only 9 opponents before being shot down, while it will cost more than 9 FPV drones, then the “cost-effectiveness” criterion clearly does not work in its favor.
The fact that the effectiveness of counter-UAV measures will only increase is certain. We have previously discussed the prospects for the development of counter-UAV means in the material “Drones over the trenches: countering reconnaissance and adjustment quadcopters on the front line”, "Third Person Warfare: Drones vs. Drones" и “From a gun to a sparrow: will micro-UAVs return the shotgun to the battlefield”.
By the way, a number of the considered methods of combating UAVs are already quite successfully used in the Northern Military District zone, for example, several episodes of destroying UAVs with sniper rifles were published on the Lobaev Z Telegram channel.
A sniper from the 76th Airborne Assault Division of the Airborne Forces with the call sign “Executioner” shot down two hexacopters (“Baba Yaga”) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a Lobaev Arms TSVL-8 M4 “Antimatter” rifle. Image: komdiv_76
Footage of a Russian fighter destroying a Ukrainian FPV drone with a shotgun also appeared on the Internet.
Drone in the air (highlighted in green), shot, drone shot down (highlighted in red)
From time to time, information also surfaces about the defeat of drones with the help of drones, that is, the era of air battles between UAVs has actually begun.
And finally, don’t forget about laser weapons, which, despite the pessimism of skeptics, continue to develop rapidly, it is possible that we will even see use of laser air defense (air defense) systems in the air defense zone.
All of the above suggests that the only thing that will allow in the future To maintain the effectiveness of such a type of weapon as kamikaze UAVs is to produce them in millions of units per year and use them in thousands in one strike.
But in war, not only kamikaze UAVs are required, but also reconnaissance UAVs, spotter UAVs, relay UAVs, and many others, including attack UAVs, which are now actually bomber UAVs that drop unguided ammunition on the enemy. So, in terms of UAV-bombers, in the near future there may come a time when their life on the battlefield will be too short to justify their existence from the point of view of the cost-effectiveness criterion.
Accordingly, they will have to go through the same evolution as combat aircraft/helicopters, that is, learn to use high-precision weapon from a safe distance. But how many conversations there were during the Syrian campaign that the Russian aviation a lot of precision weapons are not required - we have Hephaestus, so where are all these “experts” now?
The author is convinced that medium-altitude aircraft-type UAVs of the MALE class have nothing to do on the battlefield with unguided ammunition; using them as bombers means simply stupidly disposing of them for the joy of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It is necessary either to equip reusable UAVs with precision-guided ammunition, or to use them as carriers for kamikaze UAVs, as we previously discussed in the material “Destruction with confirmation: the use of Lancet-3 kamikaze UAVs from Orion carrier UAVs will make it possible to demonstratively destroy Ukrainian Patriot air defense systems and HIMARS MLRS”.
A combination of a medium-sized Orion-type UAV and a Lancet-type kamikaze UAV could provide search and destruction with confirmation of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and artillery installations with which the enemy attacks civilians
Goals and tactics of application
The goals and tasks that a UAV equipped with an ATGM can accomplish are quite broad. First of all, ground units at the squad or platoon level essentially receive their own attack aircraft - there is no need to call for air support, it is enough to raise a “bird” into the air and independently destroy enemy armored vehicles.
The significant flight range of the Perun-F type UAV makes it possible to hunt enemy armored vehicles, artillery, missile launchers and air defense systems in the near rear. At the same time, if Meshes also help in some way from FPV drones, then they have much less chance of protecting against ATGMs. In addition, the flight range of the ATGM is summed up with the range of the carrier UAV.
The Perun-F UAV in question can also operate from an ambush, moving in advance to a convenient point with a good view and waiting for enemy armored vehicles, while with the engines turned off and cooled down, it will be poorly visible in thermal imagers (until the ATGM flies to the target) .
UAV "Perun-F" fires from the surface
And, of course, using UAVs of the Perun-F type can ensure the disruption of the enemy’s offensive if he breaks through the defense lines, even without support provided by combat helicopters.
This is only a small part of the capabilities of combat vehicles of this type; there is no doubt that our fighters in the Northern Military District zone will find many more options for using UAVs with ATGMs.
Development prospects
The Fagot ATGM installed on the Perun-F UAV is a fairly “ancient” complex; there are much more modern and effective models, their use will significantly increase the effectiveness of the UAV plus ATGM combination, and new combat tactics using just such weapons will appear.
The creators of the Perun-F UAV with the Fagot ATGM definitely had to solve a number of technical problems related to the transmission of video images from the optical guidance system of the ATGM, as well as ensuring target tracking by the sighting device throughout the ATGM flight. There is no doubt that in the future, specialized models of high-precision weapons will also be developed, created specifically for use with UAVs of various types; more precisely, such products already exist and are being developed.
Installing an ATGM is far from the only option - many other types of weapons can potentially be installed on UAVs, for example, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). In this configuration, an air defense UAV can turn into a formidable combat vehicle - a hunter of enemy planes and helicopters. The ability to rise higher minimizes the enemy's chances of breaking through to the target at low altitudes.
It is quite effective and can already be installed on UAVs and small arms, that is, turning the UAV into a mobile automated firing point (AOT). Such a UAV-AOT can secretly move behind enemy lines, land somewhere on a roof or in another convenient place, inaccessible to humans, go into energy saving mode and wait for hours for a command to open fire, for example, when reinforcements try to approach the enemy.
The installation of high-precision small arms (sniper systems) looks especially promising; Lobaev Arms seems to be doing something similar, but this is not certain. By the way, when working from an ambush with a UAV, silent rifles such as Vintorez, Val, 9A91 can also perform well, especially in battles in populated areas.
Conclusions
The appearance of the Perun-F UAV with the Fagot ATGM is a natural, logical direction in the development of this type of weapon. This is just the beginning of a process that will later spread to most UAVs of a certain size, weight and price category.
Of course, UAV bombers with unguided munitions will not disappear today or tomorrow - for now they are very useful, but that moment will definitely come.
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