Air defense of cities, oil depots and industrial facilities: Avanpost-S UAV observers and FPV interceptors
In the material “Global Ear”: an all-Russian network for detecting enemy air attacks we have considered a relatively simple and inexpensive way to ensure primary detection and determination of the approximate route - direction of movement of long-range air attack weapons (AAW), primarily such as cruise missiles (CR) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the enemy kamikaze.
At the same time, for now, the fight against kamikaze UAVs is in first place, since they have already begun to be used in quantities of up to a hundred vehicles per day, and their flight range can exceed three thousand kilometers - while the enemy does not have a missile system with a comparable range and in comparable quantities, however, if you don’t take tough measures, it will happen sooner or later.
But even if the enemy acquires a significant number of long-range cruise missiles, the task of combating long-range kamikaze UAVs will still not lose its relevance, since it is with the help of kamikaze UAVs that the enemy overloads our air defense systems (Defense) before striking with cruise missiles. We will destroy kamikaze UAVs with other forces and means – it will be easier for “traditional” air defense to deal with cruise missiles, missiles of operational-tactical missile systems (OTRK) and other complex air targets.
So, after receiving primary information about the approximate number, location and direction of movement of the enemy kamikaze UAV, we need to ensure:
- additional search and precise determination of the location of enemy kamikaze UAVs with data correction in real time;
- withdrawal of weapons to the target area and their destruction.
Let's consider possible ways to solve these problems.
UAV "Avanpost-S"
Last year, the ROSTEC state corporation announced the “Quasimast”, a quadcopter-type UAV whose power and control would be provided from the surface via cable. On the pages of Military Review we considered the possibility of such use of UAVs back in April 2019 in the material Ensuring the work of the air defense system on low-flying targets without involving Air Force aviation.
Equipment lifting system "Quazimast" of the Kalashnikov concern of the state corporation ROSTECH
In principle, the idea is not new, apparently, it is being developed by both Russian and Ukrainian companies, and similar developments are also underway in other countries of the world, some sources even showed images of UAVs controlled by fiber optics, the author also contacted several Russian manufacturers FPV-drones on the specified topic.
It is UAVs with power and cable control that should become a means of additional search and precise determination of the location of enemy kamikaze UAVs with real-time data correction - let's call them "Avanpost-S" UAVs, where "C" means that the drone is conditionally stationary.
The main means of detecting enemy kamikaze UAVs should be thermal imagers - they are lightweight and capable of seeing hot parts of the target, such as the engine, from a distance of several kilometers. Potentially, additional Avanpost-S UAVs could be equipped with ultraviolet (UV) sensors that are capable of detecting the exhaust of turbojet engines (TRE) of cruise missiles, but only if this does not greatly increase the cost of the UAV.
Depending on the carrying capacity of the UAV carrier, a small-sized radar station (radar) can potentially be placed on it - some radar models weigh less than a hundred kilograms, which is quite acceptable for certain quadrocopter (octacopter/hexacopter) type agrodrones. To reduce the weight of the radar, you don’t have to rotate it - let it have a sector view with electronic scanning; if necessary, you can expand the field of view by rotating the UAV itself.
There is no point in “shoving” everything onto one UAV - there may be modifications, for example, in providing protection from kamikaze UAVs of a large industrial facility, two or three Avanpost-S UAVs with radar and several dozen Avanpost-S UAVs can be used » with thermal imagers.
The Avanpost-S UAV can be produced in several versions depending on the basing criterion. A completely stationary option should be based on a ground-based site and receive power from a stationary electrical network. The control center where operator-observers will be located can be the same for the entire facility.
Stationary option for placing a UAV observer
In the partially mobile version, the drone will be based in the back of a car, which will also have a gas-diesel generator installed to provide it with power. Accordingly, the operator-observer will also be located in the cabin. This mobile-stationary version of the Avanpost-S UAV can be used to quickly organize the protection of objects or sectors for the period until the stationary version is deployed, or to quickly increase the security of an object for a certain period, or to temporarily replace failed ones stationary UAV posts "Avanpost-S".
Just as when creating the Global Ear system, the development and production of the Avanpost-S UAV should be carried out with the maximum use of commercial components - no lettered design documentation (CD), acceptance by the technical control department (QD) of the manufacturer/supplier.
In the mobile version, a container with a UAV observer can be placed, for example, in the back of a pickup truck
After we, with the help of the Avanpost-S UAV observers, have detected the approach of an enemy kamikaze UAV to a protected object or line, it is necessary to ensure their destruction. Presumably, the most effective solution for this could be the use of FPV interceptor drones.
FPV interceptors
The possibility of using FPV drones to intercept long-range kamikaze UAVs was considered by the author some time ago, but at that time there was no information that the enemy was using them for this purpose, so I did not want to give him food for thought. At the same time, the prospects for the development of this area were announced to a number of enterprises involved in the development and production of FPV drones. Now there is no point in hiding information on this topic, since there is enough video on the Internet showing the enemy using FPV drones to intercept long-range kamikaze UAVs, which are very similar to our Geranium.
Structurally, the first models of FPV interceptors may be practically no different from those currently used on the line of combat contact (LCC) in Ukraine. A prerequisite for FPV interceptors should be the ability to remotely detonate ammunition upon command from the ground. In the future, their design can be optimized, for example, in terms of increasing speed, taking into account the tasks being solved in hitting air targets.
FPV drone
Of course, as in the case of the Global Ear system, as well as the Outpost-S UAV, the development and production of FRU interceptors should be carried out with the maximum use of commercial components - minimum cost, maximum speed and production volumes.
Like the Avanpost-S UAV, FPV interceptors can be based either on stationary, prepared objects, with equipped posts for operators, or on mobile platforms, which can be moved to a given position as needed, on transport trucks, with places for operators , equipment, ammunition and FPV drones.
The algorithm for using FPV interceptors is quite simple - initially, a certain number of FPV interceptors are “on duty”. It can be assumed that the optimal solution would be to place them directly at charging stations. When receiving a notification about the approach of an enemy kamikaze UAV from the “Global Ear”, the operators lift the duty group of FPV interceptors into the air and move them towards the targets, following the instructions of the operator-observers of the Avanpost-S UAV, then everything will depend on the skill of the FPV operators -interceptors.
Conclusions
Oil depots are burning - it is impossible to hide this, other “incidents” happen, their number will only increase over time. We still haven't turned off the lights in Ukraine, which means that they will collect more and more kamikaze UAVs, and at the same time unmanned kamikaze boats (BEC). In addition, direct supplies of these weapons by Western countries cannot be ruled out.
Oil depots will burn if we do not take emergency measures. Image of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations
As we said above, the proposed solution is unlikely to be effective against cruise missiles, but it can be more than effective against long-range kamikaze UAVs, and this is very, very important, because if we knock out the kamikaze UAVs from the enemy using the proposed measures long range, then “traditional” air defense systems can focus on cruise and operational-tactical missiles without wasting their “attention” and ammunition on kamikaze UAVs.
Russia is facing an unprecedented number of enemy air strikes against targets located on the territory of our country, with a significant portion of the strikes being carried out by Ukraine using long-range kamikaze UAVs.
The proposed solution in the form of the Global Ear primary detection system, Avanpost-S observer UAVs and FPV interceptors is relatively simple, inexpensive and easily scalable.
Despite the fact that all previously discussed components can be used autonomously, they will show maximum effectiveness when working together within the framework of a unified territorial air defense (TAD) system used by both military and civilian structures. In the next article we will talk about the possible composition of a territorial air defense system made on the basis of the solutions discussed above, scenarios for the use of such a system, the expected cost of its deployment, the possibility and feasibility of use by military and civilian structures.
Information