Ukraine
Drones: How the Russian War on Ukraine will be Remembered
Not only for the multiple outrageous Russian war crimes, but also as the first full-on battle of the drones
Never before to my knowledge has there been a full-on war between modern, well-armed countries using aerial drones to such a wide extent.
Of course, there may be robot drones on the ground but so far we have no information on that possibility.
Drones are being used for surveillance, electronic counter measures, offensive weapons deployment, artillery spotting and as cell phone towers in the sky.
The Ukraine Defence force has issued dramatic footage of their Bayaktar drones in action, apparently for artillery spotting and target designation.
Unverified video:
If that’s half true then I would think the word Bayraktar is not something Russian troops enjoy hearing. It’s no wonder they are said to be demoralised — and you have to wonder about their leadership. Why are the troops not dug in?
So, who’s using what?
Ukraine
Given the complex history of the relationship between Ukraine and Russia, Ukraine has some Russian sourced UAVs, but its more modern drones come from Turkey.
Bayraktar
The Bayraktar TB2 drone is a Turkish-built unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed and manufactured by the Baykar Makina company. It is based on the Bayraktar TB2 UAV, which was itself developed from the Bayraktar Mini UAV.
The drone is constructed from carbon-fibre composites and has a wingspan of 18 meters. It is powered by a turboprop engine. The drone is capable of carrying a variety of payloads, including cameras, sensors, and missiles. It has a range of up to 150 km and can stay airborne for up to 24 hours.
It was conceived by Selcuuk Bayraktar, an ex-MIT student and its capabilities are extensive, including a high degree of autonomy when required.
It has multiple armament configurations with four hardpoints for laser-guided smart munitions.
According to Forbes, The Guardian newspaper pointed out in December 2020,
the Bayraktar costs on average between $1 million to $2 million per unit, which is “far less than the near $20m per drone paid by the British military for a fleet of 16 high-end, next-generation Protector drones manufactured by U.S. specialist General Atomics.”
This relatively low cost surprised me, given the complexity of the operations centre required for each drone, but then I realised that each centre controls six of the actual flying units.
Each TB2 is configured with six aerial vehicle platforms,two ground control stations, three ground data terminals (GDT), two remote video terminals (RVT) and ground support equipment — Wikipedia
M-141/TU-141
Ukraine may also be deploying the aged TU-141. This is old tech and flies a pre-programmed route. In 2022 one crashed in Croatia but there’s doubt as to whether it came from Ukraine or Russia.
Its design and behaviour are more like those of a cruise missile.
According to abcnews.go.com:
Military experts say Ukraine is the only known current operator of the Tu-141, which has a wingspan of nearly 4 meters (12 feet) and weighs just over 6 tons.
Switchblade 300
In use as a kamikaze drone by Ukraine, this video gives a good overview:
May 25th Update: Here’s a video of a Switchblade in action in Ukraine:
R-18
The R18 drone has a 4-kilometer range and a capacity to drop 5 kg bombs.
PD-1 Punisher
PD-1, or Punisher drone, developed by Ukraine, that can carry 3 kg of explosives up to 50 km.
So, what is Russia using?
Orlan 10
The Orlan 10 is arguably a much simpler beast. It may look like a toy but its main role is electronic warfare.
According to defensionem.com the Russian LEER3 electronic warfare module can control several Orlan 10 drones:
The system can “read” GSM networks (cellular network in the GSM 900 and GSM 1800 frequency bands) and pinpoint mobile phone users, substitute itself to the network and send messages to mobile phone users in its zone of operation or simply jam and neutralise the network. It has a 6km radius of effectiveness from its Orlan-10 drones.
It can also be used for surveillance, artillery spotting and intelligence gathering, although clearly its offensive capability is limited by its size.
However, because it is so small it is exceedingly difficult to bring down.
Kronshtadt Orion
Payload is reported to be 200 kg comprising four guided bombs or four missiles.
According to my reading of Wikimedia, only the newer variants of the Orion will be comparable to or surpass the Bayraktar in capability, but they are not likely to be in service until late 2022 into 2023. However, they are not in air-to-air combat and so this comparability is moot.
Unverified video footage of the Orion E variant drone hitting a command and observation post of the Ukraine Aidar battalion has been released on twitter.
Eleron 3
Yes, this is high tech kit. Note the bungee cord. Technicians assure me that it is fitted the wrong way round to act as a catapult at launch…
Back to business.
“The Eleron-3 is a short-range tactical tail-less delta UAV with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 5.3kg carrying a 1kg payload. Manufactured by ENICS JSC it has a speed of 56 knots (104 km/h) and operates at a maximum altitude of 13,123 feet (4,000m). The Eleron-3 can perform autonomous, remote-controlled and patrolling flights, and point observation missions. The UAV returns to the launch site autonomously and uses GPS and GLONASS signals for navigation.” — odin.tradoc.army.mil
Forpost
This is based on the Israeli IAI Searcher.
The original Searcher is powered by a 35 kW (47 hp) piston engine and is a passive surveillance drone. Russia now has an upgraded domestically produced version. Operating range is thought to be about 250 km although the question of range versus loiter time is open. Drones this size are big enough to be target-able by missiles and one of the Israeli export versions was shot down by the Pakistan Air Force at 13,000 feet altitude using a Sidewinder missile.
A video released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Russian Federation on 13 March 2022 showed an armed Forpost-R taking off from an unidentified prepared airstrip, before the footage cut to a Ukrainian multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) being destroyed by the UCAV (Janes)
Note the acronym UCAV — unmanned aerial combat vehicle.
Conclusions
My impression based on this brief and probably incomplete survey is that Ukraine is winning the drone war both in the air, technically and in the media.
However, ‘UAV’ can also be taken to include cruise missiles, and although I have not yet researched that topic, I believe that Russia has, by far, the upper hand in that arena. I think that this is because their stance is anti-NATO and therefore more ‘traditional’ in their approach to warfare based on air superiority, armour, artillery and stand-off guided weapons. That has left them vulnerable to drones.
Someone somewhere in Russia has misread the tea leaves in the samovar for the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.
There is much more detail on Russian UAVs of all flavours available at globalsecurity.org (no affiliation) although my story has focused on those know to have been deployed in Ukraine.
About me: If you follow me I guarantee variety in your inbox! I write on a wide range of topics including humor, tech and travel, together with daily news events and the minutiae of my daily life living on a boat. I also write techno-thrillers…and about…
…technology in warfare
If you enjoy reading stories like these and want to support other writers and me, consider signing up to become a Medium member. It’s $5 a month, giving you unlimited access to incredible stories on Medium. If you sign up using my link below, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
You can follow me on Facebook Twitter @jamesmarinero . On Pinterest you will find many of my research photos from around the world. Check out my website where I occasionally have a free book on offer.
Buy me a coffee? Or maybe buy a book in my store — we both get something that way?
Sources: Wikipedia, defensionem.com, theguardian.com, forbes.com, abcnews.go.com