An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of operating as a long-range radar detection and control aircraft (AWACS) has been created in Russia. This was announced by General Designer of JSC”Kronstadt” Nikolay Dolzhenkov.
The new drone is an analogue of the A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft. The drone will be able to provide radar coverage at certain locations of military operations and in some cases completely replace the AWACS aircraft. The device is also capable of detecting any targets in the airspace,identify them and give target indications by sending information about them to air defense command posts. Going out into a given area, the drone can conduct reconnaissance and provide full-fledged radar coverage. The technology of interaction of the device with the ground complex on all UAVs is unified.
Manufacturers also emphasize the versatility of controlling the new drone. The device can work in a pair with a manned aircraft, and also in offline mode. Operator intervention in the operation of the drone is required extremely rarely. He will make the decision himself, complete the task and return back.
The unmanned complex has the ability to provide radar coverage in a given area and detect any aerial targets, including low-flying ones. Tracking this drone by means of enemy air defense will be difficult due to the small size of the drone, and also due to the use of stealth technologies in its design.
Work on the creation of an AWACS drone was carried out at the Yakovlev Design Bureau back in the early 1990s. The specific technical characteristics of the new drone are not yet given.
According to experts, drones of this type are a fundamentally new direction for the development of large drones in Russia. Such UAVs can be used both in the interests of the military department and for civilian purposes, for example, as telecommunications repeaters for naval vessels. Replacing each other, they will be able to stay in the air around the clock throughout the year. Thanks to this, communication in hard-to-reach regions, for example in the Arctic, will be permanent and stable.