REMOTELY PILOTED AERIAL SYSTEMS TODAY AND TOMORROW

To counter air threats, development of new and improvement of existing air defense systems was accelerated. Use of such systems deprives air forces of the opportunity to penetrate the defended territory unless specific measures (reconnaissance, neutralization of enemy forces by fire, electronic countermeasures, etc.) are taken. The situation is aggravated by the fact that modern military aircraft, which embody the latest scientific and technological achievements, are very costly. Today, not every state can afford an air force that would be capable of performing the entire spectrum of combat missions despite the heavy losses likely to be inflicted by the adversary's air defenses. Moreover, loss of combat aircraft results in loss of pilot crews, and the subsequent costs incurred in the training of new crews and maintenance of their skills at the required level is comparable with the cost of the aircraft. 

The risk of being downed by hostile air defense weapons and the drive to reduce this risk by flying at extreme-low altitudes using automatic terrain-following flight systems is exhausting for the pilot. Moreover, it affects the pilot's physical ability to proceed with the mission. 

Among the multitude of tasks for which aircraft are designed, there are some that can be performed without human involvement. 

These tasks mainly include testing air defense systems, training air defense crews and fighter aircraft pilots. Originally, towed sleeves were used for the purpose. Later, outdated types of aircraft came into use. The crews of these aircraft usually abandoned their vehicles upon entering the assigned area and the target-aircraft proceeded in automatic mode. However, with the arrival of the era of jet aircraft capable of flying at high subsonic and supersonic speeds, it became dangerous for crews to abandon target-aircraft. An acceptable solution was found and unmanned aerial targets were developed. 

The experience acquired in using aerial targets has made it possible to develop remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS), enabling their operators to perform vital missions under the threat of hostile air defense weapons. According to military experts of almost all developed nations, aerial reconnaissance is the primary objective of remotely piloted aerial systems. It can be explained by the fact that manned reconnaissance aircraft performing this mission, especially in the initial stage of a battle, run the risk of suffering heavy losses from the enemy's air defenses, because either a single aircraft is involved in the performance of this mission or a group of two or three aircraft are engaged. 

Compared to information supplied by other sources, information gained from aerial reconnaissance is unique in that it provides for: 
– rapid fulfillment of missions; 
– location of a great number of enemy-held installations over a vast area within a short time; 
– high maneuverability and rapid concentration of reconnaissance efforts in the required area; 
– genuineness of information obtained via the simultaneous operation of onboard facilities whose operation is based on different physical principles; 
– relatively high accuracy of coordinates of the objects revealed by the vehicle. 
 

1. Strizh remotely piloted aerial system

  
Therefore, while developing remotely piloted reconnaissance systems (RPRS), designers defined their basic specifications as follows: 
– ability to effectively overcome the enemy's air defenses; low signature in the acoustic, optical, radar and infrared regions of LF band; low weight and small overall dimensions; nap-of-the-earth flying capability; 
– superiority over reconnaissance aircraft in terms of operational capabilities; 
– high agility, deployment secrecy and autonomous operation capability; use from unprepared sites; 
– ability to transmit intelligence to the ground-based data collection and processing point while in the air and to store intelligence in onboard storage devices; 
– ability to operate day and night in all weathers and uncover concealed objects; 
– ability to reach the target area deep in enemy-held territory within a short time and remain over the target area for a long time; 
– ability to perform autonomous flight under a preset program or respond to commands sent from ground-based control centers; 
– possibility to develop an aerial target from the remotely piloted reconnaissance system. 

Presently, three types of remotely piloted reconnaissance systems are in service: short-range, medium-range and long-range. 

Each RPRS contains three closely associated elements: the remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) proper, RPV preparation and launch equipment, and intelligence reception (including radio links) and processing equipment. These elements are mounted on cross-country trucks. This makes the entire system highly mobile, and offers a high level of deployment and maneuvering secrecy and the ability to launch the RPV from unsurveyed positions. 
Upon completion of a mission, the RPV returns to a preselected recovery point, then it is retrieved by a loader-launcher and transported to the maintenance or launch position. 

The Shmel-1 RPV, part of a short-range system, is capable of remaining over the target area for a protracted period of time (up to two hours), enabling the flight controller to continually observe the target area on the screen of a monitor. The RPV furnishes the flight controller with intelligence via TV or thermal imagery channels...