Recently, the Russian Navy plans to deploy a batch of suicide drones to strike ground and sea targets, especially light speedboats and mobile boats used to combat terrorist organizations. Drones can also be equipped with cameras to perform reconnaissance missions, which can enhance the combat effectiveness of Russian naval platforms or support the operations of the Marine Corps and special forces after deployment.

▲ Russian "Cube" unmanned aerial vehicle

The Russian military already has multiple models of suicide drones. The "Cube" drone is used to strike long-range targets, with a maximum flight speed of 130 kilometers per hour and a range of 30 minutes. It can carry a 3-kilogram warhead, lock onto the target, and launch a vertical dive attack to destroy tanks, ships, and other targets. The "Lancet" 1 and "Lancet" 3 unmanned aerial vehicles adopt a catapult takeoff method, with a flight speed of up to 80-110 kilometers per hour and a flight radius of 40 kilometers. They are equipped with 1kg and 3kg high explosive warheads, respectively. The killing ability of the "Lancet" 3 is close to that of medium caliber shells.

▲ Russian 'Lancet' drone

The Russian military has practiced using drones to support landing operations. In October 2021, the Pacific Fleet conducted military exercises in Kamchatka, using suicide drones for the first time to accurately destroy personnel and equipment of hypothetical enemies, providing fire support for the landing of the Marine Corps. The Russian suicide drone has also undergone practical testing in Syria. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the "Cube" and "Lancet" have destroyed moving cars and weapon launch points on the ground in actual combat in Syria, and their battlefield performance has confirmed the excellent combat capability of drones.

Suicide drones have low cost and do not require a dedicated hangar for boarding. They can be equipped with launch devices with minor deck modifications and are not easily detected by radar. When in use, frontline reconnaissance personnel transmit the detected target information to the ship, and suicide drones take off from the ship to launch attacks without exposing themselves. Drones can also hover at a certain altitude and wait for commands to quickly destroy targets upon receiving attack instructions.

In recent years, Russia has accelerated the development of unmanned equipment, and plans are being made to deploy unmanned equipment in the fields of land, sea, air, and space, such as the "Poseidon" nuclear powered unmanned underwater vehicle that is already in the testing stage, the "Fedor" robot, and the new type of unmanned aerial vehicle that is currently under development.

Currently, Russia is actively promoting the coordinated operation of manned and unmanned equipment. For example, the first batch of 80 Mi-28NM helicopters will be equipped with unmanned aerial vehicle control systems, and the crew can control medium-sized reconnaissance drones and suicide drones within a radius of 50 kilometers. On November 2, 2021, Russian President Putin summarized at a defense meeting that the current number of active unmanned aerial vehicles in the Russian military has exceeded 2000, and in the future, they will continue to develop new unmanned equipment with more advanced artificial intelligence technology.

Source: Military of Strong Countries