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- Swarms: Russia is developing a system to control groups of UAVs on fiber optics
Swarms: Russia is developing a system to control groups of UAVs on fiber optics
Russian designers are developing a control system for a swarm of drones on fiber optics. It consists of a platform that houses hangars for six or 12 compact drones. They can perform various tasks - from reconnaissance to dropping munitions. Thanks to AI, all components of the swarm are able to work as a single unit. A single operator is enough to control it. According to experts, the technology may prove to be very promising for performing certain tasks in the combat zone. However, the system may be vulnerable to the enemy, so tests are needed for a final evaluation.
Drone swarm control system
A team of Russian designers from Stary Oskol is developing a control and recharging system for a swarm of drones, which has been named Cerberus. It consists of a platform with six or 12 hangars for small UAVs connected to it by fiber-optic cables, depending on the configuration. The installation is placed on a truck. To fulfill a combat mission, the system launches from the truck and at the right moment releases the drones, which act as a single unit due to artificial intelligence.
Now engineers are at the stage of manufacturing individual components, parts and units of the system.They are working on the frame, flight control system, the first prototype they plan to show in August at the forum "Army-2025".
- "Cerberus can be called a base for smaller drones. It is both a power supply, a brain and a hangar for them. It is not just a flying frame, but a full-fledged control center. All UAVs are interconnected and interchangeable. If they work in pairs, one conducts reconnaissance with identification of targets, and the second one works on them with drops or, if absolutely necessary, goes on a ramming ram, undermining the target. The system can be used for reconnaissance and surveillance, attacks by dropping a warhead, targeting aircraft, firing thermal charges to deceive enemy missiles and working together with air defense," said Mikhail Klimchuk, general director of the KB Reanimator design bureau.
If necessary, the artificial intelligence module can be programmed to perform the task independently. Then the operator just has to observe its actions and correct them if necessary, the developer said.
Fiber-optic cables provide a secure and stable connection between the drones and the platform, allowing for real-time information transfer. It also minimizes the risks of data interception by the enemy, as optical fiber is less susceptible to tampering compared to radio signals.
The weight of the unit is about 170 kilograms. Half of this weight is the engines, the rest is the carbon frame, the control system, spools with fiber optics inside the hatches that automatically open like when a missile is launched, and the drones themselves with artificial intelligence modules.
Only one person is required to operate the complex. The system is rapidly deployed to fulfill its combat mission. It takes about three minutes after the Cerberus is installed on the base of the vehicle. It can work in conjunction with air defense with the help of already written program code. UAVs are able to shoot down missiles fired by the enemy with the ramming method, as well as shoot off heat traps.
The drones inside the installation are equipped with a full suite of equipment: thermal imaging, night and day cameras, and additional devices for automatically dropping up to five warheads. The equipment can be changed depending on the required missions.
Vulnerabilities of the system
The most likely application of such a system is continuous monitoring of terrain areas with the possibility of attacking targets, Sergei Kurapov, a researcher at the Research and Development Department of MSUTU, told Izvestia. According to the specialist, the advantage of the platform is that it can move. This will allow the base station to remain undetected by the enemy longer.
- As fighters told me, the return of a drone on an optical fiber is possible only in the field. Because if the cable lies on tree branches, it is almost impossible to remove it from there. The platform itself is technically complex, its production and ensuring its operation can incur high financial costs. It is better to adhere to the rule of 1 to 10: one drone should hit a target that is 10 times more expensive than it," the expert said.
The proposed technology takes into account modern approaches to the use of UAVs - the use of fiber optics, artificial intelligence technologies and a drone port for rapid deployment of the system. The tactics already proven for UAVs - reconnaissance, fire defeat and camouflage - are used, said Roman Meshcheryakov, professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, head of the Cyberphysical Systems Laboratory of the Institute of Physics and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
- The weakest link is the base. It will become the main point, which will be hunted by the enemy," he believes.
Drones controlled by fiber-optic cables are ideal for hitting certain objects protected by electronic warfare equipment. This has been proved in the process of operation of the combat UAV "Prince Vandal of Novgorod", noted official representative of Fly Drone Company, expert of the Aeronet STI market Nikolay Ivashov.
- However, the answer to the question of how effective a whole swarm of such drones can be, can only be given by numerous tests in various scenarios and the experience of practical application. After all, there are a number of obvious technical nuances. When each drone in the swarm is connected to the operator in the most direct physical sense, coordination of their actions requires ultra-high accuracy, which is not a simple task even with the involvement of AI," he said.
The Cerberus project is a participant of the "Technological Development" track of the "Strong Ideas for New Times" forum organized by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the Roscongress Foundation.
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