Flight project: the most promising developments of unmanned aircraft systems are named

A hybrid drone complex consisting of an aerial UAV and a ground drone for rescue operations in Arctic or mountainous areas will appear in the Russian Federation. Engineers have also developed a unique unmanned aircraft, the Reactiv — 1, equipped with AI and computer vision, thanks to which it recognizes visual images and thermal signatures and can attack a target. These, as well as other projects, became the winners of the third competitive selection of UAS developers and will receive grants in the amount of 2.3 billion rubles. Read more about the most promising innovations in the Izvestia article.

Competition for developers of unmanned aircraft systems

The National Technology Initiative Project Support Fund has completed the third selection of developers of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Grants worth 2.3 billion rubles were awarded to 35 research and development startups. The purpose of the competitive selections is to develop the UAS industry in Russia and stimulate promising developments, the creation of advanced, serial drones, high—tech components, and the organization of subsequent testing, piloting, and production. The selection of projects is carried out among the residents of the national project "Unmanned Aircraft Systems".

— The foundation's experts reviewed 143 applications based on the results of a large-scale third selection of projects from all over the country. Of these, only 99 have passed the examination. As a result of the review, 35 projects became winners. They will open up new opportunities for the development of technological leadership. These include the use of artificial intelligence in the operation of UAS, the ability to transport loads up to 100 kg and new ways to train operators. All projects have already been contracted for the development and implementation of new solutions," Vadim Medvedev, General Director of the NTI Foundation, told Izvestia.

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Among the new projects that have received funding, the experts of the NTI Foundation noted five, which will be discussed in more detail by Izvestia.

"Smart" on-board module and hybrid UAS system

First of all, the experts drew attention to the on-board module of the integrated control system based on artificial intelligence, which instantly processes a large amount of data, analyzes information and makes decisions on board the UAV in real time. According to the developers, artificial intelligence automatically adjusts the controls to the current flight conditions. The device is capable of operating in extreme conditions at temperatures from -40°C to +60°C. The self-diagnosis system detects failures and enables standby modes, reducing the risk of accidents.

— This module will significantly increase the level of autonomy and accuracy of the drone. It will open up new opportunities for exploration, monitoring, aerial photography and search and rescue operations," Anastasia Romanovskaya, General Director of Component LLC, told Izvestia.

It can be installed on airplanes and helicopters.

A hybrid UAS complex will also receive financing. It consists of an aerial UAV with a payload capacity of up to 100 kg and a specialized ground drone. The complex can carry out rescue operations and solve problems in difficult conditions. For example, in Arctic or mountainous areas.

— The main advantage of our system is the synergistic effect of combining the capabilities of aerial and ground drones. This configuration will make it possible to effectively solve problems where the use of traditional technology is difficult or impossible. This is exactly the type of innovation that Russia needs with its scale and difficult climatic conditions," said Pavel Kamnev, Commercial Director of Laboratory of the Future LLC.

uDrone "Leader" UAV

Photo: National Technology Initiative Foundation

In addition, NTI experts noted the uDrone "Leader" unmanned aircraft system. It is equipped with surveillance cameras, thermal imagers, lidars and magnetometers. It is designed for video surveillance and monitoring, aerial laser scanning, geophysical research, cargo delivery to hard—to-reach areas (take-off weight up to 30 kg, payload weight up to 12 kg).

uDrone "Leader" UAV

Photo: National Technology Initiative Foundation

— The unmanned aircraft system is implemented in a single uDrone platform, which provides the consumer with a set of well-developed functional, design and technological solutions. This allows you to flexibly supplement the system with various devices that the user will need in the future," said Ramil Rasulov, project manager.

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A flight simulator with basic control skills and an attack UAV

Another promising development that has passed the selection is the Russian Sky simulator. It will help train UAV operators in basic control skills. The simulator can adjust flight parameters and includes real-world scenarios. In addition, you can choose the weather and time of day. Thanks to the interference simulation system, the development takes into account the type of data transmission, distance, air resistance and other obstacles in the path of the drone. The simulator is suitable for use on computers and laptops of varying performance.

— Along with the software part, the hardware part is being developed — a joystick controller of our own production with a body made of composite materials. The device has been calibrated and tested to work with the simulator. The company organizes mass production of controllers, as well as various components, assemblies and main structural parts," explained Bulat Karimov, General Director of X Red Group LLC.

And completing the top five of the competitive selection is the unmanned aircraft aircraft type "Jet — 1". It is equipped with artificial intelligence and computer vision, thanks to which it recognizes visual images and thermal signatures. It is launched from a catapult, airplane, helicopter or drone. It is operated without using special runways or roads. It can be equipped with reconnaissance equipment and a parachute instead of a warhead.

— This is Russia's first jet attack UAV. It combines the most modern solutions. Among them is an on—board computing system for target retention and target guidance for the final leg of the flight. The drone is equipped with a turbojet engine that reaches speeds of over 350 km/h. All spare parts and components are manufactured in the Russian Federation, and full—cycle production has been organized," said Mikhail Pyannikov, head of the design bureau that developed the drone.

Support for UAV developers

Given that unmanned aircraft is currently developing very actively, and all over the world, government attention is becoming necessary here, military expert Yuri Lyamin told Izvestia.

— The grant program is a useful thing, because from the very beginning, such projects often require a lot of money, in particular, for heavy manned aircraft and helicopters. And a simple developer has nowhere to get them. At this stage, we may lose a lot of promising and good ideas. Therefore, government support for various projects, then further selection of the most interesting and promising ones, and then continued financing will accelerate our development in this area," he explained.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Mikhail Tereshchenko

Observing the development of various unmanned aircraft support programs in the country, we can say that the state, of course, pays great attention to the development of technological areas related to the study of control systems and coordination of actions of unmanned aircraft, military expert Dmitry Kornev added.

"As an example, a hybrid complex," he told Izvestia. — This is exactly what could form the basis for the creation of such platforms for the development of drones with modular designs. When there is a standardized unified software with interchangeable modules of various capabilities, the UAV can be quickly and easily rebuilt to fulfill a specific purpose.

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The reconnaissance UAV surpasses its foreign counterparts in terms of performance and costs much less.

And if such complexes are of a platform type, then this will significantly reduce the cost of each specific solution. Because it will differ only slightly in some modules from any other neighboring solution, the specialist concluded.