To give up the river: the new Pegasus backup began to be used on the Dnieper
In the area of the military special operation, our troops began using unmanned Pegasus boats. They can serve as a "hive" for FPV drones, mine reservoirs, deliver cargo, and serve as a kamikaze drone carrying a hundredweight of explosives. The boats have already mined the Dnieper riverbed and escorted assault groups on combat missions. The new backup will seriously strengthen our troops operating in river and coastal areas, experts say.
Both on the rivers and on the sea
Pegasus unmanned boats are designed to perform combat missions on rivers, lakes, reservoirs and in the coastal marine zone. They have already participated in mining operations along the Dnieper riverbed. New vehicles equipped with electronic warfare systems also accompanied groups of attack aircraft conducting offensive operations, representatives of the 18th Army of the Russian Armed Forces told Izvestia.
"All the assault groups completed their tasks without losses," they noted.
The Pegasus is available in five versions: an FPV drone carrier, a river minelayer, a cargo delivery vehicle, a means of evacuating the wounded, and an unmanned attack boat. Its payload capacity allows it to carry up to 100 kg of explosives, which makes it possible to use the device as a powerful kamikaze drone, the publication's interlocutors noted.
In the carrier version, it is capable of delivering six FPV drones, significantly increasing their range.
In the modification of the minelayer, Pegasus can install various types of mines, including anchor mines, blocking riverbeds, important channels and approaches to river ports.
The communication system allows the devices to be used at a distance of tens of kilometers from the control center. If we organize a mesh network in which drones serve as signal repeaters for each other, the range of backups will increase significantly, the interlocutors noted.
— The connection is stable, and this is a very big plus of the backup. Performing a combat mission, we are confident that the enemy's electronic warfare systems will not interfere with us, which could lead to the loss of the device," the representatives of the 18th Army noted.
The Pegasus is equipped with an electric motor powered by batteries. Due to this, it is almost silent, which makes it much more difficult to detect it in fog or in adverse weather conditions. At the same time, the engine power is sufficient to reach high speed.
A significant part of the line of combat contact runs along the Dnieper River, where fighting requires the use of small watercraft, military expert Yuri Lyamin told Izvestia.
— Large boats are not needed there, — he explained. — And such small drones play a big role. They are used for exploration along the coast. The backup can be sent to the enemy-controlled shore and launch FPV drones from it.
The situation in the Kherson area differs significantly from other sectors of the front. Combat operations are often conducted in the area of small islands where enemy positions are equipped. If they are located in close proximity to the water, a kamikaze boat is capable of reaching the shore and hitting the militants with shrapnel, Yuri Lyamin noted.
"Drones save the lives of fighters," said military expert Dmitry Boltenkov. — The fighting in the Dnieper delta is quite intense. Moreover, the intelligence of both sides is particularly careful to monitor the movement of opponents across the water surface and, when targets are detected, immediately tries to destroy them. Pegasus—type boats perform particularly difficult tasks, including mining the river and delivering cargo.
In the future, our boats can be used for raids upstream. Their targets may be ships, tugboats or barges operating in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as coastal facilities and berths, the expert noted.
They'll cover you with smoke
In the area of the military operation, unmanned boats are used by the Navy and the Russian Army. The first vehicles received their baptism of fire on the Dnieper River. Izvestia wrote that the backs are well suited for operations in the river water area. Composite materials, quiet running and low draft ensure low radar visibility, which allows for special operations, delivering unexpected strikes in places sensitive to the enemy.
Interestingly, the radiation, chemical and biological protection troops began receiving backups, Izvestia wrote. Drones will be used to set up smoke screens and conduct radiation, chemical and biological reconnaissance, as well as to strike at the enemy. The main advantage of backups is the ability to operate in areas with a high level of infection, completely eliminating the risk to personnel. Backups also increase the effectiveness of smoke screens — this is also a traditional task for the RCBZ troops.
The introduction of backups into the Armed Forces is part of the general army trend towards robotics. Drones can perform the most risky tasks without loss of personnel, providing stealth. Robotic platforms of various types make troops more maneuverable and stable, expanding the range of combat capabilities of units operating at the front.
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