Zhmil on GAZ: Russian troops have received a new interceptor drone
Russian troops have begun using the latest Zhmil interceptor drone in their area. It is designed to destroy enemy UAVs of all types and is capable of covering large areas from air strikes. And its low cost ensures a low cost of intercepting targets. The Izvestia correspondent visited the anti-aircraft missile unit of the Center group of forces and saw how the calculations using Zhmil work.
Counter-course attacks
Dmitry Felk is the operator of the latest Zhmil quadcopter. He conducts it, sitting at the monitors. By the nuances of working with the remote control, you will immediately recognize an experienced drone operator in it — he holds the joystick levers with the pads of his thumb and forefinger. A battered DNR flag hangs on the wall above the table. Such banners are passed on as a "legacy" from unit to unit. As some move forward, their shelters are occupied by others working away from the line of contact, but the panels remain in place.
Over the link, the operator of the search station can be heard dictating possible locations for enemy drones to fly over and requesting visual confirmation. Dmitry, having lifted the quadcopter to a height, examines a large area from the air.
"I have an interesting job," he says. — Our task is to intercept both reconnaissance and attack UAVs of the enemy.
Combat work is in full swing. By the time of departure, the operators of the air defense drones already know the search area and approximate target parameters. All they have to do is search in a given square, detect the enemy and destroy it.
Our interlocutor says that he does not keep a personal account of the eliminated UAVs, but he managed to shoot down almost everything — both the Baba Yaga multicopters and large aircraft-type attack drones.
For night-time flights, the Zhmil interceptors have an option with a thermal imaging camera.
— The hardest thing is to shoot down attack UAVs, they have a very high speed, and you can't catch up with them. They need to be attacked on a collision course," Dmitry explains.
But there are difficulties here too. Attack drones are poorly visible in the thermal imager, therefore, before the attack, it is necessary to calculate the trajectory and altitude along which it will follow. And at the same time, there is only one attempt to destroy such a device: you will not get there right away, then you will not catch up.
Between departures
Private Ivan Vasiliev, a sapper engineer and UAV operator, equips interceptors before flights.
— Unlike attack drones, it is important for interceptors to be able to detonate the warhead of their drone remotely at the point closest to the enemy "bird" — before the divergence begins, — he explains.
Therefore, a high-explosive fragmentation warhead is installed on the Gemila. It has a lot of striking elements and a relatively low weight, since air targets do not have armor.
And this is not the only advantage of the new interceptor drone. Unlike most strike models, the Gemil can be safely landed and reused, thus reducing drone consumption and, consequently, the cost of interception.
— I'm 22 years old, I signed a contract immediately from military service and wanted to work with drones, — says Ivan.
At first, he learned how to control mavics, and then switched to FPV devices. He has already been lucky enough to participate in combat episodes with the destruction of enemy air targets. But so far he has not shot them down on his own — he has been preparing and launching UAVs as an engineer.
Ivan shows his supplies — cardboard packages stacked on top of each other. Quadrocopters arrive already assembled, and as such, a workshop is not needed to work with them. Ivan checks the firmware, the correct operation of the programs and charges the batteries. And most importantly, he equips and installs ammunition. And that's it — the drone is ready for battle.
For effective interceptions, of course, not only the characteristics of individual drones are important. Search engines that can detect a target in time are becoming very important.
In addition, it is important to have an information network that allows you to report on enemy routes and identify drones in the air according to the "friend-foe" principle. Thanks to this, you can choose the right means of destroying UAVs and not interfere with each other at the most crucial moment.
When developing the Zhmil UAV, the designers made a compromise: they provided the machine with the possibility of vertical takeoff and greater maneuverability, sacrificing speed characteristics. In this indicator, they are inferior to serious aircraft-type UAVs. Nevertheless, the device has confidently occupied its niche, complementing other air defense drones.
Currently, the military uses a whole range of unmanned interceptors. For example, as a small air defense system at air surveillance points, there are "Fir Tree" drones with the ability to quickly launch from their hands and automatically capture targets.
Aircraft-type drones are already being used for longer patrols and the destruction of high-speed targets. For example, Lightning-air defense vehicles, which require a catapult to launch.
The air defense system in the conflict area, where drones are fighting drones, is currently undergoing a rapid transformation. Our troops are receiving drones that confidently destroy enemy UAVs, and the Gemil is one of them.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
