Long-range, fast and miniature – as it became known recently, the Russian defense industry is creating a unique strike complex based on jet drones capable of launching from an aircraft. The project, called “Molniya” (Lightning), is being proactively carried out by the company “Kronstadt” – the developer of the reconnaissance and strike drone “Inokhodets”.
Stealth technology
Small-sized attack drones launched from a carrier aircraft will become one of the main trends in global military fashion in the near future. In February, the Pentagon reported on the LongShot project, capable of striking air targets. Similar developments are carried out by many European countries, as well as China.
The advantages of drones over traditional aviation weapons – bombs and missiles – are obvious. The pilots will not have to enter the zone of action of the enemy’s air defense and fighter aircraft – they just need to “shoot” from a safe distance by the drone, which itself will break into the protected airspace, reach the target and successfully hit it.
It is known that Molniya” is implemented in the form-factor of a cruise missile – with an elongated fuselage, a jet engine and a folding wing. The UAV can be used from various carriers – military and military transport aircraft of the Aerospace Forces, from external and internal suspensions, including from the cargo compartments. For example, the fifth generation fighter Su-57 will take on board up to eight such vehicles. In the future, the S-70 Okhotnik strike UAV will also be armed with “Molniya”.
The preliminary tactical and technical characteristics of the new drone are also known. Length – one and a half meters, wingspan – 1.2 meters. The speed is 600-700 kilometers per hour, the warhead and payload are five to seven kilograms. This is quite enough, for example, to destroy a tank with a blow from above on the thin armor of the tower or to hit the infantry in light cover. However, the type of warhead, or ammunition, with which the “Molniya” will be equipped, has not yet been revealed.
The range is several hundred meters. The design will use stealth technologies that reduce radar and thermal signature: a special coating, a flat nozzle, an air intake in the upper part of the fuselage.
“Swarm of drones”
Drones “Molniya” are designed for group use. The devices will be launched on target in large quantities, from several carriers at once. In flight, they will be able to interact with each other, exchange information. In the West, this is called the “Drone Swarm”. Over time, the US military leadership will implement this principle in all air operations. Even a modern air defense system is extremely difficult to deal with a cloud of small, stealthy and high-speed targets.
It is precisely the suppression of enemy air defense that is one of the main tasks of the “Molniya”. No matter how powerful and developed the air defense system is, the ammunition of anti-aircraft missile systems is limited. And reloading launchers takes a lot of time, during which the air defense systems are defenseless. To effectively break through an air defense system, it is necessary to oversaturate its area of responsibility with a large number of targets. To do this, it is enough to calculate the approximate number of enemy anti-aircraft missiles ready for launch and determine how many attack drones you need to have in the swarm. Part of the UAV will take the strike of the air defense missile system, and part of it will break through to the launchers, radars and destroy them.
General John Murray, head of the US Army Futures Command, said in January that the reaction, physical and mental abilities of a person may not be enough to effectively repel an attack from a swarm of drones. And the operator is hardly able to manage a flock of dozens or even hundreds of devices. The success of the massive use of small-sized high-speed UAVs largely depends on artificial intelligence “wired” in their “brains”. Such drones must independently detect the enemy, distribute tasks among themselves and enter the target from several directions at once.
It is precisely the suppression of enemy air defense that is one of the main tasks of the “Lightning”. No matter how powerful and developed the air defense system is, the ammunition of anti-aircraft missile systems is limited. And reloading launchers takes a lot of time, during which the air defense systems are defenseless. To effectively break through an air defense system, it is necessary to oversaturate its area of responsibility with a large number of targets. To do this, it is enough to calculate the approximate number of enemy anti-aircraft missiles ready for launch and determine how many attack drones you need to have in the swarm. Part of the UAV will take the strike of the air defense missile system, and part of it will break through to the launchers, radars and destroy them.
General John Murray, head of the US Army Futures Command, said in January that the reaction, physical and mental abilities of a person may not be enough to effectively repel an attack from a swarm of drones. And the operator is hardly able to manage a flock of dozens or even hundreds of devices. The success of the massive use of small-sized high-speed UAVs largely depends on artificial intelligence “wired” in their “brains”. Such drones must independently detect the enemy, distribute tasks among themselves and enter the target from several directions at once.
In particular, in the United States, back in October 2016, a swarm of microdrones from 103 3D-printed Perdix devices was successfully tested – no larger than a crow. Acting practically without human participation, after take-off, the UAVs independently lined up in battle formations and distributed over the range so as to completely cover it with observation equipment.
While Perdix drones exist only in reconnaissance version, however, the Pentagon does not exclude the possibility of their modification to the level of loitering ammunition. In this case, the US Air Force will receive a formidable weapon, the main advantages of which are cheapness and ease of production.
Modern concept
According to a RIA Novosti source in the defense industry, the Molniya drones, in addition to strike functions, will take on the role of scouts, be able to issue target designation, and conduct group electronic warfare together with manned aircraft. The designers were tasked with creating not only workable UAVs, but also a wide range of payloads.
The concept of the simultaneous use of drones for various purposes in conjunction with manned aircraft also came from the United States. DARPA’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has been involved in the global Mosaic Warfare program since 2017. As an example, the head of the DARPA strategic technology office, Timothy Grayson, cited a single battle formation of four drones with a manned fighter. One drone jamming enemy radars, the second carries weapons, the third is looking for targets, the fourth is a decoy for air defense. The number of drones, their configuration, equipment and weapons can be changed depending on the combat mission.
The concept of “mosaic war” requires a lot of inexpensive highly specialized drones, which, due to the number, will overload any air defense system. The losses of such drones are easy to make up for, and Air Force pilots will not have to risk their lives by being exposed to anti-aircraft missile systems.
The approximate cost of one “Molniya” UAV is still unknown. However, it is obvious that these drones should not be more expensive than “traditional” guided means of aviation destruction – only in this case it will be possible to count on their massive use in combat operations.
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