Kalashnikov, Russia’s best-known arms maker, has released images of a new type of Lancet unmanned aerial vehicle that will operate in swarms to avoid enemy air defense systems, which could give it a huge advantage in wartime.

A report on the TV channel “Russia-1” claims that Russia has recently been exponentially increasing the production of Lancet drones, and the narrator of the story claims that Oleksandr Zakharov, the chief designer of the Kalashnikov concern, “has to use a catwalk” to be able to move. around new production.

Russian state media have reported since last year that the new factory was planned to be located in the former commercial center as a measure of profitability and to ensure rapid production growth, according to military analyst Samuel Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses, a US think tank in Arlington, Va., that specializes in the military questions

During the presentation, Oleksandr Zakharov also showcases the Lancet’s “new evolution” of UAVs, showing off the Vyrib-53, a type of UAV that he said was designed to be used in swarms against enemy targets.

Kalashnikov claims that these kamikaze drones are designed using a “neural network” that allows the aircraft to communicate with each other to destroy identified targets.

At about 11:35 of the report, Zakharov states that these new drones “do not have artificial intelligence, only algorithms and [sisteme de] decision-making”, calling “Product-53” a “software-defined weapon”.

Kalashnikov also developed these drones that are launched using small mobile launchers, the Russians seem to be taking inspiration from the Shahed 136 drones they have received in large numbers from Iran.

Whatever means the Russian “swarm drones” took to the battlefield

This new technology has a major advantage for the armed forces that eventually possess it: a much higher survivability rate compared to other similar systems. The technology was initially studied by countries such as India, China and Israel to develop unmanned aerial vehicles for reconnaissance and surveillance.

But in the case of kamikaze drones like the Lancet, which are designed to self-destruct after hitting a target, this advantage means they end up disabling or destroying a much larger number of identified targets.

Apart from the fact that operating in a large group can pose problems for conventional air defense systems due to the number of targets to shoot down, the “neural network” they use allows the drones to quickly rearrange priorities and tasks within the mission. attack.

On the specialized website of the Land Forces SP, it is noted that such drones can currently be countered by “layered” integrated air defense systems containing long-, medium-, and short-range weapons, as well as electronic warfare equipment.

It is currently unclear to what extent Ukrainian air defense systems have been integrated to provide protection against such a threat. Most likely, there are limited opportunities for the defense of large Ukrainian cities, at which most of the air defense systems obtained from the West are aimed.

A new threat to the valuable equipment that Ukraine received from the West

But from the point of view of battlefield defense at the tactical-operational level, such countermeasures probably remain at the desired level, especially given the fact that now Ukrainian troops are on the offensive, entering the territories occupied by Russia.

This means that valuable targets such as tanks and armored vehicles received by the Ukrainian military from Western partners will be highly vulnerable to “swarm” attacks, as the Russians have already flooded the battlefield with the Lancet drone models they already had in their arsenal. .

An extensive report published by Reuters in late June described how the Russian armed forces began using Lancet drones in large numbers in recent months after the military command in Moscow realized the importance of using drones on the battlefield. .

By the way, the lack of drones in the early stages of the “special operation” became one of the reasons for the harsh criticism of the leadership of the Russian troops from the country’s popular military bloggers, especially after Ukraine received the Switchblade kamikaze drones from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The United States.

However, military analyst Samuel Bendett cautions that, like most statements by the Russian side, those regarding the Lancet drones’ new ability to operate in swarms should be treated with caution, as such capability is likely to be confirmed only after the Ukrainians manage to acquire some of the new models .

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