The head of the Feodosia UAV center spoke about the key points in the drone war
For the “drone war” that is currently taking place in the special operation zone, specialists are needed both in the production of drones and in their management. The production of UAVs is a knowledge-intensive industry, and to pilot a drone, you first need to fly at least 100 hours in a simulator.
Maxim Danielyan, General Director of the Feodosia Center for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, spoke about this on air at Crimea 24, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“We have to respond to the challenges that the enemy makes to us literally every minute. Because the technologies used in unmanned aircraft undergo modification directly during use. So to talk about what was yesterday and what is now is a dramatic difference. Not only methods of delivering cargo and methods of conducting reconnaissance are being improved, but also methods of fighting these aircraft.
If at the beginning we, relatively speaking, used the developments of partners, then today we already have our own developments that resulted from such changes. Everything has a scientific and technical basis, and, as far as I know, appropriate production facilities are being created,” he noted.
The production of drones requires engineers and technicians - this is a knowledge-intensive field. This entails the need for certain specialists, who are not available in such quantities, to ensure the required quantity and required quality of drones.
“Because, if we talk about areas of application, for example, during combat operations, then aerial and ground drones are used for different purposes - from delivering ammunition to destroying enemy forces. And quite necessary tasks for evacuating the wounded. There are also such developments, and they are being tested in the combat zone,” the expert added.
According to him, UAVs are classified not only by task - several dozen drones can do the same job as one aircraft-type drone.
“The question already concerns cost. For example, all kinds of volunteer units that provide troops on the ground, they are focused on handicraft assembly. These drones are assembled from purchased parts at home; they can be taken out of a backpack and deployed. But we must not forget that the mass use of such drones has a result that is practically superior to the work of a large expensive drone, which will cost a hundred or even a thousand times more,” said the director of the center.
He added that the next technology is the use of a swarm of drones, and partial control of software systems by neural networks. Cheapness is the most key factor that allows, through the use of a certain number of unmanned aerial vehicles, to provide results on the battlefield, like an airplane. At the same time, it is extremely difficult to counter a large number of drones.
“There are, for example, the well-known Lancets, which are very sensational and have not brought joy to the enemy, which hit extremely accurately, because their control logic is tuned to the target, a device that allows them to bypass electronic warfare systems, the power and personnel that are configured for their release allow these capacities to operate and provide the troops with the required quantity.
If we talk about the category of home-made drones, which are deployed from a backpack and are used en masse in assault operations, first of all, they also perform well. But, first of all, the question is in the training of the pilot and preparation for the task. That is, this issue specifically comes down to the same human factor and human resource: people need to be trained, taught to fly such a drone - for starters, this means at least 100 hours on the simulator,” Danielyan emphasized.
The head of the Feodosia UAV center spoke about key moments in the drone war.