The first work on the creation of unmanned aerial vehicles in the USSR began in the early 30s of the last century. Initially loaded with explosives, radio-controlled drones were considered as "air torpedoes". They were supposed to be used against important targets, well covered by anti-aircraft artillery, where manned bombers could suffer heavy losses. The initiator of the beginning of work on this topic was M. N. Tukhachevsky. The development of radio-controlled aircraft was carried out in the Special Technical Bureau ("Ostekhbyuro") under the leadership of V. I. Bekauri.
The first aircraft on which remote radio control was tested in the Soviet Union was the TB-1 twin-engine bomber designed by A. N. Tupolev with AVP-2 autopilot. Tests began in October 1933 at Monino. For telecontrol of the aircraft, the "Daedalus" telemechanical system was designed at Ostekhbyuro. Since the takeoff of a radio-controlled aircraft was too difficult for a very imperfect equipment, the TB-1 took off under the control of the pilot.
In a real combat flight, after takeoff and taking the aircraft on a course towards the target, the pilot had to be thrown out with a parachute. Then the aircraft was controlled by a VHF transmitter from the lead aircraft. During the tests, the main problem was the unreliable operation of the automatics, the commands were passed incorrectly, and often the equipment completely refused, and the pilot had to take control. In addition, the military was not at all satisfied with the fact that during the execution of a combat mission an expensive bomber was irretrievably lost. In this regard, they demanded to develop a system for remote bomb release and provide for a radio-controlled landing of the aircraft at their airfield.
Since in the mid-30s the TB-1 was already obsolete, the tests continued on the four-engine TB-3. It was proposed to solve the problem of unstable operation of the control equipment by means of a manned flight of an airplane driven by radio on most of the route. When approaching the target, the pilot was not thrown out with a parachute, but transferred into an I-15 or I-16 fighter suspended under the TB-3 and returned home on it. Further, the TB-3 was guided to the target by commands from the control plane.
But, as in the case of the TB-1, the automation worked extremely unreliable and during the tests of the radio-controlled TB-3, many electromechanical, pneumatic and hydraulic structures were tested. To remedy the situation, several autopilots with different actuators were replaced on the plane. In July 1934, the aircraft with the AVP-3 autopilot was tested, and in October of the same year - with the AVP-7 autopilot. Upon completion of the tests, the control equipment was supposed to be used on a remotely controlled aircraft RD ("Range Record" - ANT-25 - on such a machine Chkalov flew over the Pole to America).
The telemechanical aircraft was supposed to enter service in 1937. Unlike TB-1 and TB-3, the taxiway did not require a control plane. The taxiway loaded with explosives was supposed to fly up to 1,500 km in remote control mode according to the signals of radio beacons and strike at large enemy cities. However, until the end of 1937, it was not possible to bring the control equipment to a stable operating condition. In connection with the arrest of Tukhachevsky and Bekauri, in January 1938, Ostekhbyuro was disbanded, and the three bombers used for testing were returned to the Air Force. However, the topic was not closed completely, the documentation for the project was transferred to the Experimental Aircraft Plant No. 379, and some of the specialists moved there. In November 1938, during tests at the steppe airfield near Stalingrad, the unmanned TB-1 made 17 takeoffs and 22 landings, which confirmed the viability of the remote control equipment, but at the same time a pilot was sitting in the cockpit, ready to take control at any time.
In January 1940, a resolution of the Labor and Defense Council was issued, according to which it was planned to create a combat tandem consisting of radio-controlled TB-3 torpedo aircraft and command aircraft with special equipment placed on SB-2 and DB-3 bombers. The system was fine-tuned with great difficulty, but, apparently, there was some progress in this direction. At the beginning of 1942, radio-controlled projectile aircraft were ready for combat trials.
The target of the first strike was a large railway junction in Vyazma, 210 km from Moscow. However, "the first pancake came out lumpy": during the approach to the target on the leading DB-3F, the antenna of the radio transmitter of the control commands failed, according to some reports, it was damaged by a fragment of an anti-aircraft shell. After that, the unguided TB-3, loaded with four tons of powerful explosives, fell to the ground. The aircraft of the second pair - the command SB-2 and the slave TB-3 - burned down at the airfield after a close explosion of a bomber prepared for takeoff.
However, the Daedalus system was not the only attempt to create an "air torpedo" in the USSR before the war. In 1933, at the Scientific Research Marine Institute of Communications under the leadership of S. F. Valka began work on remotely controlled gliders carrying an explosive charge or torpedo. The creators of gliding remotely controlled vehicles motivated their idea by the impossibility of detecting them by sound detectors, as well as the difficulty of intercepting the "air torpedo" by enemy fighters, low vulnerability to anti-aircraft fire due to its small size and low cost of gliders compared to bombers.
In 1934, reduced models of gliders were subjected to flight tests. The development and construction of full-scale samples were entrusted to "Oskonburo" P. I. Grokhovsky.
It was planned to create several "flying torpedoes" designed to strike at enemy naval bases and large ships:
1. DPT (long-range gliding torpedo) without an engine with a flight range of 30-50 km;
2. LTDD (long-range flying torpedo) - with a jet or piston engine and a flight range of 100-200 km;
3. BMP (towed mine glider) - on a rigid coupling with a towed aircraft.
The production of an experimental batch of "gliding torpedo bombers" intended for testing was carried out at the pilot production plant number 23 in Leningrad, and the creation of the guidance system (code designation "Kvant") was entrusted to Research Institute No. 10 of the People's Commissariat of the Defense Industry. The first prototype, designated PSN-1 (special-purpose glider), took off in August 1935. According to the project, the glider had the following data: takeoff weight - 1970 kg, wingspan - 8.0 m, length - 8.9 m, height - 2.02 m, maximum speed - 350 km / h, dive speed - 500 km / h, flight range - 30–35 km.
At the first stage, a manned version, made in the form of a seaplane, was tested. In the role of the main carrier of the PSN-1, a four-engine bomber TB-3 was envisaged. One remote-controlled device could be suspended under each wing of the aircraft.
Remote guidance of the PSN-1 was to be carried out within line of sight using an infrared command transmission system. Control equipment with three infrared searchlights was installed on the carrier aircraft, and on the glider a signal receiver and an autopilot and executive equipment. The emitters of the "Kvant" equipment were placed on a special rotary frame protruding beyond the fuselage. At the same time, due to the increased drag, the speed of the carrier aircraft decreased by about 5%.
It was envisaged that even without telecontrol, the glider could be used to attack large ships or naval bases. After dropping a torpedo, or a warhead, the glider under the control of the pilot had to move away from the target at a distance of 10-12 km and land on the water. Then the wings were unfastened, and the aircraft turned into a boat. Having started the outboard motor available on board, the pilot returned by sea to his base.
For experiments with combat gliders, an airfield in Krechevitsy near Novgorod was allocated. On a nearby lake, a seaplane was tested with a low-altitude approach in tow behind the R-6 float plane.
During the tests, the possibility of a dive with a bomb release was confirmed, after which the glider went into horizontal flight. On July 28, 1936, a test of a manned PSN-1 with a suspended simulator of a 250 kg aerial bomb took place. On August 1, 1936, a glider was flown with a load of 550 kg. After takeoff and uncoupling from the carrier, the cargo was dropped from a dive at an altitude of 700 m. After that, the glider, which accelerated in a dive to a speed of 320 km, gained altitude again, turned around and landed on the surface of Lake Ilmen. On August 2, 1936, a flight with an inert version of the FAB-1000 bomb took place. After uncoupling from the carrier, the glider carried out dive bombing at a speed of 350 km / h. During the tests, it turned out that after uncoupling from the carrier PSN-1 at a speed of 190 km / h is able to steadily glide with a load weighing up to 1000 kg. The planning range with a combat load was 23-27 km, depending on the speed and direction of the wind.
Although the flight data of the PSN-1 was confirmed, the development of the guidance and autopilot equipment was delayed. By the end of the 30s, the characteristics of the PSN-1 did not look as good as in 1933, and the customer began to lose interest in the project. The arrest in 1937 of the management of Plant No. 23 also played a role in slowing down the pace of work. As a result, in the second half of 1937, the test bases in Krechevitsy and on Lake Ilmen were liquidated and the entire backlog was transferred to Leningrad to Experimental Plant No. 379. By the first half of 1938 The specialists of Plant No. 379 managed to carry out 138 test launches of "air torpedoes" at speeds up to 360 km / h. They also practiced anti-aircraft maneuvers, turns, leveling and dumping the combat load, and automatic landing on water. At the same time, the suspension system and equipment for launching from the carrier aircraft functioned flawlessly. In August 1938, successful test flights with automatic landing on water were carried out. But since the carrier, a heavy bomber TB-3, by that time no longer met modern requirements, and the completion date was uncertain, the military demanded the creation of an improved, faster remote-controlled version, the carrier of which was supposed to be a promising heavy bomber TB-7 (Pe -8) or long-range bomber DB-3. For this, a new, more reliable suspension system was designed and manufactured, allowing the attachment of vehicles with a greater mass. At the same time, a wide range of aviation weapons were tested: aircraft torpedoes, various incendiary bombs filled with liquid and solid fire mixtures, and a model of the FAB-1000 aerial bomb weighing 1000 kg.
In the summer of 1939, the design of a new remote-controlled airframe, designated PSN-2, began. A FAB-1000 bomb weighing 1000 kg or a torpedo of the same weight was envisaged as a combat load. The chief designer of the project was V. V. Nikitin. Structurally, the PSN-2 glider was a two-float monoplane with a low wing and a suspended torpedo. Compared to the PSN-1, the aerodynamic forms of the PSN-2 were significantly improved, and the flight data increased. With a takeoff weight of 1800 kg, the glider launched from an altitude of 4000 m could cover a distance of up to 50 km and develop a dive speed of up to 600 km / h. The wingspan was 7, 0 m and its area - 9, 47 m², length - 7, 98 m, height on floats - 2, 8 m.
For testing, the first prototypes were carried out in a manned version. Automatic control devices for the glider were located in the fuselage compartment and in the center section. Access to the devices was provided through special hatches. Preparations for testing the PSN-2 began in June 1940, at the same time it was decided to organize a training center for training specialists in the maintenance and use of remotely controlled gliders in the troops.
When using a jet engine, the estimated maximum flight speed of the PSN-2 was supposed to reach 700 km / h, and the flight range was 100 km. However, it is not clear how at such a distance it was supposed to direct the device to the target, because the infrared control system worked unstably even within the line of sight.
In July 1940, the first copy of the PSN-2 was tested on water and in the air. The seaplane MBR-2 was used as a towing vehicle. However, due to the fact that satisfactory results with a remote guidance system were never achieved, and the combat value of combat gliders in a future war seemed doubtful, on July 19, 1940, by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy Kuznetsov, all work on gliding torpedoes was stopped.
In 1944, the inventor of the "airplane" - a bomber carrying fighters, B. C. Vakhmistrov, proposed a project for an unmanned combat glider with a gyroscopic autopilot. The glider was made according to a two-boom scheme and could carry two 1000 kg bombs. Having delivered the glider to the specified area, the plane carried out aiming, uncoupled the glider, and returned to the base itself. After uncoupling from the aircraft, the glider, under the control of the autopilot, was supposed to fly towards the target and, after a specified time, carry out bombing, its return was not provided. However, the project did not find support from the management and was not implemented.
Analyzing the pre-war Soviet projects of air torpedoes that reached the stage of full-scale tests, it can be stated that conceptual errors were made even at the design stage. Aircraft designers greatly overestimated the level of development of Soviet radio electronics and telemechanics. In addition, in the case of PSN-1 / PSN-2, a completely unjustified scheme of a reusable reusable glider was chosen. A disposable gliding "air torpedo" would have much better weight perfection, smaller dimensions and higher flight performance. And in the event that a "flying bomb" with a warhead weighing 1000 kg hits port facilities or an enemy battleship, all the costs of manufacturing the "projectile aircraft" would be reimbursed many times over.
The "projectile aircraft" include the post-war 10X and 16X, created under the leadership of V. N. Chelomeya. To speed up the design of these vehicles, captured German developments were used, implemented in the "flying bombs" Fi-103 (V-1).
The projectile aircraft, or in modern terminology, the 10X cruise missile was to be launched from the Pe-8 and Tu-2 carrier aircraft or from a ground installation. According to the design data, the maximum flight speed was 600 km / h, the range was up to 240 km, the launch weight was 2130 kg, and the warhead weight was 800 kg. Thrust PuVRD D-3 - 320 kgf.
Aircraft-projectiles 10X with an inertial control system could be used on large areal objects - that is, like the German V-1, they were effective weapons when used on a massive scale only against large cities. In control firing, hitting a square with sides of 5 kilometers was considered a good result. Their advantages were considered to be a very simple, somewhat primitive design and the use of affordable and inexpensive construction materials.
Also, for strikes on enemy cities, a larger 16X device was intended - equipped with two PUVRDs. The cruise missile weighing 2557 kg was supposed to be carried by the Tu-4 four-engine strategic bomber, based on the American Boeing B-29 "Superfortress". With a mass of 2557 kg, the device with two PuVRD D-14-4 with a thrust of 251 kgf each, accelerated to 800 km / h. Combat launch range - up to 190 km. Warhead weight - 950 kg.
The development of air-launched cruise missiles with pulsating air-jet engines continued until the early 50s. At that time, fighters with a transonic maximum flight speed were already in service, and the arrival of supersonic interceptors armed with guided missiles was expected. In addition, in Great Britain and the United States, there were a large number of medium-caliber anti-aircraft guns with radar guidance, the ammunition of which included shells with radio fuses. There were reports that long and medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems were being actively developed abroad. Under these conditions, cruise missiles flying in a straight line at a speed of 600-800 km / h and at an altitude of 3000-4000 m were a very easy target. In addition, the military was not satisfied with the very low accuracy of hitting the target and unsatisfactory reliability. Although in total about a hundred cruise missiles with PUVRD were built, they were not accepted into service, they were used in various kinds of experiments and as air targets. In 1953, in connection with the start of work on more advanced cruise missiles, the refinement of the 10X and 16X was discontinued.
In the post-war period, jet combat aircraft began to enter the Soviet Air Force, quickly replacing the piston-engine vehicles designed during the war. In this regard, some of the outdated aircraft were converted into radio-controlled targets, which were used in testing new weapons and for research purposes. So, in the 50th year, five Yak-9V of the late series were converted into a radio-controlled modification of the Yak-9VB. These machines were converted from two-seat trainer aircraft and were intended for sampling in the cloud of a nuclear explosion. Commands aboard the Yak-9VB were transferred from the Tu-2 control plane. The collection of fission products took place in special nacelle filters installed on the engine hood and on planes. But due to defects in the control system, all five radio-controlled aircraft were destroyed during preliminary tests and did not take part in nuclear tests.
In the memoirs of Air Marshal E. Ya. Savitsky, it is mentioned that radio-controlled Pe-2 bombers in the early 50s were used in tests of the first Soviet guided air-to-air missile RS-1U (K-5) with a radio command guidance system. In the mid-50s, these missiles were armed with the MiG-17PFU and Yak-25 interceptors.
In turn, radio-controlled heavy bombers Tu-4 were involved in testing the first Soviet anti-aircraft missile system S-25 "Berkut". On May 25, 1953, a Tu-4 target aircraft, which had flight data and EPR, very close to the American long-range bombers B-29 and B-50, was first shot down at the Kapustin Yar range by a guided missile B-300. Since the creation of a completely autonomous, reliably operating control equipment in the 50s of the Soviet electronic industry turned out to be "too tough", exhausted their resources and converted into targets Tu-4 rose into the air with pilots in the cockpits. After the aircraft occupied the required echelon and lay down on a combat course, the pilots turned on the radio command system toggle switch and left the car by parachute.
Later, when testing new surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles, it became common practice to use outdated or out-of-date combat aircraft converted into radio-controlled targets.
The first Soviet post-war specially designed drone brought to the stage of mass production was the Tu-123 Yastreb. The unmanned vehicle with autonomous program control, launched into mass production in May 1964, had much in common with the Tu-121 cruise missile, which was not adopted for service. Serial production of a long-range unmanned reconnaissance aircraft was mastered at the Voronezh Aviation Plant.
The Tu-123 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft was an all-metal monoplane with a delta wing and trapezoidal tail. The wing, adapted for supersonic flight speed, had a sweep along the leading edge of 67 °, along the trailing edge there was a slight backward sweep of 2 °. The wing was not equipped with means of mechanization and control, and all control of the UAV in flight took place with an all-turning keel and stabilizer, and the stabilizer was deflected synchronously - for pitch control and differentially - for roll control.
The KR-15-300 low-resource engine was originally created at the S. Tumansky Design Bureau for the Tu-121 cruise missile and was designed to perform high-altitude supersonic flights. The engine had a thrust at the afterburner of 15,000 kgf, in the maximum flight mode, the thrust was 10,000 kgf. Engine resource - 50 hours. The Tu-123 was launched from the ST-30 launcher based on the MAZ-537V heavy wheeled missile tractor, designed for the transportation of goods weighing up to 50 tons on semi-trailers.
To start the KR-15-300 aircraft engine on the Tu-123, there were two starter-generators, for the power supply of which a 28-volt aviation generator was installed on the MAZ-537V tractor. Before the start, the turbojet engine was started and accelerated to rated speed. The start itself was carried out using two solid-fuel accelerators PRD-52, with a thrust of 75000-80000 kgf each, at an angle of + 12 ° to the horizon. After running out of fuel, the boosters separated from the UAV fuselage at the fifth second after the start, and at the ninth second, the subsonic air intake manifold was fired back, and the reconnaissance officer proceeded to climb.
An unmanned vehicle with a maximum takeoff weight of 35610 kg had 16600 kg of aviation kerosene on board, which provided a practical flight range of 3560-3680 km. The flight altitude on the route increased from 19,000 to 22,400 m as fuel ran out, which was higher than that of the well-known American reconnaissance aircraft Lockheed U-2. The flight speed on the route is 2300-2700 km / h.
The high altitude and flight speed made the Tu-123 invulnerable to most air defense systems of a potential enemy. In the 60s and 70s, a supersonic reconnaissance drone flying at such a height could attack head-on American F-4 Phantom II supersonic interceptors equipped with AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range air-to-air missiles, as well as the British Lightning F. 3 and F.6 with Red Top missiles. Of the air defense systems available in Europe, only the heavy American MIM-14 Nike-Hercules, which were actually stationary, posed a threat to the Hawk.
The main purpose of the Tu-123 was to conduct photographic and electronic reconnaissance in the depths of enemy defenses at a distance of up to 3000 km. When launched from positions in the border regions of the Soviet Union or deployed in the Warsaw Pact countries, the Hawks could carry out reconnaissance raids over virtually the entire territory of central and western Europe. The operation of the unmanned complex was repeatedly tested on numerous launches in polygonal conditions during the exercises of the Air Force units, which were armed with the Tu-123.
A real "photo studio" was introduced into the onboard equipment of the Yastreb, which made it possible to take a large number of pictures on the flight route. The camera compartments were equipped with windows with heat-resistant glass and a ventilation and air conditioning system, which was necessary to prevent the formation of a "haze" in the space between the glasses and camera lenses. The forward container housed a promising aerial camera AFA-41 / 20M, three planned aerial cameras AFA-54 / 100M, a SU3-RE photoelectric exposure meter and an SRS-6RD radio intelligence station "Romb-4A" with a data recording device. The photographic equipment of the Tu-123 made it possible to survey a strip of terrain 60 km wide and up to 2,700 km long, at a scale of 1 km: 1 cm, as well as strips 40 km wide and up to 1,400 km long using a scale of 200 m: 1 cm In flight, the onboard cameras were turned on and off according to a pre-programmed program. Radio reconnaissance was carried out by direction finding the location of the sources of radar radiation and magnetic recording of the characteristics of the enemy radar, which made it possible to determine the location and type of deployed enemy radio equipment.
For ease of maintenance and preparation for combat use, the bow container was technologically undocked into three compartments, without breaking electrical cables. The container with reconnaissance equipment was attached to the fuselage with four pneumatic locks. Transportation and storage of the bow compartment was carried out in a special closed car semitrailer. In preparation for the launch, refuellers, a STA-30 prelaunch preparation machine with a generator, a voltage converter and a compressed air compressor and a KSM-123 control and launch vehicle were used. The MAZ-537V heavy wheeled tractor could transport an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with a dry weight of 11,450 kg over a distance of 500 km at a highway speed of up to 45 km / h.
The long-range unmanned reconnaissance system made it possible to collect information about objects located deep in the enemy's defense and to identify the positions of operational-tactical and ballistic and medium-range cruise missiles. Conduct reconnaissance of airfields, naval bases and ports, industrial facilities, ship formations, enemy air defense systems, as well as evaluate the results of using weapons of mass destruction.
After completing the assignment, when returning to its territory, the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft was guided by the signals of the locating radio beacon. When entering the landing area, the device passed under the control of ground control facilities. On command from the ground, there was a climb, the remaining kerosene was drained from the tanks and the turbojet engine was turned off.
After releasing the braking parachute, the compartment with the reconnaissance equipment was separated from the apparatus and descended to the ground on a rescue parachute. To mitigate the impact on the earth's surface, four shock absorbers were produced. To facilitate the search for the instrument compartment, a radio beacon began to work automatically after landing. The central and tail parts, and when descending on a braking parachute, were destroyed from hitting the ground and were not suitable for further use. The instrument compartment with reconnaissance equipment after maintenance could be installed on another UAV.
Despite the good flight characteristics, the Tu-123 was actually disposable, which, with a sufficiently large take-off weight and significant cost, limited its mass use. A total of 52 reconnaissance complexes were manufactured, their supplies to the troops were carried out until 1972. The Tu-123 scouts were in service until 1979, after which some of them were used in the process of combat training of the air defense forces. The abandonment of the Tu-123 was largely due to the adoption of supersonic manned reconnaissance aircraft MiG-25R / RB, which in the early 70s proved their effectiveness during reconnaissance flights over the Sinai Peninsula.
