Large-caliber multiple rocket launcher projectiles can carry warheads of various types, as well as special equipment. Currently, a new project of such a product with special equipment is being created in our country. A promising rocket, instead of a warhead or warheads, should carry a reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle. Recently it became known that the process of creating such an intelligence complex is nearing completion. A new projectile for the Smerch MLRS is completing tests and will soon be ready for service.
It should be recalled that the idea of using a UAV as a missile payload is not new. Such proposals appeared quite a long time ago, and already at the end of the nineties, real samples of this kind began to appear at domestic exhibitions. However, not all projects of missiles with drones on board were able to reach full implementation.
new messages
The current project of a promising missile with non-standard equipment was first reported at the end of January 2017. Then the management of the Scientific and Production Association "Splav" spoke about the new development. Nikolay Makarovets, the general designer of the enterprise, told the Russian press about the development of a UAV that would fit into the 300-mm missile of the Smerch complex. It was noted that the idea of such a system appeared a long time ago. By that time, part of the necessary work had been completed, as a result of which "Splav" was awaiting potential customers.
Fighting vehicle MLRS "Smerch". Photo Wikimedia Commons
Last year, some principles of the new complex were announced. The rocket must deliver the drone to a given area, after which it is dropped and proceeds to solve its own problems. The UAV is capable of staying in the air for 25-30 minutes and monitoring. The signal from the camera of the device must be transmitted to the operator panel. A drone with such functions is proposed to be used for reconnaissance, adjusting fire and monitoring the results of shooting.
For one reason or another, the project of a missile with a UAV from NPO Splav disappeared from sight for a long time. New reports on the progress of work appeared only in March this year. This time the management of the Tekhmash concern, which includes the development organization, spoke about the project. It was argued that the Russian Ministry of Defense got acquainted with the project of the new missile, but did not show the due interest in it. At the same time, the original ideas caught the attention of the Chinese military.
The following messages, also of some interest, appeared at the end of September. Then it became known that the project of a rocket with a drone on board passed into the stage of flight tests of prototypes. According to Tekhmash, a new project is being developed at NPO Splav together with an unnamed foreign customer. The latter presented his terms of reference, which the finished product must correspond to. At the same time, it was not specified which foreign country had shown interest in the new Russian project and could now become the starting customer of the equipment.
On November 27, there were the latest reports on the progress of the new project of NPO "Splav". The press service of the Tekhmash concern reported that work on the creation of promising products is at the final stages. However, the exact dates for the completion of testing and development, as well as the launch of production and the transfer of products to the customer have not yet been named. Also, the starting customer was not specified in the person of a certain foreign country, which had previously provided its own requirements for the project.
Soon after the news of the completion of the project appeared, the Zvezda television and radio company published a photograph of a promising UAV proposed for use with the Smerch MLRS. The picture showed the T90 drone, which is quite familiar to specialists and amateurs of military equipment. From this it followed that the project, materials on which regularly appeared at various exhibitions, finally got a chance to reach exploitation.
Product Т90
Recall that the idea of building a special 300 mm missile carrying an unmanned aerial vehicle appeared in the distant past, and by now several options for its practical implementation have been proposed. Back in the nineties, NPO Splav developed a 9M534 rocket with a cargo compartment instead of a regular fighting compartment. In the future, several options were proposed for completing such a rocket using certain UAVs.
UAV T90 in transport position, front view. Photo Rbase.new-factoria.ru
In the same period, the Kazan enterprise "Enix" for the first time showed a small-sized drone called the T90. Later this product was refined, but its main features remained unchanged. The T90 project provided for the construction of a medium-sized aircraft, characterized by small dimensions in the transport position. This task was solved using folding planes of a special design. The UAV was made disposable, it was intended to conduct visual reconnaissance in a given area to ensure one or another combat work.
The T90 product had a high aspect ratio cylindrical fuselage with modified nose and tail sections. At the bottom of the bow, glazing was provided to ensure the operation of the camera. The device received unusual planes. Near the nose and tail, the designers placed two pairs of planes that can be laid out in flight. In the transport position, the wing elements were laid along the fuselage. There were also two ventral keels.
A pulsating jet engine was used as a power plant on the T90. This device was installed on the top of the fuselage. According to known data, on board the UAV there was communication and remote control equipment, as well as a video camera for observations during the flight. The control system implemented the possibility of autonomous navigation with correction according to the operator's commands.
The 9M534 projectile resembled the standard ammunition for the Smerch MLRS as much as possible. It had a length of 7, 6 m with a starting weight of 815 kg. The new warhead, containing the drone, had a length of more than 2 m and a mass of 243 kg. At the same time, the UAV itself had only 40 kg. According to past data, the 9M534 projectile could deliver a payload at a range of 25 to 90 km. The T90 could patrol at an altitude of 500 m for 20 minutes. The maximum flight speed is 100 km / h. The onboard radio equipment provided the transmission of a video signal to the operator from ranges of up to 70 km.
The T90 drone must be sent to a given area using a carrier rocket. At the specified point, the payload is dropped, and the UAV leaves the carrier with a parachute. During the descent, the device opens the planes, drops the parachute, goes into horizontal flight and establishes communication with the operator. After that, he can perform the assigned tasks.
The payload of the T90 UAV included a pair of cameras for surveillance at any time of the day. The video signal and telemetry data are transmitted via the radio channel to the operator's console. The ability to conduct surveillance at a considerable distance allowed the complex to solve various problems. With the help of a special projectile with a drone, it was proposed to conduct reconnaissance and search for targets during preparation for a massive attack of rocket artillery. During firing, the T90 could work as a spotter. Also, with its help, it was proposed to control the results of the shooting. The flight duration at the level of 25-30 minutes made it possible to take part in one or two strikes of the MLRS battery.
Drone in flight configuration. Photo Rbase.new-factoria.ru
A characteristic feature of the complex as a part of 9M534 and T90 products was the impossibility of their reuse. So, the drone, after running out of fuel, had to fall to the ground. Its return to the launcher was not envisaged for technical and tactical reasons.
Combat interaction
The 300-mm 9M534 projectile with the T90 drone is intended for use as part of the Smerch MLRS and has the appropriate characteristics. Apparently, when creating this complex, all the main features of army equipment and possible requirements of the armed forces were taken into account.
Most of the shells for "Smerch" have a firing range of up to 70 km, and are also equipped with correction tools that increase accuracy. The T90 UAV is capable of transmitting data from similar distances. Thus, the reconnaissance drone can ensure the operation of multiple launch rocket systems when solving all basic tasks in all ranges, up to the maximum.
The task of the UAV-based reconnaissance complex is to determine the exact coordinates of the target, as well as to control the hit of rockets. The presence of an aircraft hovering over the target allows you to monitor the results of firing in real time and make timely adjustments to the aiming, increasing the effectiveness of fire.
Pros, cons and customer interest
According to recent news, the Russian project of a projectile with a UAV interested only foreign military personnel, while our army does not intend to purchase such products. The management of NPO Splav explained this. The fact is that the structures responsible for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles have already been identified within the Russian army. In other words, the conduct of reconnaissance using UAVs is assigned to specific subunits and units. In this case, the introduction of its own unmanned reconnaissance as part of rocket artillery units was considered unnecessary.
In addition, the intelligence complex could find flaws in the new complex. First of all, the reason for criticism may be the inability to reuse the T90 drone and its launch vehicle. Other UAVs with similar functions can be used repeatedly. In addition, the compact aircraft has limited flight performance. Other drones are not limited by the size of the missile warhead, and therefore can fly faster, farther and higher, as well as carry other payloads.
"Tornado" in combat position. Photo Vitalykuzmin.net
All this means that Russian combat MLRS, at least in the foreseeable future, will not be able to use T90 drones. However, rocket artillery will not remain without the support of reconnaissance aircraft. Our army has a large number of UAVs of different types, and the interaction of such equipment with artillery has been repeatedly practiced in exercises. Thus, the army has the necessary funds without products 9M534 and T90.
Obviously, the military of other countries are not obliged to share the opinion of the Russian command. The consequence of this is the interest in the project from China. The Chinese army is also developing an unmanned direction and is also armed with various reconnaissance systems of this kind. Nevertheless, she considered that the UAV for MLRS is of interest and may enter service. This resulted in cooperation between a foreign customer and a Russian research and production organization.
Preliminary results
Recently it became known that NPO Splav continues flight tests of a new reconnaissance complex designed to work with multiple launch rocket systems, and this part of the project is nearing completion. In the foreseeable future, a contract for the supply of serial products is expected. The starting customer will be a foreign country, which, most likely, will be China. The volumes of possible deliveries and the cost of the future contract, for obvious reasons, remain unknown.
In the context of the rearmament of the Russian army, the situation with the T90 project does not change. As in the past, our command is not going to supplement the existing MLRS with a specialized reconnaissance complex, relying on other systems of this kind. In light of the difference in tactical and technical characteristics, this approach looks logical and correct, since it allows solving the assigned tasks without encountering the known limitations of the T90 product.
Thus, a very interesting situation is emerging. The Russian defense industry has once again demonstrated its ability to create various types of weapons and equipment, including fundamentally new ones. At the same time, a new sample of an unusual type turned out to be unnecessary for the Russian army due to the presence of other analogues, but it interested foreign customers. Russian development enters the international market and has every chance of gaining a foothold in it. According to the latest news, the T90 UAV is completing tests, and in the near future, new messages about its fate should be expected.
