Concern "Sozvezdie", which is part of the "United Instrument-Making Corporation" of the State Corporation Rostec, is preparing to put into serial production a new military development - a robotic small-sized monitoring system 1K144 for reconnaissance units of the ground forces. Equipped with various sensors, the reconnaissance system is capable of providing a wide range of information about the forces and weapons of the enemy in a given territory, while remaining unnoticed.
“The multimonitoring complex 1K144 is a new generation of reconnaissance and signaling systems,” said Sergey Skokov, Deputy General Director of United Instrument-Making Corporation JSC. - He is able to determine the number of equipment and its type (including low-flying helicopters), the number of moving people, characterizing whether a fighter is armed or not, and also gives the coordinates and direction of movement of objects. That is, it provides a complete picture in real time. At the same time, the complex can provide information in battle conditions, this is possible by equipping the complex with various types of sensors - seismic, magnetometric, acoustic, as well as infrared devices."
The size of the development does not exceed 20 centimeters, the weight, depending on the configuration, is 150-600 grams. The device is installed underground and is actually under the enemy's feet.
“The 1K144 complex is a unique development,” says the chief designer of the complex, Alexander Chaplygin. - Today in the world there are two similar, but not identical, complexes - the United States and Great Britain, in Russia 1K144 has no competitors. The entire production cycle is carried out within the concern, using its own components in terms of recording sensors, radio modems, and mathematical processing. Thus, we do not use third-party ideas and materials. It is almost impossible to detect the sensors of the complex - this requires special reconnaissance skills and special equipment, which the enemy does not have today. Firstly, 0.01 seconds is enough for each sensor to process information and transmit data. Secondly, the antenna is located underground, which provides additional stealth. Information is transmitted to a portable operator console (if, for example, a fighter is behind enemy lines) or to an automated workstation. To increase the coverage of the controlled area, we use radio repeaters, each of which expands the data transmission area up to 15 km."
The devices included in the complex can withstand the temperature range from -40 to +50 ° C. They are moisture resistant and work in conditions of prolonged torrential rains. The lithium battery provides continuous operation of the sensor for 30 days at 2 thousand detections per day. The complex does not need additional maintenance and can be operated for 5 years.
The system is the result of many years of experience of "Constellation" in the field of reconnaissance and signaling devices. Similar products of previous generations were used back in the 80s during the military conflict in Afghanistan. 1K144 implements the latest advances in microelectronics, processor technology, materials technology and processes. This made it possible to make the complex almost completely robotic and weakly vulnerable. The device will fully function even if the shell bursts at a distance of 5 meters.
The 1K144 complex has several degrees of adaptation - in terms of frequency, time, power, including structural adaptation (the ability to independently organize in a network). That is, the system independently adjusts to the level of interference and is able, if necessary, to switch to other frequencies, powers, etc.
“Moreover, 1K144 is designed in such a way that in case of loss of communication with the control center, it is able to independently make decisions. For example, send a command to a land mine and undermine an enemy object, for example, a tank or an armored personnel carrier, - explains Alexander Chaplygin. - That is, the complex itself recognized, classified, made a decision and destroyed. It remains only to "teach" him to independently install on the enemy's territory. However, this is a matter for the near future, since solutions have already been found and will be implemented in the nearest research work."
The complex can also be used in the civilian sphere. For example, for early warning of danger during the protection of various objects. The principle of operation remains the same: the sensors recognize the movement of a person or equipment, calculate the presence of a weapon and transmit information to the operator. As the designers note, data on a potential threat will arrive much earlier than, for example, a video surveillance system detects them.
The 1K144 complex has successfully passed state tests, was tested in exercises, including in the Zapad-2013 exercise. To date, an order has been signed by the Russian Ministry of Defense on setting 1K144 for supply to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The first 10 complexes will enter the troops in 2015. The concern is ready to produce up to 500 complexes per year, production capacities and technologies are already ready for this.
