Russia has developed an innovative way to swiftly identify drones based on the “friend" or "foe” principle.
A compact and lightweight new transponder automatically marks friendly drones at an altitude of up to 5 km and a distance of up to 100 km. The transponder was unveiled by the Ruselectronics holding of the Rostec State Corporation, which develops high-tech civilian and military industrial products, at the Electronics of Russia exhibition.
Specifically, it was the Pulsar Research and Production Enterprise at Ruselectronics that came up with the design for the device, which has been touted as invaluable for aiding battlefield visual identification.
The transponder, which weighs no more than 150 g and has low power consumption of 100 mV, is compatible with radar stations utilizing the Russian "PAROL" ("PASSWORD") identification system. For example, such devices are used in aviation to distinguish friendly military equipment from that of the enemy. The identifier is tailored for integration into a wide range of civil and special purpose drones.
“Today drones are actively used on the battlefield, where they act as fire spotters, as well as means of surveillance and fire support weapons. However, the same models are often used by both sides of the conflict, which makes their visual identification challenging. The use of such identification means will allow us to distinguish our drones from enemy ones,” said Sergey Borovoy, general director of the Pulsar Research and Production Enterprise.
NPP Pulsar specializes in designing super-high-frequency, photoelectronic, and microelectronic devices, while also producing radio-electronic equipment for civilian information systems.
Use of state-of-the-art drones capable of performing surgical strikes has changed the landscape of modern warfare. UAVs are being successfully utilized in the Russian special operation zone to target various Ukrainian military assets, such as armored vehicles, howitzers, and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as command and observation posts and troops.
Russia’s Lancet kamikaze drone – also referred to as a loitering munition – has become a scourge of the Ukrainian Armed Forces amid the Kiev regime's failed counteroffensive. Now, serial production of the first Russian naval drones for the Russian Armed Forces is planned to begin in 2024, according to Mikhail Danilenko, the managing director of the Kingisepp Machine-Building Plant (KMZ).
"If they are successfully tested during the special military operation [in Ukraine], we plan to move to mass production in 2024," Danilenko told Sputnik. Furthermore, mini drones have been created for Russia's Su-57 fifth-generation fighter. These devices would be carried on board, providing the aircraft with the capacity to control a cluster of unmanned aerial vehicles. A source told Sputnik that the UAVs will be used for attack, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare.