From Backpack Drones to Plane-Sized Behemoths: Five Cutting Edge UAVs of 2023

Drones deployed by Russia along the 1,000 km frontline running through the Donbass, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions have proven instrumental in thwarting Ukraine’s NATO-trained and equipped armies during Kiev’s ill-fated summer counteroffensive. They gave Russian forces much-needed reconnaissance data, and became a plague for the Western-made tanks which Washington and Brussels hoped would punch through Russian lines, cutting off the Crimean land bridge, and forcing Moscow to sue for peace.

The Ukrainian crisis has pushed Pentagon officials to recognize the critical significance of drones on the modern battlefield, as well as the systems designed to disrupt them, with legacy media making clear that they cynically see the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine as a “testing ground” for NATO’s latest equipment, UAVs included.

Among the standout, totally new unmanned aerial vehicles deployed by Russia in the special military operation zone is Izdeliye-53 – an upgrade to the deadly Lancet series of x-winged loitering munitions which Western observers say have turned into the “scourge of the battlefield” for Ukrainian forces. The new UAVs, recently shown attacking an enemy artillery system using an automatic guidance system, were developed by Kalashnikov Concern subsidiary ZALA Aero, and feature a payload of up to five kilograms. Izdeliye-53 drones, also known as Z-53s, are capable of flying in groups and coordinating with one another in selecting targets, and use the principles of network-centric warfare during operations to facilitate effective swarming. The UAVs have a reported range of between 60-70 km, with their ability to destroy NATO MBTs and other heavy weapons systems prompting British defense officials to name call the Lancet series one of the “most effective new capabilities” in Russia’s arsenal.

Launched from portable launch containers that can be carried on everything from heavy-duty military vehicles to light trucks, Z-53s cannot be suppressed using conventional electronic warfare means, and are reportedly also fitted with a range of tamper-proof technologies designed to prevent the enemy from learning their secrets in the event of capture.

While the Z-53 has already gained widespread recognition abroad as one of deadliest next-gen drones in Russia’s arsenal, a new, single-use suicide drone platform known as the Scalpel is just gaining traction. The UAV, which entered small-scale series production this fall and was first deployed in combat as recently as earlier this month, is designed by the Vostok Design Bureau, and characterized as a lower cost alternative to Lancet series drones.

Featuring the characteristic dual X-wing dual of pre-Izdeliye-53 Lancets but distinguishable by its hexagonal, pencil-shaped fuselage instead of the smooth, rounded fuselage of Lancets, the Scalpel has a reported price tag of just 300,000 rubles (about $3,300 US) apiece, compared to roughly $20,000-$30,000 for a Lancet, depending on model.

The Scalpel has a reported 5 kg payload capability, a 10.5 kg takeoff weight, a cruising speed up to 120 km per hour, a 40 km flight range and a two-hour flight time.

Lower cost does mean cutting corners, including an inferior radio channel that’s less resistant to interference. Still, amid dwindling readiness by NATO to continue to fund the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, the deployment of large quantities of inexpensive Scalpel drones on the battlefield could prove the maxim that “quantity has a quality all its own.”

On top of that, improvements of the "budget Lancets" are already underway, and include plans to fit the drones with a new, camera-assisted target acquisition system, an improved launch catapult, and an interference-resistant control channel.

Russia isn’t the only NATO adversary making major strides in the development of drones. Last week, Chinese media posted footage of the testing of the XS101, a new Chinese-made kamikaze drone expected to dramatically improve the People’s Liberation Army’s drone-based capabilities.

The miniature loitering munition, which appears to feature the same spring-loaded dual pair of wings design seen in US Switchblade 300 suicide drones, could be seen being launched from a bazooka-like launcher at an altitude of some 4,600 meters above sea level, and is reportedly being developed by Beijing Angfei Technology Co. Test footage showed the drone slicing through its target head on, with the UAV presumably equipped with autonomous navigation capability, which means continuous human guidance is not required.

No other information about the drone is available, including its range, payload and other details. But if it’s anything like its American counterpart, the XS101 is expected to become an effective, man-portable alternative to close air support against concentrations of enemy troops, light vehicles and buildings that’s light enough to be carried around in a backpack. The Switchblade 300 weighs 25 kg, has a 10 km operational range or 15-minute flight time, and flight speed of between 101 and 160 km per hour.

Another, cutting edge drone worthy of inclusion in this list is the Shahin-1, (lit. "King of the Birds") a brand new Iranian-made loitering munition unveiled just this week at a ceremony attended by the Islamic Republic’s top brass aboard the helipad of the new Deylaman totally indigenous Iranian destroyer.

The Shahin-1 features a unique dual, under-fuselage/ over-fuselage dual wing set design, is based on a canister launch system, and, like many Iranian UAVs, is meant to be a universal combat platform, with the capability to deploy from both naval and ground-based systems. The Shahin-1 appears to have a similar design philosophy as Iran’s Sina and Meraj-521-series foldable-wing drones – but an upscaled version.

Reports suggest the drone includes autonomous, remote piloting and autonomous target designation and engagement capabilities. The Iranians are tight-lipped about the UAV’s range and payload characteristics, except to say that its missions will include enemy detection and strike missions.

Another Iranian-made drone design worth mentioning in this list is the Mohajer-10, a do-it-all surveillance, reconnaissance, strike, electronic warfare and full-spectrum superiority UAV unveiled in August. The large, long-range endurance drone has an operational range of up to 2,000 km, a flight altitude of 7 km, a top speed of up to 210 km per hour, a 24-hour endurance time, and the ability to carry a payload of up to 300 kg, consisting of either missiles and bombs or equipment for surveillance and electronic warfare operations. The drone is 6.5 meters long, 4.2 meters tall and has a wingspan of 18.2 meters, essentially making it an aircraft replacement.

The Mohajer-10 (which literally means "Immigrant-10") is the latest addition to Iran’s traditionally strong domestic drone industry, and was born some 38 years after the creation of the Mohajer-1, a single engine tactical drone used for tactical reconnaissance operation during the Iran-Iraq War.

Russia, China and Iran’s ability to produce modern combat drones ranging from small, backpack-carried anti-personnel drones to large analogues to the US Air Force’s winged behemoths demonstrates that the virtual monopoly that the Pentagon enjoyed in in the autonomous killing machines department during the 2000s and 2010s is over, and that the future of modern warfare will inevitably include an ever-greater reliance on aerial UAVs.