Moscow Places Growing Priority on UAV Strike Groups

Russia’s Armed Forces are placing increased emphasis on the introduction of greater numbers of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) both for reconnaissance and combat strike purposes. A critical element in this process is the design and development of “heavy strike” systems, with the capability to operate not only in conjunction with other platforms in a network-enabled operational environment, but also to form an independent strike group. Experimental designs such as the heavy strike, reconnaissance, unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) S-70 Okhotnik (“Hunter”), first publicly seen in early 2019, underwent its first test flight in August. But the recent strategic exercise Tsentr 2019, occurring a month later, revealed a deeper and more complex vision for how these and similar UAVs will fit into future Russian war planning (see EDM, October 9). The Tsentr 2019 experiment with heavy strike drones is critical in understanding how the Russian top brass see the role of these systems in future warfare (C-inform.info, November 7).

Moscow-based military expert Anton Lavrov noted the use of the Orlan-10, which carries on-board ammunition. “The flight range of such vehicles allows operations up to 100 kilometers deep,” he told Izvestia. “This makes it possible for them to strike in the operational rear of the enemy and keep tens of kilometers of the frontline in tension,” Lavrov added. Their ordinance is not as powerful, but an accurate strike can damage equipment, fuel depots or ammunition. Lavrov and other military specialists believe that, in the future, the role of UAVs on the battlefield will only increase (Izvestia, November 7).

The Orlan-10 can independently conduct radio or visual reconnaissance, tracking the coordinates of cell phones or radio devices. It is equipped with 12 high-resolution cameras to increase its target-detection capability. These tend to be used to conduct attacks in groups of UAVs. One platform conducts visual reconnaissance at a distance of 1–1.5 km from the ground, the second carries Leer-3 electronic warfare (EW) equipment to suppress enemy ground communications, and the third, from a height of 4.5– 5 km, relays information to the base. Additional UAVs, Granat, Zastava and Eleron, with a radius of up to 30 km, also took part in the maneuvers. These unmanned aerial systems were responsible for tactical reconnaissance in the area of the enemy front line and made patrol flights. Forpost UAVs are superior to the Orlan in reconnaissance, as their flight range exceeds 250 km. Two cameras are installed on these drones, including infrared, making possible their use around the clock (Izvestia, November 7).

In August, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that serial delivery of the Forpost-R reconnaissance drone would begin in 2020. “Testing of the new unmanned system, Forpost-R, is nearly complete. Its serial delivery to the army, under a contract signed between the Russian defense ministry and the Urals Civil Aviation Plant, will begin from 2020.” The ministry added, “This is an entirely renewed modification of the well-proven Forpost system, only the external outlines remained the same. The system has received new capabilities thanks to the latest Russian developments, enabling it to conduct reconnaissance round the clock using radio and radar tools as well as optical ones. These are unique capabilities for this class of UAV,” according to the ministry statement. It appears that EW assets are included to protect the drone, while radio technology helps extend its range (Interfax, August 24).

“The aerial vehicle was constructed out of domestically produced material and fitted with modern radio-electronic equipment, communication lines, a ground control system, and software, all Russian made. The Forpost-R also has a domestically produced engine, the APD-85,” the defense ministry stated. The Forpost drone is a licensed replica of the Israeli Searcher MkII, assembled at the Urals Civil Aviation Plant since 2010. Since 2018 the Russian military has around 30 Forpost systems assembled from imported parts. The first fully Russian-made Forpost-M, upgraded based on the experience of military action in Syria, were due to be delivered for the Russian defense ministry in 2019 (Interfax, August 24).

Tsentr 2019 offers a unique insight into how Russia’s General Staff sees UAVs playing an increasingly important role in future combat operations. This involves using UAVs to increase the targeting accuracy of artillery or other fires, or to conduct reconnaissance, but it also extends into autonomous strike groups acting independently within the theater of military operations as an additional applied layer of combat power against an adversary. It seems certain that UAVs have a bright future in the Russian military.

Roger N. McDermott specializes in Russian and Central Asian defense and security issues and is a Senior Fellow in Eurasian Military Studies, The Jamestown Foundation, Washington DC, Senior International Research Fellow for the Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and Affiliated Senior Analyst, Danish Institute for International Studies, Copenhagen. McDermott is on the editorial board of Central Asia and the Caucasus and the scientific board of the Journal of Power Institutions in Post-Soviet Societies. He recently wrote The Reform of Russia’s Conventional Armed Forces: Problems, Challenges and Policy Implications (October 2011).

This article appeared originally at The Jamestown Foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor.