Photon-601 (drone for artillery adjustment)

2022: Drone announcement to adjust artillery fire with machine vision

In mid-August 2022, the Progress Rocket and Space Center (a subsidiary of Roscosmos based in Samara) presented an unmanned aerial vehicle designed to adjust artillery fire.

A drone called "Photon-601," created in conjunction with Samara State University, is able to work independently of navigation systems and navigate the terrain using machine vision. Among the tasks being solved are video monitoring of the area, transfer of information to the command post, guidance and adjustment of aviation and artillery and confirmation of the destruction of the target.

"Progress" introduced a drone to adjust artillery fire

"Photon" is planned to be equipped with a video camera, a thermal imager and an automatic target tracking module. In addition to adjusting artillery and aviation fire, the drone can control the area and work as a restrainer.

The take-off weight of the device is 58 kilograms. A drone with a fuel tank, which holds 12 liters of fuel, will be able to stay in the air for up to 24 hours and reach speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour. The flight range of "Photon-601" will be 1000 kilometers, wingspan - 5 m. It is emphasized that the device is able to function in temperature mode from -30 to + 45 ° С.

Former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, General Yuri Baluevsky, said in August 2022 that adjusting fire using drones returned artillery to the status of the god of war.

Simple Chinese-made commercial quadcopters have revolutionized the use of traditional receiver and rocket artillery, completely solving the century-old problem of reconnaissance, target designation and fire adjustment, Baluevsky said.

When adjusted with a drone constantly hanging over the target, it became possible to use conventional ammunition with an efficiency comparable to precision weapons. The number of shells and guns required for destruction was also sharply reduced.^[1]

Notes

Шаблон:Remarks