Russia does not yet have the weapons suitable for equipping its Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) but such possibility is now being discussed, Director of UAV development programs at Russia’s Vega Radio Engineering Corporation Arkady Syroyezhko told RIA Novosti.
“No certified ammunition suitable for our [Russian] UAVs currently exists. Discussion is now underway on possible use of the existing ammunition for large drones,” Syroyezhko said.
According to Syroyezhko, modern air armament had been developed for piloted aircraft, the mass and the size of which significantly exceed those of unmanned aircraft. Mass development of small-sized arms specifically for compact UAVs had already started in foreign countries, Syroyezhko stated.
Vega had already designed a new tethered aerostat system, able to remain at high altitude for an extended period of time, as well as a small unmanned airship that is yet to be completed, Syroyezhko said.
Russia is currently undergoing a $640 billion rearmament program aimed at increasing the share of modern weaponry in Russia’s armed forces to 70 percent by 2020.
Photo: A Russian soldier launching a ZALA 421-08 micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This is a tiny autonomous flying platform that carries a video camera, infrared camera and 10 megapixel stills camera. It is used by infantry forces for battlefield reconnaissance.
Source: RIA Novosti