Flamethrower drones will appear in the Russian army. The Ministry of Defense has agreed on the tactical and technical requirements for new weapons systems for the troops of radiation, chemical and biological protection (RHBZ), sources in the military department told Izvestia.
In particular, unmanned flamethrower systems were included in the list of new products. They will be based on small aircraft or quadcopters. UAVs will be able to hit the enemy using compact thermobaric or incendiary charges. Experts note that such weapons systems will become especially dangerous in urban combat conditions, as well as in the destruction of enemy fortifications. They will help save the lives of civilians and soldiers in street battles.
Fire and “Bumblebee”
The complex provides for several types of unmanned aerial vehicles – both built according to the traditional scheme and multicopters. The main task of the drones is to destroy the enemy with thermobaric or incendiary ammunition, which they will drop from above.
The head of the RChBZ troops, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, has already reported that work is underway to create a new flamethrower kit based on a drone with ammunition for various purposes. It will be equipped with a modern round-the-clock sighting tool, which will significantly increase the combat capabilities of flamethrower units.
The RChBZ units have weapons systems for solving any problems. Among them are the Bumblebee hand-held rocket-throwers and the Buratino, Solntsepek and Tosochka heavy flame-throwing systems. But with the advent of flamethrower drones, the RChBZ troops will receive a full range of weapons, military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Izvestia.
– Drones will allow you to quickly destroy targets in urban areas, as well as hidden in the folds of the relief or located in engineering structures, – the expert explained. – They are needed to hit important targets in the tactical rear of the enemy – for example, ammunition and fuel depots, communications centers and unarmored equipment on which command posts are based.
Precise strikes with incendiary and thermobaric supplies will minimize collateral damage during hostilities, he said.
“Such drones will be indispensable in street battles,” concluded Viktor Murakhovsky. – They will allow avoiding the destruction of buildings that are not related to military infrastructure, as well as reduce losses among civilians and military personnel. It is better to lose two drones or robots than one soldier.
Our drones
The Russian army is now actively developing shock drones. The Commander-in-Chief of the RF Ground Forces, Oleg Salyukov, said in October this year that robotic systems and mini-drones would be included in the promising outfit of the Russian “soldier of the future”.
At the strategic exercises Zapad-2021, held in September of this year, small drones from the newest Lastochka complex have already been tested in the role of drone. They dropped fragmentation and cumulative bombs on targets.
Today, Russia is also developing small multicopters capable of dropping small bombs with different warheads on targets. Such devices can hover over the target in order to achieve great accuracy. The tests confirmed the possibility of hitting the tank mock up with a cumulative bomb. In this case, flamethrower drones can be used to destroy and ignite larger objects.
Impressive models are represented by the Forpost-R UAV weighing 500 kg. In addition to reconnaissance devices, they can use 20-kg corrected bombs. Since last year, the troops have been receiving sets of medium drones “Paceman” (formerly known as “Orion”). Serial vehicles are capable of using 100-kilogram unguided bombs, light guided munitions and anti-tank missiles.
Even heavier samples are represented by “Sirius” and six-ton twin-engine “Altius”. The most powerful of the domestic drones is the high-speed S-70V Okhotnik. Equipped with a jet engine from a fighter, the 20-ton apparatus is made using stealth technologies. It carries weapons in its internal compartments and can use the same types as manned aircraft of the fifth generation.
Photo: Izvestia / Zurab Javakhadze
Source: Izvestia