According to Lieutenant General Andrey Demin, commander of the air defense and missile defense forces of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Russian air defense forces received their first radar systems to combat mini- and micro-drones in 2022. Despite the effectiveness of air defense systems against drones like the American RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper and Bayraktar TB2, it is more difficult to detect mini- and micro-UAVs. Due to the small effective reflective surface of tactical UAVs, it is challenging to reveal their flight with standard radar reconnaissance equipment. This problem led to the creation of the reconnaissance and counteraction to tactical unmanned aerial vehicles “RLK-MTs” of Russian production. The RLK-MTs can detect tactical drones operating at low and extremely low altitudes at a distance of up to 20 km and issue target designations to air defense fire weapons. The Air Defense Forces will receive several more RLC-MTs samples in 2023, and from 2024, deliveries of up to 20 complexes are planned annually. Demin claimed that for Russian air defense systems, there are no fundamental differences in the fight against strategic-level drones and countering modern manned aircraft. During the military operation, air defense systems shot down over 100 Turkish drones delivered to Ukraine. Russian technology’s air defense has proven sufficient against such air targets. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has estimated that government agencies and state-owned companies’ demand for unmanned vehicles until 2030 is 200 billion rubles, of which 100 billion rubles are allocated until 2026.
The first Russian radar systems to combat mini- and micro-drones arrived in 2022 in the units of the Russian air defense forces, said Andrey Demin, commander of the air defense and missile defense forces, deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces. He talked about the difficulties in detecting such devices.
Lieutenant General in an interview “Red Star” noted the effectiveness of air defense systems against drones such as the American RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper and Bayraktar TB2. “Another thing is tactical aviation drones, the so-called mini- and micro-UAVs. They are more difficult to detect, and therefore notify the troops in a timely manner. Due to the small effective reflective surface of tactical UAVs, it is quite problematic to reveal their flight with standard radar reconnaissance equipment in service with our Armed Forces, and this is a global trend,” Mr. Demin said.
In this regard, in 2022, the first complexes of reconnaissance and counteraction to tactical unmanned aerial vehicles “RLK-MTs” of Russian production were received by the air defense formations. They are already used to cover critical and government facilities, including those in the zone of military operations.
Mr. Demin claims that such complexes can detect tactical drones operating at low and extremely low altitudes at a distance of up to 20 km and issue target designations to air defense fire weapons. They are also capable of independently “carrying out electronic jamming of control channels and satellite radio navigation of mini- and macro-UAVs, forming a protective radio-electronic dome over the defense object.”
In 2023, the Air Defense Forces will receive several more RLC-MTs samples. From 2024, deliveries of up to 20 complexes are planned annually.
Andrey Demin also explained that for Russian air defense systems there are practically no fundamental differences in the fight against strategic-level drones such as the RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper and Bayraktar TB2 compared to countering modern manned aircraft. He noted that during the military operation, air defense systems shot down more than 100 Turkish drones delivered to Ukraine. “And the embarrassment of our “American partners” associated with the crash in March over the Black Sea of one of the “best”, in quotation marks, reconnaissance and strike drones (MQ-9), makes it clear to the Western world community that for modern Russian technology Air defense such air targets are not a problem, ”added the lieutenant general.
According to Kommersant’s information, the Ministry of Industry and Trade previously determined the parameters of a civil state order for unmanned vehicles. Until 2030, the volume of demand of government agencies and state-owned companies is estimated at 200 billion rubles, of which 100 billion rubles – until 2026. In VEB.RF and STLC, which is going to lease drones, the total market size by 2026 is estimated at 500 billion rubles.
For more details, see Kommersant’s article “Drones cost a pretty penny.”
In conclusion, the Russian air defense forces are taking proactive measures to combat tactical unmanned aerial vehicles that pose a significant threat to military and government facilities. With the arrival of the first complexes of reconnaissance and counteraction to mini-and micro-drones in 2022, the air defense formations are ready to cover critical and government facilities. The RLC-MTs samples are capable of detecting tactical drones operating at low and extremely low altitudes at a distance of up to 20 km and issuing target designations to air defense fire weapons. Moreover, they can independently carry out electronic jamming of control channels and satellite radio navigation of mini-and macro-UAVs, forming a protective radio-electronic dome over the defense object. Russian air defense systems already proved their capacity in fighting strategic-level drones, including Turkish drones deployed by Ukraine during the military operation. As the demand for unmanned vehicles continues to grow, the market size is estimated at 500 billion rubles by 2026.