The C-130A transport aircraft took off into the sky with the X-61A Gremlins drones in the cabin. According to US experts, the "herd" of drones will bring advantages in the air compared to any opponent. Russia has also had similar developments.
However, according to Russian experts, the " herd" UAV launched from the aircraft carrier does not have significant advantages and disadvantages.
Special role
According to Sputnik, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are "roaming the throne" in recent conflicts, although they have not been able to completely replace manned aircraft. Drones conduct reconnaissance, identify and designate targets, automatically attack targets and provide communication. Their advantage is clear: The price is relatively cheap and there is no loss of life.
However, most modern drones have a very limited range, except for the US RQ-4 Global Hawk with an range of about 1,000km. Therefore, drone command stations are often located near combat areas, making them vulnerable to attacks. Just enough to destroy it, drones will immediately fall, or will float in the sky in an ineffective manner until they run out of fuel or run out of batteries (in this case, it is not even necessary to shoot them down).
The Pentagon is trying to address this issue with the Gremlins project: Mid-size, low-cost UAVs with semi-autonomous control systems.
Main requirements: A manned aircraft must carry drones and UAVs that must be towed into the cabin after completing combat missions.
According to developers, after completing the combat mission, drones will dock at the wharf towed by the C-130A transport aircraft, and then dock with the X-61A UAVs towed into the Hercules transport cabin.
Since 2018, this technology has been tested on X-61A UAVs in passive mode, under the wing of fighter jets. In January 2020, drones separated from aircraft carrier for the first time and flew freely. However, there have been problems with the recall of drones: Excessive shaking causes obstruction. Now this problem has been solved.
Collected in half an hour
The characteristics of the X-61A Gremlins have been known. This is a drone with a thick body, narrow straight wings and a rocket engine. 4.2m long, with a wingspan of about 3.5m. The take-off weight is 680kg, of which the payload is 66kg. The combat radius of drones is quite small, 560km, but this disadvantage is compensated by the ability to transport UAVs on aircraft with a long enough range.
If successful, the US Air Force will have a completely new combat capability, Tim Keeter, Gremlins Program Director, told reporters. "We will be able to launch drones into the air at the border of the opponent's air defense identification zone. The airport's UAVs remained outside the affected area and a " Herd" of drones was launched to carry out combat missions in the danger zone for pilots.
The next phase is the testing of four drones at the same time, according to Mr. Tim Keeter. After that, the airport ship had to collect them for half an hour.
Experts are actively discussing the tactics of future wars: The use of cheap drones. According to experts, the Pentagon's plan is very simple. In the event of a conflict with an opponent of equal strength, the US will mainly use air forces. And it is UAVs that will pioneer in assigning targets, shielding them from electronic countermeasures, UAVs can even fuel manned aircraft in the air.
The power of the flock
Such technologies are being developed not only in the US. For example, Russian company Kronstadt is developing a system using a flock of drones based on artificial intelligence.
Sergey Bogatikov - General Director of Kronshtadt Company - explained: "We believe that we need to prioritize the development of automation technology, enhancing intelligence so that drones can sense information. That will give them the ability to make the right decision on their own - with the minimal human participation".
As expected, the "herd" with great promise will independently distribute functions - shock and reconnaissance. In the future, the "undertaken" of drones will be able to automatically search and attack designated targets, communicating information about them to ground forces or manned aircraft. Therefore, it is very likely that the smart "herd" and " air fleet" will be a mandatory component in future combat operations.
Significant disadvantages
Military expert Viktor Murakhovsky - Editor-in-Chief of the "Fatherland's Arms Defense" Magazine - said: "A transport aircraft is capable of carrying many small UAVs and performing the functions of an air command post. drones will be able to return to aircraft carrier, for example to fuel and continue to perform missions. For example, Gremlins UAVs can be used as a storage facility for flying ammunition. If they cannot find worthy targets, they will return to airports in the air.
However, according to expert Viktor Murakhovsky, this technology also has disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that airplanes - vehicles carrying UAVs - are vulnerable.
To sink a aircraft carrier, it is necessary to penetrate the air defense - missile defense system of the escorted ships, this is not an easy task. And to destroy a transport aircraft, an anti-aircraft missile is enough - expert Viktor Murakhovsky said. For example, Russian S-400 system missiles can hit targets at a distance of up to 400km.
Therefore, a plane carrying a fleet of drones can only successfully fight against an opponent without a powerful air defense system - expert Viktor Murakhovsky affirmed.
