Russia develops combat drone and C-UAS buggy in response to ‘jet-powered drone threat’

A counter drone conference in St. Petersburg is considering the threat posed to Russia by Ukraine’s use of jet-powered drones. The Technologies to Detect and Counter UAVs conference on July 1 and 2 has been organised by the RuDrones competence centre for uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) technologies and the Vector Research Institute (part of the Rostec corporation’s Ruselectronics holding).

Speaking at the conference yesterday, Andrey Tabekin of the Russian Ministry of Digital Development said the Belgorod border region is “facing a new threat from jet-powered drones”. Tabekin said experts are currently working on jamming solutions to counter the drones.

Russian news agency TASS reported yesterday that the Red Line company has developed a single-use Vogan-9SP combat drone to intercept UAVs and detonate their payload. The quadcopter is designed to accelerate to about 200 km/h and operates with a radar station and a laser system that lights up a detected target. Tests are ongoing with an aim to increase the system’s speed.

A representative from Red Line told TASS that a ‘go’ command is given and the drone takes off from a launcher, approaches the target and takes automatic direction from its own guidance systems. Ultimately, an operator makes the decision whether to destroy the drone based on an image from Vogan’s video camera.

TASS also reported yesterday that the personnel of an air defence battalion from Russia’s Southern Battlegroup have constructed a buggy vehicle designed to fight drones. The vehicle is reported to be in the final rounds of testing.

According to TASS, “the vehicle’s front part features a turret with two mounted PKT machine-guns and an improvised six-barrel muzzle-loading shotgun placed between them. The front turret mounts a thermal imaging sight that projects images to a monitor on a passenger seat. Turret control and firing are automated and conducted from a passenger seat. The rear turret that rotates 360 degrees is equipped with six coaxial AK-12 assault rifles that conduct simultaneous fire. Six shotguns for buckshot fire are installed along the vehicle’s perimeter. Instead of buckshot, servicemen use 7.62mm bullets glued together with wax.”