What's special about Russia's new unmanned attack reconnaissance aircraft?
The new UAV reconnaissance and attack aircraft system will track enemy targets and direct attack drones at them.
Recently, the Astron Optical and Mechanical Design Bureau introduced for the first time a new unmanned attack reconnaissance system. The new UAV system named Granat is undergoing testing.
IntroductionGranat system
Essentially, Granat is an unmanned system designed to conduct reconnaissance in complex terrain and urban areas where reconnaissance personnel may encounter difficulties or risks.
The system consists of a reconnaissance UAV, a ground control station and a relay drone, which acts as an intermediary to transmit signals from the drone to the control station and back.
While adding a relay drone may seem like an unnecessary complication, it increases the reconnaissance UAV's operating range, making it less dependent on the control station's signal range.
Additionally, relay drones could be used to relay information to suicide drones, which could operate based on data collected by surveillance UAVs.
The offensive component of the Granat system includes several types of ammunition, including fragmentation and high-explosive anti-tank rounds.
According to a statement by Astron representatives reported by Russian media, Granat is designed to conduct aerial reconnaissance and target search, as well as guide combat drones to detected targets.
Astron Company's UAV product line
Granat is not the only unmanned system being developed by Astron.
The design bureau has developed an attack UAV that essentially acts as an unmanned bomber and is capable of launching PG-7VL anti-tank missiles (the type used in RPG-7 grenade launchers) to the intended target.
Unlike the Granat, the unmanned bomber has already entered production and is being used by the Russian military in the Ukraine conflict zone.
Earlier this year, Astron began mass production of the Blokpost-4T long-range reconnaissance system, which integrates ground-based thermal imaging stations and at least one drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera to detect enemy personnel and vehicles.
