Alexei Ramm, Ivan Cheberko
Izvestia, September 07, 2016, p. 1
Irkut corporation started tests of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the framework of experimental and designing program Proryv (formerly known as Yak-133 project). The drone can conduct reconnaissance and to destroy enemy objects if necessary remaining unnoticed by its radars. The novelty is composed according to an original aerodynamic scheme and differs from traditional aircraft externally significantly.
IRKUT CORPORATION STARTED TESTS OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE PRORYV
Irkut corporation started tests of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the framework of experimental and designing program Proryv (formerly known as Yak-133 project). The drone can conduct reconnaissance and to destroy enemy objects if necessary remaining unnoticed by its radars. The novelty is composed according to an original aerodynamic scheme and differs from traditional aircraft externally significantly.
Afterwards, the newest drone will be equipped not only with missiles of air-to-surface class and bombs but also with optronic systems, radio technical reconnaissance systems and even radar.
A source in the aircraft-building industry remarks that aerodynamic scheme of the newest UAV (combination of its geometric and construction schemes) is very sophisticated and contains many unique technical solutions that have not been used in any of the series-made aircraft before.
One of participants of the project reported:
– At the stage of designing there were discussions between representatives of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after Zhukovsky, Irkut and experimental design bureau of Yakovlev in the course of which opinion were expressed that an aircraft of such shape would be unable to fly at all.
The source continued:
– The doubts were unveiled only after the first test flight took place in August. Everything passed perfectly.
Composition of armament of the drone is not finally determined yet but it is already known that the UAV will destroy stationary targets by bombs with laser and optical self-homing heads, as well as by bombs corrected according to GLONASS signal.
The aircraft-builder reported:
– The unique aerodynamic scheme allows making the drone invisible for enemy radars even at the moment when it uses weapons or conducts reconnaissance and also fairly maneuverable and fast.
According to him, to enable the newest drone with the chosen aerodynamic scheme to fly it was necessary to do a very difficult job on its complexing with participation of specialists from Roscosmos.
“Complexing” term means combining of functioning of all systems and subsystems mounted on board of an aircraft into a unified complex. According to the source, using modern technologies it is possible to force even a stool to fly and to perform maneuvers but there remains a problem of controlling of such item.
Representative of the aircraft-building industry explained:
– All systems of an aircraft should act in a complex as one organism. If, for example, a plot starts performing a maneuver, all systems – navigation, engine control and others – taking into account design of the aircraft and its characteristics optimize their work so as to perform a planned maneuver without failures. In modern aircraft there are a few thousands of various systems and subsystems that control hundreds of flight parameters and the pilot cannot watch work of each of them independently. That is why they are equipped with information control systems (IUS) that force the airplane to work in a complex.
The most difficult part of the complexing is writing of algorithms and mathematical formulas that determine the logic and parameters of work of all systems of an aircraft that are inserted into the IUS after embodiment into a special program.
Sergei Zhukov, head of AeroNet section of the National Technological Initiative, states:
– Unmanned technologies are currently developing very actively in Russia both in state industry and in private sector. If we speak about airframes, now we are approximately on the level of international standards and in the field of UAVs of small size we have non-critical (not less than three years) lagging behind in the aspect of super light composite constructions for drones of big dimensions. If we speak about the navigation and control systems, our developments are on par with foreign counterparts but drawbacks are in the fact that so far they are made on foreign element base. With regard to power plants, we lag behind a little but localization of production in piston and turbojet engines is currently going on. Thus, domestic industry is filling this niche at an accelerated speed. For processing of monitoring data we create our own problem-oriented products and already bring them to the international market. With regard to integration into the common airspace we possibly even outrun the international level by one or two years.
