Russia mass produces unmanned attack helicopters

Nga sản xuất hàng loạt trực thăng tấn công không người lái - 1 — Termit drone helicopter (Photo: Eurasian Times).

During a visit to the Moscow Rudnevo Industrial Zone, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev inspected the mass production area of the Termit helicopter-type attack drone.

The Termit UAV is a product of NPP Strela, a subsidiary of the Kronshtadt Group. In 2021, Russia signed a contract to supply an unspecified number of Termit UAVs with a relatively short delivery period.

Video footage of Medvedev's visit shows about 10 UAVs in various stages of assembly, with three nearing completion.

Termit is an unmanned combat helicopter with guided missiles and the first test launches of this weapon were carried out in November 2021.

The missile in question is the S-8L, a semi-active laser-guided missile that is essentially the same as the American APKWS but with a greater degree of improvement.

Nga sản xuất hàng loạt trực thăng tấn công không người lái - 2 — S-8L missile (Photo: Eurasian Times).

The S-8L has folding wings in the middle of the fuselage and a seeker in the nose. The maximum attack range of the S-8L is 6km and it carries a high explosive fragmentation warhead.

The predecessor variant of Termit is the BVS-VT 450 unmanned helicopter, which was developed by NPP Strela in 2016. Termit is a combat version, and there is also a civilian version called SmartHELI-450.

Termit has inherited the technical parameters of BVS-VT 450 as follows: Maximum take-off weight 450kg, empty weight 270kg, maximum speed 150km/h, cruising speed 90km/h, ceiling 3,500m and maximum flight time 6 hours.

According to observers, it is worth noting that Russia developed this UAV before the military campaign in Ukraine, so it is unclear whether Western sanctions will affect the components that Moscow uses to produce Termit.

In addition, the combat effectiveness of the Termit depends on the availability and ability of Russia to mass produce the S-8L missile amid the "storm" of Western sanctions.

However, if Russia puts these UAVs into combat in Ukraine, this is considered a formidable weapon, because it can effectively support the mission of covering ground forces, helping Russia maintain the advantage of controlling the air without causing human risks.

Source