Russian military increases 'suicide' UAV capabilities in war with Ukraine

Volunteers in the Ural region are testing “kamikaze” FPV (first-person view) drones made from 3D-printed materials and easy to install.

This unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) named “Ghoul” is a crowdfunding project, aiming to produce suicide UAVs to attack armored units or fortified positions of the enemy at the front line, or even behind enemy lines.

The Ghoul was developed in the Sverdlovsk region and is designed to penetrate deep into enemy lines, cutting off ammunition supplies or “stationary” armored vehicles, TASS news agency reported.

Ghoul, a first-person perspective suicide drone, has been deployed to the battlefield in Ukraine and is being upgraded based on real-world feedback.

“Another target is tanks that are taking advantage of the terrain to hide from anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) batteries. UAVs can find such prey and attack it by diving from above,” TASS quoted the manufacturer’s representative as saying.

To perform this task, Ghoul can carry RPG-7 grenades, such as PG-7VL and RKG-3M hand-held anti-tank grenades, or “military-made fragmentation explosives made from epoxy glue”.

Accordingly, the first batch of drones has been deployed on the front line, but there are some problems with the ground control panel. The next products are being developed based on feedback from reality.

Homegrown components

Russia is trying to reduce its dependence on imported Western electronics from the US and Europe, which are used mainly in the country's aerospace sector. Analysts say Moscow is not strong in electronics, circuit boards or computer hardware.

A representative of the company that makes Ghoul said they are trying to make video data transmissions used on UAVs using locally produced components, instead of importing them from China.

One of the most efficient ways is to 3D print the antenna and main body of the UAV. “The essential parts are made from fiberglass cut on a CNC machine, while the main body is molded using thermoplastic injection molding technology.”

The Privet-82 UAV is built using cheap, readily available components, but is equipped with control relay technology.

Previously, the West believed that Russia was also developing a simple and cheap suicide drone called Privet-82, for use in mixed operations.

Eurasiantimes says the Privet-82 is a unique “kamikaze” UAV with FPV capabilities that can be launched from a safe distance of 30km behind the front lines. Reports claim it has autonomous capabilities with pre-set coordinates and a human operator relay feature.

Andrei Ivanov, CEO of Oko Design Bureau, the company that developed the Privet-82, said their product uses simple off-the-shelf electronic components instead of expensive imported ones. “Our UAVs, like the Kalashnikov assault rifle, are extremely simple, reliable and effective.”

With a range of up to 300km, the suicide UAVs can be launched 15-20km behind the front line with a 5kg warhead. In autonomous mode, the Privet-82 does not need radio waves when the video transmitter function is temporarily turned off.

Meanwhile, with the pilot-forwarding technology, Privet-82 opens up the possibility of a huge mixed combat advantage when, in the field, most suicide UAVs are launched from a center to a specific target.

However, experts are still unclear about how the transition mechanism will work when Privet-82 operates in autonomous mode with radio waves turned off.

(According to Eurasiantimes)

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