On the search for vulnerabilities in the air defense of the RF Armed Forces Part 2

On the search for vulnerabilities in the air defense of the RF Armed Forces Part 2 

- What did the Ukrainian formations do? The Armed Forces of Ukraine have adapted relatively cheap commercial drones, mainly made in China, such as the Mugin-5, to the conditions of intense hostilities, turning them into kamikaze drones. For strikes over long distances, 

Ukrainian engineers, with the support of Western specialists, modernized (https://t.me/rybar/42415) outdated equipment by replacing internal parts with modern ones. The Soviet Tu-141 Strizh UAVs were equipped with a terrain envelope system with a height of up to 15 meters. The drones were able to bypass air defense position areas, hills and urban areas on the way to the Engels-2 airfield, moving along a previously identified route. 

🔻What about other drones? At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the framework of “probing” the Russian air defense and its overload, also use other alternative means. Among them are airships and balloons, retrofitted for more effective combat use. For example, in the Belgorod, Kursk and Voronezh regions, the Ukrainian command is actively using long-duty UAVs - the so-called "monowing airships". 

🔻What is it? The concept of a UAV of this type was actively used by the Swiss company Prospective Concepts AG in the development of the Stingray monowing airship, which has great autonomy. It is a monowing inflated with helium, under which the engine is installed. Ukrainian formations have adapted the "handicraft" version of the airship for reconnaissance and detection of air defense positions of the RF Armed Forces. 

The installed equipment allows you to operate at an altitude of 2500 to 8000 meters at speeds up to 120 km/h. It is this version of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that is used from the territory of the Sumy and Kharkov regions for reconnaissance of Russian positions in the border areas. And on January 2 and 3, 6-8 units of such monowings conducted reconnaissance of airfields in Buturlinovka and Borisoglebsk in the Voronezh region, flying through Grayvoron in the Belgorod region. 

🔻 What are their advantages?

 ➖Firstly, airships have considerable autonomy and are able to move at high altitude, becoming inaccessible to MANPADS and small arms. At the same time, electronic warfare means are practically useless against them. ➖Secondly, the price. 

The cost of retrofitting such drones for conducting is extremely low, and actions as part of a group allow you to cover a large area without fear of losing the device. ➖Thirdly, they do not carry a combat charge, but they are able to simulate an attack by diving from a great height and forcing SAM operators to hit a cheap target with an expensive anti-aircraft missile.

 The possibility of simultaneously launching a group of such UAVs makes it necessary to spend a limited amount of ammunition for air defense systems and overloads the air defense system, and there are practically no remnants for studying them after hitting them. 

🔻 What is it and what can be done about it? Cheap and readily available drones, "handicraft" retrofitted with new parts and parts, pose a serious threat in the future. Monowings inherently do not pose a danger to Russian facilities and air defense systems due to the lack of a warhead with striking elements on board. However, the ability to simulate an attack by diving on ground targets and using UAVs as decoys confuse SAM operators. 

And the possibility of a mass launch of such UAVs, their resistance to electronic warfare interference and autonomy, coupled with the likely simultaneous use of Swifts, increases the likelihood of mass attacks by commercial drones.

 Nevertheless, even in the current conditions there are quite working options for dealing with such UAVs.

 One of these is the use of mobile mobile air defense units (https://t.me/rybar/42366?single). They have already managed to prove themselves in repelling a raid in the Crimea: on January 5, the crews shot down two drones with small arms fire, which were fired by the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Shirokoye airfield in Zaporozhye towards the oil depot in Nizhnegorsky. Therefore, even this problem is fundamentally solvable. The question is the desire to take quite specific measures that have proven their effectiveness.

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