MAKS: Is Russia developing an F-35-hunting UAV?

[VTOLicious]

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/maks-is-russia-developing-an-f-35-hunting-uav-416065/

...According to the company’s first deputy chief executive officer Vladimir Mikheev, this aircraft model is more than just a sleek promotional display – it is an advanced military UAV being developed by the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies (KRET) is a subcontractor on the project, he says, providing the fundamental communications, radar, electronic warfare and self-protection systems, as well as the ground control station.
Speaking via a translator, Mikheev tells Flightglobal that the company is involved with two military UAV projects – one in development and one in the concept phase – but both ventures of UAC...

 

[Void]

Mikheev says KRET is providing a deeply-integrated electronic warfare system that not only provides a protective electromagnetic sphere around the aircraft to counter air-to-air missiles, but also cloaks it from radars.

Russia shows off a concept for a UAV active radar cancellation system, headline is the usual click bait nonsense.

:-\

 

[sferrin]

Mikheev says KRET is providing a deeply-integrated electronic warfare system that not only provides a protective electromagnetic sphere around the aircraft to counter air-to-air missiles, but also cloaks it from radars.

Russia shows off a concept for a UAV active radar cancellation system, headline is the usual click bait nonsense.

:-\

It's fashionable to have "F-35" in the headline these days.

 

[VTOLicious]

It's fashionable to have "F-35" in the headline these days.

That's for sure ;D

 

[flateric]

BAe FOAS UCAV concepts, ca.1997...

 

[Triton]

Oh my! The Russkies are developing an F-35 hunter! Flight Global article launches Internet hysteria! : An F-35 hit piece at the same time?


"Russia Shows Off Concept Drone That Hunts F-35s"
An improbable drone to counter an unbelievably expensive fighter
by Kelsey D. Atherton Posted September 3, 2015

Source:
http://www.popsci.com/russian-arms-maker-shows-off-f-35-hunter-drone-concept

For the next 30 years, America’s F-35 is the plane to beat. While it won’t be America’s top dogfighter (that honor goes to the F-22), the Pentagon has ordered more than 2,400 F-35s compared to 187 F-22s, so the F-35 will by sheer volume be the most common American fighter in the sky. Such ubiquity paints a target on the plane’s back. At the MAKS air show in Moscow last week, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation unveiled a model of what appears to be a drone that hunts F-35s.

The drone’s body most resembles America’s X-47B, an experimental unmanned autonomous aircraft. While not actually built for combat, the X-47B’s slick, gray, rudderless body and sharp angles suggest a future of stealthy and deadly autonomous machines. Except the body of UAC’s drone model is transparent, revealing instead the electronics systems inside. In addition, it appears the drone's body has a lift fan in each wing, letting it in theory take off vertically.

According to FlightGlobal, the head of UAC claims the F-35 hunter will have a “deeply-integrated electronic warfare system that not only provides a protective electromagnetic sphere around the aircraft to counter air-to-air missiles, but also cloaks it from radars.” This drone has two very unstealthy tail rudders, so it needs some stealth help.

The F-35 is designed to have powerful sensors, but it has a very limited capacity to carry missiles stealthily inside its body. Making missiles miss and hiding from sensors are a good way to beat the F-35. To properly find and destroy F-35s, it looks like this as-yet-unnamed drone plans to use radar similar to that of China’s Divine Eagle 2, which will let it find low profile stealth aircraft, such as the F-35 or the F-22.

At least, that’s assuming any of this works as promised. Combat aircraft are especially expensive to design and get right, and Russia has floated absurd aircraft ideas before. Until there’s an actual aircraft demonstrator, it's probably best to file this away as a concept F-35 hunter, and not a real threat.

 

[Triton]

Now it is an F-35 "Killer" Drone! : Let's cancel the F-35!

"Russia Might Be Working on New ‘F-35 Killer’ Drone"
An aircraft model at the MAKS airshow near Moscow might provide some clues on future Russian UAV programs.
by Franz-Stefan Gady
September 01, 2015

Source:
http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/russia-might-be-working-on-new-f-35-killer-drone/

Is Russia working on an advanced military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of shooting down the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter? According to James Drew over at globalflight.com, the answer could be yes.

At this year’s MAKS airshow, which took place in August near Moscow, Drew talked to the first deputy chief executive officer of the electronic systems producer KRET, Vladimir Mikheev, about a drone model on display at the event. Mikheyev revealed that there was more to the miniature than would meet the eye.

Surprisingly, rather than just being a mere marketing tool to attract future customers, the displayed model is allegedly based on an actual prototype of a new combat drone equipped with deeply-integrated electronic warfare systems developed by the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), according to Mikheev.

Furthermore, Mikheev notes that his company, Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies (KRET) is a subcontractor for this project working on the drone’s communications systems, its radar, as well as its electronic warfare and self-protection systems, in addition to providing the UAVs ground control station. According to globalflight.com:

Mikheev says KRET is providing a deeply-integrated electronic warfare system that not only provides a protective electromagnetic sphere around the aircraft to counter air-to-air missiles, but also cloaks it from radars.

The unmanned aircraft closely resembles Northrop’s carrier-based X-47B demonstrator, but adds two lift fans on each wing and vertical stabilisers.

Mikheev says the UAV’s avionics, radar and electronic warfare systems are derived from those being produced for the Sukhoi Su-35 multirole fighter and the Kamov Ka-50 attack helicopter.

Mikheev also indicates that this new “F-35 killer” drone is similar to the People’s Liberation Army’s Project 973 or Shen Diao (“Divine Eagle”) prototype, one of the world’s largest twin fuselage UAVs.

As I reported before (See: “Meet the PLA’s Deadly New ‘Carrier Killer’ Drone”), the Divine Eagle UAV is purportedly influenced by the Russian Sukhoi S-62 twin-fuselage high-altitude, long-endurance drone with some media reports noting that China stole key design features from Russia – a narrative that Mikheev’s comments appear to support.

The Chinese Divine Eagle UAV is designed to carry multiple Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars, of the AMTI, SAR and GMTI varieties as well as Airborne Moving Target Indicators (AMTI) that are used to rack fighter jets and cruise missiles.

Nevertheless, with regard to Russia’s alleged “F-35 killer” drone James Drew urges caution:

It remains to be seen whether this UAV project is just marketing or a mature development program with similar goals to China’s Divine Eagle UAV.

The United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps are planning to acquire a total of 2,457 F-35 fighter jets with operation and maintenance costs estimated as high as $1,016 billion over the next four decades, according to the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

 

[bobbymike]

Now it is an F-35 "Killer" Drone! : Let's cancel the F-35!

So the US military has had 25 years of large scale integrated air operations against real adversaries (not peer competitors I acknowledge that) with integration of multi-service aircraft including three generations of stealth aircraft, drones and long range stand-off weaponry all working in the same airspace. The Marines have declared initial IOC of a 4th generation stealth supersonic STOVL aircraft with versions slated for the USAF and Navy.

So it is only 'objective' facts that major media outlets conclude 1) The US has no idea what it is doing and 2) Adversaries 'model' aircraft are obviously superior to anything the US could ever dream of and makes the entire US military obsolete.

 

[Avimimus]

So it is only 'objective' facts that major media outlets conclude 1) The US has no idea what it is doing and 2) Adversaries 'model' aircraft are obviously superior to anything the US could ever dream of and makes the entire US military obsolete.

True. But the last time the United States fought an adversary equipped with properly maintained contemporary technology was... 1968? So, 47 years ago...

Compare with the situation of the RAF in 1939... only 20 years had elapsed... however, designs like the Boston-Paul Defiant and the Fairy Battle proved to be hopeless. Other designs like the Blenheim and Whirlwind proved of limited use. Entire air doctrines and theories of combat had to be thrown out completely! o the possibility of making mistakes in the absence of real experience against a properly equipped adversary must have risks.

Throw in the fact that sensor technology and computer designs have been advancing at an incredible pace and the possibility of 'missing the mark' increases. We are undergoing a technological revolution at the moment. Perhaps greater than anything in the last 80 years.

Think about the first two generations of air-to-air missiles - they made defensive guns on bombers largely obsolete (although bombers kept being designed with them), yet they also failed miserably when employed against fighters in real world conditions. Stealth may be similar. Revolutionary, yet not a silver bullet - at least not for the first three generations or so.

 

[Avimimus]

...According to the company’s first deputy chief executive officer Vladimir Mikheev, this aircraft model is more than just a sleek promotional display – it is an advanced military UAV being developed by the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies (KRET) is a subcontractor on the project, he says, providing the fundamental communications, radar, electronic warfare and self-protection systems, as well as the ground control station.
Speaking via a translator, Mikheev tells Flightglobal that the company is involved with two military UAV projects – one in development and one in the concept phase – but both ventures of UAC...

This looks a lot like a showy promotional display for KRET - or at least deliberately misleading piece of plastic.

I do wonder about the fans though: Could a VTOL UAV be useful as an EW/sensor platform being kept vary close to forward positions where the army might need it, or more plausibly, being kept on board ships? An addition to helicopter carriers and destroyers?

 

[bobbymike]

So it is only 'objective' facts that major media outlets conclude 1) The US has no idea what it is doing and 2) Adversaries 'model' aircraft are obviously superior to anything the US could ever dream of and makes the entire US military obsolete.

True. But the last time the United States fought an adversary equipped with properly maintained contemporary technology was... 1968? So, 47 years ago...

Compare with the situation of the RAF in 1939... only 20 years had elapsed... however, designs like the Boston-Paul Defiant and the Fairy Battle proved to be hopeless. Other designs like the Blenheim and Whirlwind proved of limited use. Entire air doctrines and theories of combat had to be thrown out completely! o the possibility of making mistakes in the absence of real experience against a properly equipped adversary must have risks.

Throw in the fact that sensor technology and computer designs have been advancing at an incredible pace and the possibility of 'missing the mark' increases. We are undergoing a technological revolution at the moment. Perhaps greater than anything in the last 80 years.

Think about the first two generations of air-to-air missiles - they made defensive guns on bombers largely obsolete (although bombers kept being designed with them), yet they also failed miserably when employed against fighters in real world conditions. Stealth may be similar. Revolutionary, yet not a silver bullet - at least not for the first three generations or so.

I would argue Iraq circa 1991 was a pretty sophisticated air defense environment.

Also, when was the last time China or Russia fought with a full spectrum of fighters, bombers, attack aircraft, helicopters, air mobile troops, cruise missiles, AWACS, JSTARS, carrier aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, ELINT & SIGINT aircraft, drones co-ordinated from three separate services?

 

[Avimimus]

I would argue Iraq circa 1991 was a pretty sophisticated air defense environment.

Also, when was the last time China or Russia fought with a full spectrum of fighters, bombers, attack aircraft, helicopters, air mobile troops, cruise missiles, AWACS, JSTARS, carrier aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, ELINT & SIGINT aircraft, drones co-ordinated from three separate services?

Of course, the situation is the same or worse for other countries.