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Russian drones to be armed with special weapons under targeted program — designer

"The program envisages the development of drones-mounted special attack means," the CEO and general designer of the Vega concern said

MOSCOW, May 18. /TASS/. Russia’s targeted program for the development of unmanned aircraft envisages the creation of special weapons for such machines, the CEO and general designer of the Vega concern, which participated in drafting the document, Vladimir Verba, has told TASS.

"The program envisages the development of drones-mounted special attack means," he said.

"It puts the emphasis on the creation of domestic technologies, materials and components. Certain engineering processes common for all types of drones have been identified," he said.

Under the program new generation extra-strong composite materials for the airframes are to be created. The gliders are to have high aerodynamic parameters, small mass and low visibility in the whole range of electromagnetic waves, Verba said.

"Also, the program provides for the development of advanced low fuel consumption piston and gas turbine engines, electric motors ensuring high effectiveness and low acoustic and thermal visibility, effective on-board electric power supply systems, high accuracy jamming-resistant and highly independent navigation systems," Verba said.

Alongside this, research will be conducted into the creation of launch systems and automatic landing systems and protected systems of high-speed data transmission and communication lines.

Targeted program to provide hundreds of drones for government agencies by 2025

Russia’s government-run agencies will receive several hundred drones of domestic manufacture by 2025, if a corresponding inter-departmental targeted program is adopted, a senior official of the United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation (UIMC, an affiliate of Rostec), which participated in the work on the document has told TASS.

"By 2025 the implementation of the program will provide several hundred advanced drones of different classes and roles for government-run agencies. Most of them will be short and medium-range drones, which are in the greatest demand from the tactical level of the Armed Forces," the official said.

Under the program a greater share of financing will be spent on the serial production, testing and acquisition of drones.

"About 30% of the funding will be allocated for the full-scale development of unmanned aircraft and creation of a bank of promising scientific and engineering ideas," the defence industry official said.

The corporation did not specify how much the program’s implementation will require.

The inter-departmental targeted program is expected to coordinate work under the 2016-2025 state program for armaments regarding the creation of unmanned aircraft. The program’s authors say this is the first document that "comprehensively and systemically" plans the development of the industry concerned. At the moment it is being studied by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.