MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/. Using the Gerbera drone as a carrier drone for delivering FPV drones will ensure combat missions deep behind Ukrainian lines, Dmitry Kuzyakin, an unmanned aircraft expert and chief designer of the Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions, told TASS.
The Gerbera has limited maneuverability compared to an FPV drone. However, its range is several hundred kilometers. The Gerbera drones form a mesh network, extending the signal from the point of deployment in enemy territory almost to Moscow. Why not use this capability to control FPV drones against targets deep behind enemy lines? Modern warfare demonstrates a vast number of technical solutions that emerge and disappear in a very short time. In just a couple of months, new technologies can emerge, disappear due to lack of use, and then be reborn in a new form. "The military-industrial complex is a ‘melting pot’ for technologies where Russia, our specialists, the Russian defense industry, and the military feel at home," Kuzyakin said.
The expert noted that large drones have already been used repeatedly as UAV carriers in practice. "This has been implemented by both our manufacturers and the enemy. It is used on both fixed-wing carriers and large multi-rotor aircraft like the Baba-Yaga. A large drone flies far, but it is less maneuverable and cannot engage an enemy, for example, in dugouts. It is more difficult for them to hit a moving target. Meanwhile, an FPV drone can hit a specific window of a house or catch a lone target in a field or road. "A mothership drone gives a strike aircraft pilot the ability to engage multiple targets, but also leaves room for error. If you miss with the first drone, launch the next one from the mothership drone," Kuzyakin added.
The expert clarified that the large drone carrying other drones serves not only as a means of transport and a launch pad. "It typically also serves as a radio relay station, which greatly increases the operational range of FPV drones," he said.
Difficulties in use
The expert also explained why the use of carrier drones has not become widespread on the front lines. "There are several reasons, many of which are insurmountable constraints. An error in preparing one FPV drone leads to the loss of that drone, and that’s the end of the consequences. In the case of a mothership drone, an error in preparation will lead to the loss of the mothership drone and all drones on board. Preparing and launching a mothership drone without being detected by the enemy is much more difficult than launching a single FPV drone," he noted.
Kuzyakin added that an FPV drone is virtually impossible to intercept in the air, while a carrier drone is highly visible on radar and flies slower. "A radio-controlled FPV drone has two channels: control/telemetry and a video signal. If it is used as part of a mothership drone, the number of radio channels increases exponentially: control/telemetry and video to the mothership drone, and the same number from the mothership drone to ground equipment, plus several more channels for controlling the mothership drone. Furthermore, carrier drones typically use GPS for navigation and waypoint flight. GPS is currently ineffective in many places on the front lines. However, this system has not yet been used in conjunction with the Gerberas. We need to try," the expert said.