What is the "drone"? Description and functions of new UAVs in Russia

Asking the question "what is a drone?", Many of them almost certainly know the answer themselves. These devices are also known as drones and have been widely used only recently. But still it is worth considering them in more detail.

What is a drone?

If the equipment can almost always be repaired or replaced, highly qualified and highly specialized human resources are difficult to repair. That is why humanity is so zealously moving forward the industry, the results of which in the future can make people's work more secure. An example is robotics, one of the brainchild of which was a special multifunctional apparatus. So what is a drone? Usually this means an unmanned aerial vehicle controlled remotely, but there is also a wider understanding of the term. Drones do not necessarily fly, but their common feature is the focus on performing a specific task without human intervention or with minimal intervention. Not surprisingly, initially UAVs were used only by the military.

History of appearance and development

The author of the idea of remotely controlled devices has become, which is not surprising, Nikola Tesla. In 1899, he demonstrated the ship he had designed. His ideas were continued in 1910 by the young American Charles Kettering, who intended to develop an aircraft that would carry out the work with the help of a watch movement. Unfortunately, we can say that he failed.

It is believed that the first UAV was developed in the UK for military purposes in 1933. For this purpose, a restored biplane was used, although of the three devices only one successfully completed the flight. In the future, the machines were gradually improved, new ways of managing and controlling their activities appeared. Research and development actively continued during and after the Second World War. More or less successful results can be called the appearance of the famous "V-1" and "V-2". Similar experiments were conducted in the USSR.

In addition to purely military objectives, UAVs were also used to train future soldiers. But the arms race did not stand still, and the leading powers continued to develop weapons that could hold back the enemy. At some point, the USSR even became the leader in terms of production of UAVs. However, then the US pulled ahead, because in the war with Vietnam, its aviation losses were too great - drones came to the rescue.

Despite its originally military "nature", UAVs have found their civilian purpose. In a new quality, they received a shorter and more common name - drones, which became even more common than the abbreviation. By the way, it is directly related to their activities, because in translation from English drone - "bumblebee", or the verb "buzz". Retraining also gave an additional impetus to their development, because civilian radio-controlled drones have a lot of possibilities. But each destination needs its own characteristics, so that robotics still do not stand still. So, it seems that there are no questions about what a drone is. What are they?

Kinds

As a rule, drones are distinguished by their size and management features. According to the first criterion, there are 4 categories:

1. Micro. Devices of this group weigh up to 10 kilograms. They are capable of continuous flight for an hour at a height of up to 1 kilometer.
2. Mini. 10-50 kilograms, the height restriction is 3-5 kilometers, the flight duration is up to several hours. Lighter devices of this category can still refer to civil, then - no.
3. Medium. The weight is up to 1 ton, the flight duration is 10-12 hours, the maximum altitude is 9-10 kilometers.
4. Heavy. Up to a day in flight at an altitude of up to 20 kilometers.

By the peculiarities of their functioning, one can distinguish such:

• Uncontrollable;
• Automatic;
• Remotely controlled.

Typical device

The standard design of the UAV includes a satellite navigation receiver, as well as a gyroscope and an accelerometer. In addition, the device must have a programmable module. For writing the algorithms of work, high-level languages are used: C, C ++, Modula-2, Oberon SA or Ada95.

If you also need to save and send some information to the operator, then the design includes a memory module and a transmitter. Any other equipment is added depending on the purpose of use. The controlled drones also have a command receiver and a telemetry transmitter.

Appointment

The targets for which a flying drone can be used are a huge number. In addition to the already mentioned military purpose, they are engaged in aerial photography, security monitoring. The branches that have such devices in their arsenal are a large number: agriculture, fisheries, forest protection, mapping, energy, geology, construction, media, etc. Already, developers are looking for ways to ensure the delivery of various cargoes via drone vehicles, establish a reliable Communication with remote areas, while reducing fuel costs and securing the environment. In a word, there are a lot of problems for manufacturers, since there is already a demand for some functions, but there are no offers in response yet. So the potential is huge.

Photography

Separately it is necessary to tell about the new hobby which has arisen owing to wide distribution of the UAV. It's about taking pictures from such angles that it was incredibly difficult to reach earlier. A flying drone with a miniature camera allows you to look at the familiar sights from a completely different perspective and see them in a new way. And the most successful staff regularly participate in special competitions under the aegis of influential magazines, for example, National Geografic.

Multicopters

There is a category of aircraft, which are often considered separately due to differences in design. In fact, the drone quadrupter is not that different from conventional UAVs, it only has more screw systems - in this case four. It is this design that has become the most popular among civilian drones. However, the safety of their flights became a serious problem, because even if the battery is suddenly discharged from a height of 0.5-1 kilometer, even a light enough apparatus can cause injuries to people, therefore it is recommended not only to take special courses on UAV management, but also to observe special rules.

Interesting examples of UAV

Among the devices that have useful practical applications, there is a place for toys and entertainment. So, a few years ago, a large manufacturer Parrot introduced a drone drone, performing the role of a reliable alarm clock. As soon as the awakening time came, he fled or flew away from the owner, and it was possible to turn it off, only catching, which made it much more difficult to fall asleep again. So such a device can not only be useful, but also entertain, depending on what is enough fantasy.

One Dutch artist, for example, came up with the idea to pay homage to his cat, who died under the wheels of the car, making an original quadrocopter. The animal bore the name in honor of one of the Wright brothers, and after death, screws were attached to its effigy, and the entire structure was presented to the public at one of the contemporary art exhibitions in 2012. The reaction was ambiguous, but the public resonance caused this event to be wide. And if this drone-quadrocopter in the form of a cat is probably not the best idea, there is always an opportunity to think up something of your own.

Availability

There are no restrictions on sales of civilian models, although of course it will not be possible to acquire a combat drone, so those who want to take photos and videos from height, habitual birds, watch the transport situation or use some other functions of these devices, Can exercise it freely. Some enthusiasts prefer to do them themselves, especially if there is appropriate knowledge. To design a flying drone with a camera is not such a difficult task for craftsmen, in the extreme case it can always be ordered, good, the prices for the models are quite democratic - the average cost fluctuates around 300 US dollars. There are also cheaper samples that can literally fit on the human palm.

Opponents

In spite of the fact that devices of the category "drone / drone" have become widespread not long ago, there are already a lot of people who advocate limiting or even banning these devices. They argue their position by the fact that UAVs flooding cities not only create unnecessary noise, but can also produce photo and video through windows of buildings, thus invading privacy. While the opponents are dissatisfied mainly in the US, but serious discussions about the laws governing the operation of drones are not being conducted. Nevertheless, demand creates supply - some manufacturers are already selling devices that determine the presence of aircraft in a certain radius. The sensor distinguishes the device from birds by the nature of the movement and produces a special sound signal, well, and how to deal with the uninvited "guest" is decided by the owner himself.

Manufacturers

If we talk about the category of "combat drone", then Israel will undoubtedly be the world leader in this sphere. He, of course, is a leading exporter, occupying, according to some estimates, about 40% of the international market. Countries with a large share of the military-industrial complex, such as the United States and Russia, conclude contracts with Israeli agencies for joint development of devices.

Another serious player in the market is Iran. According to experts, the latest developments of local manufacturers are quite capable of competing with Israel's products. A sufficient number of models for different purposes can boast of the Argentine army.

Development prospects

The battle future of the drones is unquestionable - they will in any case find use. As for civilian devices, the prospects are even more curious. According to open information gathered by the organizations of the European Union, by 2020, consumer demand for UAVs will be distributed by industry as follows: 45% will fall on state structures, 25% - firefighters, 13% - agriculture and forestry, 10% will take energy, 6% - review And the remaining 1% - communication and broadcasting.

However already now many design bureaus think about how the delivery by drones can be organized. At the same time, it is necessary to solve a sufficient number of problems: from the problem of sufficient carrying capacity and the time of autonomous work to the issue of ecological utilization. But in general, this direction of robotics is more than promising.

In Russia

In the Russian Federation, the old developments of the times of the USSR were naturally lost for some reason or other, so in fact this industry had to be re-learned. In 2009, a contract was signed with an Israeli company for the purchase of UAVs, but later it was decided to develop Russia's drones independently. For this purpose, the Defense Ministry allocated 5 billion rubles, but the investments did not bring the desired result - the apparatus simply could not stand the test program.

In 2010, Transas won a tender for R & D to create a UAV, especially since it already had experience of such developments. Further developments regarding the success of developments are, to some extent, classified information. In 2012, it became known about the successful passing of tests by a model called Orlan-10. After participating in several exercises, the model received high marks and good reviews from the military, but this device is intended only for short range, so the development is conducted in several directions so that Russia's drones can also receive a shock mission and successfully guard the borders from possible threats.

In 2014, they were to undergo tests of medium-range UAVs, as well as prototypes of take-off mass from 10 to 20 tons. Also, the public was shown a reconnaissance complex "Seeker", received a number of comments, but on the whole recognized as very promising. Also it was reported about the production of the Forpost model at one of the Russian enterprises jointly with Israel.

Despite all the problems, the industry has good potential, but, unfortunately, Russian drones are unlikely to receive a "second wind" in the near future in the form of conversion to civilian specialties. There are no large manufacturers of apparatus for the general population and are not yet expected.