In the last decade, unmanned aerial vehicles have become a part of the armaments of most of
the world's armies. In addition, some military drones, such as the Turkish Bayraktar TB-2,
have already demonstrated their effectiveness in real combat conditions. At the moment, the army
of aerial combat robots is not only strengthened, but also constantly modernized. The day is not far
off when drones with artificial intelligence will become the main means of air warfare
and, possibly, completely replace the usual manned fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft,
flying tankers and bombers. It is still difficult to determine which combat drone
is the best in the world today. The fact is that almost nothing is known about many developments.
For example, according to Chinese engineers, some projects of the People's Republic of China should
be just perfect, but how they will behave in trials and in battle remains a mystery.
What kind of drones are considered the most combat-ready? Find out in our video!
We present to your attention a rating of the best military drones of our time!
Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B Our video begins with a Russian development,
the S-70, which is better known as the Okhotnik. This Russian drone made its first flight in August
2019. The drone under the control of the operator made several overflights of the airfield at an
altitude of about 1968ft and made a successful landing. The first flight of the Okhotnik lasted
exactly 20 minutes. The Russian attack drone "Okhotnik" is made according to the "flying wing"
scheme using special materials and coatings that make it practically invisible to radar detection
equipment. The drone is equipped with equipment for optical-electronic, radio-technical and other
types of reconnaissance. Already on September 27, 2019, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced
that the new drone performed a successful joint flight with the fifth-generation Su-57
manned fighter jet. During this flight, the drone worked out interaction with the leader aircraft.
According to some information, the Russian attack drone "Okhotnik" may be armed with a supersonic
anti-radar air-to-ground missile X-58. In addition, as experts believe, it is quite
possible to use four modified supersonic Kh-74M2 missiles and eight KAB-250 corrected aerial bombs
as weapons for an unmanned aerial vehicle. As for artificial intelligence and autonomy,
the Russian "Okhotnik" is a prototype of the sixth-generation fighter jet, but it has not
received the function of deciding on the use of weapons, which still remains with a person.
Predator C Our video is continued by an American drone.
This is the GAAS Avenger or Predator C. The Predator C, like the Predator B variant,
is designed to carry about one ton of payload. If stealth is not required for the mission,
then the weapon can also be placed on the external suspension of the wing and fuselage.
If necessary, additional fuel tanks can be installed in the internal cargo hold.
In this configuration, the machine gets an additional 2 hours of flight.
The vertical V-tail of the Predator C deflects radar radiation and reduces the infrared signature
of the engine exhaust. The power plant is a Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545B engine, which provides a
maximum flight speed of at least 460 mph. In addition, the drone's engine has an S-shaped
air intake, which helps cooling and reduces the drone's infrared visibility. The wing sweep of
the Predator C reaches 17 degrees, and the edges of the empennage are almost parallel. It should
be noted that such contours are used on classic stealth projects of American fighter jet-bombers.
In addition to all that has been said, the wing of this American drone is capable of folding,
which is a key condition for storage in hangars or on a limited-sized deck of an aircraft carrier.
MQ-9 Reaper The MQ-9 Reaper is based
on the successful MQ-1 Predator multipurpose unmanned aerial vehicle from General Atomic
Aeronautical Systems Inc. The first flight of the prototype took place in February 2001.
The MQ-9 Reaper drone is an enlarged version of the RQ / MQ-1 Predator. The main difference is the
"more traditional" V-tail. The Reaper equipment is basically identical to the MQ-1 equipment and
consists of a wide-range infrared optoelectronic sighting system and a radar. This American drone
can be used as a multipurpose combat complex, armed with AGM-114C / K Hellfire ATGM and other
guided weapons. It should be noted that, as such, combat tests of this drone were not carried out.
Initially, the new drone demonstrated performance that far exceeded that of its predecessor. The
MQ-9 Reaper is capable of staying at an altitude of 44 947ft for up to 30 hours. According to the
US Air Force classification, this drone belongs to the category of "hunter-killer" - an aircraft
capable of tracking down a target and destroying it. The Reaper can carry up to 14 Hellfire
air-to-ground missiles, while the now widely used Predator unmanned aircraft is armed with only two
such missiles. When fully loaded, this unmanned vehicle is capable of continuously airborne for
14 hours and has a maximum speed of 298 mph. In August 2008, the United States Air Force
completed the rearmament of the 174th Fighter Air Regiment of the National Guard from F-16 fighter
jets to MQ-9 Reaper. The main advantages over the replaced manned fighter jets are:
lower cost of acquisition and operation, longer flight duration and safety of the pilot-operator.
Heron-1 It is a medium-altitude unmanned aerial
vehicle with a long flight duration. The drone is designed for reconnaissance and surveillance,
as well as performing other tasks during long flights, which can reach up to 45 hours in time,
at altitudes up to 35 104ft. Heron is one of the oldest unmanned aerial vehicles.
Its first flight took place back in October 1994. The onboard equipment of the unmanned
aerial vehicle includes a navigation system with a satellite navigation system signal receiver,
thanks to which the drone is able to fly autonomously for a sufficiently long time
(in this mode it can perform almost the entire flight). There is also a semi-automatic mode
with operator intervention at certain stages of the mission. The Israeli drone has the ability to
perform takeoff and landing in automatic mode, which, along with the 24/7 nature of its use,
makes it a truly highly effective and formidable aircraft platform for the enemy. Moreover, having
lost contact with the ground command post, the drone is able to autonomously return to its base.
Heron can carry a wide range of useful equipment: optoelectronic and infrared systems,
radio and electronic reconnaissance stations, a small radar station,
and the like. Unmanned aerial vehicles can with high efficiency solve the tasks
of adjusting artillery fire and reconnaissance of enemy targets.
At the moment, various Heron modifications are in service with the armies of Australia,
Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Germany, India, Turkey, the United States and, of course, Israel itself.
Now let's talk a little about the unmanned aerial vehicle Taranis
and about the Chinese CH-5 (Rainbow-5) The Taranis is a fifth-generation British
scout stormtrooper named after the Celtic god of thunder. Until recently, the details
of its development were kept under wraps. The only known for certain are the mass - 3 tons,
the length - 36ft, the wingspan - 32ft, and the fact that the drone is equipped with stealth
technology, which makes the machine practically invisible to the enemy's air defense. Maximum
speed - supersonic, designed for intercontinental flights. CH-5 (Rainbow-5) is a new medium-altitude
reconnaissance and strike drone from China. The Rainbow-5 can carry up to 16 air-to-ground
missiles or other precision-guided munitions with a total weight of up to 1984lb. The wingspan
is 68ft, the maximum speed is 248 mph. Without refueling, it will stay in the air for 60 hours.
Bayraktar TB2 The best, in our opinion, and probably the most
famous of all modern strike drones is the Turkish Bayraktar TB2. The length of this machine is 21ft,
the wingspan is 39ft, the range is 93 miles, the maximum take-off weight is 1433lb, the
maximum payload mass is 121lb. The Bayraktar TB2 reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicle,
created by the Turkish company Baikar Makina, is already in service with several countries.
It is a modification of Bayraktar Block-B and belongs to the class of tactical medium-altitude
unmanned aerial vehicles with a long flight duration. The drone has more advanced software
and control systems than, for example, the Israeli Heron. One Bayraktar complex includes six drones,
two ground control stations, power supplies and maintenance kits. The crew includes a
crew commander, a pilot-operator and a weapons operator. The Turkish "Bayraktar TB2" is built
using modern composite materials and is equipped with a Rotax 912 internal
combustion engine with a capacity of 100 hp. The maximum flight speed of the drone is 155 mph,
the cruising speed is 80 mph. The practical height to which the machine can climb is 23950 ft. In
addition, the drone equipment allows the drone to perform fully automatic take-off and landing. The
Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle is equipped with a variety of video cameras and surveillance systems,
which allows it to be used for reconnaissance purposes. In terms of weapons, the Bayraktar
TB2 can carry two anti-tank guided missiles and a laser-guided Roketsan MAM-L or MAM-C
gliding ammunition. Talking about this drone, it is necessary to note the good characteristics of
this machine. During one of the test flights in June and August 2014, the Turkish drone spent 24
hours 34 minutes at an altitude of 26246 ft . That's all for today. We hope you enjoyed the
video. Which unmanned aerial vehicle did you like the most and which do you think is the
most suitable for use in the air force? Leave your answers in the comments. If you liked the video,
do not forget to subscribe to the channel and turn on the notification
to be the first to know when a new video is released. Thanks for watching! See you!