The war in Ukraine has proven that modern drones have a significant impact on the course
of hostilities.
It seems that their importance on the modern battlefield will continue to grow.
Today we will talk about the most dangerous military UAVs in the world.
An unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, is a combat drone that is capable of carrying aircraft
munitions, such as missiles, anti-tank guided missiles, and bombs, and is used for reconnaissance,
target detection, and tracking.
These drones are usually controlled in real-time, but they can also operate with varying degrees
of autonomy.
Many countries use one or more types of unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance and communications,
and some even have combat drones.
UAVs can now perform most air combat operations, utilizing air-to-ground missiles, laser-guided
bombs, or even experimental air-to-air systems.
Such capabilities of drones raise the question of how long manned military aircraft will
last before becoming history.
In recent years, the world’s largest armies have put more and more emphasis on unmanned
combat vehicles, which are gradually becoming the most dangerous and effective weapons on
the modern battlefield.
In this video, we will focus only on the most powerful combat drones that are already in
the service of the military or are still being developed.
Of course, the Ukrainian Armed Forces so far can only dream of such powerful combat drones,
but dreams tend to come true.
So, let’s get started.
Baykar Bayraktar TB2
Of course, I want to start my story with a hero that is already known not only all over
Ukraine but also the whole world.
As you might have guessed, this is Baykar Bayraktar TB2.
This Turkish-made drone has proven itself in the war with the orcs, it has already destroyed
a lot of equipment of the invaders.
It is even said to have played an important role in the glorious sinking of the ‘Moskva’
cruiser.
The Bayraktar TB2 is considered a MALE-class unmanned aerial vehicle capable of performing
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and combat missions with the use of
guided weapons.
The Bayraktar tactical UAV was developed by a joint venture between Baykar Makina and
Kale Group.
This drone is a perfect system for reconnaissance missions and combat operations.
Bayraktar TB2 has a monocoque design integrated with an inverted V-shaped design.
The fuselage is made of carbon fiber, Kevlar, and hybrid composites, while the connecting
segments are made of aluminum parts.
The engine is located between the tail beams.
Each Bayraktar TB2 system consists of six aircraft, two ground control stations (GCS),
three ground data terminals (GDT), two remote video terminals (RVT), and ground support
equipment.
The drone has a length of 6.5 m, a wingspan of 12 m, and a maximum takeoff weight of 650
kg.
It is capable of carrying a load of 150 kg and working both day and night.
General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
This is the first real killer drone.
It was developed in 1994 by the American corporation General Atomics.
Its creation was the beginning of a real revolution in the world of combat drones.
The ability to carry out remote attacks, which save the lives of the personnel, and rapid
and ‘anonymous’ destruction of targets, of course, was appreciated by the US military,
who first used Predator to destroy Taliban firing emplacements in Afghanistan.
After 2002, these drones had also been used against convoys and soldiers from Iraq, Yemen,
Somalia, and Pakistan.
The drone is in service not only in the US Army, but also in the Italian, British, and
Pakistani armies.
A typical Predator configuration includes four aircraft, one ground-based control system,
and one Trojan Spirit II data distribution terminal.
The Predator is 8.2 m (27 ft) long and 14.9 m (49 ft) wide.
The system operates at an altitude of 7620 m (25,000 feet) and at a range of 740.8 km.
The Predator can be in the air for more than 40 hours and has a cruising speed of more
than 129.6 km/h.
The drone is equipped with UHF and VHF radio relay lines, the C-band direct line of sight,
which has a range of 277.8 km, as well as UHF satellite data channels and Ku-bands.
The multi-purpose long-range MQ-1 Predator UAV is armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.
General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
The improved Predator model was named the MQ-9 Reaper and quickly proved its name.
It was first used in 2007 in Afghanistan, destroying a rebel car.
A month after this event, the MQ-9 Reaper already had several dozen units of destroyed
equipment, and when it began to be used not only by the Americans but also by the British,
Italians, and French, this number increased significantly.
The drone is very often used in reconnaissance missions, but it carries almost 1.5 tons of
weapons not by chance.
Although it is not the most technologically advanced drone by modern standards, it is
one of the most powerful and widespread in the world.
With many updates and millions of hours of operation, the Reaper has become a billboard
for modern drone warfare.
IAI Eitan (Heron TP)
This drone, developed in Israel, is one of the most ‘classified’, despite the fact
that it first took up the air in 2004.
It was created by Israel Aerospace Industries (a division of Malat) and is an updated version
of IAI Heron.
Yes, it first became known in 2004, but only in 2006 did the developers announce that the
drone would soon make its first flight.
And only at the end of 2007 it was finally presented to the general public.
IAI Eitan can be used for surveillance, target detection, or reconnaissance, and is capable
of performing combat tasks such as missile defense and long-range strategic strikes.
In addition, the drone is equipped with a mid-air refueling system.
CASC Rainbow CH-4 UAV
Of course, our list also includes Chinese military technology.
The Rainbow-4 (or Cai Hong-4 UAV) model, created by CASC, is not the only model in the company’s
portfolio, but it can definitely be called the most recognizable.
It was specially designed for high-altitude missions over land and sea.
In addition, it can fire its weapons from a distance of up to 5,000 meters.
The Rainbow CH-4 UAV has a retractable mast with an electro-optical sensor and a data
transmission channel to the ground control station.
The drone boasts a modern remote control station with direct visibility and satellite communications.
Control is carried out by two persons.
The Rainbow CH-4 drone is capable of firing an air-to-ground missile from an elevation
of 5,000 meters, so it can stay out of the effective range of most enemy air defense
systems.
This also allows the CH-4 UAV to fire from a position that provides a wider field of
view.
Elbit Hermes 900
Another creation of Israeli engineers that can ‘boast’ of real combat experience
is of great interest to armies around the world.
The Elbit Hermes 900 is a tactical medium-altitude long-range unmanned aerial vehicle designed
primarily to enable the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to conduct intelligence, surveillance,
and target recognition (ISTAR) operations.
The Hermes 900 is a larger, better, and more sophisticated version of the Hermes 450, famous
for its successful air strikes on the Gaza Strip in 2008-2009.
A newer version saw its use for the same purposes recently, in the summer of 2014.
After nearly two months of attacks, it is estimated that some 2,300 Palestinian Hamas
militants were killed.
The actual number killed by this drone is unknown, but the ‘battle-tested’ status
has provided Israelis with new contracts with Brazil and Switzerland.
General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger
General Atomics Avenger is an advanced military drone in service with the US Army.
It was first launched in 2009.
It is a next-generation jet-engine unmanned aircraft system (UAS) designed and manufactured
by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) to provide enhanced rapid response and improved
combat capability for the US Air Force and Allied forces.
The unmanned aircraft system has a length of 13 m and a wingspan of 20 m.
The maximum takeoff weight of the UAS is 8,255 kg, and the fuel capacity is 3,583 kg.
Internal and total carrying capacity make 1588 kg and 2948 kg accordingly.
The UAS jet engine is equipped with a hybrid electric/mechanical anti-lock braking system.
The MQ-20 Avenger can be equipped with a variety of combat-proven weapons, including AGM-114
Hellfire ground-to-air anti-tank missiles, 250-pound GBU-39 small-diameter bombs, and
GBU-12/GBU-49 Paveway II laser-guided bombs weighing 500 pounds, GBU-16 bombs with laser
guidance weighing 1000 pounds and GBU-48 bombs with precision guidance.
It can also carry GBU-31, GBU-32, and GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Ammunition (JDAM) guided
bombs.
This list of weapons is really impressive.
Yabhon United 40
The Yabhon United 40 is a multi-purpose drone that serves mainly in the Algerian army and
is manufactured by the United Arab Emirates.
In addition to military operations, the drone can also perform reconnaissance and humanitarian
tasks.
The Yabhon United 40 UAV was unveiled at the 2011 Dubai Air Show and demonstrated at the
International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi in February 2013.
The first flight took place in March 2013.
The United 40 UAV has a curved double longitudinal design with a tandem wing configuration.
It is equipped with retractable tricycle gear for safe takeoff and landing.
Yabhon United 40 can be equipped with Yabhon-Namrod air-to-ground missiles in a rotary launcher,
Yabhon Thunder cruise missiles, Finmeccanica torpedoes, and guided bombs.
EADS Barracuda
It is not easy to get to the realm of stealth combat drones with a jet engine: little is
known about them and even less can be learned.
EADS Barracuda was developed by Airbus in competition with other European drone programs.
This is a very interesting drone, although it has a shorter flight range and endurance
compared to competitors.
EADS Barracuda is a jet drone designed for air reconnaissance and combat missions.
An unmanned aerial vehicle is made entirely of carbon fiber, including arrow-shaped wings.
It has a length of 8.25 m and a wingspan of 7.22 m, with a maximum takeoff weight of 3250
kg.
The unusual shape of the arrow-shaped horizontal tail and outward-sloping fins makes it different
from other drones in this class.
Outwardly, it is more like a plane, but smaller in size.
The drone is designed to carry 300 kg of high-precision ammunition in the inner compartment, which
opens almost instantly, leaving no chances for the enemy.
Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B
Of course, this review would be incomplete if I did not mention the clumsy creation from
Russia for contrast.
Attempts to make their own drones in Russia have always been unsuccessful.
The first Russian combat ‘stealth drone’ was a continuation of the previous MiG project
called ‘Skat’.
Although it seems that they really wanted to make a sixth-generation plane, whether
they bit more than they could chew on, or ripped off something poorly, was something
in between an airplane and a drone turned out.
The orcs call it ‘strike and reconnaissance unmanned complex’, but in fact, it is a
large combat drone built in a flying wing concept.
Although the design of the flying wing has been rejected by all developers in the world.
The drone has a conventional AL-31 turbojet engine with an unmodified nozzle.
That is, the question is as to whether it is really a stealth drone, or again everything
is just on paper.
But what distinguishes this UAV from other similar drones is its size: almost four times
heavier than a similar aircraft and much larger.
If they do not lie, it can carry almost 3 tons of weapons and has a range of 6000 km.