The Russian army became the first in the world to adopt hypersonic missiles and use them in combat conditions. At the same time, the command of the armed forces understands that NATO countries are “walking on their heels” both in the hypersonic race and in the development of “non-traditional types of weapons”. These, in addition to the above systems, include energy and kinetic weapons, as well as the first combat robots. Russian media was looking at what advanced weapons Russia is building today and could field by the end of this decade.
In April 2022, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov informed during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the new army rearmament program allocates significant funds for the development of future technologies.
“The new state weapons program will aim to create qualitatively new weapons, including non-traditional types of weapons, including directed energy weapons, kinetic weapons, as well as artificial intelligence control systems and robotic systems,” the Deputy Prime Minister said at the time. .
In addition, Borisov noted that the government is actively working on import substitution of all, even the most insignificant foreign components in the development of weapons of the future.
Robots with artificial intelligence
Even at the Army-2018 arms show in Kubinka near Moscow, the Kalashnikov concern presented its first automated turret with two heavy machine guns. Visually, it looks like something out of Command & Conquer or Starcraft. Now it’s “in the metal” and in real life.
The artificial intelligence of the Kalashnikov machine gun robot is built on the basis of neural networks and can learn and develop during work. Thus, a tower with a 12.7 mm machine gun can independently detect and recognize targets, then prioritize their importance and destroy them in turn, depending on the threat each of them poses. For example, first select an armored personnel carrier with an air assault group on board, then proceed to single targets on the battlefield.
At the same time, there is nothing to prevent a person from turning off the artificial intelligence functions and taking control of the fire while the machine displays enemy targets on the ground.
Kalashnikov media
“The special feature of the robot is that it can work not only on land targets like enemy infantry or lightly armored vehicles, but also on sea and air targets.
This weapon can therefore become a very effective tool against small drones, which have become a serious threat during the hostilities of the forces in the Middle East or Ukraine,” TASS military analyst Viktor Litovkin told Russian media.
On the Kalashnikov site famous that such a combat module can be installed both separately at one point and as part of several “turrets” united in a single network for coordinated actions. For example, to protect the perimeter.
In addition, the station is able to independently make the decision to exclude objects that do not pose a danger, for example, animals, from the destruction sector, which minimizes the likelihood of their destruction.
Marina Lystseva / TASS
“At the same time, the robot’s artificial intelligence (“the brain of the machine” or simply a computer) was initially loaded with a database of targets – their appearance, movement, heat radiation, etc. The database is constantly updated, supplemented and expanded through self-learning algorithms.And engineers can already add additional detection methods inside the machine – by temperature, by the amount of light in the infrared spectrum, etc.,” says Litovkin.
As the expert noted, the installation of such combat modules in military and government facilities allows to eliminate the human factor in security. For example, loss of alertness and fatigue.
energy weapons
According to the classic definition directed energy weapons, colloquially referred to as laser weapons, include systems that strike a target due to the direct transfer of energy of one type or another without the use of conductors, kinetic submunitions, etc. .
They are divided into several classes. Among them are electromagnetic weapons, beam, acoustics and so on.
In Russia, one of such systems is the Peresvet laser complex. There are no publicly available frames on which the complex “burns” targets on the ground, in the air and at sea. All of them are classified as “top secret”.
Peresvet system. A frame from the presidential address to the Federal Assembly in 2018Press Service of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation
Since 2019, he has been on combat duty in units of the Strategic Missile Forces. “Peresvet” was repeatedly mentioned in the context of the 15th Army of the Aerospace Forces (Special Purpose), which is responsible for warning of a missile attack, recognizing the space situation and controlling orbital groups. That is, in the air defense and missile defense forces, which are building an “anti-missile umbrella”.
“Laser weapons are suitable for disabling missiles, warheads, as well as reconnaissance satellites and missile early warning systems. The main advantage of the energy beam is that it hits the target instantly and there is practically no time to recharge the installation,” Yuri Knutov, director of the Museum of Air Defense Forces, told Russian media. .
However, there is also a significant downside. According to the expert, laser weapons are very sensitive to weather conditions. Simply put, at the current stage of technological development (both in Russia and the United States), ideal weather conditions are required for efficient laser operation. In other words, no heavy rain, no sandstorms and snowstorms, no fog.
Knutov notes that these nuances will be resolved in later versions of laser systems being developed at research centers in Russia and abroad.
Kinetic Weapons
Kinetic Weapons – these are systems that use the kinetic energy of destructive elements as the main destructive factor.
“They ‘accelerate’ ammunition to speeds above 4000 km/h (for comparison, hypersonic weapons fly at a speed of about 6000 km/h) using new unconventional weapon systems. For example, supermagnets that accelerate flight, ”explains Litovkin.
In Russia, after the United States, the development of its own “railgun” is underway.
According to the expert, the main difference between kinetic weapons and others is the power plants that power the gun and sometimes accelerate the flight of the projectile to the target.
“For the operation of kinetic guns, electrical generators with a capacity of more than 100 kilowatts are required. At the same time, their battery must provide launches of tens of thousands of shells before the car has to go through a maintenance cycle. In addition, these systems must be adapted to operate at extremely low or extremely high temperatures,” Litovkin notes. He explained that currently batteries and supercapacitors of similar capacity are produced by the Russian company TEEMP.
According to the analyst, the Russian military will declassify and demonstrate the capabilities of the new complex to the country and the world within a few years. The kinetic weapon itself may appear in service with Russia by the end of the 20s – the beginning of the 30s.
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