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- Feeling of weight: the new Russian drone "Motylek" will be able to carry up to 300 kg of cargo
Feeling of weight: the new Russian drone "Motylek" will be able to carry up to 300 kg of cargo
Tests of the Motylek heavy drone, capable of carrying up to 300 kg of payload, have begun in Russia. According to the developers, the device is designed for cargo delivery, evacuation of the wounded, signal relay and other tasks. Its high payload capacity also allows it to be used to dump heavy ammunition. The Izvestia correspondent visited the first test flights of the new machine.
"It's better not to mess with drones"
The Motylek drone, the size of a small minibus, stands in the center at the industrial site of the Sovelmash development company. The car is somewhat reminiscent of a large dragonfly. Probably because of the large propellers, the drone has four of them. Not only the management of the company, but also some of the employees come to see the flights. The launch of Motylka is a big event for the company.
Soon, Evgeny Dunov, an engineer for the introduction of new equipment and technologies of the company, appears on the site — he will have to control an unmanned vehicle.
The engineer looks like a sapper in a heavy armored suit before entering a minefield. He is wearing a bulletproof vest with protective elements on his arms and legs, and an army helmet with thick protective glass is on his head.
— Everything is in accordance with safety regulations: it's better not to mess with drones, — Evgeny smiles.
In an emergency, blades spinning at high speed can turn into dangerous damaging elements that will pierce even a sheet of thick iron, he explains.
After the conversation, there is immediately an urgent desire to move away to the employees of the enterprise, who are standing in a safe place.
Evgeny gets the command to start and turns on the engines. Only here do you understand the power of the machine.
Even at a distance of several tens of meters, the panama hat starts to blow off your head — you have to hold it with your hands. The hum of the engines rises, and the car begins a vertical ascent. Once at a height of 20 meters, she freezes, and then begins a horizontal flight.
The drone is controlled using a remote control similar to those used on the well-known Mavik drones. However, there are minor differences in piloting machines, and operators will need to get used to them.
— A small drone is easier to control, — says Evgeny. — Our machine has a completely different diameter of screws, weight, engine operating speed range and, most importantly, significantly more inertia. All this must be taken into account when piloting such a large machine.
The Motyl is controlled by radio, but in the future it will be easy to equip it with a satellite or fiber-optic control system.
— The drone has a large payload, and a 30 or even 50 km fiber optic coil is not the weight that you should pay attention to at all. But in combat conditions, this type of control will make the drone 100% protected from the effects of enemy electronic warfare systems," explains Evgeny.
The car, picking up the wind, describes several circles over the industrial site. The estimated speed that the device should reach is approximately 100 km/h.
"There may be more," explains Alexander Sudarev, Deputy General Director for Public Relations. — But, most likely, the recommended cruising speed will not exceed 50-60 km/h. But it's too early to talk about specific recommendations yet: everything will become clear only after the end of the tests.
The flight time and range depend on the installed batteries and cargo, however, according to the developers, the device will be able to carry out transportation over distances of 50-60 km.
They are waiting at the front
Meanwhile, the car makes a soft landing. People around you start to smile — it's immediately clear that the company's employees are not indifferent to the fate of their brainchild.
— Are you very worried when you lift the device into the sky? I ask Evgeny.
"Even the first time, I wasn't up to it — all my attention was focused on driving, but then, of course, I felt that we had done a great job," he says, lifting the armored glass on his helmet.
The latest modification of the Moth has been undergoing testing for two weeks now. So far, the developers are performing one or two departures per day.
The drone can perform a wide range of tasks: transporting goods or the wounded, relaying a radio signal, and, if necessary, dropping ammunition. The machine will be able to lift the FAB-250 aerial bomb, but, of course, special, almost ideal conditions are needed for its use.
There is a request for such a machine in the army, the manufacturers do not hide it. They had to communicate with our front-line soldiers more than once, who were very interested in the project.
— They ask how the car will work, and they say that it is very necessary right now, — they are waiting for such a car, they are really waiting, — says Dmitry Duyunov, the chief engineer of the project, Evgeny's father.
The special feature of the drone is its unique compact asynchronous motors, each with a power of 60 kW. This is a domestic development that has no analogues in the world. They are several times more compact, lighter, more powerful and more reliable than other electric motors.
— The engines that are currently used contain magnets, which are covered with dust, and after that the units completely fail, — said Dmitry Dunov. — And it is impossible to protect them from it. Our engine doesn't have magnets, which means there's no such problem.
The machine is unique — Chinese air taxis, which are currently being tested, can lift only 100 kg of cargo into the air, the developers say.
Industry, rural areas and the Ministry of Emergency Situations are waiting
The drone is interesting to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. During the elimination of natural disasters, the device will allow you to transfer goods to places where other equipment cannot reach, as well as transport victims. The "Moth" will also help in extinguishing fires.
It also provides new opportunities for agricultural enterprises, the developers say. A 200-250 liter tank mounted on a drone, they explain, will allow for rapid spraying of liquids over large areas.
— This will allow you to perform a number of works that can only be done at a time when there is dew, which is 30-40 minutes, — said Alexander. — Less lifting devices carry small tanks, and they must be constantly replenished, which often jeopardizes or even disrupts such field work.
The industry needs it as a cargo carrier or a winch that allows lifting and moving heavy objects.
The project, according to the developers, should be economically profitable. The Motylek heavy UAV is a versatile dual—use platform, whose flight performance surpasses its foreign counterparts in terms of payload capacity. The successful completion of the current two-week tests will confirm the machine's readiness for mass production.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
