We have seen enough counter-drone measures here. From drone-snagging eagle to bazooka that fires a net to all sort of electronic rifles, we have seen it all, but this anti-drone from Russia is different. This unnamed anti-drone weapon, as demonstrated in a video, can precisely homed into a rogue drone and knock it out of the sky, or at least, disrupt its operation somehow.
It looks like homemade rocket cobbled together with foam and cardboard, but instead of rocket engine, it is propelled by a single rotor on its tip. The entire contraption is rather crude. It could be a prototype since, save for the aileron-equipped wings, it main body is not even curved or round to play well with aerodynamic. TBH, hobbyist rocket kits probably look better than this.
Little is known about this intriguing anti-drone weapon, but one thing for sure is the intention. It is meant to be an inexpensive way of taking drones out of sky; a weapon that can be easily carried and launched by troops on the ground when they encounter enemy’s drones spying on them. Unfortunately, we do not understand Russian and so, we have no understanding of the video.
According to our source, the rocket ram drone was developed by the St. Petersburg “Special Technology Center” (STTS) and if the video is any prove, it actually works like a charm. However, what the six-second drone take down video did not show was, whether on the not the target was incapacitated (but can see that the target was spinning rather violently).
Also, information on the sensor and the homing technology are unknown (we can see that servos are used for moving the ailerons for steering). That said, the rocket itself may be cheap to put together, but there is not telling if the electronics that enable it to locked onto a target is cheap. Now that we think of it, the flying assault rifle drone might be for such purpose (i.e. counter drones) too.
Images: YouTube (Телеканал Звезда).
Source: C4ISRNET.
