The new Russian heavy-duty FPV drone "Provod" has begun to be delivered to the military in large numbers, and it's already being used. Feedback from service members has already been received. "Provod" drones are manufactured in Tula, the same company that developed the "Ovod" FPV drones, which we've covered several times. The "Provod," also known as the "Ovod-Pro," is controlled via fiber optic cable, hence the name "Provod." The drone uses unique software for signal transmission, requiring signal processing through a media converter. Currently, the "Provod" FPV drone has a range of up to 30 km, while carrying a large payload of up to 4.5 kg. By comparison, a typical FPV drone flying at this range carries a payload of 1.5 kg. "Provod" FPV drones are already in stock at Russian army depots and units; pricing has not been announced.
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Russian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter tphuang
- Start date
The Russian Armed Forces will receive new Skorlupa naval drones. The first launch tests of the Russian fiber-optic FPV drone "Prince Vandal Novgorodsky" from the Skorlupa naval drone were successfully completed in the Black Sea. Both drones are manufactured by the Ushkuynik Research and Production Center. According to Alexey Chadayev, Director of the Ushkuynik Center, there will be three types of unmanned boats: the Skorlupa naval attack drone, the logistics naval drone, and the controlled target drone. Testing of the first prototypes is currently underway. Low-cost housings for the naval drones have already been established, allowing for their production in large quantities. The drones will be controlled via multiple channels, including fiber optic cable. The goal of the project is low-cost mass production.
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This looks like this is the latest version of the BTR-22. Has a lot of changes from the Army 2024 version. Water crossing capability is back on it. Not sure why they sent a old version to the Saudi show though(?). It has the BTR-82AT turret, and a hatch behind the driver too.
No more need to call it the "BTR-82AT" turret, as we finally got a marketing name for it, "Ballista". These IFV turrets all got B letters like the Berezhok for the BMP-2M and Bachka for the BMP-3.
Unlike the previous turret, it uses the 2A42 instead of the 2A72. For those not familiar with the two 30mm, the 2A42 is gas operated and the 2A72 is recoil operated. The 2A72 uses far fewer parts but has a lower RPM, while the 2A42 can achieve an extremely high rate of fire for spray and die scenarios. However at extremely high rates, the shots are all over the place, but there's still a slow setting for more accurate firing.
The ATGM it uses is Konkurs, which is small and cheap but range is only up to 4000 meters. In contrast the Kornet is used on the Berezhok which achieves 10km of range. The Bachka uses the Metis which is good for 5500 meters. This suggests the ATGM fit is defensive purpose only.
Ballista might be the new standard turret for the BTR-82AT and BMP-1AM going forward.
Military correspondent Dmitry Kulko demonstrated new production munitions for Russian FPV drones. The new "Kaplya" munition, with a shaped-charge penetrator core, deserves special attention. Tests of similar munitions were previously shown; the video is linked below. The "Kaplya" munition is designed to destroy various military vehicles with its penetrator core. Judging by the video, the munitions are already in active use, as the video shows a "Kaplya" munition being mounted on the "Prince Vandal Novgorodsky" drone. Also shown are 1.7 kg high-explosive fragmentation munitions and a 4 kg thermobaric munition. Technical details are not provided.
Testing of Russian munitions with a penetrator core
Testing of Russian munitions with a penetrator core