The company behind one of the world’s most famous firearms, the AK-47, have turned their attention to building drones.
These are not just any old drones, however.
The Kalashnikov Group, a Russian corporation, are now putting their expertise towards developing kamikaze war drones.
Kalashnikov attended a major defence expo in Abu Dhabi last week and were showing off a miniature version of their exploding suicide drone. We’ve brought you several previous stories about suicide drones which fly towards targets (often using facial recognition software) and detonate when they are in close proximity.
Kalashnikov’s drone, dubbed the KUB-UAV, is designed to be simple to operate, cheap and an effective method for killing your enemies.
Sergey Chemezov, chairman of Russia’s state-owned Rostec arms manufacturer which owns the controlling share on Kalashnikov, claimed in an official launch statement that the KUB-UAV marks “a step towards a completely new form of combat.”
Specs
The KUB-UAV on display at a defence expo in Abu Dhabi
The KUB-UAV is four-feet wide (1.2 meters). It can fly at a speed of 80 miles per hour (128 kph) for 30 minutes. It carries a six-pound (2.7 kg) explosive charge and can be sent to hit a target 40 miles (65 km) away. Once the drone has been launched, it can be manually controlled from the ground with what the manufacturer describes as “utmost precision”.
Smart weapons such as laser-guided cruise missiles have traditionally been so expensive, that only the richest nations could afford them. With newer, cheaper smart weapons becoming available, such as the KUB-UAV, we can expect more nations to start to incorporate them into their arsenals.
Professor of international relations at the University of Illinois and author of the book “Drones and Terrorism,” Nicholas Grossman, told FayObserver.com that the spread of suicide drone will enhance the capabilities of multiple state and nonstate actors.
Drones are playing an increasing role in modern warfare and many experts have warned that the deployment of drones during conflicts may cause them to needlessly escalate. Grossman seems to agree: “I’m quite nervous of the capabilities being unleashed without knowing where it will lead.”
If you liked this story, you might also like to read our recent story about Russia’s heavy-strike autonomous drones.
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