Wei Chang, School of Military and Political Basic Education, National University of Defense Technology
The complex in a combat position launches a drone
At present, many countries are actively developing various types of cruise munitions and creating self-propelled strike systems, aimed at controlling these UAVs to launch these munitions with different capabilities and functions. The German company Rheinmetall Defense proposed the concept of a new combat vehicle with a simple design but capable of carrying 126 rounds of ammunition.
In 2021, the German company Rheinmetall Defense signed a cooperation agreement with the Israeli company UVision on the unmanned field to promote the Israeli developed drones and cruise ammunition in the European market, and in 2022, mass production will begin at the Rheinmetall plant in Italy. The collaboration between the two companies is still ongoing, and it is expected that on July 17, 2024, the latest results of this collaboration will be presented at the Eurosatory XNUMX exhibition in Paris.
Rheinmetall offers a self-propelled attack system capable of carrying a large number of Hero cruise munitions, the exact model is not specified. The photo shows the Hero 120 product, which houses 126 transport and launch containers, the technical characteristics of the rest of the new strike complex have not yet been disclosed. Still, based on the known component information, we can imagine its combat and combat capabilities.
Hero series ammunition
The Hiro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) launcher is a standard 40-foot container divided into three blocks with 42 rows of transverse and 126 units per row for transport and launch containers (TPC) as well as UAVs, and these units can be quickly replaced. Before starting the installation, it was necessary to move it back and partially lower it to the ground in order to ensure that the TPK with ammunition received the slope necessary for launch.
An operator's station is located in the cab of the carrier vehicle and is equipped with the necessary control equipment, which is responsible for firing ammunition, directing it to the desired area, searching for targets and hitting them, etc. In addition, the operator will be able to take advantage of specific functions to control selected Hiro series drones.
The concept, based on its best technical, combat and economic characteristics, as well as its popularity among customers, adopted UVision's Hero 120 cruise ammunition as a flying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Hero 120 has a variable-section tubular fuselage, folding wings and X-shaped tail, a length of about 1 meter, a starting weight of 14.5 kg, and is flown by an electric propeller with a range of more than 60 km and a flight time of 60 minutes. The drone can fly along a course or patrol a given area waiting for a target, and from a tubular container it is released to fly to the target without returning.
Aim through the operator's eyes
With cameras mounted on mobile devices, area reconnaissance, target search and localization are possible. The video signal is transmitted to the control panel, and in order to enhance combat capabilities, the operator can transfer control of the ammunition to another remote control, thereby increasing the combat range of the complex or transferring it closer to the target with more complete information. High-explosive, cumulative and cumulative fragmentation warheads are available for different types of targets. The mass of ammunition of various types is up to 4.5 kg.
The Hero series also includes several pieces of equipment that are similar to the 120 model but differ in size, weight, and warhead power. In addition, UVision has recently developed a new series of unmanned helicopters Hero-R, with different technical characteristics and combat capabilities, and some countries have developed similar products using different types of UAVs to meet diverse needs. Among them, the new concept proposed by Rheinmetall and UVision has obvious advantages and highlights the main difference between its background and previous developments, the main difference of which is the size of the ammunition. A standard 40-foot container can hold 126 drones, a record payload thanks to the optimal combination of launcher dimensions and munitions used. If the project authors had adopted a smaller container or a different Hiro model, the number of unmanned vehicles to be launched could be significantly reduced.
Hit the target
Another important feature of this concept is the full use of existing components, the use of ready-made chassis, combat units and controls, the main focus of project development on the creation of launchers and integrated systems, which will significantly simplify and reduce potential production costs, thereby giving a competitive advantage to the overall system. The complex includes quite successful cruise ammunition, which has been on the market for a long time and has shown the required characteristics, and in the future it is likely that different types of ammunition will be used on the same combat vehicle.
From a technical point of view, the Rheinmetall strike system concept is striking, its design is simple and clear, and theoretically has extremely high combat performance. However, this is only a preliminary design, and the future of the project remains uncertain and depends on a variety of factors, such as the level of interest from potential buyers. If they think that the Hero 120 can perform as shown in the promotional materials, the concept could develop into a full-fledged and ready to use vehicle, however the specifics are not yet known.