Stealthy new Russian UAV throws a spanner in the US defence works

The US Air Force, which has seen a lot of success in deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), both for reconnaissance and, more recently, combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, was in for a nasty shock when the Russians showcased a prototype of a combat UAV (or UCAV, Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle) at the Moscow air show. The Russian MiG Skat (Skate) looks very similar to the US X-45 series.

The MiG Skat looks a lot like the X-45C ''flying wing'' design. This shape was meant to make the UAV stealthier. Currently, the Skat is only a full size mockup, but the Russians say they will have a flying prototype in the air within two years.

The US Navy and Air Force have invested over a billion dollars so far to develop combat UAVs that can operate from airfields and aircraft carriers, and replace some of the manned aircraft currently in service. Final design and construction of the full size X45C combat UAV was cancelled last year, when the air force pulled out of the project. The X-45C was supposed to have its first flight this year. The navy is now taking over the project.

The smaller X45A, intended just for development, spent two years doing flight tests for the flight control software. The navy is developing carrier-landing software for UAVs. This is technically the most difficult aspect of the project.

Landing on a carrier is very difficult, especially at night and in bad weather. Carrier landing software has already been tested, but only in manned aircraft, with pilots standing by to take over at any moment. These tests have been successful, but the acid test will be a UCAV actually landing on a carrier, without a human on board as a backup.

The X45A had also passed tests for formation flying, and dropping a 250-pound SDB ''joint direct attack munition'' (JDAM) - an unguided gravity bomb with a low-cost guidance kit that converts it into an accurate, all-weather ''smart'' bomb. The X45C was to carry eight SDBs (small diameter bombs), or up to 4,500 pounds of other JDAMs. It still has undergo several years of development before entering service.

The X-45C is 39 feet long (with a 49-foot wingspan). It is designed to weigh 19 tonnes and have a 2.2-tonne payload. The X-45A is 27 feet long, has a wingspan of 34 feet and has a payload of 1.2 tonnes. The X-45C would be able to hit targets 2,300 km away, for both bombing and reconnaissance missions. Each X-45C would probably cost about $30 million, depending mainly on how much expensive electronic equipment is installed on board.

American UCAV proponents have long warned that it was only a matter of time before other nations began developing armed UAVs. The time has come and, within the next five or six years, Russia will sell its UCAVs to anyone. Now, the US Air Force has to learn to deal with hostile UCAVs too.