Russian troops in Tajikistan have received surveillance UAS designed for “terrain reconnaissance and detection of radioactivity,” the Russian military has announced. “The UAS have substantially raised the military capability of the units carrying out the surveillance mission during day and night,” the report said. The UAS in question are the “Granat,” “Zastava,” and “Leer.” All are relatively small — the Granat and Zastava are portable. And the Leer is apparently especially designed for “detecting radiation, creating interference for radio signals and suppressing specific frequencies.”
It’s not clear what radiation threat there may be in Tajikistan, but the small surveillance UAS would be consistent with Russia’s stated mission of trying to stop the spillover of militants from Afghanistan into Tajikistan. It’s also possible that they are just for show. As regional security expert Mark Galeotti wrote in a recent analysis in openDemocracy, Russia’s belated enthusiasm for UAS is partly for show: “Of course, this is the age of the UAS, and Moscow must be wanting to achieve parity with its rivals… [I]n 2012, Putin acknowledged that ‘unpiloted aircraft are being used more and more actively in armed conflicts; and I must say, they are being used effectively’ and so ‘we need the full line, including automated strike aircraft, reconnaissance drones and other systems… It is imperative to involve best engineering and science bureaus and centres in this effort.'” But Galeotti notes that Russia is far behind other countries like the U.S. — by as much as two decades — and is fast trying to catch up.
Photo: Leer UAS – Russian Ministry of Defence
Source: Eurasianet