Current Projects
01. Rapid Strike UAV
Providing Responsive, Flexible and Integrated Fires
Much has been written on the extensive usage of FPV drones by both Russia and Ukraine over the previous few months. Ukraine in particular has used FPV drones to mobility-kill advancing Russian armored vehicles, attack dismounted infantry and fighting positions and stand in for artillery and aerial fires, in which Russia currently enjoys a considerable advantage. However, FPV drones are only able to deliver a comparatively small payload, are limited by both Ukrainian and Russian jamming, and are fairly inaccurate owing to the considerable strain placed upon drone operators and the constraints imposed by electronic warfare systems and other interference.
The Amiens Group believes that the C-17 helicopter variant of the CRV-7 air-to-ground rocket, if provided to Ukraine and adapted to fit the heavy-lift UAVs being purchased and built by Ukrainian forces, could provide resilient and flexible fire support to Ukrainian units, with more destructive power and less vulnerability to jamming and interception than FPVs. While we by no means see this option as replacing FPVs, which retain a number of advantages, we believe that a heavier strike UAV equipped with the CRV-7 would provide a potent additional tool for blunting Russian armored and mechanized columns, and breaking up the rapid advances by infantry in light vehicles that have been employed by Russian forces more recently. The delivery of more shells and artillery systems to Ukraine is of paramount importance- but our proposed Rapid Strike UAV concept would go some way towards closing the current fires gap, and provide more firepower and flexibility to small units both offensively and defensively.