today's popular science | are drones on the battlefield the same as civilian drones?
2024-09-23
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the increasing presence of drones in the russia-ukraine conflict demonstrates the diversity of unmanned systems that can be used for military purposes.
are these small drones used in warfare the same as the civilian drones we see in daily life? and how should we view them?
today's science popularization will answer your questions.
text/video wang mingjun
"more knowledge"
in the recent russia-ukraine conflict, both sides made extensive use of drones to conduct reconnaissance and strike against their opponents.
so, does this mean that civilian drones can also be used as military drones?
not really.
dji, a manufacturer of civilian drones, has repeatedly stated that its products are "designed for civilian use and do not meet military specifications." the industry also believes that the difference between military and civilian use is still a world of difference, and the design goals in some aspects are even completely opposite.
did you know? small drones used on the battlefield can be divided into attack drones, spy drones, and reconnaissance drones according to their combat performance. they can be used independently or in "swarm" tactics.
an attack drone is a drone that carries high explosive devices with the primary purpose of killing personnel.
spy drones are drones that carry micro-spy devices and perform tasks such as eavesdropping, taking photos and recording videos.
reconnaissance drones are drones that carry day and night cameras and are used for local surveillance and reconnaissance on the battlefield.
unlike civilian drones, even small military drones must meet the "six characteristics", namely reliability, maintainability, supportability, testability, safety, and environmental adaptability.
the most important thing for military equipment is long-term reliability. a small military-grade drone may be stored in a warehouse for several years after it is purchased, but once it is needed in a war, it must be taken out and used immediately, regardless of whether it is hot or cold.
in order to improve environmental adaptability, military drones also have to invest a lot of money to conduct high and low temperature tests, vibration tests, etc. to ensure that they are still usable in extremely low temperature environments of minus 55°c and after long-distance transportation with high vibration.
in addition, military products must also consider maintainability, including issues such as parts interchangeability. at the same time, military drones have higher performance requirements, so fixed-wing models are more preferred. for example, when used in plateau conditions, the 30-minute endurance of civilian multi-rotor drones will be further discounted, which seems to be stretched.
how should we view small military drones?
although the progress of science and technology has brought unprecedented prosperity and development to human society, it may also become a weapon to destroy the world. we must seriously consider how to balance the relationship between scientific and technological progress and the ethics of war, and ensure that the power of science and technology is always used to promote human peace and development.
