AK-47 소총 제조사, ‘자살폭탄 드론’ 공개 VIDEO: Russian makers of Kalashnikov rifle create ‘suicide’ drone
Russian makers of Kalashnikov rifle create ‘suicide’ drone
'Whoever buys one will have the ability to steer a bomb with a high degree of accuracy unparalleled except by some of the US military's smartest bombs'
A model of the KUB, which is four feet wide and carries six pounds of explosives, according to Kalashnikov ( Liz Sly/ Washington Post )
AK-47 소총 제조사, ‘자살폭탄 드론’ 공개 "전쟁 양상 바꿀 것" AK-47 자동소총을 발명한 것으로 널리 알려진 러시아의 무기제조사 칼라슈니코프(Kalashnikov)가 공격용 ‘자살폭탄 드론(무인기)’을 제작해 공개했다. 23일(현지 시각) 미국 일간지 워싱턴포스트(WP)에 따르면 러시아의 방산업체 칼라슈니코프는 지난 17일부터 아랍에미리트 아부다비에서 개최된 방위산업 전시회 ‘IDEX 2019’에서 공격용 자살폭탄 드론인 ‘KUB-UAV’를 선보였다. 위 사진 설명: 칼라슈니코프(Kalashnikov)는 아랍에미리트 아부다비에서 지난 17일부터 개최된 방위산업 전시회 ‘IDEX 2019’에서 공격용 자살폭탄 드론인 ‘KUB-UAV’를 공개했다. /WP 이 자살폭탄 드론은 폭이 1.2m에 불과하지만 폭발물을 2.7kg까지 싣고 약 시속 129km로 30분 동안 비행할 수 있다. 이 드론은 최대 64km 떨어진 목표물까지 날아가 자살폭탄 공격을 할 수 있다. 칼라슈니코프는 KUB-UAV에 대해 "조작이 간편할 뿐만 아니라 저렴한 가격에 비해 성능은 가히 혁명적"이라며 "AK-47 소총처럼 전쟁의 양상을 바꿀 것"이라고 했다. 러시아 국영 방산업체인 로스텍(Rostec)의 세르게이 체메조프 회장도 이 드론이 "새로운 형식의 전투를 향한 진일보"라고 평가했다. 칼라슈니코프 측은 자살폭탄 드론의 가격은 구체적으로 밝히지 않았지만 전 세계의 ‘작은 군대’에 판매할 계획이라고 밝혔다. 이 때문에 전문가들은 이 드론이 AK-47 소총과 마찬가지로 테러범들의 손에 들어가 악용될 수 있다고 우려하고 있다. 이슬람 극단주의 무장조직인 IS(이슬람국가)는 이미 자살폭탄 드론의 활용성에 주목해 이라크와 시리아 전투에서 폭발물을 드론에 부착해 사용한 바 있다. 미국과 이스라엘 군대는 자살폭탄 드론을 자국 군대 무기 체계에 포함시키고, 관련 기술의 외부 유출을 엄격히 금지하고 있다. 지난해 8월 니콜라스 마두로 베네수엘라 대통령이 야외연설 도중 드론 폭탄 공격으로 암살당할 뻔했다. 지난해 12월 영국 런던 개트윅 공항에도 드론이 출현하며 항공편 운항이 대거 취소된 바 있다. 최상현 기자 조선일보 출처 : http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2019/02/24/2019022401213.html |
edited by kcontents
The Russian company that gave the world the iconic AK-47 assault rifle has unveiled a suicide drone that may similarly revolutionise war by making sophisticated drone warfare technology widely and cheaply available.
The tiny item was dwarfed by the tanks, armoured vehicles and fighter jets that were also on display. But it has as much potential to change the face of war as its older cousin, the AK-47, widely referred to simply as the Kalashnikov.
With its low price, high efficiency and ease of use, the Kalashnikov rifle became the weapon of choice for revolutionaries and insurgents around the world, empowering disgruntled citizens against their governments in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Nicholas Grossman, a professor of international relations at the University of Illinois and author of the book “Drones and Terrorism”.
“I think of it as democratising smart bombs,” he said. “It means disseminating smart bombs more widely. This would shrink the gap between the most advanced militaries and the smaller ones.”
The Company That Makes the AK-47 Is Now Building Suicide Drones/The National Interest
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Suicide drones are not new. Isis pioneered the art of attaching explosives to commercially available drones and detonating them on advancing troops and enemy bases during the battles for the cities of Mosul and Raqqa in Iraq and Syria.
Russian troops in Syria were targeted by the biggest-ever suicide drone assault in Syria last year, when a swarm of more than a dozen crudely assembled devices incorporating explosives and GPS guidance systems descended onto Russia’s Hmeimim air base in Syria.
The US and Israeli militaries have incorporated suicide drones into their arsenals – but controls on the export of technology mean the devices aren’t shared outside a small circle of close allies.
The KUB drone will be faster and more accurate, and will deliver twice the explosive charge and have a greater range than any of the crude homemade devices that have been patched together by terrorists, according to the Kalashnikov representatives at the exhibition.
And unlike US and Israeli exploding drones, the KUB will be “very cheap”, said one of the Kalashnikov representatives. He declined to name the price and spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to communicate with the media.
Kalashnikov rifle/The Economic Times
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The target market will be “smaller armies” around the world, he said, meaning the availability of the KUB will bypass controls imposed by the US and its allies that are designed to keep weaponised drones out of the hands of their foes.
The potential for terrorists to use drone bombs to carry out attacks is one of the biggest worries surrounding the proliferation of the technology, experts say.
Two such drones were used in an apparent attempt to assassinate Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in August.
Recent shutdowns of airports in London, Dublin, New York and Dubai due to mysterious drone incursions demonstrate Western governments’ lack of readiness to address threats posed by drones, Mr Grossman said.
Terrorists are more likely to continue to improvise their own ways of jury-rigging explosive drones using cheaply available commercial devices and their own bomb-making expertise rather than spend on a ready-made version, said Nick Waters, a former British army officer and drone expert.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/kalashnikov-rifle-drone-ak47-suicide-kamikaze-war-russia-a8794686.html
