Putin’s Security is Armed With Anti-Aircraft Drones

A portable Elka interceptor drone has been spotted in service with the Federal Security Service, which is responsible for the security of the Russian president.

Radio technology specialist Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov published the photo of the guard.

At the military parade on May 9, Vladimir Putin’s personal bodyguards from the Federal Protective Service were equipped with at least one anti-aircraft drone, in addition to their basic set of weapons, to intercept unmanned threats.

The drone can be identified as a Russian Elka interceptor, which Russian soldiers have been using in the war against Ukraine for some time.

The principle of use of the drone is similar to man-portable air defense systems, where the operator must aim the sights at the target and launch the interceptor after visual acquisition. The difference is that this is a multi-rotor drone, and instead of a thermal homing head, a video camera with “machine vision” is used.

The Elka drone is designed to kinetically intercept small drones at low altitude by ramming them. These can be reconnaissance or bomber drones.

According to the developers, the drone’s maximum speed reaches 220-250 km/h, and its interception radius is about three kilometers with a ceiling of 1500-2000 meters. However, these parameters directly depend on the target detection range, which can be significantly reduced depending on the type of drone and weather conditions.

It is available with a portable launcher or a larger ground-based system with an optical station and guides for two interceptors.

Since last year, drones have been increasingly gaining ground in the air defense market, offering cheap and mass-produced solutions to combat other drones, whether they are reconnaissance, strike, or even long-range assets.

In particular, with the increased use of Russian copies of the Shahed-136 in the terror of Ukrainian cities, the government has allocated over UAH 3 billion to purchase four models of domestic interceptor drones.

Together with the scaling up of drone anti-aircraft units and increased supplies of tactical radars, this should ensure the development of air defense infrastructure around cities and other critical facilities.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Ukrainian group Wild Hornets has developed a copter-type interceptor drone capable of reaching an altitude of 11 kilometers.