To increase UAV production, Russia needs to increase production of electric motors

Illustration generated by Stable Diffusion neural network

Speaking at the meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission on the development of special-purpose unmanned aerial systems on 19 September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in 2023 the Armed Forces received about 140 thousand drones of various types, and in 2024 it is planned to deliver to the troops almost ten times more drones than in the previous year.

The President specified that the range of unmanned systems is expanding, and it is necessary to consistently increase the production of unmanned vehicles, improve their characteristics, and introduce artificial intelligence in order to fully cover the needs of the army.

The main problem of UAV production in Russia is the lack of a range of domestic electric motors of different capacities, due to which the majority of UAVs have to be equipped with foreign motors. There are two main constructive types of electric motors: collector and collectorless. They differ in the arrangement of magnets and windings, as well as the presence or absence of a collector assembly. Collectorless motors, in turn, can be designed with external or internal rotor.

In the production of light UAVs, motors with external rotor are widespread. For heavier drones, you can also use collectorless motors with internal rotor, they are able to perform much more work than collector motors. The winding of the FC is located on the stator, while the BCD is located on the rotor.

United Engine Corporation is planning to set up production of small piston and gas turbine engines to meet the growing demand for unmanned aerial vehicles in Russia, but electric motors are a weak point for UEC. In this regard, the corporation plans to attract third-party developers to organise mass production of their products at its facilities.

In Russia, the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern (KRET) is also engaged in the development and production of electric motors for UAVs. In the Republic of Buryatia, serial production of collectorless electric motors for UAVs and other industries is underway at the Ulan-Ude Instrument-Making Production Association (U-UPPO). The expected output is more than 1 million products per year. At the moment U-UPPO has mastered the production of four modifications of collectorless electric motors differing in power: Sarma, Barguzin, Khius and Kultuk. For example, the Sarma electric motor is capable of lifting UAVs weighing up to 11 kilograms into the air. The company plans to master the production of ten more product modifications, as well as a range of collector motors.

At the Ufa University of Science and Technology, the advanced engineering school ‘Motors of the Future’ together with ETC LLC developed a highly efficient contactless electric motor ED-BAS-4950/400 for UAVs. The device weighs less than 500 grams and develops 2700 W of power at a speed of 7800 rpm. During flight tests, the motor confirmed its reliability and readiness for mass production. The university notes that this is the first fully domestic development in this field and it is competitive with foreign similar products.

Spektr Design Bureau (Novosibirsk) together with JSC PO Sever developed electric motors for FPV drones based on samarium-cobalt magnets created in JSC NPP Istok. The peculiarity of the electric motors lies in their ability to operate in conditions of abnormally high temperatures. The products have been tested at temperatures up to +200 degrees Celsius.

Samarium-cobalt magnets have a large load limit, which extends the temperature range and allows flying in the hot climates of Africa or the Middle East, where high temperatures lead to the fact that propellers melt, engines overheat and drone flights are impossible, say the Novosibirsk design bureau. Tests of the products continue, upon their completion, a line of electric motors will be developed to cover the needs of all front-line UAVs.

The Kaluga Electromechanical Plant of Roselectronics Holding has developed a synchronous electric motor for a wide range of applications. Due to its mass, which is no more than 3kg, as well as cost-effectiveness and reliability, the development can be used in the creation of helicopter-type UAVs.

Among the advantages of the synchronous motor over the asynchronous motor are higher power factor and efficiency, wider speed control range. Its high overload capacity allows to keep a constant speed regardless of the mechanical load on the shaft.

Thus, the development of electric motors for UAVs is active, but the widespread use of Chinese products shows that Russia has a significant lag in this segment, which should be closed by involving not only large holdings and corporations, but also small private enterprises and design bureaus in the development and serial production.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5)
Loading...