Ukraine’s PrAT Ramzay Develops Helicopter Drone with Laser Homing Missiles

Privately held Ukrainian Firm, PrAT Ramzay JSC has developed an armed helicopter drone together with laser homing missiles which will be unveiled at the Arms & Security International Expo later this month in Kyiv.

The project to build a rotor drone has been under development during the past few years, and the first prototype is expected to make its maiden flight this year. Trials for another development project – a helicopter fire/weapon control kit encompassing an optical targeting system which adds R-73 IR homing air-to-air missile capability to the air-to-ground weapons package that strike helicopters commonly use, as per a Defense Express report.

The unmanned combat helicopter has been designed with a payload capacity of 200 kg, inclusive of half of that load for precision-guided missiles, Yuri Polyovyy, PrAT Ramzay CEO, told Security Talks in an interview hosted by Valentyn Badrak.

Missile guidance will be done assisted by the advanced weapon/fire control kit PrK-R-21, which is a compact-size version of the PrK-R-11 system, itself a follow-on evolution to the renowned 524R missile fire control kit used on attack helicopters.

“This kit comprises Ramzay’s proprietary autopilot system, weapons control system, a high-tech, stabilized weapon platform fitted with three TV camera sensors, laser sensor, laser range finder, and thermal imaging sensor to facilitate the aiming and guidance of precision-guided munitions,” Polyovyy said.

524R, in its baseline configuration, has day/night capabilities for guidance and control of two RK-2V/Barrier-V ATGM missiles that can reach targets out to 7,500 m and are guided by a semi-automatic laser homing seeker, with the laser beam focused on the tail of the missile, Defense Express reported.

PrK-21 can also support a conventional laser homing technique where the missile follows the trajectory of target-reflected laser beam, making it compatible for use with laser-guided projectiles of NATO armies.

Laser target illumination technique is used for guidance and control of Roketsan MAM-c MAM-L munitions fielded on Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs and of guided versions of U.S.-developed, 70-mm HAP Hydra 70 missiles with semi-active laser seekers.

A similar technique is employed for control and guidance of “heavier”, helicopter-launched ATGMs like Turkey’s UMTAS or U.S. AGM-114 Hellfire.