Taking advantage of the framework provided by the Viet Nam Defence Expo 2024, held in Hanoi from December 19 to 22, the company Unmanned Systems Group has presented its most advanced drone, the Supercam S350, currently used by the Russian Armed Forces in combat operations in Ukraine. This new UAV combines an advanced design, which has been constantly refined based on feedback from its operators, to perform both civil and military missions.
Since the conflict in Ukraine began, the Russian Federation’s military complex has adapted to the realities imposed by the widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles. One of these companies is Unmanned Systems Group, which has equipped the Russian Armed Forces with a solution that combines advanced technology at a lower cost compared to its U.S. and Israeli counterparts.
Officially designated as the Supercam S350, this new drone, presented in Vietnam and aimed at the Southeast Asian market, combines key capabilities that allow it to perform tasks in both the civil and military sectors. Among these tasks, we can list missions such as border security and surveillance, or even monitoring critical infrastructure for a country’s development, such as gas pipelines and oil refineries.
According to reports from Unmanned Systems Group and the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Supercam S350 has stood out in its use by the Russian Armed Forces, who have highlighted the drone’s resistance to adverse weather conditions (even in high humidity and temperatures exceeding 45°C, which are characteristic of Southeast Asia).
It has also been noted that it does not require infrastructure or runways to operate in austere conditions, as its lightweight design allows it to be deployed by a single operator using pneumatic or elastic catapults. This makes it possible to operate with various types of military units deployed in the operational area to perform tasks ranging from reconnaissance, surveillance, and intelligence to target identification, thanks to a wide range of payloads it can carry, such as infrared video cameras with detection capabilities of up to 1.2 kilometers.
In operational experience, the Supercam S350 has been used by infantry units, assault groups, and in support of rocket and missile artillery systems, thanks to the real-time provision of target data, allowing the adjustment of these fire support systems.
Unmanned Systems Group has detailed that “… Supercam, integrated with the decision support and fire control system, significantly increases combat effectiveness. Thanks to the integrated work of the UAV with artillery and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), the process of ‘target detection – decision making – strike on target’ takes much less time.”
Adding that: “Representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense emphasize that one of the key features of the Supercam S350 is its high-definition camera, as well as its silent electric engine and resistance to electronic warfare. According to UAV crews, it is possible to examine shelters and machine gun positions in detail, track the movement of enemy personnel and equipment, and provide precise target coordinates from a height of one kilometer.”
