Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Transform Military Structure and Military Heraldry

The Russian Armed Forces have completed the establishment of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems units. Currently, this unit is equipped with command structures and all levels of military command departments, even possessing a unique military insignia — an emblem that has sparked a revolution in the field of military heraldry, comparable to the introduction of tanks. What tasks does this new unit face now? How quickly will the coordination system with other units be established?

The Russian Armed Forces have added a new branch — the UAV Systems Unit (VBS). According to Deputy Commander of the UAV Systems Unit, Sergey Istuyanov, regular regiments, battalions, and other subordinate units have already been formed. He emphasized, "Operational actions will be carried out according to a unified plan and coordinated with other unit groups."

In an interview with Pravda Komsomolskaya, he spoke about the plans to expand the combat organization of the new unit and mentioned the establishment of the first military academy for training professionals in UAV systems. At the current stage, personnel training is mainly conducted at military schools under the Ministry of Defense, military training centers affiliated with civilian universities, and military districts' training grounds.

As early as the beginning of this year, it was known that the Russian military would establish the UAV Systems Unit. At that time, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov explained that this decision was to implement the instructions of President Vladimir Putin. Previously, Putin had repeatedly emphasized that the effectiveness of UAVs in electronic warfare, counter-artillery operations, reconnaissance, and mine-laying and mine-clearing missions is continuously increasing.

Putin said in June this year: "In this context, I want to point out that we are establishing the UAV Systems Unit as an independent branch. We must ensure that this unit is deployed and developed as quickly and efficiently as possible." The necessity of establishing this new unit largely stems from the lessons learned during the special military operation.

The Ministry of Defense stated that since 2022, drones deployed in the air, on the ground, and at sea have seen widespread development. Belousov pointed out: "Firstly, these drones have been used for reconnaissance, strike, and transport missions at the tactical level, and they also serve as combat means and tools for network information exchange."

On Wednesday (note: the original text does not specify the exact date), the Russian Ministry of Defense also presented the insignia of this new unit. The emblem features a circular red cross shield, with crossed arrows and a sword in the center, and a wing-shaped chip with a five-pointed star at the hilt. This design symbolizes the military's mission and operational methods, as well as the current status of the unit's formation: the sword represents the striking capability of drones, the arrow symbolizes their high precision, and the wings imply their operational domain.

However, the inclusion of the chip pattern in the emblem has drawn criticism from some experts. One view holds that as technology advances, the symbols used in heraldry will inevitably continue to evolve and cannot remain static. For example, in 20th-century military heraldry, new standardized patterns such as tanks, propellers, parachutes, and electric sparks were added.

Is the chip pattern prominent enough and easily recognizable? Would it be more appropriate to use a quadcopter drone pattern instead (such a pattern has already appeared on non-standard shoulder badges of drone operators)? These questions may have room for discussion, but raising them after the emblem has been officially determined is somewhat late.

Next, a simplified version of the emblem will be placed on the shield, with the shape and color of the shield indicating the unit's organizational attributes: a round shield indicates that it is an independent branch, while the red cross with a golden border shows its affiliation with the army; the top of the emblem features a golden emblem of the Russian Armed Forces, indicating that this unit is an official unit under the Ministry of Defense.

The presentation of this military emblem signifies the completion of the process of establishing the new unit, which is a landmark event, much like stamping a document that has already been signed. It demonstrates that the Russian Armed Forces are steadily developing, and the military command can quickly respond to various new challenges.

Oleg Knutov, director of the Air Defense Forces Museum and military expert, stated: "Russia's production capacity is sufficient to equip this new unit with various technical equipment. All newly developed equipment will be directly delivered to the units and soldiers, and feedback from the front lines will be quickly conveyed to manufacturers, which helps us improve the equipment models more promptly."

He believes that the new structure enables centralized command systems and "sets unified standards for all subordinate units in terms of supply and readiness training. Now, we can form a powerful UAV combat force capable of breaking through the defenses of the Ukrainian armed forces, which we did not have the ability to do before."

This retired colonel stated that the size and structure of the UAV Systems Unit are determined by the General Staff. "The information is kept confidential for reasonable reasons — disclosing such information now would benefit the enemy. From public information, we can only know that the unit's organization has been completed, and the command personnel have been appointed."

Denis Fedotinov, an expert in the field of UAV aviation, added: "I think the main purpose of establishing this new branch is to enhance the combat effectiveness of UAV units. This measure may standardize the management of UAV usage in the military, reduce the diversity of equipment models used, thus simplifying personnel training processes and improving the technical maintenance and repair of UAVs."

He speculated that military personnel currently involved in UAV system applications will be incorporated into this new branch. "The increase or decrease in personnel size is unlikely to be affected by the establishment of this new unit. These parameters should be determined by the scale of tasks the Russian Armed Forces need to complete at present."

Knutov predicted that Russia will also establish a military academy for this new branch to train officers. He added, "At the same time, specialized schools will be established to train UAV system operators." However, Fedotinov noted that Russia is already conducting training for UAV operators.

He explained, "The Russian Ministry of Defense has dedicated training institutions, such as the 924 UAV Aviation Center in Kolomna. In addition, some enterprises engaged in UAV system research and development also have their own training schools to train operators for the equipment they produce."

Experts unanimously agree that the main issue facing this unit in the short term will be coordination with other branches of the military.

Knutov believes, "Currently, UAV operators are part of the Army units and maintain close coordination with assault units. However, in the future, different units will belong to different organizational systems and be commanded separately, which may temporarily weaken their ability to operate together."

Fedotinov also expects, "Initially, there may be some issues in organizing joint operations. However, these issues will not be severe and will gradually be resolved over time. Remember, as I mentioned earlier, this branch was not created from scratch, and its members already have extensive experience in operating UAVs."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7572008811578343982/

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