Mobile Launcher for Tactical UAVs Developed by 558 ARP

Today leading military powers pay close attention to the development of unmanned aircraft systems. And it is no coincidence because the future lies with these systems, as well as with precision weapons.
The development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) has been proceeding at a fast pace for several decades already all over the world. The number of countries developing or procuring unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) is constantly growing. National programmes are being implemented in all areas of UAV applications.
Belarus is one of the leading unmanned aircraft manufacturers in the former Soviet Union. It is noteworthy that obvious successes in this area have been possible only due to the concentration of efforts of involved agencies, designers and manufacturers under the Multipurpose Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Technologies of Their Production (UASs and Technologies) state scientific and technical programme for 2011–2015. Goscomvoyenprom was a state customer of the programme.
As a result of a focused policy, a range of advanced multipurpose military and civilian UASs has been developed and is delivered to customers in Belarus and abroad.
The 558 Aircraft Repair Plant (558 ARP) developed and manufactured the 1LA-150 Grif-1 UAV weighing up to 180 kg (depending on a payload) for a tactical UAS with a range of up to 100 km under the Multipurpose Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Special Purposes subprogramme No. 2 of the UASs and Technologies programme.
The main requirements of the Belarusian Defence Ministry to modern UAVs are capabilities of operating in difficult conditions, taking off and landing on unprepared sites, using remote control or flying a pre-programmed flight path, as well as multiple use, small mass and geometrical characteristics, and compliance with survivability, mobility and high manoeuvrability requirements.
To extend the functionality of the 1LA-150 Grif-1 UAV application, a mobile launcher was included in the system. The 558 Aircraft Repair Plant was entrusted with the task of developing the launcher.
This system is unique for Belarus because earlier no company in our country was engaged in developing launchers for UAVs with such a weight.
The perspective development directorate of 558 ARP developed a prototype in record time for such a project (11 months).
The mobile launcher passed the state tests in December 2015. The company is ready to start serial production in 2016.
The basic chassis for the launcher is the MAZ all-terrain trailer. The main feature of the pneumohydraulic mobile launcher is the possibility of launching tactical fixed-wing UAVs weighing up to 180 kg from unprepared sites of limited size (300 × 300 m) with ensuring optimum launch speed in the range of 20 to 33 m/s by adjusting working pressure.
According to military experts, the development and phase-in of such systems will strongly increase the capabilities of Belarusian Army units that operate UAVs.

Technical Information