Published On 4/11/2025
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Last update: 17:58 (Mecca time)
A Russian drone designed to monitor radiation after a potential nuclear accident or conflict. It works in radioactively contaminated areas and contributes to saving thousands of lives in the first hours after the disaster.
The idea of manufacturing it is based on the principle of rapid response to confront nuclear emergencies, based on the fact that delay in dealing with crises leads to huge losses, not only due to the disaster itself, but also due to slow action that exacerbates the economic damage and affects general stability.
Origination and manufacturing
The Doomsday Drone was manufactured by the Integrated Drone Solutions Center, which is located in the city of Zhukovsky, Moscow Province. It is a center specialized in developing wireless electronic systems and advanced technical equipment, in addition to training personnel, designing drones, and technical support systems.
The production of this drone came after a series of technical tests and scenarios that aimed to create an aircraft that relies on first-person vision technology and has the ability to operate in conditions that were previously considered unsuitable for any electronic system, especially in hotbeds of radioactive contamination resulting from any potential nuclear conflict.
Its development is part of the “Khorst” project, which is an integrated Russian system for monitoring radiation levels and assessing the degree of environmental pollution remotely following nuclear strikes or major radiation accidents.
In 2014, Russia conducted experiments to integrate drones into an independent radiation reconnaissance laboratory within the framework of the Federal Nuclear and Radiation Safety Program, and the drone demonstrated its ability to conduct automated and semi-automated surveys, while transmitting accurate data directly about gamma radiation rates during its flight.
The designers emphasized that the goal of developing the march is not military as much as it is humanitarian and strategic, as it represents a way to save lives in the event of a nuclear disaster, by enabling the authorities to collect vital information without endangering the lives of workers.
After any possible nuclear explosion, it is not expected that everyone will be destroyed immediately, as is rumored. Rather, radioactive clouds and nuclear dust will spread throughout the planet for a period of time, which makes monitoring pollution and drawing a radiation map a crucial issue.
Here the importance of the “Khorst” system, equipped with the “Doomsday” drone, emerges, which can work in the most difficult and dangerous environments to secure field information that determines the fate of evacuation and rescue operations in the first hours after the disaster.
The goal of manufacturing
The purpose of manufacturing a doomsday drone is to quickly detect radiation and move to protect residents and vital facilities in the event of a nuclear strike or radioactive contamination incident.
They are not used for military purposes, but rather to protect cities, industrial areas and infrastructure from the effects of radiation.
The drone helps quickly determine the extent of the contamination, allowing organized evacuations to be carried out and safety procedures to be implemented efficiently.
It also contributes to reducing damage and enhancing response readiness, as delayed information in such circumstances leads to greater confusion and wider human and economic losses.
Mechanism of action
The Doomsday Drone operates in a way that ensures the operator’s complete safety, as he operates it from inside a closed armored vehicle without having to exit it.
While the vehicle is moving in the field, the aircraft is in the air and is controlled remotely via control systems that transmit the live image to the operator. It is characterized by its high maneuverability, quick take-off and operation in difficult conditions, which makes it well suited for dangerous missions.
This mechanism is designed to reduce risks to the human element, so that the aircraft works for surveillance and reconnaissance in polluted or unsafe areas instead of sending people to them.
Specifications and advantages
The Doomsday drone is a quadcopter equipped with a high-resolution camera that transmits the live image directly to the operator’s device, allowing him to see the scene as if he were inside the cockpit itself.
This technology enables the collection of data in radioactively contaminated environments without the need to expose specialists to any direct danger, as the drone replaces humans in carrying out sensitive field tasks.
The drone can fly for up to 20 minutes in active maneuver mode, and its range ranges from about 500 meters in areas of severe pollution to 2 kilometers in areas with varying pollution.
It is based on a first-person vision system, which gives the operator instant visual awareness of the field situation in conditions where it is not possible to leave the shelter or armored vehicle due to the high radiation risk.
Doomsday Marchers are unarmed in nature, and are not used for attack or combat, but rather for surveillance and environmental reconnaissance missions.
Its primary function is to record field data, identify danger locations and direct rescue teams towards safe routes for evacuations.
It was also equipped with devices to measure the degree of radiation and sensors to monitor toxic substances, and issues an automatic warning to the operator when the radiation level exceeds safe limits, which contributes to reducing risks to humans and increasing the efficiency of emergency response.