The Ukrainian Strilets team is working on a portable weather station with an integrated ballistic calculator. The device is intended for high-precision shooting at long range, and the ballistic core developed by the team is planned to be integrated into fire-control systems for turrets and unmanned ground vehicles. This is reported by the Militarnyi outlet.
The weather station’s main purpose is to enable high-precision shooting at long distances, including sniper fire. The device is intended to combine measurements of meteorological conditions and ballistic calculations in a single unit, so that the shooter can quickly obtain the necessary corrections, the developers explain.
The new Strilets Core weather station will be able to measure temperature, air humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, as well as the angle of inclination. The device will use the readings to automatically calculate the ballistic corrections required for an accurate shot. The developers have provided for autonomous operation without an internet connection — GPS will be used to determine location.
The stated weight of the device is 234 grams. The casing will have dust and water protection to the IP67 standard. Other features include support for up to 10 weapon profiles, the ability to connect remote sensors to measure weather parameters from cover, and a Ukrainian-language interface, the developers said.
The weather station will be rechargeable via a USB-C connector, including from a power bank. The design also includes an API port, which is intended to enable integration of the device with automated turrets and unmanned ground vehicles.
Strilets Core is currently at the prototype stage. A working sample has already undergone laboratory functional tests with the participation of the Dnipro Professional College of Radio Electronics. According to the team, the sensors operate within acceptable error margins, the device’s автономність has been confirmed, and the prototype itself has been deemed ready for field trials.
The next step will be the development of a ballistic core for fire-control systems. Strilets said it already has the technical specification, a detailed plan for further improving the device, and a cost estimate for its mass production. According to Strilets representatives, the engineering team, electronic components, firmware and software are already ready.
How the technology is planned to be used to counter FPV drones
One promising area for the development’s application is automated air defence systems. In particular, the Strilets ballistic core is proposed for use in fire-control systems for turrets and unmanned ground vehicles that can counter FPV drones.
To engage a moving aerial target, it is not enough merely to detect it and aim the weapon. The system must calculate the shot trajectory while taking external factors into account, including wind speed and direction, temperature and atmospheric pressure.
That is precisely what, according to the developers’ concept, the Strilets ballistic core will be used for. It will process meteorological readings and convert them into the necessary corrections for the fire-control system. The weather station, in turn, will ensure that up-to-date data is obtained directly at the position.
Previously, the team created the Strilets ballistic app, which is used, among others, by instructors and service personnel of Ukraine’s Defence Forces. One of the project’s key advantages is said to be its own physical ballistic core and database, which do not depend on foreign licences.