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Interesting, but Ka-27 sized UAVs will be enormously expensive, though I suppose you could adapt old airframes whose life has nearly expired and use them as disposable items... but it is hardly compact... most ships could only carry one at most... and of course being a helo based aircraft it wont be fast and it wont have a very great range.
In certain situation it would be rather useful and for time expired airframes it would make sense, though the sensors fitted will make it a rather expensive expendable system...
As mentioned in the first article the Ka-31 (called Ka-35 now) is probably more useful, but rather more important a fixed wing aircraft... whether manned or unmanned would be much faster and much longer ranged, and offer rather better endurance... and to be honest I think the Liana satellite network makes more sense to rebuild with modern high tech components and sensors too.
You could even make a 50kg optical system and put it in a 300km low earth orbit and launch it from a MiG-31 when you want it... a semi disposable short term satellite that can be launched when needed probably makes rather more sense than a disposable 12 ton helicopter... whether it is manned or unmanned.
Of course a stealthy version of the PAK DA could also be a replacement for the Tu-142 in the MPA role...
And then again a huge airship design with enormous radar antenna, nuclear energy generation with electric propulsion as well as hydrogen fuel cell technology to allow water ballast and hydrogen lift... you could use electricity from the nuclear PP with the fuel cell to generate hydrogen or water... depending on whether you need lift or ballast... Solar panels could also generate free energy but for large radar antennas of high power a nuclear power plant would generate a powerful reliable energy source... you could surround the reactor with water ballast for radiation protection for the crew.
In certain situation it would be rather useful and for time expired airframes it would make sense, though the sensors fitted will make it a rather expensive expendable system...
As mentioned in the first article the Ka-31 (called Ka-35 now) is probably more useful, but rather more important a fixed wing aircraft... whether manned or unmanned would be much faster and much longer ranged, and offer rather better endurance... and to be honest I think the Liana satellite network makes more sense to rebuild with modern high tech components and sensors too.
You could even make a 50kg optical system and put it in a 300km low earth orbit and launch it from a MiG-31 when you want it... a semi disposable short term satellite that can be launched when needed probably makes rather more sense than a disposable 12 ton helicopter... whether it is manned or unmanned.
Of course a stealthy version of the PAK DA could also be a replacement for the Tu-142 in the MPA role...
And then again a huge airship design with enormous radar antenna, nuclear energy generation with electric propulsion as well as hydrogen fuel cell technology to allow water ballast and hydrogen lift... you could use electricity from the nuclear PP with the fuel cell to generate hydrogen or water... depending on whether you need lift or ballast... Solar panels could also generate free energy but for large radar antennas of high power a nuclear power plant would generate a powerful reliable energy source... you could surround the reactor with water ballast for radiation protection for the crew.
Expendable doesn't mean one time use, but easier to replace with. I don't think I'll ever see single Fregat's cost exceed Kamov's 15 mio. 