Classification of unmanned aerial vehicles and its significance for criminalistic practice

The paper is devoted to the clarification of the notion and to the development of a generalized classification of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) which is necessary to substantiate the choice of those or other types of UAV for their use in the activity of the criminal justice bodies. The need to take into account the proposed classification in the formulation of criminalistic requirements for tactical and technical data UAV and systems, unmanned aircraft complexes and the characteristics of the target outfit, compliance with which is more responsive to meet the urgent needs of the field criminalistics is substantiated. The negative tendencies resulting from the use of unmanned aerial technologies without proper scientific support in the practice of the law enforcement bodies are revealed. It’s noted that all technical and tactical UAV data are in correlation relationship and interdependence that allow to attribute them to definite classificational group and, having established the presence of particular characteristics, to suggest the parameters of others with a high degree of probability. Not taking into account of this in the case when the UAV is an instrument of crime, leads to improper establishing of aircraft apparatus group belongingness and may cause errors in establishing the control point location of UAV and its operator. Another negative tendency is in the use of such UAV by the law enforcement agencies in carrying out urgent tasks which are inappropriate. Taking into account foreign and domestic experience, UAV usage directions in order to improve the quality and efficiency of the work on detection, investigation, judicial consideration and prevention of the criminal offenses during realization and maintenance of the wide range of investigation (search), covert investigative (search), judicial and of procedural actions from the air are marked.З’ясовано поняття та розроблено узагальнену класифікацію безпілотних літальних апаратів. Обґрунтовано необхідність урахування запропонованої класифікації при формулюванні криміналістичних вимог до тактико-технічних даних безпілотних літальних апаратів і систем, безпілотних авіаційних комплексів та характеристик їх цільового спорядження, дотримання яких найбільше відповідатиме задоволенню актуальних потреб польової криміналістики.Выяснено понятие и разработана обобщенная классификация беспилотных летательных аппаратов. Обоснована необходимость учета предложенной классификации при формулировании криминалистических требований к тактико-техническим данным беспилотных летательных аппаратов и систем, беспилотных авиационных комплексов и характеристикам их целевого снаряжения, соблюдение которых в наибольшей степени будет соответствовать удовлетворению актуальных потребностей полевой криминалистики