AIR FORCES MONTHLY:
An apparent first clear image of Russia’s next-generation unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) has appeared. A photo of the Sukhoi-developed Okhotnik was posted on a Russian internet forum, seemingly showing the combat drone undergoing ground tests at the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Organization (NAPO) in central Russia.
The Okhotnik is one of three large unmanned aerial vehicles currently being developed by Moscow: the Okhotnik combat system is the largest, weighing more than 15 tonnes. The other two UAVs are the one-tonne Inokhodets (considered a counterpart to the US Predator), and the five-tonne Altius-M (broadly analogous to the MQ-9 Reaper).
Strike-Reconnaissance Unmanned Complex
The Okhotnik (hunter) is being developed under the URBK (Udarno-Razvedyvatelnyi Bespilotnyi Kompleks, Strike-Reconnaissance Unmanned Complex), which was pursued in preference to the manned LMFS lightweight fighter.
It was expected that the Sukhoi Design Bureau would concentrate on the URBK once it had completed development of the Su-57 fighter. Intriguingly, photos appeared earlier this week of a Su-57 prototype, T-50-3, in a new scheme including a silhouette of the Okhotnik painted on the tail fin.
The Okhotnik is one of three large unmanned aerial vehicles currently being developed by Moscow: the Okhotnik combat system is the largest, weighing more than 15 tonnes. The other two UAVs are the one-tonne Inokhodets (considered a counterpart to the US Predator), and the five-tonne Altius-M (broadly analogous to the MQ-9 Reaper).
Strike-Reconnaissance Unmanned Complex
The Okhotnik (hunter) is being developed under the URBK (Udarno-Razvedyvatelnyi Bespilotnyi Kompleks, Strike-Reconnaissance Unmanned Complex), which was pursued in preference to the manned LMFS lightweight fighter.
It was expected that the Sukhoi Design Bureau would concentrate on the URBK once it had completed development of the Su-57 fighter. Intriguingly, photos appeared earlier this week of a Su-57 prototype, T-50-3, in a new scheme including a silhouette of the Okhotnik painted on the tail fin.
Rendering by Akela Freedom
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