Russia’s new military drone, Okhotnik, accelerated to 200 km/h on the runway at the Novosibirsk aircraft plant, TASS agency reports.
During the trial run, the Okhotnik (Hunter) autonomously performed all the elements of acceleration without taking off. The combat drone is virtually invisible to radar equipment due to the use of American stealth technology – it is difficult to detect by air defense systems. The aircraft is equipped with a jet engine capable of accelerating to about 1000 km/h. Its take-off weight is 20 tons, that is, the drone is heavy enough for its class. Externally, the Okhotnik resembles the US B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, known for the absence of tail tails due to the so-called “flying wing” aerodynamic configuration.
The Okhotnik is also equipped with artificial intelligence elements and is considered the prototype of Russia’s sixth generation fighter aircraft. The Ministry of Defense signed the contract for these heavy unmanned combat vehicles development with the Sukhoi company back in 2011.
The new drone is expected to go into service in 2020. Investment in the project will total about RUR 1.6 bln ($24 mio).