Okhotnik had been
developed using the radar signature reduction technology and employs "the
flying wing" configuration.
MOSCOW, November 23.
/TASS/. Russia’s new heavy unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Okhotnik, performed
its first ground run on the runway of the aviation plant in Novosibirsk earlier
this month, a Russian aircraft industry source has told TASS.
"The trial model
of the Okhotnik UAV made its first run on the runway of the Novosibirsk
Aircraft Production Plant, gathering the speed of 200 kmph in line with the
program of trials. The takeoff was not performed," the source said.
"Okhotnik performed taxi, ground run, acceleration and stoppage at the end
of the runway in fully automated mode."
The attack drone will
perform a series of ground runs by the end of the year, the source said.
The next stage of
trials will include so-called jumps - the aircraft will briefly take off and
land almost immediately. Once those trials are over, the drone will make its
maiden flight.
The open sources
assert that the Okhotnik had been developed using the radar signature reduction
technology and employs "the flying wing" configuration. The vehicle
takeoff weight reaches 20 tons. According to unconfirmed information, the drone
is powered by a jet engine ensuring a speed of up to 1,000 km/h. The Okhotnik
development contract was signed between the Defense Ministry and the Sukhoi
aircraft maker in 2011. The first UAV prototype for on-land tests had been
manufactured in 2014.
A defense industry
source earlier told TASS that the drone’s artificial intelligence elements and
autonomous regime technologies will be used as a prototype for Russia’s sixth
generation fighter jet project.
Source: ITAR-TASS
23-11-2018
