Russia’s military hardware manufacturers have already started developing their own unmanned aircraft. Although this is a secret task, experts say that these aircraft could be similar to the American Predators.Most likely, two Russian companies will carry out this task, says UAS expert Denis Fedutinov.
“At present, two Russian companies, Tranzas Company in St. Petersburg and Sokol Design Bureau in Kazan are engaged in developing Predator-class UAS. Last year, they won the Russian Defence Ministry’s tender and are developing two aircraft. The payload of the first is about one ton. The second one is close to the American Predator and weighs about 4.5-5.0 tons,” Denis Fedutinov said.
Naturally, the characteristics of UAS that should meet the Defence Ministry’s demands have not been revealed. However, experts suggest that the designers will do their best to bring them close to the world standards. In short, they will be similar to other unmanned aircraft, says editor-in-chief of the Moscow-based “National Defence” magazine Igor Korotchenko.
“The main thing is to carry out hours-long flights and select targets as well as assure remote control and targeting by operators who are staying several thousand kilometers away from the drone. Consequently, there should be a satellite communication system. Concerning weapons that could be used for launching attacks, this issue has not been solved yet because the project is at its early stage. I believe that in Russia, UAS will be used first and fore most in the North Caucus to monitor the situation and eliminate militant groups,” Igor Korotchenko said.
Source: The Voice of Russia