New projects of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) in the field of unmanned and combat-training aviation were presented at the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2024 held at the Patriot Exhibition and Convention Centre. One of them is the automated unmanned transport system (AUTS) of off-airfield basing developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau.
For the first time the forum is demonstrating a full-scale sample of the S-76, a transport UAV with vertical take-off and landing capability. The development is designed to deliver cargoes weighing up to 300kg at distances of up to 500 kilometres. One of the key advantages of the system is the absence of the need for specially prepared sites and aerodrome infrastructure, which significantly expands the possibilities of its application.
Take-off, en-route flight and landing of the C-76 are carried out fully automatically, eliminating the need for direct operator involvement. At the moment the project is at the stage of testing key technologies and basic technical solutions. In the future, it is planned to organise industrial production of these systems, which will make it possible to introduce AUTS for cost-effective air cargo transportation.
In parallel, the S-70 Okhotnik heavy strike unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also developed by Sukhoi Design Bureau, is undergoing a stage of preliminary testing. Rostec Deputy Director General Vladimir Artyakov said in an interview with RIA Novosti that several prototypes are flying. At the same time at the Chkalov Aviation Plant in Novosibirsk. V. Chkalov Aviation Plant in Novosibirsk continues preparations for the production of the installation batch of C-70 drones.
“The project is proceeding according to its plan,”
Artyakov said.
Source: RuAviation