The Ministry of defense for the first time showed the Orion drone in the strike version
The Ministry of Defense for the first time showed a photo of the Orion drone in the strike version. This is the country's first aerial reconnaissance complex with a long-duration UAV. The first serial contract for the supply of these drones to the Ministry of Defense became known this year.
The Russian military Department posted on its official website a calendar for next year with samples of modern weapons, where for the first time a photo of the Orion drone (UAV) in the strike version was officially presented.
The UAV, created during the development work "Pacer", is shown in the photo with several suspended adjustable KAB-20 bombs. Ammunition weighs 21 kg, their high-explosive warhead - 7 kg, they are equipped with satellite or laser homing systems.
In addition, the calendar of the military department included images of the heavy strike drone "Hunter", as well as the 5th generation Su-57 fighter, the Borey class submarine, the T-90M" Breakthrough "tank, the Armata BMP and other modern equipment.
Orion is the first aerial reconnaissance complex in the Russian Federation with a long-duration unmanned aerial vehicle. According to the international classification, it corresponds to the MALE class (medium-altitude long-endurance - medium-altitude, long flight duration). "Orion" is able to fly for at least a day with a "ceiling" of about 8 thousand m. It weighs 1.1 thousand kg, and the payload is 250 kg. The tasks of the complex include aerial reconnaissance and patrolling, determining the coordinates of ground and surface objects, topographic survey of the area, and more.
The Orion project was launched in 2011 by order of the Ministry of Defense. The first prototype was built in 2015, and tests began the following year. At the MAKS-2017 air show, an export version of the weapon was presented.
"Aerial bombs were used on tests from the Orion drone. This happened last year, " he said in February 2019. At the same time, the interlocutor of the agency did not specify what brand of ammunition it is. According to him, the Orion was also tested in Syria, but without weapons, but as a reconnaissance vehicle.
Serial production of the Orion reconnaissance drone in the Russian Federation was launched at the end of August last year, the general director of the Kronstadt development company, Sergey Bogatikov, told RIA Novosti. The complex, as noted, will include from three to six drones.
"What is being prepared for delivery now is more of an installation batch, but this is already the first serial contract. We are now starting work on the creation of large-scale production, where it will be possible to build up to seven such complexes per year - this is about 30 drones, " Bogatikov said.
The signing of the first serial contract for the supply of these drones between the Ministry of Defense and the company "Kronstadt" became known at the forum "Army-2020".
Work on the creation of" Orion " is carried out by the company "Kronstadt", which is part of AFK "Sistema", which until 2015 was called "Transas". Kronstadt includes several Russian companies that specialize in the development and production of high-tech and high-tech products, as well as solutions necessary for the creation, development and safe use of complex technical means both in the air, at sea and on land.
Kronstadt, which is part of Sistema, is a representative of a large cluster of innovative enterprises aimed at providing domestic high-tech production. The company's offices and research and development centers are located in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Lydia Misnik
