Kubinka (Moscow region). August 24. INTERFAX-Deliveries of Orion reconnaissance and strike drones abroad may begin next year, Sergei Bogatikov, CEO of the Kronstadt company, said in an interview with Interfax.
"We are already purchasing components for the assembly of complexes (Orion - IF) for starting buyers. We will be able to start deliveries abroad from 2022-after the launch of a new serial plant in Dubna, but the first priority for us is to meet the needs of our army," Bogatikov said.
According to him, foreign customers are more interested in the Orion modification, which combines strike and reconnaissance functions.
"We are conducting negotiations together with Rosoboronexport with representatives of the CIS countries, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa. I will not name specific countries. The Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) is engaged in collecting applications," Bogatikov said.
He noted that foreign countries have shown interest in the capabilities of the updated Orion with a satellite system that provides the use and exchange of data with UAVs at any distance from the operator module in almost real time.
"Its advantage is that data transmission is more stable, because there are two channels, you can control the drone from anywhere in the world, where there is a ground control point created by Kronstadt specialists, and several consumers can receive information from target loads at once, located at any distance from the UAV," the head of the company said.
He also said that he does not exclude the possibility of international cooperation in the development of drones.
"The development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles belongs to the field of dual-use technologies, so the organization of cooperation with foreign companies in this area is within the competence of the relevant federal services. For our part, we are ready to consider proposals for mutually beneficial cooperation, naturally, in accordance with the state interests," Bogatikov said.
Russia has received about 15 applications for the supply of Orion attack drones abroad, the head of Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheev, said on July 21. According to the Kronstadt company, negotiations on Orion export supplies with delegations from 13 countries were held at MAKS-2021.
The Orion UAV, developed by Kronstadt as part of the Pacer program, is the first MALE class UAV (Medium Altitude Long Endurance - a class of medium - altitude UAVs with a long flight duration), fully developed in Russia and built from domestic components. The maximum take - off weight of the device is 1,150 kg. "Orion" can stay in the air for up to 24 hours, its cruising speed is 200 km/h, the maximum flight altitude is 7,500 meters.
During the modernization, Orion was able not only to conduct reconnaissance, but also to perform strike tasks. According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, this drone in the strike version was tested in Syria in 2019.
The Orion is equipped with three aircraft armament suspension points - two under the wing consoles and one under the fuselage. The maximum mass of the combat load is 200 kg. The UAV is capable of using adjustable aerial bombs (KAB) with a caliber of 20 and 50 kg, aerial bombs with a caliber of up to 100 kg and guided missiles with a caliber of up to 50 kg. Accordingly, at the same time it can carry up to 4 guided missiles or up to 5 KAB.