The test of the Russian Orion drone in air combat has become an important milestone in the development of Russia's air defense. The experiment showed that the drone is capable of hitting enemy drones, the Russian Defense Ministry stressed.
According to MilitaryWatch, it was a clear signal that Russia is capable of effectively fighting the most modern drones. First of all, with Turkish ones - Ukraine has recently acquired a significant number of them. At the same time, it should be noted that Bayraktar are not adapted for air combat. Turkish drones suffered heavy losses from Russian anti-aircraft missiles in Syria in early 2020, now they are being shot down by the Syrians themselves in the east of the country.
The rocket used by Orion during the tests is a variant of the anti-tank Cornet with laser guidance. Iran, China and the United States are working on the creation of air-to-air missiles for drones, but they are adapting short-range ammunition with radar guidance to drones and the results of these efforts will manifest themselves only within the next decade.
Meanwhile, a heavy S-70 Hunter drone is being tested in Russia - it is expected to be armed with much longer-range air-to-air missiles. This may lead to the fact that manned aviation will gradually become a thing of the past, and drones trained in aerial combat will take its place.
Anton Valagin
