The Australian division of BAE Systems has unveiled a new Strix vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at the Avalon Airshow. This is reported by Breaking Defense.
The drone is designed for reconnaissance and strikes. Strix can also become a wingman of combat helicopters. The flight range of the device, which can be transported in a standard cargo container, is 800 kilometers. A drone without weapons weighs 650 kilograms.
Strix will be able to carry AGM-114 Hellfire, Brimstone and AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) air-to-ground missiles. Also, the arsenal of the device will include Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II missiles and a promising Razer ammunition. A mock-up of a drone was shown at the airshow. Strix can make its first flight at the end of 2023, and in 2026 the drone will enter service.
Earlier, the head of the laboratory for external piloting and operation of unmanned aircraft of the Scientific Research Institute of Computing Complexes, Vitaly Dolgov, said that a new RUD-7 strike and reconnaissance drone would be sent to the zone of a special military operation.
In February, a source told RIA Novosti that Russia has developed a transport drone of the TrUMP aircraft type, which is capable of transferring up to 250 kilograms of cargo over a distance of over 600 kilometers.
