The new UAV will begin mass production in Novosibirsk this year
The S-70 Hunter heavy unmanned aerial vehicle is undergoing the final stage of testing and will begin mass production in Novosibirsk in the second half of the year. Initially, it was planned to launch it in a series by 2025, but the developers were asked to accelerate. The powerful device will be able to use the same weapons as the fifth-generation Su-57 aircraft. Moreover, he will be able to work with him in conjunction. What the Hunter is capable of and what opportunities it will give to the Aerospace Forces and naval aviation is in the Izvestia material.
Completes the tests
The Hunter heavy drone will begin to be mass-produced in Novosibirsk by the end of the year, said Sergey Semka, vice-governor of the region. "The final stage of testing is [underway]. I think the second half of the year is the beginning of the release," he said. The Hunter UAV will be produced at the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant named after Chkalov.
This is one of the most long-awaited developments. Initially, it was planned that work on it would last until 2025, but in 2020, the Ministry of Defense asked the creators to accelerate. In August last year, it was reported that the tests of the Hunter should be completed before 2024. Plans were announced for its supply abroad — several dozen samples from one of the contacts.
On January 10, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, announced plans to adopt the Pacer and Hunter unmanned aerial systems for naval aviation.
A heavy drone will be a great help for the Russian navy, military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia.
Hunter UAV
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti
— At one time in the Soviet Union, both in the Air Force and in naval aviation, there was such a class of aircraft as long—range reconnaissance aircraft, - he explained. — They flew mainly over the ocean, explored certain squares, and monitored the presence and activity of enemy naval forces. This class of aviation disappeared in the 90s. And it will be great if such intelligence capabilities are restored now. It was possible not to wait for the satellite to explore the area, but to send a drone that could be in a given square and observe the activities of our likely opponents.
According to the expert, the long construction time is understandable — any new technology is difficult in itself.
— Unfortunately, we still had no experience in creating long-range drones. Unlike the United States, which has been doing this for a long time," he concluded.
A highly intelligent system
The Hunter is a heavy reconnaissance and strike unmanned bomber made according to the "flying wing" scheme. It weighs about 20 tons, has a wingspan of 19 m and a length of 14 m. There are many composite materials in its construction that have replaced aluminum alloys. This facilitates the design, and also makes it difficult for radar to detect it.
Heavy unmanned vehicle S-70 "Hunter"
Image source: Photo: OTA News/UAC press service
The use of the "flying wing" aerodynamic scheme should also serve to reduce visibility on radars. The device does not have a traditional aircraft keel, and the armament is located in the internal bomb compartments. The jet engine will not have an afterburner to ensure low visibility, this will make the drone subsonic.
Last year, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko said that this UAV is a highly intelligent system and is capable of solving a wide range of tasks singly, in a group and together with manned aircraft.
Thanks to stealth technologies, the Hunter will be able to open the enemy's air defense system and operate in an environment where it is too dangerous to send a manned aircraft. Then it will be possible to introduce conventional aircraft into the gaps in the defense that they have punched.
The advantage of the Hunter is that in case of its loss, the pilot does not die, despite the fact that the characteristics of the device are comparable to manned aircraft, military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Izvestia.
Hunter UAV
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
"It can be sent on various dangerous missions that you can't send an ordinary drone to," he explained to Izvestia. — This is the first such project, which is being developed in parallel with the Su-57 fighter.
The 20-ton remotely operated vehicle is among the largest and most powerful drones in the world. Its payload capacity and dimensions of the bomb bay allow it to carry any type of aviation weapons that can be used with the Su-57 fighter. It is with these fifth-generation aircraft that the Hunter will work in conjunction.
The aircraft and the heavy drone were tested together. In particular, they work out the mutual transfer of information between aircraft — the redistribution of targets in flight, maintaining intervals and distances, performing anti-missile maneuvers. In the future, a fighter pilot will be able to control several drones at once, distributing tasks to them. At the same time, the aircraft itself can be located at a distance from them and not enter the enemy's air defense zone.
Roman Kretsul
Julia Leonova
Andrey Fedorov
