The new Russian vertical-take-off unmanned transport platform S-76, developed at the Sukhoi Design Bureau, is being flight tested. If a prototype without a skin was previously demonstrated, then in August 2024, for the first time, the developers showed a fully ready flight sample of a new cargo UAV. What kind of car is this?
According to the official information of the United Aircraft Corporation, the S-76 is designed to carry cargo weighing up to 300 kg over a distance of up to 500 km without specially prepared sites and airfield infrastructure. The platform is fully automatic. During the development, the first stage of flight experiments was completed to test the modes of vertical takeoff, hover and landing.
The S-76 combines the properties of an airplane and a multicopter helicopter. The drone is equipped with electric motors for vertical takeoff and a piston main engine powered by AI-95 gasoline and kerosene. The Russian vertically-taking-off unmanned transport platform has a fuselage length of 7.2 meters and a wingspan of 11 meters. The maximum take-off weight is 1.5 tons. Cruising speed is 180 km/ h, flight altitude is up to 4 kilometers. The volume of the cargo compartment is 2 cubic meters. Technical capabilities will allow transportation at temperatures from minus 50 to plus 50 degrees Celsius in various weather conditions.
The car is proposed to be used in the transportation market, including commercial ones. The developers announce the benefits of the introduction of the S-76 on cargo routes within Russia: The platform will be 30% cheaper to operate than manned aircraft.
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| The Russian unmanned transport platform S-76. |
| Source: tehnoomsk.ru |
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| The Russian unmanned transport platform S-76. |
| Source: tehnoomsk.ru |
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| The Russian unmanned transport platform S-76. |
| Source: tehnoomsk.ru |
