Russia develops armed UAV with speed of nearly 1,000 km/h

The Russian Defense Ministry plans to develop a high-speed drone to counter similar US devices.

Russian heavy UAV design. Photo: Defense Blog.

The Russian Defense Ministry is ordering the Simonov Design and Test Bureau to produce a heavy unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) weighing 4-5 tons and reaching a speed of 750-950 km/h, Sputnik reported today, citing a military source.

The new UAV will be equipped with a jet engine that will ensure a flight speed at least twice that of similar class propeller UAVs.

According to experts, if Russia's heavy-duty UAV Altair is compared with the American Reaper line, the UAV that is about to be developed is completely capable of competing with Washington's stealth-designed UAV Avenger.

MiG aircraft manufacturing corporation has started developing UAVs with a weight of 1-15 tons since November, including multi-purpose reconnaissance and armed versions, meeting many different missions. MiG has launched the "Skat" (Stingray) combat UAV line, which has stealth capabilities and a maximum speed of 800 km/h.

According to VNE