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 American devices.

Russian heavy UAV design. Photo: Defence 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 UAV Altair is compared with the American Reaper series, the UAV that is about to be developed is fully 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