Russia To Build Strike UAS
Russia’s Defence Ministry has issued a technical specification for development of a strike unmanned aircraft (UAS), Izvestia daily said on Monday quoting a high-level source.
Tranzas company will build the UAS on-board electronics as well as its navigation and control systems. The airframe, which will weigh about five tons, will be produced by the Kazan-based Sokol design bureau.
The new aircraft will have a modular structure, the source said, and will be able to carry various types of equipment and armament.
Russia’s Defence Ministry sealed contracts worth an estimated 3 billion rubles ($101.9 million) with Tranzas and Sokol in October 2011 for research work into creation of strike and reconnaissance UAS.
In late March, Russian Air Force commander-in-chief Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin, told Moscovsky Komsomolets tabloid that strike drones will enter service before 2020. He did not specify how many drones would be acquired.
Source Ria Novosti
