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| The Russia’s S-70 Okhotnik Stealth Drone |
Moscow - Russia revealed that the mass production of the S-70 Okhotnik stealth fighter drone will start soon after undergoing its first test flight in 2021. Russian President Vladimir Putin requested that the mass production of the S-70 Okhotnik stealth drone begin in 2023.
Quoted from Bulgarian Military, Sergei Chemezov, Chief Executive of Rostech said "We will take the Okhotnik system, off the mass production line in 2023 and we will send it to the Ministry of Defense.
Sergei Chemezov said that the Okhotnik (hunter) stealth drone was designed to have a special ground management system that distinguishes it from other combat drones. The Okhotnik also uses a standard flat-nozzle propulsion system and low radar visibility (stealth).
The Okhotnik combat drone, developed by the Sukhoi design bureau, features stealth technology and a flying wing design that reduces radar detection. According to open sources, the Okhotnik combat drone has a take-off weight of 20 tons and can fly at a speed of about 1,000 km/h.
Okhotnik made its first flight on August 3, 2019. The flight took more than 20 minutes under the control of an operator. On 27 September 2019, Okhotnik flew in a fifth-generation Su-57 fighter.
The Okhotnik fighter drone maneuvered through the air in automatic mode at an altitude of about 1600 meters and the flight took more than 30 minutes. Mass deliveries of Okhotnik drones to Russian troops are scheduled to begin in 2024.
Russia has high hopes for the S-70 Okhotnik to add to its military might. The Okhotnik fighter drone is now demonstratively on its way to becoming a true low-observable fighter. The S-70 Okhotnik stealth fighter drone flies alongside Russia's fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jet.
Thomas Newdick and Tyler Rogoway, co-authors of The Drive, say in their article that Russia has gained experience and expects the S-70 to have a very long flight time in the air and deliver large amounts of combat cargo.
The technology tested on this prototype will be used in the manufacture of other promising aircraft systems, both manned and unmanned,” said Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko, hinting that the design and testing of the Okhotnik could inform the design of the new strategic bomber.