ISLAMABAD – Under development since 2012, the 20+ tonne stealthy flyingwing design began rigorous military testing earlier this year.
The Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik heavy unmanned combat aerial vehicle may one daybecome a full-fledged replacement for all sorts of combat aircraft,including the latest generation of Russian fighter jets, Izvestia hasreportedlink,citing the military and a military aircraft specialist monitoring recenttrends.
A spokesperson from Russia’s defence ministry told the newspaper that theaerospace forces planned to create a detachment of Okhotniks in the westernand southern military districts by 2024.
The stealthy UAVs, which feature composite materials and stealth coatings,have been designed to slip past enemy radar systems with an arsenal of upto 2.8 tonnes of arms, including cruise missiles, precision bombs, andair-to-air weapons, onboard, replacing manned aircraft entirely inparticularly dangerous situations.
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The defence ministry began flight testinglinktheOkhotnik in August, Sputnik has reported.
