MOSCOW – Video has emerged of Russia’s new heavy drone Okhotnik (‘Hunter’)flying alongside a fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jet. The first testflight of the kind, it showcased the formidable team formed by the twofuturistic aircraft.
Spectacular moments from the 30-minute test mission were captured in avideo released by the Defense Ministry. It showed the aircraft taking offand traversing the skies just meters away from each other.[image: Loading video]
The collaboration was not just for show – being paired with the droneactually allows the Su-57 to expand its radar coverage and attack itstargets without entering the enemy’s air-defense area.
Okhotnik has a flying-wing body type, which makes it looks like somethingfrom a sci-fi movie. The military said that the *“special material andcoating”* used in its design allows it to almost completely avoid detectionby modern radar systems.[image: © Russia’s Defense Ministry]© Russia’s Defense Ministry
Read Top Stories
The UAV first took to the skies in August and so far there’s little knownabout it. Media reports claim that the machine has a takeoff weight of over20 tons and can operate at supersonic speeds. Besides performingsurveillance missions, the drone is also said to be capable of carryingweapons in its internal bays.
