Russia to Introduce Advanced, Long-Range UAS

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The Russians are investing huge sums of money in developing highly advanced unmanned air system (UAS).

It is expected that Russia will soon display a new sophisticated drone that will be capable of performing reconnaissance missions and destroying targets that have been detected. This, according to Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov who was quoted by Russian news website Sputnik.

“We are finalizing research and development work related to the drones that will carry out an array of tactical, operational and strategic tasks,” Borisov commented.

Deputy Minister Borisov explained that the new UAS will be put into service by the Russian Defense Ministry and the Federal Security Service, also known as the FSB. He declined to elaborate on the drone’s technical characteristics.

The new drones are being developed by several well-known Russian aviation firms, including the Sukhoi Design Bureau and Tranzas.

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In 2011, Tranzas won the Defense Ministry’s tender for the development of two kinds of heavy drones, the “Pacer” and Altius-M, which weigh 1 metric tons and 5 metric tons, respectively.

In recent years, Russia has purchased a number of small UASs made by Israeli companies, but it was obvious that the Russians are planning to develop a capability of their own.

This research and development plan is expected to turn Russia, within a few years, into a leading UAS manufacturer. Judging by past experience, many of the systems will be exported.

Reportedly, Russia has been increasing its arms exports all across the board recently, from major systems such as combat aircraft, through missile defense systems and UASs to munitions and reconnaissance systems. Recent reports have named countries such as Egypt and India, alongside Iran and China, as both existing and prospective clients for Russian-made military systems.

Russia has steadily ranked the world’s second arms exporter, after the US. Its recent bid to develop advanced UASs is seen as yet another attempt to retain this position by gaining a foothold in the burgeoning market for unmanned systems.