Fighter Jet and UAV Collaboration

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A fighter jet will control strike drones. A pilot of the Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jet will simultaneously coordinate the operations of four Okhotnik heavy strike drones, a source in the domestic aircraft-building industry told tass.com. 

According to Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the latest Okhotnik drone will strike aerial and ground targets in network-centric interaction with a Su-57 fighter. In their joint employment with the fifth-generation fighter, Okhotnik drones will deal with a full range of tasks, striking aerial and ground targets under the command of a Su-57’s pilot.

The Sukhoi Su-57 is a Russian-made fifth-generation multi-role fighter designated to destroy all types of air, ground, and naval targets. The fighter jet features stealth technology with the broad use of composite materials, is capable of developing supersonic cruising speed, and is furnished with the most advanced onboard radio-electronic equipment, including a powerful onboard computer, and armament placed inside its fuselage.

The S-70 ‘Okhotnik’ developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau features stealth technology and the flying wing design (it lacks the tail), which reduces its radar signature. According to the data of open sources, the drone has a take-off weight of 20 tonnes and can develop a speed of around 1,000 km/h.