Drone DEVELOPMENTS

Russian aviation journalist and photographer Piotr Butowski reports on the latest aerospace news and technology developments from the Russian Federation

A jet-powered Grom ‘loyal wingman’ and its weapons as presented at Army 2020 exhibition 
Kronshtadt

Seven Inokhodets unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) will be delivered to the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) during the course of this year, according to the manufacturer, Kronshadt. The company manufactures the Inokhodets at its facility at Tushino near Moscow, where a plethora of other unmanned aerial systems are also being designed. Each of the seven systems would have three aircraft and group equipment, the firm told the Russian Defence Minister, Sergey Shoygu, during a visit to the facility on February 26.

The English translation of Inokhodets, ‘Ambler’, was, until recently, secret and the official name Orion was used instead. It is a medium altitude long-endurance (MALE) class UAV, that can fly for 24 hours at an altitude of 7,500m. You could describe it as the Russian equivalent of the American General Atomics MQ-1 Predator. It is also the first of the new generation large, unmanned aircraft that entered production in Russia, with the first delivery last year. The first operational unit of Inokhodets is the 216th Independent UAV Regiment at Severomorsk-2, belonging to the Northern Fleet. The next unit will be formed at Yelizovo in Kamchatka, in the Pacific Fleet.

Become a Premium Member to Read More

This is a premium article and requires an active Key.Aero subscription to view.

I’m an existing member, sign me in!

I don’t have a subscription…

Enjoy the following subscriber only benefits:

  • Unlimited access to all KeyAero content
  • Exclusive in-depth articles and analysis, videos, quizzes added daily
  • A fully searchable archive – boasting hundreds of thousands of pieces of quality aviation content
  • Access to read all our leading aviation magazines online - meaning you can enjoy the likes of FlyPast, Aeroplane Monthly, AirForces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, Aviation News, Airports of the World, PC Pilot and Airliner World - as soon as they leave the editor’s desk.
  • Access on any device- anywhere, anytime
  • Choose from our offers below