New Delhi, May 18

Russia to launch serial production of the Okhotnik (Hunter) heavy strike drone in 2023, Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov said Wednesday at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. The Okhotnik features a flat nozzle thruster that makes it less visible for radars

The serial production of the Okhotnik (Hunter) heavy strike drone will begin in 2023, Head of the state tech corporation Rostec Sergey Chemezov said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

"The first flying prototype was rolled out in 2021 and we will begin serial-producing and delivering it to the Defense Ministry in 2023," Chemezov said.

As its specific feature, the Okhotnik features a flat nozzle thruster that makes it less visible for radars, the Rostec chief stressed.

"Also, a new ground control post is being created for the drone," he said.

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

The Okhotnik heavy attack drone performed its debut flight on August 3, 2019. The flight lasted over 20 minutes under an operator’s control. On September 27, 2019, the Okhotnik performed a flight together with a Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jet. The drone maneuvered in the air in automated mode at an altitude of around 1,600 meters and its flight lasted over 30 minutes.