Vladimir Putin's lethal new stealth combat drone has taken to the skies in tandem with a Russian fighter jet for the first time. T...
Vladimir Putin's lethal new stealth combat drone has taken to the skies in tandem with a Russian fighter jet for the first time.
The Sukhoi-made Okhotsk - meaning Hunter - only made its maiden flight this month and Russia boasts it is 'almost undetectable'.
The unmanned flying vehicle can be controlled on missions by pilots in an accompanying warplane, or from the ground.
The drone will be capable of flying from Moscow to London and back on a single mission.
According to sources, it can be deployed as a spy in the sky but is also capable of firing missiles at enemies.
The video released by the Russian defence ministry shows it flying with a Su-30SM fighter jet.
However, once in service, it will be deployed with a fifth-generation Su-57 fighter aircraft.
It will also operate under ground control and, eventually, by using its own 'brain', boast its designers.
'The possibility is also envisaged for the drone's completely autonomous flight without the operator's participation when it takes off, performs its programme and lands only under the control of its own guidance system,' said a Sukhoi source.
The Siberian-made drone - lacking a tail wing - has been under secret development for at least eight years.
Despite a takeoff weight of 20 tonnes, it is reported to be 'practically invisible to radars' and has a range of up to 3,100 miles with a speed of 625 mph.
For 'safety reasons' the latest tests were conducted without the UAV retracting its landing gear.
Russian deputy defence minister Alexey Krivoruchko said in May that the 'Okhotnik' was a priority for the Russian military.
The test was described as a success.
The single-engine drone bears a visual resemblance to Lockheed Martin U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel.
It is equipped with electro-optical spying, radar and other types of reconnaissance.
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