Russian Military Sings Contract For Production Of Long-Range Attack Drone Altius-RU

The Russian Defense Ministry and the Ural Works of Civil Aviation (UWCA) plant have signed a contract to create the Altius-RU reconnaissance and attack drone, which can fly for more than 24 hours without landing and will be controlled via satellites, Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Krivoruchko said on Wednesday

YEKATERINBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th February, 2020) The Russian Defense Ministry and the Ural Works of Civil Aviation (UWCA) plant have signed a contract to create the Altius-RU reconnaissance and attack drone, which can fly for more than 24 hours without landing and will be controlled via satellites, Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Krivoruchko said on Wednesday.

"In December last year, we signed a public contract for the manufacturing of the Altius-RU reconnaissance-attack system with a new-generation long-range unmanned aerial vehicle," Krivoruchko told reporters during a visit to the UWCA plant.

According to the official, the drone will be equipped with a satellite communications system and artificial intelligence, and will be capable of interacting with manned aircraft.

The Altius-RU is the final version of the drone, created as a result of the development and testing of a number of prototypes. The vehicle, weighing about 6 tonnes, is capable of fulfilling a wide spectrum of reconnaissance missions using optical, radio and radar tools. Denis Fedutinov, a Russian unmanned systems expert, told Sputnik that the addition of a satellite communication channel for this aircraft may remove range limits, allowing the drone to fully realize its potential.