Russian Orion Surveillance Drone Enters Export Market, Set to Become Bestseller

samoletchiklive.journal.com

18:42 19.07.2017 (updated 21:17 19.07.2017)

Russia’s Kronstadt Group military manufacturer starts to export the Orion-E reconnaissance drone, Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said in a statement on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – According to military experts, the Orion-E reconnaissance drone may be equipped with weapons, thus turning into a reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicle, Rosoboronexport's statement added.

"The plant is bringing to the market a new complex of air reconnaissance with long endurance unmanned aerial vehicles ‘Orion-E’," the statement said.

According to Rosoboronexport’s Deputy Director General Sergey Ladygin, the new drone may count on high demand.

"According to our estimations, the sample may gain a significant share on the world drone market in the future. So, we [Russsia] will be on one of the leading places in exporting these systems," Ladygin said, as quoted in the statement.

He also expressed hope that arms manufacturers would responsibly fulfill their commitments under Rosoboronexport’s contracts with foreign partners.

Source: sputniknews.com

Not much data on the ‘Orion-E'

Orion-E 

The Orion-E has a wing span of 16 meters and a length of 8 meters. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1 tonne and a maximum payload of 200 kg. Its service ceiling is 7.5 km and a maximum flight endurance of 24 hours with the standard payload. It develops a level flight speed of up to 200 km/hr.

Kronshtadt Group intends to make the Orion export variant a strike drone, the chief executive said.

‘We are working on the complex’s modernization in an outpacing manner. We can’t disclose details but we plan to add these functions to the next version of the drone’s export configuration,” the Kronshtadt chief executive said, replying to a question about the Orion’s strike variant. Source: therussophile.org

Developer: "Kronstadt", Russia

The prototype unmanned aerial vehicle "Orion" during the tests at the airport Protasovo (Ryazan Region), May 2017 (c) rzn.info  Source: bmpd

OCD "Pacer"

UAVs "Orion" - a military drone, drone reconnaissance and strike long-duration flight.

 UAVs "Orion" provides information to determine the coordinates of objects in-time and near-real for air patrols, additional exploration of onshore facilities to provide target designation and fire adjustment, assess the results of strikes and topographic reconnaissance.

Modifications:

UAVs "Orion" - a basic model

UAVs "Orion-E" - export version

Characteristics:

Maximum flight height - 5,700 m.

Takeoff Weight - 1200 kg.

Payload - 350 kg.

flight time - 60 hours.

Maximum speed - 250 km / h.

Source: vpk.name