Drones

Russia’s New 'Altair' Spy Drone Takes to the Skies

Russia’s Ministry of Defense shared video of the country’s new Altair/Altius unmanned aerial vehicle yesterday, uploading a video of the twin engine drone to YouTube. The drone, under development for several years, reportedly experienced cost overruns and was behind schedule for several years. The airplane is described as a spy plane but appears to have the ability to carry weapons.

Russia, despite its reputation for being a military giant has lagged behind the United States in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles. Until recently, Russia had no equivalent to American Reaper or Predator drones, medium altitude, long endurance (MALE) drones capable of loitering for a day or more over a target, conducting surveillance, then finally attacking the target with precision-guided weapons.

The new Altair/Altius-U drone appears ready to plug that hole. The drone, according to Russian state media, weighs six tons and is powered by two turboprop engines. According to open source analysis of satellite images, early prototypes were spotted with a length of 11 meters (roughly 36 feet)—about the same length as the MQ-9 Reaper.