The Siberian Research Institute of Aviation named after S. A. Chaplygin (SibNIA), under the leadership of Director Vladimir Barsuk, is working on the creation of a heavy transport unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) "Partisan". This drone will have ultra-short takeoff and landing capabilities and will consist entirely of domestic components, including a hybrid power plant.
According to Barsuk, it is planned to complete the project by the end of 2024, and mass production may be launched in 2025. Currently, work is underway to replace the power plant and propeller, with great attention being paid to the development of a domestic hybrid electric thermal engine.
The first "Partisan" prototype is made of domestic materials; the UAV's avionics and onboard equipment are Russian. Specialists are currently working on replacing the power plant and propeller.
That is, this is 90% a domestic aircraft. [...] We hope that by the end of this year there will be some solutions for a domestic engine. Our second vehicle will focus on electric and hybrid power plants. [...] To assemble a domestic hybrid electric thermal engine with optimal characteristics ensuring short takeoff and landing closer to 2025.
Sergey Sheifer, head of the "Partisan" project laboratory, notes that the second prototype of this UAV will be manufactured with a domestic power plant developed by the "Android Technics" research and production association. The possibility of using a power plant manufactured by the Central Institute of Aviation Motor Engineering named after P. I. Baranov is also being considered.
"Partisan" in partnership with "Russian Post": cargo transportation in an experimental legal format with an autonomous control system.
In addition to work on fully domestic components, "Partisan" is planned to be tested this year for the transportation of goods along the route network of "Russian Post".
We have concluded an agreement with "Russian Post" - the use and testing of "Partisan" in an experimental legal regime.
The experiment will start in 2024, and the first created prototype of "Partisan" will be used for its implementation. Thanks to the presence of an automatic control system, cargo transportation will be organized in autonomous mode.
In February 2024, the first flight tests of "Partisan" were conducted in piloted mode, and static and frequency tests are currently being carried out to determine the characteristics of the aircraft. Flight tests in unmanned mode are planned for the summer of this year.
The "Partisan" transport drone is designed to carry cargo weighing up to 1 ton over distances of up to 1 thousand km. It is capable of taking off and landing on unprepared sites and can be used in various fields, including cargo and passenger transportation, rescue operations, fire extinguishing, aviation chemical works, and aerial monitoring.
Earlier, it was planned to launch "Partisan" into mass production in 2024.
Read the material on the topic:
Can carry up to a ton of cargo - the new Russian drone "Partisan" has been tested