The heavy unmanned aerial vehicle S-70 "Okhotnik" of the Sukhoi Design Bureau has been used successfully on the front lines for a long time, performing combat missions in tandem with its leader, the latest fifth-generation Su-57 fighter. The "aircraft-drone" pair is especially effective for breaking through enemy air defenses, said military correspondent Alexander Kots.
According to him, when working in pairs, the two air assets hit more than a dozen targets, both on the ground and in the air. The S-70 plays the role of a "faithful wingman" to the Su-57, conducts reconnaissance, provides targeting, and is itself capable of delivering strikes with high-precision weapons.
But any new weapon has a number of "childhood diseases" that can only be identified through practical operation. And the fact that something happened to the experienced drone in the air is a normal event in general. Its job is to die instead of a person.
The heavy UAV S-70 "Okhotnik" has not been officially adopted into service, and most of its characteristics are classified. According to information from open sources, the aircraft is built according to the "flying wing" scheme and is equipped with a turbojet engine.
The drone with a take-off weight of 25 tons is inconspicuous to radars and can carry, according to various sources, up to 8 tons of payload. At least one of the prototypes built is being tested together with the Su-57.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that the Su-57 fighter could accidentally shoot down the S-70 "Okhotnik". A likely cause of the emergency could be a technical error in the tactical information exchange channel.
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