Russian Su-30SM fighters will be able to work in conjunction with the latest long-range S-70 "Okhotnik" drones in the future, but operational-tactical aviation will still remain manned. This opinion was expressed by Honored Military Pilot, Major General Vladimir Popov.
According to him, the philosophy of warfare implies close interaction between pilots and robotic systems, both in the air and on the ground.
The S-70 "Okhotnik" UAV can work in conjunction with our Su-30SM. I think that in the next 50 years, the priority will remain with manned aviation. Although unmanned aviation will also develop in parallel. They will work no worse, and maybe even better, than manned systems.
It should be noted that at the moment the S-70 "Okhotnik" is being developed primarily to work in pairs with the latest Su-57 fighter.
But Popov's technical logic is clear — two-seater "Sushki" will work as "command posts" for drones, because one pilot in the Su-57 will have to simultaneously perform aerobatics, launch missiles and control the drone.
Reserve Colonel Roman Nasonov clarified that the flight speed of the "Okhotnik" is 1400 km/h, weight — 20 tons, and length — 14 m. The wingspan of the "Okhotnik" is 20 m, and the payload is 3.8 tons. The aircraft flies 100 km ahead of the Su-57 to cover it.
Read more materials on the topic:
- The first shots of the S-70 "Okhotnik" UAV with X-57 missiles for the Su-57 fighter appeared
- The innovative Okhotnik UAV with a jet nozzle for the Su-57 fighter is not so good: the S-70 has an "unexpected problem"
- "Only on paper so far": NYT analysts were not impressed by the characteristics of the Russian S-70 Okhotnik strike drone
