Kalashnikov is considering the use of the Skat-350M reconnaissance UAV for round-the-clock patrolling of the Suez Canal and the Sinai Peninsula. This was announced by Leonid Rokeakh, Director for Export of UAVs and Loitering Munitions of the concern, at the El Alamein International Airshow 2026 in Egypt.

The scale of the proposed task is well matched with the characteristics of the aircraft itself. The Suez Canal stretches for approximately 193 km, while the Skat-350M is capable of covering at least 240 km in a single operational sortie. This provides about a 47 km difference between the length of the canal and the declared flight range of the drone.

Moreover, this is not about a one-time flyby, but about the possibility of continuous surveillance. The UAV can stay in the air for up to four hours and operate at altitudes from 300 to 5000 m and above. According to the Kalashnikov representative, negotiations on the potential use of the complex are already underway with partners from Middle Eastern countries.

For such a task, the Skat-350M received a new optoelectronic system. It combines a thermal imaging channel and a highly sensitive camera on a common gyro-stabilized platform, which allows for continuous tracking of a detected object at different times of the day. The declared optical zoom reaches 40x magnification, the digital zoom of the thermal imager is 16x, and the camera resolution is 1500 TVL.