Kronshtadt, Russia’s leading drone developer and manufacturer, will launch the Orion-E MALE drone in reconnaissance/strike configuration at the Dubai Airshow in 2021. This will be the first demonstration of Russian combat drones at a major international air show, and the first demonstration of Orion-E in the Middle East.
This seems to be a breakthrough for the Russian aviation industry and Kronstadt, because earlier Moscow did not have any UCAV in its export portfolio. As Orion-E will make its debut in Dubai along with weapons (Vikhr missiles and aerial bombs), Russia is entering the elite UCAV exporter club.Moscow hopes that the drone will succeed in the global market, especially because of Orion’s already public combat record-in 2021, Russian television shows that it hit a radical target in Syria[1]In addition, the UAV has an open architecture, which simplifies the installation of the payload and meets the requirements of other operators. At the ARMY Expo in 2021, Kronstadt stated that it is eager to localize its drone production abroad.
Kronshtadt will also exhibit its new automated workplace for drone group operations in Dubai at the United Russia Expo organized by Rosoboronexport, which has never been exhibited at any exhibition before.
Orion-E is designed to perform tasks in a wide range of climate zones. The maximum take-off weight is 1.1 tons, and the maximum payload weight is 250 kg. The flight time can be up to 30 hours, and the speed-200 km/h. Orion-E is equipped with replaceable payloads that conform to the principle of modularity, including sensor payloads for ISR tasks. Can use laser, satellite and TV guided aerial weapons.
Orion-E is equipped with a satellite communication (SATCOM) system that can exchange applications and data with the UAV at an unlimited distance from the ground control system, thereby expanding its range.
At the MAKS-2021 air show, Orion-E was exhibited together with the Vikhr missile produced by the Kalashnikov Group.According to Kalashnikov, Vikhr can hit targets up to 10 kilometers away at speeds exceeding 600 meters per second.[2]. In May, Kalashnikov announced the success of the Vikhr missile test flight, and the Ka-52 crocodile attack helicopter carried out a series of launches[3]A single missile type can promote the marketing of Orion-E and Ka-52 products and make UAVs attractive to potential operators of armed helicopters.
[1] https://ria.ru/20210222/orion-1598532656.html
[2] https://kalashnikovgroup.ru/press-center/news/gk-kalashnikov-obyavila_o_vozmozhnosti_primeneniya_raket_vikhr_na_bpla_i_noveyshikh_vertolyetakh
[3] https://en.kalashnikov.media/video/weapons/gk-kalashnikov-uspeshno-ispytal-upravlyaemye-rakety-vikhr
