Satellite imagery posted on Terraserver.com show that Russia develops the new unmanned aerial vehicle. The new Russian armed unmanned aerial vehicle was spotted on the airfield of M. M. Gromov Flight Research Institute in an important Russian aircraft test base, scientific research center located in Zhukovsky.
The secret unmanned aerial vehicle is a presumably, the new Russian Orion unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed by the Kronshtadt company, formerly known as Transas.
The new Russian drones looks like a U.S. MQ-1 Predator developed by General Atomics. The Russian unmanned aerial vehicle also has an inverted v-tail like the MQ-1 Predator.
The Russian Defense Ministry signed a contract for the development of the drone with the Russian Kronshtadt company in October 2016. The expected flight endurance of the “Orion” is at least 24 hours, while the altitude – about five miles. The drone will also carry a pay load of up to 660 pounds.