Fully involved in special military operations in Ukraine, Russia continues to develop the capability of the Kronshtadt Group Orion-E combatant drone (UCAV). First introduced at the Army 2022 event, the Orion-E is now being upgraded, especially in its controllability which can be supported by a satellite network to expand its operating range.
Quoted from Eurasiantimes.com (9/8/2022), it is stated that the new version of Orion-E with satellite communication support has completed its maiden flight in February - March 2022, and all tests are expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
“The tests are progressing smoothly, and we plan to complete them by the end of this year. We have several modifications of the Orion, and we are ready to produce different versions of recon and attack at the same time. The decision is always in the hands of the customer,” said Oleg Shilov, head of Russian engineering at the Kronstadt Group.
Previously, the updated Orion-E model was presented to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on January 27 at the Kronstadt plant in the city of Dubna near Moscow. A distinctive feature of this new version of the Orion-E drone is the radio-transparent lid in a drop-shaped shape at the front of the fuselage. The satellite communication module is located under the fairing.
The satellite communications unit makes it possible to significantly increase the drone's range as it can operate beyond the range of ground control stations. From the specifications, the Orio-E belongs to the MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drone group.
The MALE predicate deserves to be pinned, because the Orion-E can fly continuously for 24 hours at a maximum altitude of 8,000 meters with a cruising range of 250 km in Line of Sight (LoS) mode. From the specifications, the Orion-E has a length of 8 meters, a wingspan of 16.3 meters and a height of 3.2 meters.
The Orion-E at the bottom of the fuselage is equipped with a dome containing an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor with two thermal cameras, a wide angle TV camera, and a laser range finder/target designator.
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| Orion-E |
With an overall weight of 1,000 kg, the maximum payload capacity of the Orion-E reaches 200 kg, Kronshtadt said the sensor type can be customized according to user needs.
The Orion-E is powered by a Saturn 36MT single turbo propeller engine with 100 hp. The Orion-E can technically fly at speeds of 120 – 200 km per hour.
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If the control with LoS (Line of Sight) is 250 km, then with the use of an unmanned transponder, the cruising distance can be increased to 300 km, and with increased access to BLoS (Beyond Line of Sight) using a satellite network, the Orion-E range is believed to be far more increased.
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