Text: Vzglyad
Photo: UAV S-100. Press service of JSC Horizon
Russian Navy is going to hold experimental tests of the unmanned helicopter air reconnaissance system, said Olga Zhuk-Tripolitova, deputy director general of JSC Horizon (Rostov-na-Donu, Russia).
"It was decided to commission one Horizon Air S-100 system with unmanned helicopters into Russian Navy in order to test it on board ships", said Mrs. Zhuk-Tripolitova at the UVS-TECH 2012 international forum in Moscow.
She recalled that the Horizon Air S-100 system had excellently performed in the last fall being based on a small ship; a big vessel may accommodate even several UAVs.
Zhuk-Tripolitova explained that the UAV was capable to track targets beyond the horizon and provide target information.
"Production capacity available to JSC Horizon is well enough to assemble six UAVs within one month", she told Interfax.
License production of the Horizon Air S-100 is carried out by JSC Horizon under license of Schiebel (Austria).
Takeoff weight of Horizon Air S-100 helicopter is 200 kg. It is equipped with one 55-hp engine. Operating radius is up to 150 km. Cruising speed is 100 kph.
Director General of JSC Ural Plant of Civil Aviation Vadim Badekha said in Aug that the company jointly with JSC Russian Helicopters was working on a new unmanned helicopter.
"We're working on an unmanned helicopter together with Russian Helicopters. I think, the first one will be finished only in 2014", Badekha said.
As for him, "hundreds of million rubles" will be needed to implement this project.