Russian Orion Drone downs unmanned copter

An Orion combat drone struck an air target for the first time, the Russian Ministry of Defense revealed in a video of the exercise this week.

The reconnaissance and attack drone fired an unspecified air-to-air munition at the hovering rotary-wing unmanned vehicle, “simulating a maneuvering air target,” blowing it to pieces. According to the MoD, the drone fired at ground targets as well during the exercise at the Crimean training ground.

Drone-launched Missiles

The video comes as Russia has reportedly developed a new aircraft-launched laser-guided missile based on the Kornet-D anti-tank munition. RIA Novosti revealed that the missile, which has been tested on the Forpost, the Altius, and the Orion unmanned aerial vehicles, has a range of 10 km (6.2 mi) and can neutralize “heavily armored vehicles and low-flying low-speed air targets.”

Russia was reportedly planning to test a modernized version of the 9K121 Vikhr laser-guided anti-tank missile on the unmanned platform to increase its lethality.

“Currently, work is underway to integrate modernized anti-tank missiles of the Vikhr-M complex on Orion. In autumn, the first drone firing of Vortexes from a drone will be conducted at the military training ground at ground targets imitating enemy armored vehicles,” RIA Novosti quoted a source as saying in a July report. According to the outlet, two Vikhr missiles were to be fitted with the unmanned vehicle’s containers suspended on the underwing pylons.

Source: The Defense Post