A new S-70 “Hunter” stealth drone has been spotted in Russia, which is probably already being used – eRadar
A new S-70 “Okhotnik” drone was spotted at the Akhtubinsk airfield in the Astrakhan region of Russia. The satellite image with the Russian UAV was published by eRadar Telegram channel on January 18.
The image shows the outline of an aircraft resembling the shape of a C-70 drone, which is made according to the “flying wing” scheme with the use of stealth technologies.
The comments under the photo say that the Russians may have started testing a new UAV.
“Apparently, Russia has begun testing or actively using a new type of UAV, the S-70 Okhotnik. According to satellite imagery, this UAV was delivered to the Akhtubinsk airfield two days ago,” the statement said.
It is also noted that Russia currently has only three such vehicles in its arsenal – they were adopted in 2023. At the same time, the first test flight of the S-70 took place before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2019.
What is known aboutUAV S-70 “Okhotnik”
Russian specialized resources, citing experts, write that the designers of the drone opted for the “flying wing” scheme. The S-70 is 14 meters long and has a wingspan of 19 meters, which is almost one and a half times longer than the Su-34 bomber.
The takeoff weight of the vehicle is about 25 tons, and the flight range reaches 5000 km, the ceiling is within 18 km, while the “Hunter” can carry weapons weighing up to 2.8 tons. It is claimed that the flight speed of the vehicle can reach 1400 km/h. Some of the machine’s systems are unified with those of the Su-57 fighter.
Russian sources also made loud statements about the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the S-70. In this regard, the drone is allegedly a prototype of the 6th generation fighter, but the device will not receive the function of making a decision to use weapons.
However, despite its claimed characteristics, the Okhotnik is a typical drone that resembles the American B-2 Spirit bomber. Its design provides for modular equipment, which will allow to change the payload depending on the nature of combat use.
