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OPINION AUGUST 11, 2023 | The Indian Eye 10

S-70 Okhotnik UCAV

Debuts on the

Russia–Ukraine Battlefield

The Russian project has been in the making since 2011 and has been envisaged as a “loyal wingman” for the

Su-57. A loyal wingman is a UCAV which, using onboard AI, can collaborate with manned fighters and is

seen as being significantly low-cost than its manned counterpart

AKSHAT UPADHYAY
he Russian S-70 Okhotnik
(Hunter) unmanned combat
Taerial vehicle (UCAV) was
reportedly used on the Ukrainian
battlefield on 27 June 2023, where
it struck Ukrainian military facilities
in the regions of Sumy and Kremen-
chuk. This is an important develop-
ment in the war since it showcases
Russian capability to move beyond
tactical and ad-hoc equipped drones
like Orlan-10, Lastochka, Forpost-R
and Orion, commercial Chinese
quadcopters (DJI and Air series) and
the Shahed and Mohajer series loiter-
ing munitions (LMs) imported from
Iran, to staking a major technological
claim in the form of a UCAV.

In the short term, Russia will

still depend on Iranian exper-
tise in LMs given that a manu-
facturing plant has been set up
inside Russia. The successful

strikes by the S-70, with the
option of manned–unmanned
teaming (MUM-T) with the
Su-57 fighter jet, provide the When operationally ready, each Su-57 will command up to four S-70s. Already, four Su-57s have been used to conduct suppression

country with a deployable op- of enemy air defenses (SEAD) in Ukraine (File photo)
tion, still under development
by other powers like the US and ers and is seen as being significantly and Mikoyan as a sixth-generation and the latter with a more square-
low-cost than its manned counter-
heavy UCAV. A sixth generation air
shaped one to increase stealth. Two
the UK. part. This expands the tasking and vehicle has parameters like onboard more are under development and
deployment options for the pair (at data fusion and artificial intelligence these are supposedly similar to the
The Okhotnik project has been the very least one UCAV and one (AI) capabilities, advanced stealth ones which will finally undergo seri-
in the making since 2011 and has manned fighter are being consid- airframes, advanced variable cycle al production.
been envisaged as a “loyal wingman” ered but the numbers of UCAV can engines and integration of directed The design of the S-70 is that of
for the Su-57. A loyal wingman is a increase depending on the cognitive energy weapons (DEW). Two pro- a ‘flying wing’, similar to that of the
UCAV which, using onboard AI, load on the pilot). The project is totypes have been developed so far, F-117 Nighthawk, the RQ-170 and
can collaborate with manned fight- being jointly developed by Sukhoi the first one with a circular exhaust Continued on next page... >>

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