Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Enlarged Derivative of Orion UAV Under Development
Having successfully fielded the Orion, including an operational debut over Syria, KT is now working on a larger vehicle in the HALE class
The Orion MALE UAV was exhibited in the static display at this year’s MAKS show, behind which was a full-scale mockup of the larger HALE design. (photo: Vladimir Karnozov)
The Orion MALE UAV was exhibited in the static display at this year’s MAKS show, behind which was a full-scale mockup of the larger HALE design. (photo: Vladimir Karnozov)

St. Petersburg-based Kronstadt (KT) has unveiled a full-size mock-up of its “multipurpose high-capacity unmanned aerial vehicle,” a 5-tonne (11,000-pound) drone with a wingspan of 30 meters (98.42 feet). It was exhibited in the MAKS 2019 static line alongside the Orion 1-tonne (2,200-pound) UAV, which the manufacturer describes as “Russia’s first operational drone of the medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) class.” The two bear some outward resemblance, including a single-engine layout with a high-aspect wing made of composite materials, and a rear-mounted pusher propeller.


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