A cutting-edge Altius-RU strike and reconnaissance drone crashed in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan on 8 July.

Source: Defense Express, a Ukrainian military news portal

Details:Early reports suggest the drone fell on a house, possibly killing two civilians. The suspected cause of the crash was loss of connection, which resulted in the UAV losing control and descending into a residential area.

Meanwhile, the press service of the Ural Civil Aircraft Plant said that the crash may have been caused by the effect of an unidentified electronic warfare system.

The Altius-RU drone is a variant of the long-delayed Russian Altius UAV, whose development began in 2011 at the Sokol Design Bureau. The first production order was placed in 2021 with the Ural Civil Aircraft Plant.

The number of units and delivery schedule were not disclosed at the time, but the deal was valued at around RUB 7 billion (approx. US$115 million at today’s inflation-adjusted rate). The drones were intended for the UAV units of the Russian Navy, though no further details about their deployment have been made public since then.

Declared specifications suggest the Altius-RU can remain airborne for up to 48 hours, reach an altitude of 12 km (approximately 39,000 ft) and cover a distance of 10,000 km (about 6,200 miles). Its maximum take-off weight is said to be up to 6 tonnes (around 13,200 lbs), with a fuselage length of 11.6 metres (38 ft) and a wingspan of 28.5 metres (94 ft).

Defense Express suggests its combat load reaches 1 tonne (approximately 2,200 lbs) and its cruising speed is 250 km/h (about 155 mph). One of its key features is the ability to carry Kh-35U anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 260 km (around 160 miles).

The UAV is supposedly equipped with an inertial-satellite navigation system and possibly an undisclosed radar. There have also been reports about the integration of a suspended radar with a phased array antenna and an optical targeting system.

In terms of dimensions and some characteristics, the Altius-RU may even surpass the US-made MQ-9 Reaper, which has a 25-metre (82 ft) wingspan and weighs around 2.2 tonnes (about 4,850 lbs). The American drone’s range is 1,850 km (approximately 1,150 miles), which is significantly lower than that of the Altius-RU.

The Russian Navy was expected to use the drone for reconnaissance, surveillance and support of ship groups, submarines and maritime aircraft.

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