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<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Russian Ministry of Defense has proposed expanding the role of the stealthy new <keyword id="9843274" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="okhotnik">Okhotnik</keyword> (Hunter) <keyword id="6354474" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="drone">drone</keyword> to include long-range intercept missions, Russian state media reported.</li><li>The Okhotnik could be tasked with targeting not only approaching fighter and bomber aircraft, but also the tankers and airborne early warning planes that support them.</li><li>An aircraft industry source told the state-run TASS that the drone will rely on <keyword id="107950" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="60" keywordseo="artificial-intelligence">artificial intelligence</keyword> to achieve a certain degree of warfighting autonomy.</li><li>Like <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword>, the US military is pursuing several lines of effort to field AI-driven autonomous aircraft for manned-unmanned teaming in combat operations.</li></ul><p>Russia is considering giving the stealthy Okhotnik (Hunter) combat drone an air-to-air combat mission as a long-range interceptor, Russian state media reported this week.</p><p>The Russian defense ministry has proposed a concept of operations that would see the drone deployed forward with long-range weaponry to "attack air targets before they approach the air defense zone," <a href="https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/9299951">an aircraft industry source told the TASS news agency</a>.</p><p>While development of the flying-wing Okhotnik unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) began years earlier, it was not until January of last year that the world saw the first pictures of the drone.</p><p>The drone, a Sukhoi Design Bureau project, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-stealthy-new-strike-drone-takes-flight-for-first-time-2019-8">took flight for the first time</a> in August 2019, and then in September of last year, it flew alongside a Su-57, Russia's most advanced fighter aircraft.</p><p>"As originally designed, it was supposed to be an air defense penetrator," Samuel Bendett, an adviser with CNA and an adjunct senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security think tank who studies Russian military autonomy and AI, told Insider.</p><p>"Then, they announced that it would function in a manned-unmanned teaming formation with the stealthy Su-57 manned aircraft and the Su-35, also an advanced Russian manned aircraft," he said. "And, now they are saying that it's going to get an interceptor role."</p><p>As a forward operating system, the Okhotnik could be tasked with targeting not only approaching fighter and bomber aircraft, but also rear-echelon assets such as tankers and airborne early warning planes that support them. It could even dogfight with enemy manned aircraft, as well as engage unmanned systems.</p><p>In addition to intercepting adversary assets, it could also be used to draw fire, force an enemy to reveal itself, or cause an adversary to expend higher-value, sophisticated munitions on a drone that could be needed for later fights.</p><div type="image" title="The first joint flight of a Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik heavy unmanned combat aerial vehicle and a Sukhoi Su-57 jet fighter." height="512" width="1024" msid="77812256" hostid="261"></div><p>Russia characterizes the Okhotnik as a stealthy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) with a reduced radar signature, which gives the aircraft the ability to slip past defenses or approach enemy assets with less chance of being detected.</p><p>The design of the prototypes that have been used in recent tests do not appear to provide the desired all-aspect low observability. However, that may not be the case with the final design.</p><p>Last August, Sukhoi unveiled a stealthier design at an event outside Moscow, indicating that Russia intends to further refine the aircraft to achieve the intended stealth capabilities.</p><p>As for how it might operate, TASS reports that Okhotnik's actions in battle will be coordinated by both ground stations and manned fighter aircraft.</p><p>Bendett told Insider he suspects the Okhotnik drone "will have a similar role to Skyborg," a US Air Force project aimed at developing low-cost, attritable AI-driven autonomous UCAVs to fly alongside manned fighters.</p><div type="image" title="A video screen grab shows a Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik heavy unmanned combat aerial vehicle performing first test flights." height="402" width="804" msid="77812259" hostid="261"></div><p>TASS' source told the outlet that the AI-driven platform will be "fully autonomous" and have the ability to "independently search for certain types of targets, report on them, and attack."</p><p>"Full autonomy is, I think, more of a conceptual statement," Bendett said. "It's a statement that kind of provides a goal for the domestic defense sector to work towards and kind of puts everybody else on notice that this is what the Russians are working on."</p><p>He said that across the Russian defense establishment, researchers and developers are looking at "unmanned systems eventually having full autonomy and fighting alongside humans, selecting the targets and making the evaluations for a human operator to then make the final decision."</p><p>As for that final decision on whether or not to engage, Russia is currently keeping the human in the loop, but, "we are starting to see the debate shift a little bit into that gray area where AI-enabled decision-making systems in various weapons are going to be given a greater and greater role in combat to the point where the human role is diminished," Bendett said.</p><p>It is not clear to what degree the Okhotnik combat drone is presently autonomous, assuming it is at all.</p><p>The US military is currently pursuing projects to advance research for unmanned warfare with AI at the stick.</p><p>Last week, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) put an AI algorithm up against a well-trained US Air Force F-16 pilot in a "simulated within-visual-range air combat" situation, or dogfight.</p><p>The AI achieved a flawless victory, one that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-pilot-not-surprised-ai-beat-human-in-simulated-dogfight-2020-8">a former US Navy TOPGUN instructor said</a> was a "significant step toward one day providing an unmanned aircraft that can perform dogfighting" but not evidence "that we're there now."</p><p>The Air Force has said that it plans to pit an AI-driven autonomous aircraft against a human pilot in some type of aerial engagement as early as next year, more work is required to get AI ready for real world combat.</p><p>"The United States is ahead of the competition in trying to understand what AI's role is in aerial combat," Bendett said, adding that Russia will likely need to put its unmanned systems through similar tests before platforms like the Okhotnik can carry out missions as intended.</p><p>The Russian defense ministry has called for deliveries of the Okhotnik combat drone to begin in 2024.</p>

Russia is talking about giving its stealthy 'Hunter' drone an air-to-air combat mission as a long-range interceptor

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia lost one of its new S-70 Okhotnik (Hunter) drones earlier this month.</li><li>The UK MOD said that Russia likely lost control and shot it down to prevent it falling into Ukrainian hands.</li></ul><p>A Russian heavy combat drone that crashed in Ukraine this month was shot down by Russia, likely to try to stop it from falling into Ukrainian hands, according to the UK's Ministry of Defence.</p><p>In early October, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/clashreport/status/1842513328217760059">footage began circulating on social media</a> of an aircraft believed to be one of Russia's rare S-70 Okhotnik-B (Hunter) drones falling out of the sky over Ukraine.</p><p>Its wreckage landed in Kostyantynivka, a city close to the front line in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region.</p><p>Multiple theories about the cause of the crash circulated among Russian sources, according to the Washington D.C.-based Institute for the Study of War.</p><p>Among them was the idea that it had been shot down in a bungled attack, or that Russia had somehow lost control of it and had deliberately shot it down itself.</p><p>On Tuesday, UK intelligence <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/DefenceHQ/status/1846151483055644855">said</a> that it's likely that Russia, having lost control of the drone, "took the decision to destroy the aircraft to avoid it falling into enemy hands."</p><p>It said that Russia probably waited until the last moment in the hope of regaining control, before firing on it.</p><div type="image" title="A blurry image of a fixed-wing drone on a runway with the logo for Russia's defense ministry in the top-left corner." height="2377" width="3400" msid="114258890" hostid="261" sizebytes="62340"></div><p><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-testing-loyal-wingman-drone-for-su57-stealth-fighter-2020-12">The S-70</a>, a heavy combat drone intended to have stealth capabilities, has been in development for at least a decade. With a 65-foot wingspan, it is believed to have been designed to operate in conjunction with Russia's Su-57 fighter jet.</p><p>Russia is believed to have produced only two S-70s to date, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-october-5-2024">according to the Institute for the Study of War</a>, making it a significant prize for Ukraine and its NATO partners, including the US.</p><p>Footage <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/1842614854357545180">posted</a> to social media accounts purported to show Ukrainian forces gathered around a relatively intact — and therefore, likely useful — portion of the downed drone.</p><p>Nations often go to extreme measures to try to protect their military secrets and sensitive tech.</p><p>Samuel Bendett, an expert on drones and Russian defense with the Center for Naval Analyses, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-lost-new-heavy-drone-over-ukraine-intelligence-win-west-2024-10">told Business Insider</a> last week that the apparent loss of the drone was a "significant win" for Western intelligence.</p><p>"Presumably it has top resources and investments, materials and products, including microelectronics and other key components," he said.</p><p>The fact that there are so few S-70s means the loss could also slow its development, though Russia is unlikely to stop altogether, he added.</p><p>Among the theories circulating online was that a Russian Su-57 had brought the drone down, something the UK MOD did not comment on.</p><p>However, it suggested the loss would be keenly felt by Russia.</p><p>"This demonstrates yet another expensive and embarrassing failure of Russian weapons development and will almost certainly delay the S-70 programme," it said.</p>

Russia shot down one of its own rare combat drones to stop it falling into enemy hands: UK intel

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia appears to have lost one of its new S-70 Okhotnik (Hunter) drones over the weekend.</li><li>The suspected drone crashed in eastern Ukraine, but the cause is still unknown.</li></ul><p>An aircraft believed to be a new heavy Russian combat drone crashed in Ukraine over the weekend. Losing one would not only be a major blow for Moscow; it could be a significant intelligence win for Kyiv and its NATO partners, including the US.</p><p>Russia hasn't built very many of the S-70 Okhotnik-B (Hunter) drones, which made their combat debut during the ongoing Ukraine war.</p><p>Video footage circulated across social media on Saturday showing the suspected <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/clashreport/status/1842513328217760059">S-70 plummeting out of the sky</a> while leaving a trail of smoke in its wake, an indication that the aircraft had suffered damage of some kind. Photos later showed the aircraft's <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/PEnssle/status/1842590071402434807">wreckage</a> on the ground.</p><p>The wreckage of the Russian aircraft was discovered in Kostyantynivka, a city in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region just a few miles behind the front lines. It's unclear what type of mission the drone was on when it crashed.</p><div type="image" title="Ukrainian service members inspect parts of a Russian S-70 drone in eastern Ukraine on October 5." height="3769" width="5653" msid="114023434" hostid="261" sizebytes="2603090"></div><p>The exact cause of the crash is unknown, but there's been speculation about what might have happened. Neither Russia nor Ukraine has commented publicly on the incident.</p><p>Conflict analysts at the Institute for the Study of War think tank said that some Russian sources have claimed that Moscow accidentally shot down the S-70 in a friendly-fire incident. Open-source intelligence accounts on social media <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/clashreport/status/1842513328217760059">amplified this theory</a>, asserting that the drone was shot down by one of Russia's few <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-feared-losing-su-57-combat-ukraine-hit-one-anyway-2024-6">Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets</a>.</p><p>As to whether the downing of the aircraft was an accident or intentional, other Russian sources have suggested that the drone operators lost control of the aircraft and shot it down on purpose to prevent Ukraine from gaining access to the system's advanced technology, the analysts wrote in a Sunday <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-october-6-2024">assessment</a>.</p><p>Business Insider is unable to immediately verify any of the theories, but Ukraine, based on photos taken at the crash site, has access to the wreckage.</p><div type="image" title="Russia's S-70 drone is seen taking off at an unidentified location in August 2019." height="2377" width="3400" msid="114023444" hostid="261" sizebytes="62340"></div><p>Samuel Bendett, an advisor with the Center for Naval Analyses and an expert on drones and Russian defense issues, said that the apparent loss of the S-70 a "significant win" for Western intelligence given that it has been Moscow's flagship drone project for more than a decade.</p><p>Photos captured at the crash site show Ukrainian troops already examining the suspected S-70 wreckage, a scenario Russia — or any military — would probably prefer to avoid with new and sensitive technology.</p><p>"Presumably it has top resources and investments, materials and products, including microelectronics and other key components," Bendett told Business Insider.</p><p>Bendett said that NATO countries, which are ahead of Russia in unmanned combat aerial vehicle development, are likely working on their own designs. Getting ahold of this aircraft could provide insight into its workings, as well as its weaknesses and how best to counter it. Additionally, because there aren't many S-70s, losing one could set Moscow's program back, although it "will not stop its ongoing experimentation with such designs," he said.</p><div type="image" title="Ukrainian scene investigators examine the wreckage the S-70 in eastern Ukraine on October 5." height="3915" width="5873" msid="114023439" hostid="261" sizebytes="1416530"></div><p>The S-70 "Hunter," which looks similar in shape to the US military's RQ-170 Sentinel built by Lockheed Martin, has been <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-testing-loyal-wingman-drone-for-su57-stealth-fighter-2020-12">under development</a> since the early 2010s and took its first flight in 2019. Only two of the jet-powered drones — which weigh some 20 tons and have a 65-foot-long wingspan — are <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-october-5-2024">thought to have been built</a>.</p><p>Both Ukraine and Russia have relied heavily on drones to wage war, although they have primarily employed <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-beating-russia-in-the-drone-production-race-2024-10">mass-produced, cheap drones</a> instead of heavier and more expensive systems.</p><p>Bendett said that Ukraine and Russia are fielding drones with impressive ranges that can cause extensive damage and issues for air defenses as the S-70 was intended for, but some other drones can perform these tasks at a fraction of the price.</p><p>This poses a dilemma for Moscow, Bendett said. Should it continue developing the S-70, even though the few it has would be at great risk, or spend more resources on long-range attack drones that are much cheaper? The answer remains to be seen.</p>

Russia's apparent loss of one of its new heavy Hunter drones over Ukraine could be an intelligence win for Kyiv and the West

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia's new heavy attack drone took flight for the first time alongside the country's most advanced fighter, the <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> ministry revealed Monday.</li><li>Flying with the fifth-generation Su-57, the Okhotnik, or "Hunter," drone was able "to broaden the fighter's radar coverage and to provide target acquisition for employing air-launched weapons," the ministry said.</li><li>The latest flight appears to confirm suspicions that the drone was designed to fight alongside and provide critical battespace information to Russia's newest fighters.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Russia's new heavy combat drone has flown for the first time alongside the country's most advanced fighter jet, giving the fighter a new edge in battle, the Russian defense ministry announced Friday.</p><p>"The Okhotnik unmanned aerial vehicle has performed its first joint flight with a fifth-generation Su-57 plane," the ministry said in a statement, <a href="https://tass.com/defense/1080201">according</a> to Russia's state-run TASS <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> agency.</p><p>The two Russian aircraft flew together "to broaden the fighter's radar coverage and to provide target acquisition for employing air-launched weapons," the ministry added.</p><p>Photos of the Okhotnik first surfaced online in January, but it wasn't until June that the unmanned aircraft was formally unveiled.</p><p>This summer, the heavy attack drone completed its maiden flight, during which it flew circles over an airfield for 20 minutes.</p><p>The flight involving both the Okhotnik drone and the Su-57 fighter appears to confirm what some have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-okhotnik-stealth-drone-pics-hint-at-future-of-jet-fighters-2019-1">suspected</a> for months - that the stealthy flying-wing drone was designed to fight alongside and provide critical battespace information to Russia's new fifth-generation fighters.</p><p>In January, shortly after photos of the Okhtonik appeared online, photos of an Su-57 with an interesting new paint job appeared. The redesign featured silhouettes of a Su-57 and a flying-wing aircraft that looked a lot like the Okhotnik.</p><p>Russia claims that the Okhotnik has stealth capabilities, a byproduct of its shape and an anti-radar coating, and is equipped with electro-optical, radar, and other types of reconnaissance equipment.</p><p>The heavy attack drone is currently controlled remotely, but in future tests, it is expected to perform in a semi-autonomous state and eventually a completely autonomous mode, TASS <a href="https://tass.com/defense/1080201">reports</a>.</p><p>Testing with various armaments is expected in the next few years, and the drone will be handed over to Russian troops around 2025.</p><div></div><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-drone-dragonfly-mission-titan-saturn-moon-2019-7">NASA's $1 billion Dragonfly drone mission will look for signs of life on Saturn's moon</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Russia's new stealthy 'Hunter' drone just took flight for the first time with the country's most advanced fighter

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia's stealthy new Su-70 <span>Okhotnik-B (Hunter-B) heavy combat drone has taken flight for the first time, the Russian defense ministry has revealed.</span></li><li><span>The first flight lasted 20 minutes, during which the drone flew an altitude of 600 meters before successfully landing, Russian state media reported.</span></li><li><span>Photos of the Okhotnik first appeared online in January, and then it was seen again on a flight line in satellite images taken in May.</span></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit INSIDER's&#xa0;homepage for more stories.&#xa0;</a></li></ul><p>Russia's stealthy new Su-70 <span>Okhotnik-B heavy combat drone has taken flight for the first time, the Russian defense ministry revealed.</span></p><p><span>The first flight, which occurred at a military airfield over the weekend, lasted 20 minutes, TASS, a Russian state-run media outlet, <a href="https://tass.com/defense/1071784">reported</a>, citing a defense ministry press statement. "The aerial vehicle flown by the operator made several circles around the airfield at an altitude of 600 meters and then successfully landed," the ministry said.</span></p><p><span>It is unclear where the testing occurred, but satellite images from May <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/28147/russias-hunter-flying-wing-unmanned-combat-air-vehicle-is-a-big-beast">showed</a> the drone sitting along the flight line when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the 929th Chkalov State Flight-Test Center in the Astrakhan region on May 14.</span></p><p>Russian state media <a href="https://tass.com/defense/1060553">announced</a> plans for the aircraft's maiden flight back in May, revealing that it would occur sometime in July or August. A source in the aircraft manufacturing industry told TASS that the first flight would take place at the <span>Novosibirsk Aircraft Plant.</span></p><p>The drone, a <span>Sukhoi Design Bureau product with a flying wing shape, is quite large, but it has a low radar signature, according to Russian state media. "The drone is equipped with equipment for optical-electronic, radio engineering and other types of reconnaissance activities," TASS reports.</span></p><p><span>Some observers have <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russias-b-2-lookalike-stealth-drone-just-flew-1st-time-71611">expressed</a> doubts about the Russian drone's stealth capabilities, suggesting that while its shape offers some advantages, the aircraft might be detectable from behind due to its exposed engine nozzle, perhaps a prototype flaw that will be corrected as Russia moves forward with this project. Russia reportedly lags the US in stealth technology, including coated materials designed to reduce an aircraft's radar returns.</span></p><p>&#xa0;</p><p><span>The first photos of the Okhotnik, also known as the Hunter, appeared online in January, when pictures emerged showing the unmanned combat aerial vehicle being towed at what The War Zone <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/28147/russias-hunter-flying-wing-unmanned-combat-air-vehicle-is-a-big-beast">suspects</a> was likely Sukhoi's Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Plant.</span></p><p><span>The flight line photos that emerged in May led observers to conclude that the Okhotnik has a wingspan of about 50 feet, making it about as large as China's Tian Ying drone or America's experimental X-47B drone, The National Interest <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russias-b-2-lookalike-stealth-drone-just-flew-1st-time-71611">reports</a>.</span></p><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-narcos-sicario-get-wrong-about-drug-cartels-mexico-2018-5">Here's what 'Narcos' and 'Sicario' get wrong about Mexican drug cartels</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Russia's stealthy new combat drone has taken flight for the first time

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BtAwIIcnYoh/">Fighter_Bomber_ via Instagram</a></span></p><p class="caption">Russia's Okhotnik stealth attack drone revealed.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>An image of Russia's new heavy attack stealth drone, the Okhotnik, just leaked.</strong></li><li><strong>The drone looks like the US's B-2 stealth bomber with a flying wing design that could give it solid stealth and survivability against the US. </strong></li><li><strong>Russia has an ambiguous mission for the drone, which it claims will inform the next generation of Russian fighters.</strong></li><li><strong>Russia's Su-57, its newest fighter jet, recently appeared with a silhouette of something like the Okhotnik on it, suggesting a connection between this mysterious drone and the future of Russia's fighter jets. </strong></li></ul><p>Russia's new <span>heavy attack drone, called the Okhotnik (Russian for "hunter"), just made its visual debut as a flying wing stealth platform intended to fight Moscow's enemies from the air and inform the next generation of jet fighters.</span></p><p><span>The picture of the Okhotnik, posted on a Russian aviation blog and <a href="http://aviationweek.com/defense/new-photo-may-reveal-russian-unmanned-strike-aircraft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first reported at Aviation Week</a>, shows a drone on a snowy runway with a flat flying wing design like the B-2 Spirit bomber of the US Air Force.</span></p><p><span>The B-2 represents the US's stealthiest plane despite being originally built in the early 1980s, which owes to the flying wing design. </span></p><p><span>Fighter jets which hit supersonic speeds and maneuver tightly need vertical fins, meaning Russia's Okhotnik likely places stealth above turning and air-to-air combat.</span></p><p><strong>Read more:</strong><em> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-stealth-h-20-bomber-is-less-a-nuclear-threat-than-conventional-2018-11">China's mysterious H-20 bomber has a nuclear mission, but that's got nothing on its real threat</a></em></p><p><span>In July 2018, Russian media quoted a <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> industry source as saying the Okhotnik could perform "any combat task in an autonomous regime," but that the drone would require a human pilot to pull the trigger.</span><span></span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1086300945909207045">@RupprechtDeino via Twitter</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>US drones only perform in an air-to-ground role, as they're subsonic aircraft that would be sitting ducks to enemy fighters. </span></p><p><span>But the defense industry source claimed the "Okhotnik will become the prototype of the sixth generation fighter jet," further suggesting some air-to-air role. <br /></span></p><p><span>Recent pictures of Russia's Su-57 fighter jet, billed as a stealth fifth-generation answer to the US F-22 and F-35 fighters, showed the manned fighter jet with a <a href="https://russianplanes.net/id244022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flying wing aircraft painted on its vertical stabilizer next to a silhouette of the Su-57</a>.</span></p><p><strong>Read more: </strong><em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-admits-defeat-su-57-not-going-into-mass-production-2018-7" data-analytics-position="6">Russia admits defeat on its 'stealth' F-35 killer by canceling mass production of the Su-57 fighter jet</a></em></p><p><span> Again, this seems to suggest a connection between the combat drone and air superiority fighters, though Russia's own media describes the drone as having a takeoff weight of 20 tons and an airspeed in the high subsonic range. </span></p><p><span>Russia frequently makes unverified and dubious claims about its combat aircraft. Russia dubbed the Su-57, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-su-57-stealth-jet-photos-reveal-its-a-threat-to-f-22-f-35-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meant to fight F-22 and F-35 fighter</a>s or beat top-end air defenses, "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-su-57-syria-deter-scaring-nobody-2018-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">combat proven</a>" after a few days of dropping bombs on militants in Syria who had no anti-air capabilities. </span></p><p><span>Additionally, a senior scientist working on stealth aircraft in the West told previously Business Insider that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-su-57-stealth-jet-photos-reveal-its-a-threat-to-f-22-f-35-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia's Su-57 lacks any serious stealth treatment</a> in a few painfully obvious ways. </span><span></span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BtAwIIcnYoh/">Fighter_Bomber_ via Instagram</a></span></p><p class="caption">Russia's Okhotnik stealth attack drone revealed.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>But the sixth generation of fighter aircraft, or even the true purpose of the current, fifth generation of fighter aircraft, remains an open question. Many top military strategists and planners have floated the possibility of pairing advanced manned fighter jets with swarms of drones or legacy aircraft to act as bomb trucks or decoys. </span></p><p><span>By incorporating stealth drones into the operational plan for the Su-57, Russia may have considerably complicated the picture for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-22-raptor-vs-russia-su-57-fighter-jet-2017-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US pilots and military planners who speak as though they have Russia's jet fighters figured out</a>. </span></p><p><span>Russia has a number of drones in operation, but typically has shied away from combat drones, as it still uses an affordable fleet of older Sukhoi fighter/bombers to drop bombs in Syria. </span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-kim-jong-un-scariest-dictators-2016-1">North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is 35 - here's how he became one of the world's scariest dictators</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Russia's new stealth attack drone just leaked - and it may reveal details of Russia next fighter jet

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Screenshot/paralay.iboards.ru</span></p><p class="caption">Possible picture of the Okhotnik drone.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Russia says that it will turn its new Okhotnik drone, which is about to make its maiden flight, into a sixth-generation aircraft. </strong></li><li><strong>Popular Mechanics also published a supposed picture above of the Okhotnik, which was posted on a Russian aviation forum called paralay.iboards.ru.</strong></li><li><strong>Still, it's unclear exactly what the Okhotnik's capabilities are now, and what they would be if turned into a sixth-generation fighter - a concept that is still not fully realized.</strong></li></ul><p>Russia says that it will turn its new drone, which is about to make its maiden flight, into a sixth-generation aircraft, according to TASS, a Russian state-owned media outlet.</p><p>"Okhotnik will become a prototype of the sixth generation fighter jet," a Russian <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> industry official told TASS, adding that the sixth generation fighter "has not yet taken full shape, [but] it's main features are known."</p><p>The single-engine Okhotnik ("Hunter" in Russian) drone has a top speed of 621 mph, and might make its maiden flight in 2018, <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a22093902/russian-combat-drone-allegedy-set-to-fly-this-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Popular Mechanics, citing TASS.</p><p>Popular Mechanics also published a supposed picture above of the Okhotnik, which was posted on a Russian aviation forum called <span>paralay.iboards.ru.</span></p><p><span>Russia "may use [the Okhotnik] as a platform to develop technologies for an 'autonomous' or more likely pilotless drone," Michael Kaufman, a research scientist at CNA, told Business Insider.</span></p><p><span>But Kaufman added that the claims are rather questionable since TASS sourced a Russian defense industry official. </span></p><p><span>"Any technological advances from the Okhotnik development could be carried into future aircraft or drone design," Sim Tack, the chief military analyst at Force Analysis and a global fellow at Stratfor, told Business Insider,  "and this [TASS] source may be a proponent of that route." </span></p><p><span>"As far as I see it, this is a large drone similar to X-47B, with sizable payload," Kaufman said. Popular Mechanic's Kyle Mizokami likened the Okhotnik to the American <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/rq-170-sentinel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RQ-170 Sentinel</a> drone. </span></p><p>Still, it's unclear exactly what the <span>Okhotnik's capabilities are now, and what they would be if turned into a sixth-generation fighter - a concept that is still <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sixth-generation-fighter-jet-what-it-looks-like-2018-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not fully realized</a>.</span></p><p><span>The Okhotnik drone in its current capacity has an anti-radar coating, and will store missiles and precision-guided bombs internally to avoid radar detection, Popular Mechanics reported. </span></p><p><span>In any event, Russia appears to be aiming for some sort of sixth-generation aircraft, recently testing sixth-generation <a href="http://tass.com/defense/1013337" target="_blank" rel="noopener">onboard systems</a> on the Su-57 and even <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/stealth-killer-russias-sixth-generation-fighter-might-have-radio-photonic-radar-25361" target="_blank" rel="noopener">researching a radio-photonic radar</a> for the potential aircraft. </span></p><div style="position: absolute; z-index: -1; opacity: 0; bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; height: 1px;">unmanned and capable of performing any combat task in an autonomous regime. <br /><br />More:<br />http://tass.com/defense/1014154</div><div style="position: absolute; z-index: -1; opacity: 0; bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; height: 1px;">Okhotnik will become the prototype of the sixth generation fighter jet<br /><br />More:<br />http://tass.com/defense/1014154<div style="position: absolute; z-index: -1; opacity: 0; bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; height: 1px;">Okhotnik will become the prototype of the sixth generation fighter jet<br /><br />More:<br />http://tass.com/defense/1014154</div></div><div style="position: absolute; z-index: -1; opacity: 0; bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; height: 1px;"><p>Okhotnik will become the prototype of the sixth generation fighter jet,'<br /><br />More:<br />http://tass.com/defense/1014154</p><p> </p></div><div style="position: absolute; z-index: -1; opacity: 0; bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; height: 1px;">Okhotnik will become the prototype of the sixth generation fighter jet,'<br /><br />More:<br />http://tass.com/defense/1014154<div style="position: absolute; z-index: -1; opacity: 0; bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; height: 1px;">Okhotnik will become the prototype of the sixth generation fighter jet,'<br /><br />More:<br />http://tass.com/defense/1014154</div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/border-patrol-agents-us-mexico-border-video-2018-7">I spent a day with Border Patrol agents at the US-Mexico border</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Russia is testing a new drone similar to the CIA's stealthy RQ-170, and wants to turn it into a sixth-generation fighter

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation/Handout via REUTERS</span></p><p class="caption">A still image, taken from a video footage released by Russia's Defence Ministry on August 20, 2019, shows a Russian Altius-U military long-range unmanned aerial vehicle during a test flight at an unknown location, Russia</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia's Ministry of Defence released video of a test flight of its Altius-U UAV on Tuesday. The Altius-U, beset with production delays, is Russia's answer to the US' RQ-4 Global Hawk, which is used for reconnaissance. </li><li>It's the second test of new Russian UAV technology this month. Two weeks ago, Russia sent its <span>Okhotnik, or "Hunter" UAV on its maiden voyage. </span></li><li><span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>"This was a capability they were craving," Samuel Bendett, a researcher at the CNA Corporation, told Insider. </strong></span></span></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet"><span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories.</strong></span></span></a><span></span><span></span></li></ul><p><span>The Russian Ministry of Defence has finally completed a prototype of the Altius-U, its version of the US's RQ-4 Global Hawk and Predator drones, Russian state news agency <a href="https://tass.com/defense/1074237">TASS has reported</a>.  </span></p><p><span>After several practical setbacks and cost increases, as well as the <a href="https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2018/04/designer-russias-first-armed-drone-under-arrest/147751/">arrest of Alexander Gomzin</a>, the general director of Altius's original designer last year, the six-ton Altius-U took to the skies for 32 minutes on Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced. </span></p><p><span>The prototype was outfitted with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) equipment during the test flight, said Samuel Bendett, <span style="font-weight: 400;">a researcher at the CNA Corporation. Eventually, the drone will be armed to carry out precision attacks and will be able to carry up to one ton, Bendett told Insider.</span></span></p><p>The UAV flew at an altitude of about 800 meters, or 2,600 feet, although Bendett said that both the Altius and Russia's new <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-stealthy-new-strike-drone-takes-flight-for-first-time-2019-8">Okhotnik</a> stealth drone would eventually be able to fly at very high altitudes to penetrate adversaries' air defenses. </p><p>According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Altius-U is capable of a <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/08/20/russias-recon-drone-takes-off-as-military-touts-24-hour-flight-time-a66946">24-hour flight time</a>, which gives it the capability to move far beyond Russia's borders. </p><p>Bendett told Insider that Russia was trying to wean itself off of foreign military equipment and to learn lessons from combat in Syria - and the development of both the Altius-U and the Okhotnik shows just how far Russia has come on both those fronts. </p><p>"This was a capability they were craving," Bendett told Insider. </p><p>But the Altius prototype is only on its first test - <span style="font-weight: 400;"> "A lot has to happen" before either UAV is part of the Russian arsenal.</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-announced-it-would-give-military-small-drones-with-bombs-2019-7" data-analytics-position="4">Russia wants to arm its troops with small drones that drop bombs because ISIS did it</a></em></p><p>Even so, it's a clear signal to Russia's adversaries that it's taking note of UAV technologies coming from the US and Israel in particular, and that it is developing the capabilities to fight in the wars of the future. </p><p>The testing of the two UAVs "m<span style="font-weight: 400;">oves beyond the discussion of whether or not they can [build these types of weapons] to, 'Yes they did,'" Bendett said.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/circle-of-heroes-underwater-memorial-military-veterans-florida-2019-8">A new underwater memorial honors US military veterans and serves as an artificial reef to preserve marine life</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Russia's new high-altitude drone just flew for the first time, and they want to arm it with one ton of bombs

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US's newest <keyword id="9945121" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fifth-generation-fighter">fifth-generation fighter</keyword>, the F-35, is again under fire from Congress.</li><li>Despite lawmakers' displeasure with it, US military commanders say the jet is indispensable.</li><li>The commanders all see Russia's and China's fifth-generation fighters as major concerns.</li></ul><p>The F-35's cost and procurement issues have once again put the advanced fighter jet <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/04/26/congress-may-put-kibosh-buying-extra-f-35-fighter-jets.html" target="_top">in Congress' sights</a>.</p><p>At a House Armed Services Committee hearing in April, Reps. John Garamendi and Donald Norcross - chairmen of the tactical air and land forces and readiness subcommittees, respectively - made clear their frustration with the program and told the military not to expect additional money for it.</p><p>Top US commanders, however, insist that the F-35 and the F-22 - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-makes-5th-generation-fighter-jets-different-from-earlier-jets-2021-2" target="_top">the US's two fifth-generation jets</a> - are indispensable.</p><p>In March, Adm. Philip S. Davidson, then head of US Indo-Pacific Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that fifth-generation fighters "are the backbone of any of our planning for a crisis forward in the theater" and called them "critical to any future war-fight we might have."</p><p>Two days later, Adm. John C. Aquilino, Davidson's successor, told the committee that he "would be concerned if we lessened our capacity of fifth-generation airplanes. I think they are needed to win."</p><p>At separate Senate and House Armed Services Committee hearings in April, Gen. Tod Wolters, head of US European Command and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said the F-35 was needed "to ensure that we have the competitive advantage" and that the US and its allies would be "weakened" if its production was reduced.</p><p>The officials all cited the development of Russian and Chinese fifth-generation jets as a major concern.</p><h2>The Raptor and the Lightning</h2><div type="image" title="F-35 and F-22" height="3280" width="4928" msid="82389226" hostid="261"></div><p>Introduced in 2005 and 2016, respectively, the <a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104506/f-22-raptor/" target="_top">F-22 Raptor</a> and the <a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/478441/f-35a-lightning-ii/" target="_top">F-35 Lightning II</a> were intended to usher in a new era in which stealth technology played a dominant role in the Air Force's fighter inventory.</p><p>"The F-35 and the F-22 are fundamentally related. They are cousins," Douglas Birkey, the executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Power Studies, told Insider.</p><p>The jets were to work in tandem, with the F-22 as the air-to-air dominance platform and the F-35 excelling at ground-strike missions, though it was also capable of air-to-air combat.</p><p>The F-22 can carry eight air-to-air missiles or two 1,000-pound bombs and two air-to-air missiles in its internal weapons bays.</p><p>The F-35 can carry 18,000 pounds of missiles and bombs internally and on external hardpoints. For close combat, the F-22 has a 20 mm rotary cannon and the F-35 a 25 mm rotary cannon.</p><div type="image" title="F-22 internal weapons bay missile" height="1373" width="2000" msid="82389230" hostid="261"></div><p>F-22s have flown <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-22s-backed-down-587-enemy-aircraft-in-first-combat-surge-in-syria-2018-10" target="_top">deterrence</a> and <a href="https://www.airforcetimes.com/flashpoints/2019/09/10/air-force-f-15s-f-35s-dump-80000-pounds-of-bombs-on-iraqi-island/" target="_top">strike</a> missions in Syria, while Air Force and Marine Corps F-35s have struck targets in <a href="https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1830712/us-air-force-f-35as-conduct-first-combat-employment/" target="_top">Iraq</a> and <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/news/your-military/2018/09/27/f-35-flies-first-combat-mission-in-afghanistan/" target="_top">Afghanistan</a>.</p><p>But their electronics suites and stealth coatings are just as important as their armaments, especially for the F-35.</p><p>While the F-22 is better at dogfighting, the F-35 has far more advanced electronics. "Its ability to understand the battlespace is like none other. It is literally covered in sensors," Birkey said of the F-35.</p><p>That gives F-35 pilots a massive advantage, particularly with the jet's ability to integrate data from other F-35s and friendly aircraft instantly, allowing them to see much more of the battlefield. The Army and the Air Force have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-f35s-army-howitzers-practice-targeting-enemy-air-defenses-2019-12" target="_top">already practiced using the F-35's sensors to guide long-range artillery fire</a>.</p><p>Despite delays and cost overruns, senior US military officials say the F-35 is extremely valuable and that the other countries fielding it feel the same.</p><h2>The Mighty Dragon</h2><div type="image" title="China J 20 Stealth Fighter" height="1000" width="1500" msid="82389233" hostid="261"></div><p>The first non-US fifth-generation fighter to enter service was China's <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/chengdu-j20/" target="_top">Chengdu J-20</a>, also known as the Mighty Dragon. Introduced in 2017, it was developed in response to the F-22 and the F-35.</p><p>China's stealth program is believed to be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-china-j20-stealth-jet-compares-to-us-f22-fighter-2020-11" target="_top">based on </a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-china-j20-stealth-jet-compares-to-us-f22-fighter-2020-11" target="_top">plans </a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-china-j20-stealth-jet-compares-to-us-f22-fighter-2020-11" target="_top">stolen </a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-china-j20-stealth-jet-compares-to-us-f22-fighter-2020-11" target="_top">from the US</a>. The <keyword id="1609350" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="J-20">J-20</keyword> looks similar to the F-22 and plays a similar air-dominance and interceptor role for the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).</p><p>It doesn't have a cannon, but the J-20 does have internal weapons bays, which can hold six air-to-air missiles.</p><p>The J-20 is currently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-china-j20-stealth-jet-compares-to-us-f22-fighter-2020-11" target="_top">believed</a> to be inferior to its American counterparts in a straight-up dogfight, in part because the Chinese have struggled to build efficient engines.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-j20-fighter-jet-purpose-built-engines-in-2-years-2021-4" target="_top">Early models were underpowered and lack thrust-vectoring</a>, which allows the pilot to control the direction of the engine thrust.</p><div type="image" title="J-20 stealth fighter china" height="1000" width="1500" msid="82389235" hostid="261"></div><p>The Chinese initially used Russian-made engines but are now fitting J-20s with domestically produced engines: the WS-10C is currently being installed as a stopgap until the WS-15 arrives.</p><p>The WS-15 will put the J-20 "on par" with the F-22 and be available within two years, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-j20-fighter-jet-purpose-built-engines-in-2-years-2021-4" target="_top">Chinese military sources told The South China Morning Post</a> in April.</p><p>But China has three distinct advantages going forward.</p><p>Most of the likely combat scenarios it faces are close to its territory, lowering deployment and upkeep costs for China compared to those for US fifth-generation jets that have to deploy and operate from forward bases or ships.</p><p>The J-20 is also still in production, meaning it can be further refined and enhanced, while the F-35 program now faces budget limits and F-22 production has ceased entirely.</p><p>China's air-to-air missile arsenal is also <a href="https://www.iiss.org/publications/the-military-balance/the-military-balance-2018/mb2018-01-essays-1" target="_top">considerably advanced</a>.</p><h2>The Felon</h2><div type="image" title="Su-57" height="1309" width="1870" msid="82389236" hostid="261"></div><p>The <a href="https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=782" target="_top">Su-57</a>, known to NATO as the Felon, is Russia's entry in the fifth-generation contest.</p><p>It was <a href="https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/10352497" target="_top">officially introduced</a> into service in December, but it first flew in 2010 and has been in development since 2002.</p><p>Four internal weapon bays can carry six <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/36899/russian-air-to-air-missile-tests-signal-potential-new-capabilities-for-flanker-and-felon" target="_top">air-to-air missiles</a>, and six more can be attached to external hardpoints on the wings. It also has a <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39578/watch-russias-su-57-felon-advanced-combat-jet-let-its-30mm-cannon-rip" target="_top">single-barreled 30 mm autocannon</a> for close combat.</p><p>Not much is known about the <keyword id="8483403" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="su-57">Su-57</keyword>. Its size, shape, and maximum speed of about Mach 2 (similar to the J-20 and F-22) suggest it's meant to play an air-dominance role like the F-22.</p><p>Russia has a history of producing advanced electronic-warfare technology, but <a href="https://www.rand.org/blog/2020/08/russias-su-57-heavy-fighter-bomber-is-it-really-a-5th.html" target="_top">some analysts</a> are skeptical of the Su-57's stealth capabilities in comparison to its American and Chinese counterparts.</p><div type="image" title="Su-57" height="1172" width="2000" msid="82389239" hostid="261"></div><p>Two Su-57s have deployed to Syria twice, but only for brief periods and without conducting combat missions.</p><p>"They didn't really send it there in volume or for sustained periods, so that would suggest that some of the issues that would be in development are probably still in development," Birkey said.</p><p>But Russia has grand plans for the Su-57.</p><p>It hopes to acquire 76 of them by the end of 2028, using them to <a href="https://tass.com/defense/1239869" target="_top">test hypersonic missiles</a> and, starting in 2024, <a href="https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29340/Russian_Troops_to_Start_Receiving____Okhotnik____Su_57_Partner_Drone_from_2024" target="_top">to operate</a> S-70 Okhotnik-B armed drones alongside them.</p><p>The drone will be a "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-testing-loyal-wingman-drone-for-su57-stealth-fighter-2020-12" target="_top">loyal wingman</a>" controlled by Su-57 pilots.</p><h2>Stealth is the future</h2><div type="image" title="South Korea KF-21 fighter jet" height="1245" width="2000" msid="82389242" hostid="261"></div><p>While the fifth-generation race is today dominated by the US, China, and Russia, multiple countries intend to build their own fifth- and sixth-generation fighters.</p><p>South Korea recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/south-korea-unveils-cheaper-less-stealthy-alternative-to-f35-jet-2021-4" target="_top">unveiled</a> a <keyword id="536808" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="stealth-fighter">stealth fighter</keyword> (though less stealthy than the F-35) that it is developing with Indonesia and hopes to field by 2028.</p><p><a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/india-wants-wants-crack-building-its-very-own-f-35-fighter-182616" target="_top">India</a>, <a href="https://ahvalnews.com/tf-x/tf-x-project-tall-order-turkey-airpower-expert-justin-bronk" target="_top">Turkey</a>, and <a href="https://www.raf.mod.uk/what-we-do/team-tempest/" target="_top">Britain</a> each hope to field their own fifth- or sixth-generation jets between 2028 and 2035, while Japan <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sebastienroblin/2020/12/15/japans-mitsubishi-to-deploy-48-billion-f-x-stealth-fighters-by-2035-with-boost-from-lockheed/?sh=4638b0342036" target="_top">intends</a> to field a sixth-generation stealth fighter by 2035. <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/germany-france-set-deadline-to-seal-deal-on-new-combat-jet/a-57269515" target="_top">France, Germany, and Spain</a> are also working together on a sixth-generation fighter they hope to have operational by 2040.</p><p>"The fact that it's proliferating out this widely shows you that to be relevant in the modern combat environment, you're either fifth-generation or you're an expensive target," Birkey said.</p><div type="image" title="Tempest next-generation fighter UK" height="800" width="1200" msid="82389244" hostid="261"></div><p>The <keyword id="6404246" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="us-air-force">US Air Force</keyword> is working on <a href="https://www.aero-mag.com/us-navy-f-a-xx-fighter-jet-20042021/" target="_top">its own sixth-generation fighter</a>, known as the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.</p><p>An NGAD demonstrator has already been flown, but Gen. Mark D. Kelly, head of Air Combat Command, <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/smr/air-force-priorities/2021/02/26/air-force-general-worried-us-wont-field-sixth-gen-fighter-in-time-to-beat-china/" target="_top">expressed</a> concern the US might not be able to "field this capability before someone like the Chinese fields it and uses it against us."</p><p>Kelly's comments reflect the complexity expected in future conflicts and the importance of stealth aircraft to overcoming it.</p><p>"The wars that we're increasingly looking at, and for which the F-22 and F-35 are built, are wars where if we do not succeed, life fundamentally changes in a very bad way," Birkey said. "We need to wake up to that and act accordingly."</p>

US commanders say 5th-gen fighters will be 'critical' in a war. Here's how F-35s and F-22s stack up to Russia's and China's best jets.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2017%3Anewsml_RC1A47528E30%3A1173384184&amp;search=all%3AMQ-9%20reaper">U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Cory D. Payne/Handout via REUTERS</a></span></p><p class="caption">An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted drone aircraft performs aerial maneuvers over Creech Air Force Base</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Military drone technology has spread to 95 countries, a massive increase over the only 60 countries that possessed this kind of technology roughly a decade ago, a new report from the Center for the Study of the Drone revealed.</li><li>"I think drones will be a ubiquitous presence on future battlefields," Dan Gettinger, drone expert and author of the report, told Insider, explaining that this technology is contributing to an evolution in warfare.</li><li>As this technology continues to spread, the US and other countries, will need to think clearly about the impact and the necessary response. Recent incidents, such as Iran's downing of a US drone or the attacks on Saudi oil sites, have already made this clear.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>The number of countries with military drones has skyrocketed over the past decade, a new report revealed, showing that nearly 100 countries have this kind of technology incorporated into their armed forces.</p><p>In 2010, around 60 countries had drones, but that number has since jumped to 95, a report from Bard College's Center for the Study of the Drone <a href="https://dronecenter.bard.edu/files/2019/09/CSD-Drone-Databook-Web-1.pdf">revealed</a>. Dan Gettinger, the report's author, identified 171 different types of unmanned aerial vehicles in active inventories. Around the world, there are at least 21,000 drones in service, but the number may actually be significantly higher.</p><p>There are well over 200 military drone units operational in 58 different countries.</p><p>And the proliferation of drone technology is expected to continue as countries like China and others export drones around the world, in both controlled and uncontrolled manners.</p><p>"I think drones will be a ubiquitous presence on future battlefields," Gettinger told Insider Thursday, explaining that drone technology is contributing to an evolution in warfare. "They represent an increase in combat capacity, an increase in the ability of a nation to wage war."</p><p>"We are likely to see drones featuring more prominently in global events, particularly in areas that are considered to be zones of geopolitical tension," he added, noting that "we see this playing out in the Persian Gulf, Yemen, the Ukraine, and other conflicts."</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-soldiers-use-personal-pocket-sized-drone-in-afghanistan-2019-8">US soldiers in Afghanistan are patrolling like never before with these awesome pocket-sized spy drones</a></em></p><p>Drones come in all shapes and sizes and levels of sophistication, and they have become important tools for both countries and non-state actors such as the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/isis-drones-mosul-iraq-2016-10">Islamic State</a> in several different countries, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taliban-use-drones-to-watch-us-troops-247-in-afghanistan-2018-12">Taliban</a> in Afghanistan, and the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/another-us-combat-drone-shot-out-of-sky-over-yemen-2019-8">Iranian-backed Houthi rebels</a> in Yemen.</p><p>In recent months, militarized drones have made headlines globally, highlighting the importance of unmanned systems.</p><p>Over the past few weeks, the American MQ-25 Stingray, an unmanned refueling asset expected to serve aboard US carriers, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-boeing-mq-25-carrier-refueling-drone-takes-first-flight-2019-9">completed its first flight</a>. Russia <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-okhotnik-hunter-drone-flies-with-su-57-stealth-fighter-2019-9">showed off</a> its new Okhotnik (Hunter) drone flying alongside and working together with the fifth-generation Su-57, an important first step toward manned/unmanned teaming. And, China <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-new-supersonic-spy-drone-national-military-parade-2019-9">unveiled</a> a suspected supersonic spy drone and a stealth attack drone during preparations for its National Day celebration.</p><p>But, the incident likely the freshest in everyone's mind is the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamikaze-drones-believed-used-in-saudi-arabia-oil-field-strike-2019-9">drone and cruise missile attacks</a> on Saudi oil sites earlier this month, when Saudi oil production was temporarily crippled by systems most air <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> systems are not designed to effectively counter.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/drones-strikes-in-saudi-arabia-a-wake-up-call-experts-2019-9">The devastating attack on Saudi oil plants confirms the worst fears about low-tech drones in the wrong hands</a></em></p><p>Arthur Holland Michel, who co-directs the Center for the Study of the Drone with Gettinger, previously explained to Insider that the attacks confirmed "some of the worst fears among militaries and law enforcement as to just how much damage one can do" with this kind of technology.</p><p>He called the attacks a "wake-up call," one of many in recent years.</p><p>The strikes on Saudi Arabia, which the US believes were carried out by Iran, marked the second time in just a few months the US has had to figure out how to respond to a drone-related incident involving Iran, as Iranian forces shot down an expensive US surveillance drone, specifically a RQ-4A Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) drone, in June.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-shot-down-one-of-us-militarys-most-advanced-drones-2019-6">Iran just shot down one of the US military's most advanced drones - it costs more than an F-35 stealth fighter</a></em></p><p>That incident nearly ignited an armed conflict between the US and Iran. President Donald Trump had plans to attack Iranian missile and radar sites in retaliation, but he called off the attack at the last minute due to concerns about possible Iranian casualties.</p><p>The US reaction, especially the president's stated concerns that killing Iranians in response to the downing of an unmanned air asset was disproportionate, highlights the challenges of responding to attacks on military drones.</p><p>"The US and other countries," Gettinger explained, "will have to develop a framework for thinking about and understanding enemy unmanned systems and how to deal with them and what their responses should be. Drones are becoming a more important feature of militaries, and the US and other countries will have to have a framework for dealing with that."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-doomsday-plane-survive-nuclear-blast-2019-9">Inside the US military's $223 million 'doomsday plane,' capable of surviving a nuclear blast</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

You Searched For "okhotnik" and got 10 results

Russia is talking about giving its stealthy 'Hunter' drone an air-to-air combat mission as a long-range interceptor

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Russia shot down one of its own rare combat drones to stop it falling into enemy hands: UK intel

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Russia's apparent loss of one of its new heavy Hunter drones over Ukraine could be an intelligence win for Kyiv and the West

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Russia's new stealthy 'Hunter' drone just took flight for the first time with the country's most advanced fighter

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Russia's stealthy new combat drone has taken flight for the first time

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Russia's new stealth attack drone just leaked - and it may reveal details of Russia next fighter jet

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Russia is testing a new drone similar to the CIA's stealthy RQ-170, and wants to turn it into a sixth-generation fighter

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Russia's new high-altitude drone just flew for the first time, and they want to arm it with one ton of bombs

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US commanders say 5th-gen fighters will be 'critical' in a war. Here's how F-35s and F-22s stack up to Russia's and China's best jets.

Benjamin Brimelow

Nearly 100 countries have military drones, and it's changing the way the world prepares for war

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