In 2022, a prototype of the Sirius drone will be released, which is being developed by the Krondstadt company by order of the RF Ministry of Defense. Information about this was published by RIA Novosti, citing a source in the defense industry complex.

According to the source, the first sample of the strike "Sirius" will be ready in 2022, at the same time its flight tests will begin. Nothing is known about the upcoming plans of the manufacturer, no one has commented on this situation.

It is known that the new UAV will be equipped with a more powerful armament system in comparison with the “Pacer” (Orion) strike drone of the same development by the same company. The external sling "Sirius" will be able to withstand 300 kg of payload, the armament complex will be guided missiles of the "air-to-surface" class, corrected and unguided bombs.

The company has already demonstrated the new drone to the military, though only as a full-size model. The show was held within the framework of the Army-2020 exhibition. At the same time, the potential characteristics of the new UAV were also revealed, which may change in the course of its creation, we hope not for the worse.

According to the stated data, Sirius belongs to the category of medium-altitude drones with a long flight duration. Structurally, this is an aircraft of a normal aerodynamic system with a V-shaped tail, a straight wing of a large span and a thin fuselage. The power plant includes two turboprop engines.

The wingspan is 23 m, the length is up to 9 m. The drone has a maximum take-off weight of 2-2.5 tons, with 1 ton being fuel. The payload is 450 kg, of which 300 kg falls on the external suspension. The cruising speed is 180 km / h, the flight altitude is 7 thousand meters.

In the future, "Sirius" will supplement the Russian army's line of medium-altitude attack drones, currently compiled by the "Altius", "Pacer" and "Outpost" devices.