Russian Orion Drone Shoots Down Aircraft & Obliterates Plane

Video footage of a Russian Orion Drone shooting down an unmanned aircraft mid-air and targeting a grounded training plane was released recently by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Kronshtadt Orion is a Russian unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) developed by Kronshtadt Group.

Orion can carry four guided bombs or four missiles and has a maximum payload of 200 kg.

The Orion-E UAV used a Kornet (9M133FM-3) ATGM-like missile situated in a launch container under the fuselage of the aircraft to hit a helicopter-type unmanned aerial vehicle (Horizon Air S-100) simulating a maneuvering air target shortly after it took off. The two vehicles took off 100 kilometers apart and Orion shot down the unmanned helicopter from a distance of 4 kilometers.

The Orion-E has a length of 8 meters, a wingspan of 16 meters, a maximum flight time of 24 hours, and a service altitude of 25,000 feet. It can perform a variety of tasks such as 3D mapping, laser marking, SAR / GMTI imaging, and signal intelligence. It can also carry a maximum weight of 1,000 kilograms and reach a high speed of 200 kilometers per hour.