MOSCOW. June 21 (Interfax-AVN) - Test flights of the Istra-013 unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicle, developed by the Istra Experimental Electro-Mechanical Plant (IEMZ), is due to begin later this year, IEMZ director Yury Bazhanov told Interfax-AVN.
"The drone was designed and manufactured for a defense agency. Currently, it is being fine-tuned. The flight tests are due to begin this summer, their completion could be expected in the fourth quarter," Bazhanov said.
The drone's main objective is to conduct a reconnaissance to locate the target, he said. Reconnaissance and surveillance equipment will be added as a payload. "The vehicle will carry out the video processing of the area image for navigational purposes," the director said.
The vehicle's flight range is up to 100 kilometers, he added.
"There are plans to install an imported electric engine, but any other engine with a suitable capacity can be installed. The engine can be easily replaced," the director said.
The Istra-013 vehicle provides area surveillance, searches, detects and identifies ground-based objects, traces moving targets, locates the target in real time and makes photomaps of a location. The system includes two drones, a launcher, a mobile ground-based control panel on an automobile chassis and maintenance tools.