MOSCOW. Feb 5 (Interfax-AVN) - The NII STT research institute, based in Smolensk, has launched the production of a series of 65 unmanned reconnaissance and monitoring aerial systems with Ptero-SM drones, developed by AFM-Servers.
"NII STT has set the production of Ptero-S drones made of composite materials in motion," AFM Servers General Director Amil Valiyev told Interfax-AVN.
The developer has given the manufacturing company the right to make half of the avionics equipment, he said.
"Some of the drones will carry payloads developed by AFM Servers and others payloads developed by NII STT," he also said.
The payload used by the developer includes a camera, a thermal vision unit and a high-accuracy GPS receiver. NII STT's payload is intended for fulfilling special tasks, Valiyev said.
The Ptero-SM drone has an internal combustion engine and is intended for 300 take-offs and landings. The drone's takeoff weight with a payload is 20 kilograms, the weight of the payload is 5 kilograms. The practical ceiling is 3 kilometers, and range with a 5-kilogram payload is 700 kilometers and with a 3-kilogram payload 1,200 kilometers.