MOSCOW, December 28 (AVN) - A gap between Russia and other countries with developed aircraft industry is growing as far as design and manufacturing of unmanned aircraft is concerned, Yuri Yankevich, deputy programme director in the Yakovlev test and design bureau, said on Thursday.
The bureau has to make one more test launch to complete the state tests of the Pchela-1IK drone, Yankevich told the Military News Agency. It is already clear that no launches will take place this year due to bad weather.
The completion of tests does not guarantee the drone's purchase by the Defence Ministry, he stressed. A situation like this occurred last year, when the Pchela-1BM drone successfully completed state tests, but no orders for its serial production were received.
The Defence Ministry may still purchase one more Stroi-P system with about 10 Pchela-1T drones, in addition to the one made this year, Yankevich said.
A similar gap has emerged in development of unmanned combat planes, the official noted. The Yakovlev bureau earlier suggested starting design of such planes, but the military rejected the idea. At the same time, several foreign nations are planning to make 50 percent of their combat aircraft unmanned.