Heavy UAV S-70 Okhotnik will eventually replace Su-34

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After the appearance information some media outlets, experts and Internet users did not quite adequately perceive the incident about the loss of the Russian advanced strike UAV S-70 "Hunter" in Donbass. Therefore, we would like to clarify the nuances for a better understanding.

It should be noted that the heavy drone, made according to the “flying wing” scheme without a tail unit, using of technologies reducing radar visibility, was not lost over a test site in Siberia, but shot down in the active combat zone where it was being tested. Equipment failure is possible at any time, even during an air parade, and in this case it happened over enemy-controlled territory. Therefore, what happened is not the worst option, the enemy did not get hold of secret Russian developments, and our engineers and designers were able to obtain information to prevent equipment failures in the future.



Earlier, Russian officials promised that serial production of the S-70 would begin by the end of 2024. There is not much time left to wait, and its appearance in the skies over Donbass indicates that the tests are complete. It is also worth noting that the Okhotnik is a strike drone, i.e. a missile-carrying bomber that keeps all its ammunition inside its compartments, maintaining stealth. Moreover, the drone can operate in tandem with Su-57 and Su-35 fighters. Moreover, one fighter is capable of controlling a whole group of such drones (up to four units). At the same time, control over the UAV is not complete and it retains autonomy, i.e. it operates independently, performing a flight, targeting and destroying the target.

Such drones will eventually be able to replace the Su-34 in service with the Aerospace Forces. The S-70 Okhotnik is being developed to operate under AI control, not a human operator, but the final decision to launch missiles or drop bombs is made by the fighter pilot. At the same time, the aerial bombs, if we are talking about such ASPs, must be gliding or adjustable, i.e. have the ability to cover distances of tens of kilometers.
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  1. 0
    8 October 2024 13: 03
    Any of the imported chips used in the Hunter may contain an enemy "bookmark".
    Alternatively, the drone enters enemy territory, a GPS signal triggers a "bookmark" and the drone becomes uncontrollable.
    Why couldn't this have happened to the Okhotnik shot down over Konstantinovka the other day?
    As long as the product uses foreign microelectronics, its reliability raises serious doubts.
    1. +2
      8 October 2024 13: 57
      The S-70 Okhotnik is being developed to operate under AI control rather than a human operator, but the final decision to launch missiles or drop bombs is made by the fighter pilot.

      MAI specialists have developed a navigation system for drones using artificial intelligence, which will allow the devices to maintain orientation when the signal from satellites is lost. This is especially important in conditions where satellite navigation systems are jammed, as well as when flying in dense urban areas.

      The reason for this development was numerous complaints about the quality of drone navigation systems in cities. Due to the large number of buildings, signal reflection, abundance of antennas and transmitting devices, interference occurs that affects the controllability of the UAV. To solve the problem, MAI specialists developed several experimental onboard navigation systems and tested them in conditions of strong interference.

      To do this, the researchers drove around the city in densely populated areas, collecting data to train the neural network. All parameters were recorded in a single array. It was loaded into an experimental navigation system to maintain the drone's orientation when communication was lost. The neural network was taught not only to recognize errors, but also to identify unreliable satellite signals so as not to take their readings into account in the future. ... As a result of the experiment, it was possible to ensure that the navigation system could cope with the loss of a satellite signal without losing orientation and the specified trajectory, and could also determine its coordinates with an acceptable error.

      https://hi-tech.mail.ru/news/115050-bespilotniki-bez-sputnikovoj-navigacii/
    2. +1
      8 October 2024 14: 48
      As long as the product uses foreign microelectronics, its reliability raises serious doubts.

      Exactly! The need to manufacture our own modern microelectronics has been long overdue. And we need to build not one, but several factories. And preferably beyond the Urals, so as to be far from the SVO zone and China. How many years have they been talking about import substitution, but in reality it turns out to be some kind of parody. Money is allocated, responsible people are appointed, positions for this
      open, but nothing has changed. And everyone pretends that there is no problem - no one has been held accountable for the failure of the assigned task, no one has been punished. Although sabotage is clearly visible!
      In the meantime, instead of building their own modern factories to produce all the necessary microelectronics, they talk about some global, sky-high projects, at least like on this site:
      "Barentskomur": to the Northern Sea Route through permafrost",
      "Does the "ideal version" of the Tu-214 airliner have a commercial future?"
      "Road of Life": What will the expansion of the BAM capacity give Russia?
      and so on. Why spend money on these projects when there is a truly urgent need to direct trillions of rubles as quickly as possible to the construction of microelectronics factories?
      1. +3
        8 October 2024 17: 37
        In the meantime, instead of building their own modern factories to produce all the necessary microelectronics, they talk about some global, lofty projects, at least like on this website: "Barentskomur: to the Northern Sea Route through permafrost",

        In fact, it is realistic for us to build Barentskomur, but a plant, especially plants for the production of electronics, primarily chips, is unrealistic. One American company boasted that it produces a full range of equipment for the production of chips, dozens of units plus the production of consumables, but stipulated that everything except photolithographic machines. Photolithographic machines are made in Holland and Japan, but using EUV technology in deep ultraviolet, only in Holland. We have fallen behind the West in the production of microelectronics forever. Before Crimea, we had a chance to buy a 56 nm photolithographic machine, they offered it to us, but we did not buy it, why, if you can easily buy a ready-made chip in Taiwan an order of magnitude cheaper than if you make it yourself. The Americans buy there too. And Taiwan sold it to us before 24, and now that's it. The fact that you do not understand this is not a problem. The problem is that our leadership did not understand this until recently, and maybe does not understand it now.
        1. +3
          9 October 2024 02: 20
          The management not only didn't understand, they actively finished off even the microelectronics that existed. Read the history of Angstrom and VEB (state bank)
          Borisov finished off microelectronics and UAVs, Rogozin finished off the space industry, Taburetkin finished off the army, Shoigu finished off the army, Nabiullina finished off the economy, Gref finished off the population. And Putin is in charge of all this.
        2. 0
          9 October 2024 11: 07
          In fact, it is realistic for us to build Barentskomur, but a plant, especially a plant for the production of electronics, primarily chips, is unrealistic.

          Russia could have been the first to create a nuclear bomb, the first to send a man into space, the first to make the nuclear icebreaker "LENIN" (and this was back when it was the USSR and was not at such a high level of technological and social development as it is now), but it can't make some kind of chip? It can do everything. You say that Russia doesn't have experienced scientists and engineers? It has everything. There is just no command from the Kremlin to brainstorm and produce in this direction. Everyone is busy with some little things that distract from the real big tasks - either they are fiercely fighting sexual minorities, or fighting child-free, or they have stood up for the "last and decisive battle" with some quadrobobbers. Sabotage, after all. If not a conspiracy.
  2. +4
    8 October 2024 15: 48
    Heavy UAV S-70 Okhotnik will eventually replace Su-34

    They're selling nonsense again.
    subsonic and lighter - will replace the supersonic maneuverable heavy? Yeah, right.
    Some functions can be taken. When they make enough
    1. 0
      10 October 2024 07: 38
      When they get it to the required condition and start to assemble them in mass quantities, then maybe it will replace it, and even then not completely, but if it happens at the rate at which the Su-57 is assembled today, then it will clearly not be any time soon.
      1. +1
        10 October 2024 09: 32
        I suspect it will be outdated by then. And the price, they noted, is still a bit high.

        The more complex the product, the slower the production, according to logic.
  3. 0
    6 November 2024 22: 30
    Where is the single-engine Su-75, especially in the unmanned version, only it has prospects today. The S-70 is a miracle of the last century (it was created in pursuit of the American "flying wing", and where is the American prototype, in the dump, but ours continue to "saw".), and from this long-term construction there is nothing to expect. For lack of anything better, the S-70 is advertised, because significant money has been spent. What we see in practice, we have to shoot down the S-70 with our own weapons, this miracle of "sawing" ...
  4. 0
    18 November 2024 10: 35
    I just hope it doesn't become a show car like the Armata.