Russian military aircraft maker MiG is to go ahead with a research-and-development project for an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) based on its Skat prototype, after signing a deal with the Industry and Trade Ministry earlier this month, the firm said Friday.

"We signed an R and D contract for UCAVs on May 15," said MiG's head, Sergei Korotkov. "The contract requirements include a mock-up for a future UCAV for the Defense Ministry. We are already ahead on this, based on our Skat program."

MiG unveiled a demonstrator model of its Skat drone at the MAKS airshow near Moscow in 2007. Skat is designed to carry out strike missions on stationary targets, especially air defense systems in high-threat areas, as well as mobile land and sea targets.

Skat will operate in autonomous modes as well as in conjunction with other manned systems, MiG says.

A "flying wing" design, Skat has a projected weight of 10 tons, a two-ton payload, a range of 2,500 miles (4,000 km), a speed of 500 mph (800 km/h) and a ceiling of 36,000 feet (12,000 m).

MiG also plans to sign a contract in June with the Defense Ministry for 37 MiG-35 multirole fighter jets, Korotkov said, with delivery of 24 of them to take place in "the near future."

The new fighters will include the Zhuk-A radar system, he said.

earlier related report
Russian Military Drones Inferior to Foreign Models - Minister
Unmanned air vehicles (UAV), ground-based robotic systems and unmanned submersibles which Russian industry is developing for the Defense Ministry, are inferior to foreign analogs, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday.

Military robotic systems are under development as part of the state weapons program for 2011-2020, Shoigu said at a ministry conference call on Monday.

But "by their performance characteristics, [robotic] systems created for the Defense Ministry's needs are inferior to their foreign analogs," he said.

"At the same time, domestically-made robotized systems are successfully used by our law-enforcement agencies," he said.

Shoigu also criticized defense enterprises for frequent delays in carrying out their work, which in turn affects the quality of robotic systems.

"This is due to the technological backwardness of enterprises, weak organization of state contract fulfillment and a shortage of skilled personnel," Shoigu said.

Source: RIA Novosti