New Russian Drone Breaks Flytime and Price Milestones With Ultra-Lightweight Design
A new drone developed in Ufa can fly five hours without refueling. It has a weight of just 40 pounds a range of 31 miles and a diverse set of objectives.
Alexey Agrov with the details.
Marcel Akhkamov: "Here we pour our regular unleaded 95".
The internal combustion engine produces electricity. This drone has the highest flight duration of all the Russian models. There are a few similar machines in other countries. However, the Russian one has far better performance.
Marcel Akhkamov, lead engineer: "If we take the cheapest Chinese analog it would cost about $22,000. Our machine is much cheaper than that. All parts are manufactured in Russia".
The drone, or "multicopter", as its designers call it, weighs about 40 pounds. Unlike airplane-sized drones, it is capable of hovering in the air when the mission requires it. The designers of the drone claim it can easily cover a distance of 310 miles. Also, it's very agile, and can easily lift 88 pounds of cargo.
Curiously enough, an hour of its flight costs less than one dollar. The drone can fulfill a vast variety of objectives. Several organizations have already taken their interest in the project.
Ilrad Timergaliyev, developer: "This drone has a range of new applications. This project will be interesting to the State Hunting Department because they require machines that can fly more than an hour. I haven't even mentioned the oil industry. Drones can be applied there as well".
The Ufa-based project has already been funded. In future, the drones will be assembled at the helicopter plant located in Kumertau, Bashkortostan. Currently, the engineers are designing engines for the rotors so that all parts of the drone can be produced in Russia.
Alexey Agrov, Sergey Shelepin, and Zefir Abzalov Vesti, Bashkiria.