High-speed armed drones to complement MiG-35 multi-role fighter jets & other aircraft – manufacturer

Russia’s leading aircraft manufacturer has said it is developing a new type of an aircraft complex based on high-speed drones that can be used in concert with advanced MiG-35 lightweight fighter jets and other warplanes.

Russia's MiG Aircraft Corporation, which marks its 80th anniversary on Sunday, said that it has been working on a brand new type of unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that can be embedded with Russia’s most advanced MiG-35 fighter jets and other military aircraft.

The design of the new aircraft complex was inspired by high-speed armed drones. The UCAV is expected to have “high combat potential” and be “used within a single system with MiG-35s as well as other aircraft complexes,” the corporation said.

The Russian military began receiving MiG-35 jets to replace older-generation MiG-29 planes this summer. The first batch of the multi-role fighter aircraft, which passed its first trials in 2017, was delivered to the Russian Air Force in June.

The company confirmed that several MiG-35 jets have been stationed with the Russian military, noting that it is now working to upgrade its MiG-31 fighter, the world’s fastest serving aircraft with a speed of 3,000kph.

The state-of-the-art MiG-35 plane boasts a strike radius of 1,000km (620 miles), and is able to pinpoint and track up to 30 airborne targets at a distance of up to 160km (100 miles). When at high altitude, it can reach a speed of over 2,100kph. The MiG corporation’s new flagship can be armed to the teeth, able to carry over six tons of all types of Russian-made guided missiles and bombs.

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