Russia has shown an unusual version of the Orion UAV, from which it launches Banderol missiles at Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
The Russians released a video of the Orion drone without an optoelectronic station, which is a carrier of S8000 Banderol missiles. This may be a specialized modification for launching these missiles, which have a range of up to 500 km.
Russian propaganda resources have released a video of the "Orion" drone being used as a carrier for S8000 "Banderol" rockets to strike Ukraine. The footage revealed an unusual design feature of the drone, reports Defense Express, writes UNN.
Details
As the publication notes, in the video the Russians deliberately concealed the external appearance of the "Banderol" rocket, but another detail became noticeable – the absence of an optoelectronic station in the nose of the UAV. In all previously known photographs of the "Orion," this element was present, so experts suggest that Russia may have created a specialized modification of the drone specifically for launching S8000 rockets. Presumably, instead of the optoelectronic station, the aircraft received a satellite communication antenna on the upper part of the fuselage.
Defense Express notes that such a modification will have a significant limitation: without the optoelectronic station, the "Orion" will not be able to conduct reconnaissance or use other types of guided weapons. At the same time, this drone currently remains the only known carrier of the S8000 "Banderol" rocket.
According to the publication, the S8000 "Banderol" rocket has a launch range of up to 500 km, is equipped with a Chinese SW800Pro-A95 jet engine, and a warhead weighing 114.3 kg. The "Orion" UAV itself has a maximum takeoff weight of 1000 kg, a payload of up to 180 kg, and can reach speeds from 120 to 200 km/h.