Russian state-run manufacturer, Kalashnikov, has revealed that its combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the KUB, will complete testing this year.
Developed by ZALA Aero (part of the Kalashnikov group), the propeller-driven kamikaze UAV has completed preliminary tests and its export version, KUB-E, is also being developed.
The suicide drone is designed to slip in under enemy defenses and crash into its intended targets with a 3 kilogram (6.61 pounds) munitions payload, Popular Mechanics explained.
Target coordinates can either be set manually into the system or the drone can hit the target based on an image “from the guidance target load,” Kalashnikov’s parent company Rostec revealed.
Capable of Hitting ‘Concealed’ Targets
Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov, speaking at the International Defense Exhibition IDEX Abu Dhabi 2019, touted the UAV as a “high-precision” system, capable of hitting remote and “concealed” targets with a high degree of precision.
“…The shell is delivered to the target by the complex regardless of terrain or whether the target is concealed or not, both at low and high altitudes. It is an extremely accurate and efficient weapon, being very hard to combat by traditional air defense systems,” Chemezovt said at the exhibition where the drone was first displayed.
The four-foot drone has a top speed of 130 kilometers (81 miles) per hour and can fly for up to 30 minutes.
‘Noiseless’ and Easy to Operate
The UAV is touted as “noiseless” and easy to use by company representatives, who also claim that international buyers have already shown interest.
“There is interest in the product from the countries of the Middle East, but before the appearance of the export version of KUB it is premature to talk about negotiations,” Kalashnikov said.