Ukraine Unveils Unmanned Combat Rotorcraft

Ukrainian private defense firm Ramzay unveiled an unmanned combat helicopter at the arms and security exhibition in Kyiv, Defense Blog reported.

The aircraft developers intend to build the concept, called RZ-500, as a “low-observable, missile-armed, multipurpose unmanned combat air vehicle with an endurance of up to 120 minutes and a range of 300 km (186 miles),” the outlet stated.

The gas-piston engine aircraft has a service ceiling of 4,000 meters (13,123 feet).

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Autonomous Aircraft

The 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) rotorcraft is capable of full autonomous operation and uses a global positioning system (GPS) to receive command and control instructions.

To facilitate safe landing, even on hard surfaces, developers intend to attach tubular skid landing gear to the helicopter’s fuselage structure.

Weapons Pod

The aircraft’s “special pod” will carry a gamut of weapons, including “unguided rockets, stand-off precision-guided munitions, anti-tank missiles, and heavy machine guns.”

The aircraft’s pod can accommodate two anti-tank missiles such as the Barrier-V.