By Kris Osborn, Warrior President
(Washington DC) Russia is trying to match US technological and tactical progress with manned-unmanned teaming with emerging platforms such as its stealthy Okhotnik drone.
Going back as much as a full decade the US Air Force and the Pentagon have been leading the world in the realm of manned-unmanned teaming, advancing scenarios wherein groups of drones can be controlled from the cockpit of a nearby aircraft. The tactical advantages here are quite substantial, as “loyal wingman” types of operations reduce latency, increase speed and execution of targeting and attack and quickly “blanket” areas with ISR.
In recent years, the US Air Force has demonstrated the ability for an F-22 and F-35 to share information in real-time with nearby unmanned systems such as the highly advanced Valkryie drone. Most recently, the Pentagon and Air Force are successfully fast-tracking a new group of drones called Collaborative Combat Aircraft designed to operate in close coordination with the emerging F-47 6th-generation aircraft.
Now major rivals or potential adversaries are attempting to copy or replicate this success, after watching US progress for many years.
Russian Okhotnik .
Russia’s stealthy S-70 Okhotnik attack drone has been armed for several years, yet the lethal platform is now expanding into new operational possibilities as a “loyal wingman” type of platform to support 5th-gen Su-57s.
“The Okhotnik’s arsenal includes air-to-surface missiles and an array of bombs (glide and operator-controlled) that will not be suspended from the wings, but hidden inside the body to reduce visibility on enemy radar,” Professor Vadim Kozyulin of the Russian Academy of Military Sciences told Russia Beyond In an essay as far back as 2018.
As discussed in the Russia Beyond essay, the Okhotnik appears to present significant threats as it is reported to operate with an internal weapons bay, stealth coatings and a B-2-esque blended wing-body horizontal, stealthy configuration. The ability to keep weapons inside the aircraft without hanging them underneath on pylons, means the drone can attack while operating in stealth mode.
This stealthy drone appears quite threatening as it seems to operate with an internal weapons bay and a B-2 or RQ-170 configuration. Of course an internal weapons bay means that the drone can maintain stealth while in attack mode. The Okhotnik may have external hard points to load up with a large payload of attack weapons, yet such a configuration would of course expose contours, shapes and angles more easily detectable to enemy air defenses and ground radar systems
How Stealth Is It?
The question of stealth, however, pertains to much more than may meet the observer’s eye as low-observability also relies upon thermal signature, coating materials, engine placement and exhaust release. Therefore, real questions about the drone also may pertain to the level of technological sophistication when it comes to its additional stealth characteristics, meaning what kind of thermal management or heat-reduction does the drone have? How effective are the stealth coatings? Perhaps most of all, is there an internally buried engine which may ensure the air temperature surrounding the drone is roughly equivalent to the drone itself to essentially “blind” thermal sensors. How is the exhaust managed?
An equally pressing question introduced by the Russia Beyond essay is the development of AI-capabilities for the drone, something which would of course exponentially increase its ability to process sensor data, targeting information and the ability to network with both other unmanned and manned systems.
This reduces latency, streamlines attack possibilities and potentially networks attack detail across much broader and more threatening formations. The operational functionality of the integrated AI-data analysis and the extent to which manned-unmanned teaming networks are “hardened” are also pressing questions when it comes to the extent of the threat posed by the Russian drone.
However, Russia has not yet produced many Su-57s and there may be some question as to whether it has the industrial capacity to build impactful numbers of the new drone. While of course even a small number would likely present a credible threat, Russia may not have an ability to “scale” the existence of this drone in a rapid fashion. Finally, while the US military is known to operate stealthy drones such as the Sentinel, there is no definitive indication that the US operates an “armed” stealthy drone, although several are publicly known to be in development.
S-70 Crash/Shoot Down in Ukraine
The crash of a stealthy Russian S-70 Okhotnik drone in the Ukraine war may have generated a windfall of intelligence data for Ukraine and the West, particularly because the electronics and computing may offer some indication as to how advanced Russia is in the realm of AI-enabled target data processing, digital networking and manned-unmanned teaming.
In recent years, Russia appears to be attempting to replicate US success in the realm of “loyal wingman” capability wherein drones can be operated from the cockpit of a manned fighter. The US Air Force has made great progress connecting F-22s and F-35s with drones in the air, and multiple reports now suggest the shot down Russian stealthy attack drone was operating in coordination with a 5th-generation Russian Su-57 stealth fighter.
This would make sense given that the Russian media has for years been writing about connecting its Okhotnik drone with its Su-57. Can Russia compete with the US in the realm of manned-unmanned teaming? Evidence surrounding the crash seems to suggest the Okhotnik was operating in coordination with the Su-57, and shot down through friendly fire.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
