[butlerweave]

Very Old stolen tech ?

[PapaBear3625]

The Okhotnik bears some resemblance to the United States’ B-2 Sprit stealth bomber, though that iconic flying wing bomber is manned and has two engines.

US X47B

RQ-170 Sentinel

[rexthecat]

High-speed strike weapons (hypersonic missiles) are the future of modern warfare, not drones. They will render our aircraft carriers obsolete.

[datura]

The Northrop Grumman X-47 was done years ago to fly from aircraft carriers. Oh wait, Russia doesn’t have any of those anymore.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Russia’s big weakness is electronics. I was laughing at their latest radar that is supposed to phased-array and scary to us. Without decent signal processing, it’s about worthless. This is like the Chinese “stealth” planes that have canard winglets. Media morons don’t know that that absolutely kills your stealth.

[BobL]

The neat thing for the Russians is that they have FAR MORE than just one system. For example, they have stealth drone subs that can park just off our coasts and give our cities a nuclear black eye*.

I guess we can find out how our defenses work against those.

*I know, but I’d still like our cities to survive

[Rockingham]

Russian weapons development usually serves three objectives that are inadequately appreciated by the public in the West: export markets; work programs to maintain Russia's industrial base; and graft to sustain the Putin regime.

Although the new drone will not be near to the quality of US and allied models, weak militaries aligned with Russia may find it attractive because even a problematic but relatively cheap new weapons system can intimidate neighbors and provide an infusion of new technology and military capability.

Think of what say, a dozen such drones and Russian technical help would do for Venezuela a half decade from now. Venezuela would have a new capability that her neighbors lacked. Sure, good quality radar, fighter aircraft, and AA missiles from the US or Europe would counter the threat, but the expense would be new and burdensome and would raise domestic issues about dependence on foreign help.

Of course, even if the new model drone is never fielded by Russia or anyone else, funding and work on it helps to maintain Russia's military industrial base. And, best of all, for a regime founded on corruption, such projects offer opportunities for graft. For Russia's kleptocratic leadership, there are always extra homes to pay for: dachas on the outskirts of Moscow, summer villas in Cyprus, Spain, or the south of France, and townhomes in London.