Russia's Sirius drone makes its maiden flight - the drone has a cruising speed of 180km/h and can carry 500kg bombs

In 2019, the Russian company Kronshtadt revealed the Sirius unmanned aerial vehicle. Four years later, the drone made its maiden flight.

Here's What We Know

Sirius is an improved version of the Orion strike drone. It is 9 metres long, has a 20-metre wingspan, a maximum take-off weight of 2,500 kg, and a cruising speed of 180 km/h. The UAV is capable of climbing to an altitude of 7 km.

The main innovation is the increased payload capacity. Sirius can carry aerial bombs KAB-100, high-explosive bombs FAB-100, free-fall bombs RBK-500U and volumetric detonation bombs ODAP-500PVM.

Interestingly, the weight of the RBC-500U and ODAP-500PVM is 520kg and 525kg respectively, while the maximum payload is said to be 450kg. In comparison, the already mentioned Orion can only carry small bombs. For example, a drone along with a KAB-20 was recently destroyed in Ukraine.

Source: @zoka