Speaking on behalf of Rostec, the conglomerate's First Deputy Director Vladimir Artyakov said their S-70 Okhotnik heavy attack drone project will meet the deadlines set by the russian defense ministry and reach mass production phase shortly.
Operational units will be delivered in time, Artyakov assured, adding that the S-70 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has already gone through all necessary tests. "We are, well, innovators here," he noted as he praised the capabilities of the attack drone.
Read more: How Many Tu-22M3 Strategic Bombers Left in russia and How Many Produced
The statements do not sound as convincing if we recall the timeline of the S-70 Okhotnik project. The first appearance dates back to the MAKS air show in 2009, when the Ministry of Defense of russia revealed the program and announced plans to adopt the unmanned combat platform into its military upon its completion.
Officially, the development of the drone commenced in 2012, it is led by the Sukhoi company. Seven years later, in 2019, Okhotnik performed its maiden flight lasting for about 20 minutes. Reports from later that year said russians used one of the Su-57 fighter jet prototypes as a "flying laboratory" to test the technologies for the S-70 Okhotnik.
In 2021, the defense ministry placed an order for three more prototypes of the S-70, scheduled for tests in 2022–2023. The same year, a video was published showing the first experimental prototype of this UAV, it was equipped with a system for data exchange and command & control, it enabled the S-70 to complete a mission without communicating with an operator or a fighter jet. Also in 2021, engineers finished the first improved prototype of the S-70 Okhotnik.
However, the progress wasn't as smooth as it might look. In April 2023, the manufacturer postponed the launch of mass production of this attack drone for the third time — currently, it is set to start in 2025.
Notably, in June 2023, russian popular news outlet Mash shared footage of an Iranian reverse-engineered RQ-170 ripoff saying it was an episode of S-70 Okhotnik operating in Ukraine.
Contrary to the manufacturer's predictions, Deputy Governor of the Novosibirsk region, Sergey Semka was more optimistic about the progress of the project. In January 2024, russian media quoted him the as saying that serial production of the S-70 Okhotnik was to start in the second half of this year already.
Read more: Ukrainian Forces Capture russian Volnorez EW System in Kursk Region, Unveil Key Specs
