russian specialized resources state that the next stage of testing for the modernized version of the Orion reconnaissance-strike UAV, also known as "Inokhodets," is currently taking place.
It is claimed that the modernized Orion UAV differs from the basic version by having the electro-optical station positioned closer to the center of the fuselage, while other possible differences remain unknown.
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Interestingly, the russian Ministry of Defense first revealed this modernized version of the Orion unmanned combat aerial vehicle in one of its videos back in February 2023.

Against this backdrop, it is entirely reasonable to question why this russian reconnaissance-strike UAV is still "stuck" in the testing phase and why it was necessary to move the electro-optical station closer to the center of the fuselage.
However, regardless of the available data, any information about the russian Orion drone always attracts attention. Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, this UAV was the only traditional reconnaissance-strike complex at the disposal of the russian army.

According to open sources, by the end of 2021, the russian army had only one system with three Orion UAVs at its disposal.
Meanwhile, the authors of the Oryx portal have counted that during the full-scale war against Ukraine, the russians have lost at least five drones of this type. This also indicates that the production of russian Orions has continued to some extent after February 2022.
The Orion is 8 meters long and a wingspan of 16 meters. The maximum take-off weight is 1000 kg; the maximum declared combat load is up to 180 kg.
The radius of action is up to 250 km; the declared flight duration is up to 24 hours, provided that the payload does not exceed 60 kg. (that is, either two bombs of 20 kg each or one bomb weighing 50 kg). The cruising speed is declared in the range of 120-200 km/h.

In August of last year, unverified data was announced claiming that russia could potentially produce up to 45 Orion strike UAVs within one year. By November 2023, an interesting detail emerged: new production capacities for Orion drones had increased alongside capacities for producing Kh-101 cruise missiles.
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