Agence France-Presse, Russia unveiled on Thursday the mock-up of a pilotless bomber plane that its constructors say will be even better than the famous U.S. stealth fighter at evading enemy radars and anti-aircraft fire.
NTV television showed a full-sized model of the bat-like plane known as Skat, which means “stingray,” at an airshow just outside Moscow — the first public glimpse of the project run by Russia’s MiG corporation.
The aircraft has a flattened, swept-back profile reminiscent of the U.S. Air Force’s stealth aircraft, with a bubble-like cockpit area, although the plane will not have a pilot, NTV reported.
According to the report, the Skat’s constructors claim the stealth technology will make it even less vulnerable than the U.S. version to radar detection.
RIA Novosti news agency quoted the director of MiG’s OKB Mikoyana design bureau, Vladimir Barkovsky, as saying that the Skat will be able to attack land and sea targets even while coming under heavy anti-aircraft fire.
It will weigh 10 tons and be able to carry up to 2 tons of ordnance and will have a range of 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles), RIA Novosti reported.
