MIG to Unveil Skat Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle at MAKS-2007

Released on Thursday, August 23, 2007

Russian Aircraft Corporation �?iG� presents for the first time the program of �Skat� combat unmanned aerial vehicle development at MAKS-2007 air show.

Combat UAV �Skat� is designed to destroy already located statical targets (first of all Air Defense units) under heavy counteraction of the enemy anti-aircraft units, as well as to attack mobile ground and sea targets while performing autonomous and group (jointly with the manned aerial vehicles) missions.

Together with the Russia's leading scientific agencies and industrial enterprises the Mikoyan Design Bureau Engineering center conducted the extensive research in order to define the CUAV configuration and main characteristics and to adopt the required technologies development program. The CUAV's aerodynamic configuration was successfully tested in the TsAGI (Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute) wind tunnel to validate the structural and integration solutions employed. The unmanned program research including that in aerodynamics is still being carried out.

RAC �?iG� has built the full-scale model of the �Skat� intended for testing design and lay-out as well as for the CUAV's characteristics' evaluation and optimization.

The program envisages the construction of the flying test-bed � demonstrator to finalize the CUAV's technologies. The plans are to test it in both piloted and unmanned versions. In the course of test-bed trials the �Skat� technologies' final refinement and demonstration shall be performed, including the weapons employment.

Further activities' schedule caters for creating and testing the �Skat� CUAV' prototype with the complete set of combat capabilities.

RAC �?iG� considers the unmanned aerial vehicles (including combat ones) to be one of the most promising development trends.

The Mikoyan Design Bureau Engineering center boasts the 60-year experience in designing various-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles.

Combining this experience with the latest technologies introduced in MiG aircraft, especially in the MiG-29?/?UB, the ?iG-35, the ?iG-??, ensures the successful creation of the new-gen unmanned systems.

Intense design and development works in the unmanned area are currently being financed by the �?iG� Corporation from own funds.