MOSCOW, December 25 (Sputnik) — Russia's United Instrument Corporation (UIC) will start supplying the small-class Corsair surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Russian Armed Forces in late 2016, the company's CEO Alexander Yakunin told RIA Novosti.
"We are currently implementing a big project on the creation of a prospective small-class Corsair UAV and organization of its serial production. The production is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2017 and reach its planned capacity before the end of 2017. However, we expect to begin Corsair supplies as early as the end of 2016," Yakunin said.
13 November 2014, 12:07 GMT
According to Yakunin, creating a new drone, designed mainly for surveillance of a range of up to 50 kilometers (31 miles), is a unique project for the Russian defense industry.
"For Russia, this is a brand new industry: no projects at the intersection of the aircraft industry and radio electronics of such a scale were implemented before. Thus UIC will supply the Defense Ministry with everything it needs regarding the UAVs of this class," Yakunin said.
Last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that in 2014 the Russian Army received 179 new UAVs, which is "almost as many as we received in all the previous years."
Earlier in 2014, the Russian Defense Ministry said it would spend about $9.2 billion on drones by 2020.
