This is a fundamentally new off-airfield unmanned transport system
The United Aircraft Corporation showed photos and videos of testing a prototype of a new vertical takeoff and landing drone developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. The drone will be able to take off, follow a route and land on its own, but, if necessary, the operator can intervene in the process. The device is called «BTS-VAB» – off-airfield unmanned transport system.
«Our unmanned aircraft combines the advantages of an airplane and the capabilities of a helicopter. The hybrid propulsion system includes an electric lift propulsion system and a piston propulsion engine. Vertical takeoff and landing are carried out by lifting engines located on the wing beams. After takeoff, the gasoline engine comes into operation. The wing increases fuel efficiency, and thanks to the possibility of vertical take-off, the construction of expensive airfield infrastructure and runways is not required», − said the project manager BTS-VAB OKB «Sukhoi» Evgeny Rubtsov.