Sokol Altius

The Story of the Sokol Altius

The Sokol Altius is a heavy-duty combat drone of Russian origin, which is scheduled to launch in 2011, first fly in 2016, and begin mass production in 2021. The type was developed to meet Russia's requirements for medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAVs for use as direct combat platforms or special mission solutions with an eye toward airborne electronic warfare (EW).

The aircraft was designed and manufactured by the Russian company Sokol OKB.

Externally, the aircraft is of a traditional twin-engine layout, with each strut powered nacelle suspended below the main shoulder-mounted aircraft. The general shape of the main aircraft is straight and is located near the center of the ship, with a central plate-side fuselage free for avionics, fuel and mission packages.

The fins are based on a V-shaped plane arrangement, with the vertical fins inclined from the centerline. In large-scale structural designs comparable to Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk series (described in detail elsewhere on this site), composites can save some weight.

The series was originally powered by an engine designed in France and manufactured locally under license. However, this ended up using locally sourced Russian engines instead.

Three airframes of the series have been completed to date (2022), mainly for testing and state trials. This includes the original "Altair" product in 2014, and the "Altius-M" in 2017. "Altius-U" then went live in 2019 to complete the beta phase.

From the looks of it, the aircraft has a range of 6,200 miles and can fly at an altitude of 39,000 feet for up to 24 hours. The curb weight is 13,230 pounds, while the MTOW is 17,640 pounds, and the payload is 2,200 pounds.

As an air combat vehicle, the aircraft will be able to use a variety of Russian air-drop/air-launched weapons, including precision-guided munitions (PGM), rockets and conventionally dropped bombs.

Specification

Basics

Year of Service

2021

Origins

Russia

Status

Under development

Program is running.

Crew

0

Production

1

Manufacturer

Sokol Aircraft Factory / Sokol OKB / Kazan - Russia

Carrier

Russia (probably)

Roles

Ground attack (bombing, strafing)

The ability to conduct air strikes against ground targets using (but not limited to) artillery, bombs, rockets, rockets, etc.

Disable support (CAS)

Designed to operate near active ground elements with a wide range of air-to-surface weapon and ammunition options.

Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR), reconnaissance

Monitor ground targets/target areas to assess surrounding threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

Unmanned ability

Aircraft designed (or later developed) have inherent unmanned capabilities and can fill a variety of battlefield roles.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

38. 1 ft

(11.60m)

Width/span

93.5 feet

(28.50m)

MTOW

9,998 lbs

(4,535 kg)

Main Aircraft Structure

Monoplane/Shoulder/Straight

Monoplane

Designed to use a single main wing main aircraft; this is the most popular arrangement of main aircraft.

Shoulder

The main aircraft is mounted on the upper part of the fuselage, usually on an imaginary line that intersects the pilot's shoulders.

Straight

Floor plans involve the use of simple, straight main plan elements.

(struct descriptor reference base production variant Sokol Altius)

Performance

Installed:

2 x 500 hp RED A03 V12 diesel engines, each driving a three-blade propeller unit, in a puller arrangement.

Area

6,214 km

(10,000 km | 18,520 nautical miles)

Armor

Up to two tons of special mission equipment or air-launched/air-dropped ordnance, including missiles, rockets, and bombs.