New Kronshtadt Facility to Produce Tens of Russian Combat Drones, Unmanned Helicopters Annually

Russia’s Kronshtadt company is opening a new facility in Dubna just outside capital Moscow that will produce tens of combat drones and unmanned helicopters annually starting next year.

“The capacities of our factory in Dubna will make it possible to produce tens of drones annually. The facility will roll out the entire range of our Orion, Sirius, Gelios and Grom drones and unmanned helicopters,” Company CEO Sergey Bogatikov told TASS on Monday.

The production facility will open by the end of 2021.

The company manufactures Orion drone, which can be outfitted with any weapons. “We have a customized approach,” the top manager said. “At the request of a foreign customer, we are able to mount at Orion-E payloads and aviation means of destruction they want to have. Our UAV has the open architecture enabling to accommodate consumer’s wishes.”

The drone is capable of performing reconnaissance in the Arctic and the Antarctic. “The Orion UAV is capable to function in the temperature range from minus 50 to plus 50 [degrees Centigrade] and fly in conditions of short-term icing on account of a unique anti-icing system developed by Kronshtadt. The system has triple backup of all key systems. All these points taken together make it possible to use the system in the most harsh climatic conditions, from dry and hot deserts and damp jungles to the Arctic and the Antarctic,” the top manager said.

One of key tasks is monitoring and control of navigation in the region of the Northern Sea Route, Bogatikov added.