After an aircraft was shot down over Konstantinovka (Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine) shortly before noon on Saturday, the Ukrainian side (-> current news from the Ukraine war) – it was said to have been a Russian Su-25 that had previously bombed Kramatorsk. However, it very quickly became clear that it was not a Russian Su-25 and that it was not a Ukrainian air defense success.
The now extensively published images and videos prove that the downed aircraft was a prototype of the heavy attack drone Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B (C-70 “Охотник”, -> Suchoi unveiled the prototype of the new stealth drone for the first time at the end of 2021) is about.
Videos show that the huge stealth drone was apparently shot down at high altitude by an escort aircraft. Russian bloggers and military journalists therefore assume that the downing was necessary from a Russian perspective, as the drone was on the wrong course and had gotten out of control. This was to prevent the technology from falling into enemy hands. However, the wreckage landed around 20 kilometers west of Bakhmut on Ukrainian-held territory.
It is still unclear what type of aircraft was involved in the shooting. However, as Okhotnik is designed for joint operations with the Russian Sukhoi Su-57 stealth multi-role combat aircraft (NATO code Felon), this type would be obvious.
Okhotnik, the “hunter”
The first of four prototypes of the Okhotnik heavy attack drone was completed in 2018 and had its maiden flight on September 27, 2019. Development at Sukhoi began in 2012. The flying wing is estimated to be around 14 meters long and has a wingspan of around 19 meters. With a take-off weight of around 20 tons, rockets and bombs with a total weight of two tons can be carried in a weapons bay. The range of the drone, which is powered by a jet engine, is said to be around 6,000 kilometers.
According to Russian sources, the advanced control and communication systems enable interaction with manned fighter jets; the Su-30SM2 and Su-57 fighters were mentioned.
The Sukhoi Su-57 and Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B duo in particular are considered to be a beacon of hope for the Russian Air Force, as together they should be able to penetrate enemy air defense systems very effectively. In the role of the “loyal wingman”, the drone is to carry out reconnaissance in enemy airspace, mark targets and also be capable of engaging targets itself with high-precision weapons.
The drone is being built at the V.P. Chkalov Aircraft Works in Novosibirsk (NAPO). According to current reports, series production is set to start there this half-year.
Evaluation of the debris
As the wreckage of the drone fell on Ukrainian territory, it will probably soon be closely scrutinized by Western experts. And if one takes into account known work in the course of aircraft accident investigations, then it is clear that with a correspondingly high level of effort, valuable insights into the state of Russian military aviation technology can also be gained from these scrap parts.
Russian bloggers write “You will disassemble it down to the smallest screw and, of course, familiarize yourself with its rich contents.” The marking on the wreckage reads “C-70-4”, suggesting that it is the youngest of the four Okhotnik drones produced to date.
What ultimately led to the drone’s downfall is still unknown. A serious technical malfunction is just as conceivable as electronic jamming measures by the Ukrainian side against the signals exchanged between the lead aircraft and the drone, in conjunction with GNSS spoofing to give the drone a false position and motivate it to fly in the wrong direction.
As Okhotnik flights over Ukraine have been documented as a kind of “frontline test” since 2023, it was at least theoretically possible to intercept control signals and evaluate them. There have been no official statements from either side so far.
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