Russia’s newest drone performs first joint flight with Su-57 fighter

Russia’s Okhotnik (Hunter) heavy strike drone made its first joint test flight with a fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jet, which lasted more than 30 minutes, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.

During the flight, the drone and the Su-57 practiced interaction for expanding the fighter’s radar coverage and detecting targets which could be hit with long-range airborne weapons from outside the zone covered by air defense, it said in a statement.

The Okhotnik drone has a “flying wing” configuration and is made with the use of special materials and coatings that make it practically invisible to radars, the statement said.

The drone carries optoelectronic, radio engineering and other types of reconnaissance equipment, it added.