The Luch Korsar (russian: Корсар, en, label=, 'Corsair') is a medium-weight Russian

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...

developed by

OKB Luch OKB is a transliteration of the Russian initials of "" – , meaning 'experiment and design bureau'. During the Soviet era, OKBs were closed institutions working on design and prototyping of advanced technology, usually for military applications. ...

, member of

Ruselectronics JSC Ruselectronics (russian: Росэлектроника, Roselectronica), is a Russian state-owned holding company founded in 1997. It is fully owned by Rostec. Ruselectronics is responsible for the production of approximately 80 percent of al ...

owned by

Rostec Rostec ( rus, Ростех, p=, r=Rostekh), officially the State Corporation for Assistance to Development, Production and Export of Advanced Technology Industrial Product Rostec (russian: Государственная корпорация по � ...

, to perform reconnaissance, strike and electronic attack missions on behalf of the

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

and

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

. The program started in 2009 and the flight testing commenced in 2015. It is considered as an improved analogue of the US-made

RQ-7 Shadow The AAI RQ-7 Shadow is an American unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used by the United States Army, Australian Army, Swedish Army, Turkish Air Force and Italian Army for reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and battle damage assessment ...

UAV.

Development

OKB Luch began working on the Korsar project in 2009 and commenced flight testing in 2015. It was unveiled for the first time at the 2018 Moscow Victory Day Parade on May 9. At first, the Korsar was considered to be a medium-weight UAV for tactical applications with no mention of its ability to perform kinetic strikes. According to Rostec in May 2018, Korsar serial production is being set up. In the future, this system may come with improved air vehicles whose operational range would be increased from 120 to 160 km (65 to 86 nautical miles) currently to 250 km (135 nmi). They will carry mission equipment with enhanced functionality in air reconnaissance and electronic warfare and reconnaissance. In May 2020, Rostec said the Korsar would be upgraded to increase its radius of operation and outfit it with electronic warfare systems. As of December 2020, Korsar was undergoing test flights and operational evaluation. According to Russian Deputy Minister Gen. Yuri Borisov, responsible for weapons procurement, the Russian Minister of Defence will be procuring a large quantities of Korsar.

Design

The Korsar features a twin-boom design with V-tail empennage and a single 50-to-70 hp piston engine driving a twin-blade pushing propeller, similar in design to the US

and the Turkish

Bayraktar TB2 The Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations. It is manufactured by the Turkish company Baykar Makina Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş ...

Operational history

Russian sources argue that the Korsar has already been tested in Syria, targeting rebels, various types of armored vehicles and infrastructural objects. It is said that its excellent performance has “persuaded the military to integrate it in the Russian armed forces”. One was reported lost in Ukraine on 9 November 2022 according to photos from social media.

Variants

;Korsar :Serial variant. ;Korsar-M :Seaborn variant for the Russian Navy.

Specifications

References