The Mikoyan Skat (russian: Микоян Скат,

skate Skate or Skates may refer to: Fish * Skate (fish), several genera of fish belonging to the family Rajidae * Pygmy skates, several genera of fish belonging to the family Gurgesiellidae * Smooth skates or leg skates, several genera of fish belongi ...

) is a concept of a

stealth Stealth may refer to: Military * Stealth technology, technology used to conceal ships, aircraft, and missiles ** Stealth aircraft, aircraft which use stealth technology **Stealth ground vehicle, ground vehicles which use stealth technology ** St ...

unmanned combat aerial vehicle An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, colloquially shortened as drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance ...

(UCAV) being developed by

Mikoyan Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" (russian: Российская самолётостроительная корпорация „МиГ“, Rossiyskaya samolyotostroitel'naya korporatsiya "MiG"), commonly known as Mikoyan and MiG, was a Russi ...

for the Russian Ministry of Defence since 2005.

Development

Origin of the Skat UCAV dates back to 2005 when Mikoyan started working on the project. Emphasis was put on low-observability and thus the drone was designed in a

flying wing A flying wing is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft that has no definite fuselage, with its crew, payload, fuel, and equipment housed inside the main wing structure. A flying wing may have various small protuberances such as pods, nacelles, blis ...

configuration, in the form of a triangle, with use of composite materials and with armament hidden in two internal weapons bays. Its only full-size mockup was presented for the first time at the MAKS 2007 international air show. However, the drone didn't get through the mockup stage, and work on the project was stopped later in 2012 due to lack of funding. As

Chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...

of RSK "MiG", Sergei Korotkov said to the press earlier, the development of Skat was discontinued. By the decision of Russian Defence Ministry, Sukhoi Holding became the new Head Developer of the Strike UCAV project. Still, Skat experience would be used by Sukhoi. RSK "MiG" specialists are expected to work on the new project. On 3 June 2013, MiG signed a research and development contract to build a UCAV, based on the Skat design. The

Sukhoi The JSC Sukhoi Company (russian: ПАО «Компания „Сухой“», ) is a Russian aircraft manufacturer (formerly Soviet), headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, that designs both civilian and mili ...

is using the R&D information from the Skat, in addition to their expertise on the

Sukhoi Su-57 The Sukhoi Su-57 (russian: Сухой Су-57; NATO reporting name: Felon) is a Twinjet, twin-engine stealth Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft developed by Sukhoi. It is the product of the PAK FA (russian: ПАК ФА, russ ...

, to develop their 20-ton Okhotnik-B stealth UCAV. In September 2018, it was reported the MiG has revived the program and that works on the Mikoyan Skat UCAV are currently underway. According to the CEO of MiG, the tactical and technical assignments for the Skat is planned to be approved by the end of 2019, and the development of the drone will start in 2020. As of June 2022, the development of the Skat seems inactive, as no news have been reported on it since 2019 and because the Skat was not among the future projects of MiG showcased at the 2021 MAKS air show.

Design

The Skat is a low-observable, subsonic UCAV meant to carry weapons in two ventral weapons bays large enough for missiles such as the

Kh-31 The Kh-31 (russian: Х-31; AS-17 'Krypton') is a Russian air-to-surface missile carried by aircraft such as the MiG-29 or Su-27. It is capable of Mach 3.5 and was the first supersonic anti-ship missile that could be launched by tactical aircraf ...

, powered by a single

Klimov The JSC Klimov (or Joint Stock Company Klimov) presently manufactures internationally certified gas turbine engines, main gearboxes and accessory drive gearboxes for transport aircraft. Originally established as ''Kirill Klimov Experimental D ...

RD-5000B

turbofan The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which ac ...

engine, a variant of the RD-93. The single-engine subsonic design has an 11.5 meter (37.7 ft) wingspan, and is 10.25 meters (33.6 ft) long. The UCAV has a maximum takeoff weight of ten tons, with a maximum speed of 800 kilometers per hour (497 mph) at low altitude. It is intended to carry a combat load of up to two tons, with a combat radius of 2,000 km (1,240 miles). Possible roles include the suppression and attack of enemy air defenses. The first version of Skat to fly was planned to be piloted in order to meet Russian flight regulations. A number of aerodynamic configurations have been wind tunnel-tested, including with small twin fins. MiG has settled on a tailless configuration.

Specifications (Projected)

References

External links

Russia’s Sukhoi and MiG working on unmanned combat air vehicles

Aviationweek
{{Stealth aircraft Stealth aircraft Proposed aircraft of Russia Skat Single-engined jet aircraft Low-wing aircraft Unmanned military aircraft of Russia Unmanned stealth aircraft

Development

Design

Specifications (Projected)

See also

References

External links