Russian Sukhoi Seeks $18M Insurance Cover for Stealth Drone

Russia’s Sukhoi Aircraft Company has sought a 1.2 billion rubles ($18 million) insurance for its Okhotnik (Hunter) stealth drone to cover damages during its development and testing period.

The drone will be protected against loss (total or constructive total loss), damage and disappearance. Okhotnik will be insured for a period of seven months (after the conclusion of contract) during test, demonstration and familiarization flights, flights under pilot training programs, and also in engine runs, taxiing, ground-based work and system testing.

The drone’s ground-based control post will also be insured for 145.2 million rubles ($2.1 million).

"The sum of 1,422,995,317.74 rubles [over $20 million] will be understood to mean the maximum insured liability for the drone and the ground-based control post under the insurance contract," reads a statement published on the government’s procurement web portal on Wednesday.

Okhotnik drone:

Okhotnik (Hunter) is a stealth-capable heavy drone that has a low signature, a flying wing design, and a takeoff weight of 20 tons. The drone has a jet engine and is capable of developing a speed of around 1,000kmph.

It is made of composite materials and a radar-absorbing coat, besides being outfitted with electro-optical systems.

It took off on its maiden flight, that lasted over 20 minutes, on August 3, 2019. “The first flight took place at 12.20 Moscow time and lasted for over 20 minutes. The aerial vehicle flown by the operator made several circles around the airfield at an altitude of 600 meters and then successfully landed,” the Russian defense ministry had said in a release.

In the month that followed, the Okhotnik performed a flight together with a Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jet. The drone maneuvered in the air in the automated mode at an altitude of around 1,600 meters and its flight lasted over 30 minutes.