Russian Cyclocopter Drone To Spawn Human Carrying Unmanned Vehicle

Russia’s Advanced Research Fund unveiled the flight demonstrator of the country’s first cyclocopter at the Army-2020 international military and technical forum on Friday.

The Advanced Research Fund intends to use the cyclocopter called Cyclone to create a full-size flying passenger vehicle for Russia’s Defense Ministry by 2024.

Cyclone Project Head from the Advanced Research Fund Grigory Makeich told TASS that the drone weighing 60 kg is already undergoing flight tests. "The task is to improve the automatic control system by the end of the year. We are planning to mount a hybrid engine to enable it to fly for over 60 minutes," he specified.

At the acceptance trials scheduled for February 2021, the cyclocopter is due to demonstrate its advantages and stated characteristics, he said.

"After that, we will switch to developing a larger vehicle capable of carrying up to six persons. We are due to test a full-size rotor system for a large vehicle in a wind-tunnel facility until the end of the year. And a full-size passenger cyclocopter is due to be created by 2024," he said.