KUBINKA /Moscow Region/, August 28. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry is developing a helicopter type attack drone capable of participating in combat operations alongside crewed helicopter gunships, as follows from a presentation made by the Russian Armed Forces’ Central Research and Development Institute at the Army-2020 forum.

"Work is in progress on an unmanned helicopter that would be capable of cooperation with army aviation. It is being designed for joint combat missions by crewed and crewless helicopters, expected to cope with reconnaissance and attack tasks," the presentation said.

The crewless helicopter will have a tactical range of 20-30 kilometers.

Also, the helicopter-type drone will be in great demand from the Navy as a target setting aerial vehicle.

"Research has found that a crewless helicopter capable of coping with the required tasks at a desirable distance away from ships should have a mass of 2.5-3 tonnes," the presentation said.

The international military-technical forum Army-2020 opened at the Russian Armed Forces’ conference and exhibition center Patriot on August 23 and will last till August 29. The forum’s organizers expect guests from about one hundred countries. More than 1,500 organizations and manufacturers will present about 28,000 exhibits. Nearly 700 pieces of modern weapons and other military hardware are participating in static and dynamic demonstrations.