MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. Technodinamika Group (part of the state tech corporation Rostec) will upgrade VM-V unmanned target helicopters for strike and air reconnaissance missions, Technodinamika CEO Igor Nasenkov said on Wednesday.

The company is currently carrying out work at its own initiative to upgrade the unmanned rotary-wing aerial platform to improve its flight performance, install additional equipment, increase its payload, the range and duration of its flight, he said.

"All these measures will help expand the area of employing drones. In particular, advanced drone prototypes can be used for air reconnaissance, target acquisition in real time and combat strike missions without engaging manned aircraft," the company’s press office quoted Technodinamika CEO Nasenkov as saying.

The VM-V helicopter simulator can operate in the air for no less than two hours, climbing to an altitude of 2.5 km and maintaining radio communications at a range of 150 km. The drone is designed for its use as a target simulator to create target positions.

The system successfully passed state trials in October 2020. Their final stage was held at a proving ground of the Chkalov State Flight Testing Center with the use of designated equipment. The first batch of serial-produced helicopter simulators was delivered to the Russian troops in late 2020. The next delivery of helicopter simulators to Russia’s Aerospace Forces is set for early 2022.

In October this year, the unmanned helicopters produced by the Dinamika Center were employed for the first time to simulate a notional enemy’s air attack during the Slavic Shield 2021 Russia-Serbia drills. The drones simulated air targets for Pantsyr-S anti-aircraft missile/gun systems.