Russia's Chirok: an Amphibious UAV in Development

United Instrument Corporation is working on an amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) named Chirok, parent company Rostec State Corporation has disclosed.

A scale model of the Chirok was displayed at the Innoprom 2014 Industrial Trade Fair in Ekaterinburg, central Russia, from 9 to 12 July. This model showed Chirok's hovercraft chassis, which enables it to operate from unprepared surfaces.

Design and development of this aircraft is believed to have started in the late 1990s.

The scale model has completed testing at the Central Aero-hydrodynamic Institute in the city of Zhukovsky, and a full-scale UAV will be presented next year at the MAKS International Aviation and Space Show in Moscow, according to Rostec literature.

The full-scale Chirok will feature a 10 m wingspan, a maximum take-off weight of up to 700 kg, and a payload capacity of 300 kg. It will have a nearly 20,000 ft service ceiling, and a range of up to 2,500 km.

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