Russia started testing new ISR plane
Russian OJSC Experimental Machine-Building Plant n.a. V.M. Myasishchev, part of the United Aircraft Corporation of Rostec State Corporation, has reportedly kicked off operational testing of the new ISR (Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance), according to a press release issued Thursday by UAC.
The new ISR aircraft is based on modified AN-140-100 light military transport aircraft designed for the Russian Air Force.
“After completion of work at the enterprise to finalize the airframe and systems, the aircraft was moved to the flight test base for ground and flight tests,” it was reported in a statement.
“At the end of the preliminary testing phase, the aircraft will go to special flight tests, which are carried out by the V.P. Chkalov State Flight-and-Testing Centre together with our company. Currently, more than half of the program’s flights have been completed on the aircraft, the work is successful,” the Managing Director of the plant Alexander Gorbunov said.
The tests are intended to confirm the safety and reliability of the aircraft’s design, as well as the operability of the equipment.
The Antonov AN-140-100 aircraft has been modernized to perform cartography and aerial survey missions.
The aircraft is equipped with several cameras and sensors in the fuselage section to accomplish surveillance and photographic missions over a large area.
The aerial survey information can later be used to digitize data about the terrain to create electronic and digital maps, spatial and three-dimensional models of the surface.
