{"id":14028,"date":"2018-08-23T19:25:39","date_gmt":"2018-08-23T19:25:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/08\/23\/russian-firm-may-sell-a-drone-resembling-the-us-predator-to-a-mideast-customer\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:00:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:00:22","slug":"russian-firm-may-sell-a-drone-resembling-the-us-predator-to-a-mideast-customer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/unmanned\/2018\/08\/23\/russian-firm-may-sell-a-drone-resembling-the-us-predator-to-a-mideast-customer\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian firm may sell a drone resembling the US Predator to a Mideast customer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Officials from the Russian defense firm Kronshtadt Group announced the possible sale of the company\u2019s Orion UAV to a country in the Middle East. But which Middle Eastern country is purchasing the platform, and what capabilities does the system bring to bear?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Orion-E (export version) is Russia\u2019s medium-altitude, long-endurance drone with a reported range of 250 kilometers, a total flight duration of about 24 hours and a maximum altitude of 8,000 meters. While originally designed for only intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, Russia has announced a combat version that can carry up to 200 kilograms of cargo, which will also be available for export.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Orion \u201cmost closely resembles America\u2019s Predator\/Gray Eagle UAV in its technical characteristics,\u201d according to Samuel Bendett, an expert on Russian military robotics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chinese model that most resembles the Orion\u2019s capabilities is the Wing Loong<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Russian sources, Bendett said, \u201cthe two countries most likely to acquire [the Orion] are Syria and Egypt. Syria and Russia already enjoy a very close mil-to-mil relationship, while Egypt is diversifying its military imports from reliance on U.S. and occasional Chinese technologies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there are other potential buyers, Bendett notes. \u201c[The United Arab Emirates] has imported Russian military technology before, and Russia recently announced closer cooperation with Lebanon. Iraq, which has imported Chinese UAVs, has also started to import more Russian military equipment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t