The new loitering munition/kamikaze drone, called Scalpel, is in the flight test phase and is scheduled to be launched into serial production starting in October 2023.
Vostok Design Bureau, which is responsible for the development of the Scalpel, told TASS that the idea is for Russian Army units to use the Scalpel loitering munition as if it were an artillery system, as it is expected to have a fairly inexpensive per-unit cost.
“In October, the finished product will be provided for use in the NVO zone. At the moment we have received requests for the platform from several Russian units. We are in constant dialogue with the military on the technical requirements for the aircraft,” officials from the Vostok bureau said.
The diameter of the drone is designed so that the combat section of the product will accommodate most of the payloads available to the Russian Army. The payload bay is 125 mm in diameter and 650 mm in length and will weigh 5kg, which means that as a warhead, the Scalpel will use the wide range of ammunition available for the 125mm smoothbore guns of Russian tanks, giving the weapon great operational flexibility and easy complementarity with the installed industrial military capability.
The take-off weight would be 10.5 kg, with a cruising speed of 120 km/h and a range of 40 km.
While the Scalpel design is clearly inspired by ZALA’s Lancet (the best known and most impactful Russian loitering munition on the Ukrainian battlefront), Vostok would seek to seduce the Russian Ministry of Defense by delivering a cheaper product that is easier and faster to manufacture.
See also: Russia readies next-generation Lancet suicide drones for use in Ukraine
“The platform will be characterized by an affordable price. Some components of the device are of foreign manufacture, but to a large extent it is a Russian product. The platform is distinguished by compact size for such a payload weight, maximum energy efficiency, ease of manufacture and use,” the organization told TASS.
