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Besides looking a little top heavy and not flight worthy the claims behind this prototype are also quite big...

Quote:

Russia unveiled on Thursday the mock-up of a pilotless bomber plane that its constructors say will be even better than the famous US stealth fighter at evading enemy radars and anti-aircraft fire.

According to the report, the Skat's constructors claim the stealth technology will make it even less vulnerable than the US version to radar detection.

RIA Novosti news agency quoted Barkovsky saying that the Skat will be able to attack land and sea targets, particularly enemy anti-aircraft sites, even if coming under heavy fire.

It will weigh 10 tonnes, be able to carry up to two tonnes of ordnance and have a range of 4,000 kilometres (2,485 miles), RIA Novosti reported.

Link

Footage of the "Skat"

So it's not really a bomber, just a slightly overgrown UCAV with a basic design shared by the X-47B and the many European concepts. I'll take the company's selling claims of "stealth" with a grain of salt considering we don't have any supporting data. Right now the program is in mock up stage and unless someone is willing to fund and buy it I think it will remain in mock up stage.

One thing is for sure however, super duper Plasma Stealth does not appear to have been used given the conventional LO features. And this should also tell us something about VLO becoming obsolete...

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Elite 1K Joined: Aug 01, 2006 Posts: 1003 Status: Offline

Well...

(1) Looks like another iteration of the same design language as the X-45/47, after the Neuron also had a shot in that direction. Not that there is anything wrong with that -- a blended wing-body with a single engine mounted above the centerline and a single saw toothed intake set atop and slightly back from the nose.

(2) It doesn't look like a flying prototype at all, but rather a wooden mockup.

(3) So much for the Russia propaganda that stealth doesn't work or is easily defeated by new radar and/or IRST technology.

Enthusiast Joined: Feb 20, 2004 Posts: 49 Status: Offline

Shouldn't a UCAV have a better RCS by it's very nature?

F-16.net Editor Joined: Sep 23, 2003 Posts: 2862

If they can do all the manufacturing tricks we do, it should have a lower RCS than an F-117. Some public consumption sources have already stated that doritos like the UCAS-D will have a wider frequency stealth coverage helped also by having no vertical tails.

This might be a good thing that Russia is doing this. It may have the effect of pushing more money and more urgency into getting UCAS-D on the carrier deck.

Quote:

(2) It doesn't look like a flying prototype at all, but rather a wooden mockup.

Well, the article did say it is a mockup. Whether it is made out of wood is unknown.

Now the Russians will really impress me if can make this thing fly, prove it can do what it says it can, and is L.O.

Lemme see--we had the Concordeski, the B-Oneski, the F-15ski (oops, the MiG-25 was older than the Eagle...), C-141ski, etc. Why not an unmanned B-twoski???????

X-47ski

Skat? More like Scat.....

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New Russian "Stealth Bomber" - Called 'Skat'...