Russia postpones indefinitely testing of new super-bomb ‘due to bad weather’
Testing of the new Drel (Drill) bomb may not be completed in 2019, reports Interfax, citing Techmash CEO Vladimir Lepin.
Journalists asked Lepin if the tests of the Drel would be completed this year. The head of the defense concern answered vaguely, citing bad weather.
"It's aviation. See what the weather is like? And it's getting only worse," Lepin said.
The Techmash press service previously reported that Drel tests are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The Drel is a 500 kg gliding bomb developed by the Techmash subsidiary, JSC Basalt. It will be used by the fifth-generation Su-57 fighters. The bomb is designed to destroy ground equipment and infrastructure of the enemy. Once it has left the carrier, the Drel has a range of more than 30 km and is virtually invisible to radars. The creation of such weapons was first announced in 2016, at the same time state tests began.