The Russian company that gave the world the iconic AK-47 assault rifle has unveiled a bomb drone that may similarly revolutionize war and terrorism by making sophisticated drone warfare technology widely and cheaply available.
The Kalashnikov Group put a model of its miniature exploding drone on display this week at a major defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where the world’s arms companies gather every two years to show off and market their latest wares.
The Kalashnikov drone — officially named the KUB-UAV — will be simple to operate, effective and cheap, its manufacturers told the Washington Post.
The KUB is four feet wide, can fly for 30 minutes at a speed of 80 mph and carries six pounds of explosives, the news release says. That makes it roughly the size of a coffee table that can be guided to explode on a target 40 miles away — the equivalent of a “small, slow and presumably inexpensive cruise missile,” according to a report by the National Interest website.
