Orion
Contents
Description
The Orion family of Russian unmanned aerial vehicles was developed by the Kronstadt Group. Its first flight occurred in 2016 after its development process between 2011 and 2015. The drone was meant to be used in reconnaissance and strike missions, with an endurance of 24 hours and a maximum payload of 250 kg for medium-altitude flights. The strike variant operates small guided bombs or Vikhr-1V laser-guided antitank missiles and has been seen in Syria in 2019 as part of its first deployment in combat. The exact number of Orions in service is unknown, but the total number of units built is estimated at around 48 drones.
Introduced in Update "Drone Age", the Orion is not a researchable vehicle, but is available for players using Russia in high-tier ground battles, costing 750 spawn points to spawn. The Orion is a good option for players in Ground RB who have not researched any suitable close air support aircraft or attack helicopters for use in high-tier lineups. It can be fitted with two 9M133M-2 or two 9M133FM3 Konkurs-M missiles. Both missiles are supersonic, have good manoeuvrability and can be used to destroy most MBTs. The 9M133M-2 has a tandem warhead, which means that it has high penetration but not so much post-penetration damage and requires aiming at parts of the tank with a higher ammo concentration or more crew members, like the turret. The 9M133FM3 uses a high-explosive warhead, and even though it may not be enough to destroy all tanks, with overpressure it will kill most MBTs with a well-placed shot in the roof of the vehicle, not to mention that most light targets, like IFVs and SPAAs, are extremely vulnerable to these kinds of warheads.
General info
Flight performance
The Orion has a low top speed. As a propeller-driven UCAV, its climb rate and manoeuvrability are also sub-par. Despite this, the 9M113M-2 and 9M113FM3 missiles, if equipped, can cover long distances quickly, meaning the Orion doesn't have to fly directly over the battlefield to engage. If flying directly over the battlefield, however, take note of some of the missiles' limited firing angles and the Orion's poor negative pitch control. Players may have to initiate a dive to effectively engage a target.
Returning to base and rearming may be time-consuming to perform, as the airfield will be situated on the outer sections of the map.
| Max speed (km/h at 1,000 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| 220 | 220 | 7500 | 22.0 | 22.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 250 |
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| X | X | X | X | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 390 | 450 | - | - | - | ~__ | ~__ |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 250 | < 250 | < 250 | >250 |
Survivability and armour
The Orion is unarmoured, and the drone's structure, including its wings and engine, is very fragile. Because of this, high-explosive weapons like anti-aircraft shells and missiles will do significant damage. One advantage of being a drone is that there is no pilot; thus, it cannot be "pilot sniped" and there is no biological loss of control during high G manoeuvres.
Armaments
Suspended armament
The Orion can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- 2 x 9M133M-2 missiles
- 2 x 9M133FM3 missiles
- 2 x 50 kg KAB-50L bombs (100 kg total)
- 2 x 50 kg KAB-50TV bombs (100 kg total)
The 9M133M-2 Kornet-М is a supersonic tandem warhead missile, good for destroying MBTs that players at this battle rating will commonly face. It has a good flight speed and decent manoeuvrability, so you can, for the most part, reach any target so long as it is within the missile's strike range.
The 9M113FM3 Kornet-М is a supersonic missile with a high explosive warhead. It penetrates as much as 61 mm of armour. The blast is enough to knock out most MBTs when hitting places that can trigger overpressure, such as the turret or hull roof.
The KAB-50L and KAB-50TV have small payloads for bombs, but with guidance they can still cause significant damage if dropped directly onto enemy vehicles. One disadvantage in using these weapons is that they will not travel as fast or as far as missiles.
Usage in battles
The Orion fills a niche as the "everyman's CAS". It is available to all players using Russia at high tiers, which can be very beneficial to those who have not researched appropriate aircraft or helicopters for the battle. You will start off by spawning at an altitude of 4000 meters above the battlefield. Your main priority is SPAA - they are usually found stationary at the enemy spawn. Destroying them will not only help your survival, but also enable your fellow helicopter and aircraft pilots to move in and provide effective, uninterrupted close air support. If there are no SPAA around, your next target would be enemy tanks that are near or on the capture points. Once you use up all of your ordnance, you have three options:
- Loiter over the battlefield and provide reconnaissance: Just because you can no longer use your missiles doesn't mean you can't help your team! You can fly around the battlefield and scan the area with your amazing optical thermal camera. Once you spot any enemy vehicles that pose a threat to your team, you can quickly mark them on the map and tell your teammates using the in-game chat (alternatively, if you have any squad mates, you can work with them and point out enemies nearby using the squad marker).
- Land and rearm: Once the two weapons are used, you can return to the airfield by reducing your throttle and gliding back. Once you land, you can begin any repairs necessary and rearming so you can take off again. It should be worth noting that the Orion suffers from a low speed and poor climb rate, making the return to base and return to the battlefield incredibly lengthy. Altitude is also the only saving grace of the Orion, as helicopters and attack aircraft will generally fly at lower altitudes and SPAAs will have no trouble sending a very slow target back to the hangar screen. Consequently, fighting at low altitudes is not advised.
- Bail out and spawn in a more capable vehicle: While it feels counterintuitive to bail out of a vehicle that cost 750 spawn points, it is the fastest way to get you back into the battle. Using the spawn points you accumulated, you can get enough to spawn another tank, an attack aircraft, or a helicopter. The advantage of this is that you should have cleared the path for you and other pilots to cause damage, as if you have destroyed them then the enemy anti-aircraft threats are no longer present.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Access to two devastating 9M133M-2 or 9M133FM3 missiles
- Exceptional optical camera with 2nd Gen thermals
- Hard to spot and counter by SPAA at high altitudes
- Long loiter time
- Good vertical manoeuvrability
- Unmanned, there is no pilot to "black out" during high G manoeuvres
- Spawns at altitude (4,000 metres)
Cons:
- Low maximum speed, returning to the airfield can take a long time
- Poor climb rate, can make it difficult to climb back up to effective altitudes
- Poor roll rate and difficulty pitching down
- Unarmoured and vulnerable to damage
- Small launch window for missiles
- Access to only two weapons for an SP cost higher than most helicopters and attack aircraft (which can usually carry more ordnance)
History
The Orion UCAV (also known as Kronshtadt Orion) is a family of unmanned vehicles developed by the Russian company Kronstadt Group. The development of the Orion platform can be traced to 2011 as part of the Russian MoD-funded Inokhodets program. The company later revealed the first layout of the Orion with its first flight being reported to happen in 2016. The Orion was idealized from the start to be a multipurpose weapon, capable of reconnaissance and strike missions.
The armed variant was developed to be able to carry a payload weight of 250 kg with a maximum payload of four missiles or bombs. It was meant to be fitted with the Vikhr-1V laser-guided anti-tank missile for combat operations.
The Orion has other variants and has also been through various upgrade programs. The Orion (Inokhodets) is the base version of the Orion family and the one currently in use by the Russian Armed Forces. This version was also adapted for export, through the Orion-E variant. The Orion-E is based on the reconnaissance version of the Orion and has not currently received any orders for its purchase. The Orion-2 (Helios) is a larger version of the Orion, meant to be used for longer flights at high altitudes, instead of the medium altitude flights of the base Orion. This version is meant to have a flight time of around 30 hours, with a weight of 5 tons and is still in development, with the first flight originally intended to be taken in 2023. Finally, the Inokhodets-RU (Sirius) was an upgraded version of the Orion in a twin-engine configuration. With two engines instead of one, it increased the total payload to 450 kg and attains a cruise speed of 295 km/h, with a flight time of 40 hours. While not currently in mass production, it was successfully tested in 2022 in joint operations with piloted aircraft.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Other Strike UCAVs
External links
| Kronstadt Group | |
|---|---|
| Drones | Orion |
| Strike UCAVs | |
|---|---|
| USA | MQ-1 |
| USSR | Orion |
| China | Wing Loong I |
