NEWTOWN, Conn. - According to Yevgeny Vaitsekhovich, general director and CEO of the Belarusian state-run Minsk Aircraft Overhaul Plant, Belarus is interested in establishing an unmanned aerial vehicle production venture in Cuba. Earlier this month, Belarus presented two UAVs to Cuba: the Philin and the Sterkh-BM. Cuba is interested in acquiring at least one of the systems, as well as the possibility of a joint manufacturing venture. Vaitsekhovich says that technical data on the Sterkh-BM has already been sent to Cuba.
The Sterkh-BM weights 65 kilograms and has a 3.8-meter wingspan. It is equipped with a gasoline piston engine and has a cruising speed of up to 120 kilometers per hour and a maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour. Its maximum flight distance is 240 kilometers and its maximum altitude is 3 kilometers. The Sterkh-BM system also includes a control station and a service station.
The vehicle is slated to launch in 2013, at which time the plant will begin mass production of the UAV. The company anticipates a production rate of 10 per year.
The Minsk plant has maintained close relations with several Cuban enterprises over the years, says Vaitsekhovich. Belarus hopes that an agreement with Cuba will help the Eurasian country penetrate the Latin American market and push UAV sales to the region.
