Photos: Russian revealed secret UAV Altius

Russian unmanned air vehicle potentially capable of performing strike missions has been offical revealed, 1tv.ru of Russia's government having posted video of the first protocol UAV Altius following prime Minister visit.

Pictures showing the Altius UAV being produced a visit to Kazan by Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev on 25 March.

Images shows a high-winged aircraft apparently powered by two turboprop engines, with the design also featuring a slab-sided rear fuselage and a V-shaped tail. This could be a first prototype UAV Altius (No. 001) for test.

Tatarstan-based Sokol and St Petersburg-based Tranzas won a 1 billion rouble ($33 million) contract in 2011 to develop a 5t-class medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV provisionally named Altius and a 1t-class system called Inokhodyets (Wanderer).

Speaking at the time of the award, Tranzas vice-president Viktor Godunov told ARMS-TASS that the new systems would be competitive with their foreign counterparts, have "colossal range and endurance" and be capable of "all missions, including strike".

Sokol is responsible for aircraft construction and the supply of ground systems, with Tranzas developing control systems and electronics for the Altius and Inokhodyets. Both should make their flight debuts during 2014, and enter detailed testing in 2015, according to Russian media reports.