Russian Stealth Drone Price in 2025: What the Sukhoi S-70 “Okhotnik” Likely Costs (and Why the Sticker Price Is Misleading)

Last Updated: December 28, 2025
Author: 100Drohnen (UAV Engineering & Open-Source Defense Analysis)
Review: 100drone Editorial Standards Lead

People searching “Russian stealth drone price” usually want one clear number. The reality is messier: for Russia’s flagship heavy “stealth” UCAV—the Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B (Hunter)—official contract pricing is not publicly released, and many figures online mix prototypes, insurance values, and speculative unit-cost guesses.

What we can do is anchor the conversation to the best-documented reference points (especially insurance valuations reported in Russian media) and then explain what you’re really paying for when someone claims “$15 million,” “$25 million,” or “₽1 billion.”

Quick Answer: A Practical Range You Can Defend (With Caveats)

Based on widely cited open reporting and Russian-media insurance/valuation disclosures:

• Air vehicle (unit) cost estimates commonly cited: ~$10M–$25M depending on configuration, maturity, and production scale. (iz.ru)
• A frequently cited single-number estimate: ~$15M per S-70 appears in Ukrainian intelligence reporting (best treated as an estimate, not a contract price). (iz.ru)
• Russian-media reference points (ruble valuations):
  • Prototype insured around ₽1.278B (often rounded to ₽1.3B) and a ground-control element around ₽145M in reporting about insurance coverage. (avia-pro.net)
  • A separate Russian-media discussion suggests a serial-production cost “around ₽1B” (again: not a published procurement contract). (iz.ru)

Most importantly: the airframe is only part of the bill. In modern defense programs, operating and support costs often dominate life-cycle spend—a pattern repeatedly documented in U.S. acquisition analysis and broadly applicable as an economic concept. (gao.gov)

1) What Counts as a “Russian Stealth Drone” (and What Doesn’t)

Online, “Russian stealth drone” is used for everything from cheap one-way attack UAVs to large flying-wing prototypes. In practical defense terms, the phrase usually points to a low-observable UCAV designed to reduce detectability across radar, infraredund electromagnetic signatures—typically through:

• Shaping (edges/angles/planform optimized to reduce returns)
• Materials and coatings (radar-absorbent treatments, composites)
• Internal carriage (weapons/sensors carried inside bays to avoid external pylons)
• Signature management (thermal, apertures, emissions discipline)

For Russia, the program most consistently tied to the “stealth UCAV / loyal wingman” idea is the Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B, commonly described as a large flying-wing drone intended to operate alongside crewed fighters like the Su-57. (Default)

2) The Program Most People Mean: Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B (Hunter)

What’s publicly reported (and why specs vary)

Public reporting describes the S-70 as a heavy, jet-powered flying wing, often cited around 20 tons class—an important clue, because size/weight strongly drives cost (materials, propulsion, manufacturing tolerances, test burden). (Default)

However, even basic dimensions can differ across sources. For example:

• Air & Space Forces described the S-70 with a ~65-foot wingspan (about 20 m). (Default)
• Other reporting has presented different dimension figures, underscoring that a single, authoritative public spec sheet is not consistently available across all outlets. (iz.ru)

Takeaway: treat “spec tables” online as approximate, and prioritize credible outlets und Russian-media disclosures when anchoring valuation discussion.

3) The Most Useful Pricing Anchors: Insurance Values and “Serial Cost” Mentions

Because procurement contracts aren’t public, the most defensible “hard-ish” numbers often come from:

• Insurance valuations (what a party insured and for how much)
• Russian officials’ production statements
• Credible defense reporting (with sourcing)

3.1 Insurance valuations reported in Russian media

Russian outlets have reported that an Okhotnik prototype and related elements were insured at high ruble values—figures often cited as directional signals of value rather than proof of unit procurement cost.

Key reported points include:

• ~₽1.278B (often rounded to ₽1.3B) insured value in reporting about the aircraft. (avia-pro.net)
• A ground control point insured around ₽145M in the same reporting context. (iz.ru)

How to use this: insurance values are not invoices, but they’re harder to fabricate than random “$X million” claims because they’re tied to named coverage and reporting.

3.2 “Serial production cost ~₽1B” as a directional indicator

Russian-media reporting has also circulated the idea that serial-production cost might be around ₽1B—a useful directional marker for “order-of-magnitude,” not a confirmed contract award. (iz.ru)

4) Where the “$15 Million” Estimate Comes From (and How to Treat It)

A widely repeated estimate is that the S-70 may cost around $15M per unit. One prominent citation comes from Ukrainian intelligence reporting, which should be understood as:

• Relevant (they have strong incentives to track adversary systems)
• Not a procurement disclosure
• An estimate, best used in a range rather than as a single definitive price

This is the right way to phrase it in your article:

• “Open reporting (including Ukrainian intelligence) has estimated the S-70 around $15M.” (iz.ru)
• “Given uncertainty, a defensible working range is $10M–$25M depending on configuration and production maturity.” (iz.ru)

5) Why Estimates Differ So Much

If you see prices that swing from single-digit millions to fighter-jet money, it’s usually because the author mixed up one (or more) of the following:

A) Prototype vs production

Prototypes are expensive because you’re paying for:

• Hand-built structures
• Constant redesign and rework
• Non-recurring engineering (NRE)
• Heavy test instrumentation

Once (and if) a platform reaches stable production, per-unit cost can drop—but stealth manufacturing often stays costly because tolerances and coatings are labor-intensive.

B) Airframe cost vs “combat-ready slot” cost

A single stealth drone isn’t just an aircraft. A deployable capability typically includes:

• Ground control stations (often multiple)
• Datalinks + encryption + antennas
• Mission planning tools
• Spares and test equipment
• Training pipeline
• Sustainment contracts
• Payload integration and certification
• Weapons integration (if strike-capable)

That’s why the air vehicle can be less than half of total capability cost over time—an idea consistent with defense life-cycle economics where operating and support spending often dominates total cost. (gao.gov)

C) Configuration differences (sensors and EW change everything)

A “clean” airframe prototype is not priced like a fully equipped strike/recon system. Costs can rise sharply with:

• Advanced EO/IR turrets
• AESA radars
• Electronic intelligence / jamming payloads
• Hardened, secure communications
• Navigation resilience in contested EW environments

D) Industrial constraints and sanctions

Even if Russia can produce airframes, supply-chain friction (materials, electronics, precision manufacturing tools) can increase unit costs and slow throughput—both of which distort “per-unit” economics.

6) What You’re Really Paying For: A Cost Breakdown That Matches Reality

Use this structure (and table) in your article to help readers understand the economics without pretending to know classified invoices.

Cost buckets for a heavy stealth UCAV program

If someone quotes you a single number, ask:
“Is that air vehicle only, or does it include sensors, ground segment, training, spares, and sustainment?”

7) Why Debris Recovery Matters (and How It Connects to Cost)

One reason “stealth drone shot down” stories generate intense attention is that wreckage can be as valuable as a captured platform—not because it’s magic, but because it may reveal:

• Materials and coatings approaches
• Antenna apertures and sensor layouts
• Electronics packaging and cooling
• Manufacturing techniques and tolerances

This became a major discussion point after widely reported claims that an S-70 was lost over Ukraine in 2024, with reporting indicating it may have been downed in circumstances tied to preventing capture. (Air & Space Forces Magazine)

From a cost perspective, that’s not just “a drone lost”—it’s:

• A potential loss of sensitive technology
• A programmatic setback
• A political blow (which can trigger rushed, costly changes)

8) Comparison: How “Stealth UCAV Money” Differs From Cheaper Russian UAVs

To help readers calibrate scale, compare the Okhotnik class to other UAV categories without pretending they’re equivalent.

A simple “order-of-magnitude” framing

• Loitering munitions / one-way attack drones are often discussed in the tens-of-thousands per unit range in open analysis (varies widely by source and configuration). (维基百科)
• Tactical reconnaissance drones may be discussed in the tens-of-thousands to low hundreds-of-thousands range depending on system and package. (MilitaryUV)
• Heavy stealth UCAV prototypes / high-end platforms jump to many millions because you’re paying for jet propulsion, stealth manufacturing, advanced avionics, and mission systems. (Default)

This is why “Russian drone price” answers are often useless unless the question specifies the class.

9) How to Verify “Russian Stealth Drone Price” Claims You See Online

Use this checklist (it filters out most nonsense fast):

Step 1: Identify the exact model

If the claim doesn’t clearly say S-70 Okhotnik-B, treat it as low-confidence.

Step 2: Ask what the figure represents

• Air vehicle only?
• System-of-systems?
• Life-cycle (ownership) cost?

Step 3: Look for anchors, not vibes

High-quality claims usually reference:

• Russian-media valuation/insurance reporting (iz.ru)
• Credible defense journalism with sourcing (Air & Space Forces Magazine)

Step 4: Apply the “configuration tax”

If the claim assumes:

• advanced sensors,
• robust datalinks,
• electronic warfare,
• weapons integration,
  then a higher figure is plausible than a bare prototype airframe estimate.

Step 5: Red flags

• No model name, no sourcing, no context
• “Exact price” claims without contracts
• Sensational headlines that confuse the S-70 with cheap drones

FAQ

Is there an official published unit price for the S-70 Okhotnik?

Not in public procurement disclosures that can be treated as definitive. Most figures are estimates, plus Russian-media valuation/insurance reporting that provides directional anchors. (iz.ru)

Is “₽1.3B” the actual purchase price?

Not necessarily. It appears in the context of insurance valuation reporting, which can be informative but is not the same as a procurement invoice. (iz.ru)

Why do some articles say production starts in 2025?

Russian officials have publicly discussed timelines, including a 2019 statement to TASS about planned serial deliveries beginning in 2025. Whether that timeline was fully met is harder to confirm from open, authoritative disclosures. (TASS)

What’s a reasonable way to quote a price in an article without overclaiming?

Use a range and attribute it correctly:

• “Open reporting suggests $10M–$25M depending on configuration and maturity.” (iz.ru)
• “A commonly cited estimate is ~$15M (attributed to Ukrainian intelligence reporting).” (iz.ru)

Sources Used (Open Reporting)

(iz.ru)