On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Rudnevo industrial park, where drones are being manufactured, to hold a meeting on the development of unmanned aviation.
"A very important field in the country, very promising, just now my colleagues and I looked and I saw the presented figure, in the near future the volume [of investment] is 500 billion [rubles], but they immediately agreed with me that this is a very conservative estimate, most likely, if we are all together, and the state will also work, then it will be a trillion [rubles], this will be the volume, a trillion rubles," Putin said during the presentation of organizations working in the field of unmanned aerial systems.
During the meeting, the president said that Russia has the potential in the drone industry to ensure the necessary level of technological sovereignty, adding that Russia "can and should not just import something but go one step ahead of our competitors" in the field. The president noted that it is necessary to maximize the localization of the development and production of breakthrough technologies and "put the production of promising, competitive models on stream."
Putin noted that it is necessary to digitalize the organization of air traffic in Russia to reach the required level of development of unmanned aviation, adding that "there will be no development of unmanned aviation" if the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, continues to work in the same mode as today.
The president told the meeting that it is necessary to create special operators who will be buying drones to lease them, as it is "another great mechanism for expanding demand." Putin stressed the need to help businesses in the field at all levels but noted that it is necessary to prevent "monopolies, to preserve the competitive principles of the industry, based on a balance of interests of entrepreneurs, investors, and the state."
Drones should be used to prevent and deal with the outcomes of natural disasters and emergencies, Putin said. The president also noted the opportunities for the widespread use of unmanned aerial transport in agriculture, which, he said, would increase the efficiency and competitiveness of Russia in the field.
The president also backed the idea of teaching schoolchildren to construct, assemble, and operate drones, saying that relevant training courses are needed in a variety of fields, including agriculture, energy, and transportation.
According to Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov, Russia is planning to produce 18,000 drones per year by the end of 2026 and 32,000 unmanned aircraft annually by 2030.
"We expect that by the end of the next budget cycle, that is, by the end of 2026, the Russian industry will be able to reach an annual production capacity of 18,000 drones. This does not include ultra-light drones weighing less than one kilogram. Domestic demand will be covered by some 52%. And by 2030, it will reach the volume of 32,000 drones per year with the level of demand coverage of about 70%," Belousov told the meeting.
The official added that Russia's domestic needs for drones are currently covered by over 30%.
Belousov said that the national project for the development of unmanned aerial vehicles by 2030 is preliminary estimated at 660 billion rubles ($8.1 billion), including "state and civil orders, measures to support manufacturers, equipment for airports and communication networks, and creating research and production centers," adding that about 240 billion rubles will be required between 2024 and 2026.
The drone market in Russia amounts to approximately 32,000 units, of which 20,000 are imported drones, and only 12,000 unmanned vehicles are homegrown, the official told the meeting. Belousov noted that drones are produced by about 70 companies in Russia - 50 of them produce only light drones weighing up to 30 kilograms, and about 20 companies produce medium drones.
The deputy prime minister also said that Russia is in talks with other countries, particularly China, on the exports and imports of drone-related technologies. Putin, in turn, expressed confidence that countries friendly to Russia would support the supply of Russian production plants for unmanned vehicles with the necessary resources.