Meeting on developing unmanned aircraft systems
President Vladimir Putin held a meeting in Togliatti on the development of unmanned aircraft systems.
Our objective is far more ambitious: by 2030, Russia must emerge as one of the global technological leaders in the field of unmanned aircraft systems.
January 28, 2025
President of Russia Vladimir Putin:
Good afternoon, colleagues,
Today, I propose that we discuss a series of measures aimed at advancing the domestic civil industry of unmanned aircraft systems.
One thing I would like to note straight away. In this undoubtedly promising sphere, we must not merely strive for self-sufficiency in supplying our domestic industry and economy as a whole with various types of drones, their components, and parts manufactured within our country. All this must, of course, be accomplished. However, our objective is far more ambitious: by 2030, Russia must emerge as one of the global technological leaders in the field of unmanned aircraft systems. To achieve this, we must establish a robust industry, infrastructure, and a comprehensive maintenance system for UAS on our domestic technological and production platform – both domestically and internationally. This sphere is destined to become one of the cornerstones of Russia’s technological progress.
To address these challenges, we possess the necessary resources and, crucially, the immense potential of our scientists, designers, engineers, workers, and technology entrepreneurs. As I observed today from a thorough presentation, there is both the determination and the fervour to deliver on these goals. I wish to thank everyone involved in this work for their dedicated approach and express gratitude to all those contributing their labour and talent to the development of Russia’s unmanned aviation. I also commend you for the impressive results achieved thus far – they speak for themselves.
Serial production of competitive products has been launched across multiple sectors within a short time. In total, I emphasise that in 2024, compared to 2023, the production of civilian drones alone has surged by over 2.5 times.
As I said, the goal we have set for ourselves is comprehensive and system-wide; it is literally a national-scale goal. That is why it was decided to consolidate our resources within the framework of the relevant national project, in light of the huge importance of this industry for our citizens, businesses, the national economy and, needless to say, for ensuring our national security. We had a detailed discussion on the implementation of this crucial document during a meeting at the Rudnevo Industrial Park in Moscow in 2023.
Within that national project, over 400 Russian companies have become residents at research and production centres. They are working to create facilities for research into and the manufacturing of drones, as well as the ground-based infrastructure for testing them. In other words, we are creating the necessary conditions for promising initiatives and start-ups to progress to the stage of large-scale production as soon as possible.
Overall, we intend to set up 48 such centres within this decade. There are already 15 such centres, but I think we can do better. These centres are operating in Moscow and St Petersburg, in the Novgorod, Ryazan, Sakhalin and Tomsk regions, in the Perm Territory, the republics of Udmurtia and Tatarstan, as well as here in the Samara Region.
I would like to say that we intend to expand the centre in Togliatti, where we are meeting, and to use it as the basis for a civil aviation research, educational and production cluster, so that the city becomes a development flagship in this advanced industry, not only in Russia but in the world as a whole. This will create additional conditions for growth in the region and for the self-fulfilment of our talented and goal-oriented young people. It is a vital human and social dimension of all our national projects aimed at ensuring our technological leadership. We will certainly dedicate a great deal of attention to this.
As we just discussed, and I am also addressing regional leadership, everything we talked about today needs to be implemented. If we want to ensure that the effort to develop these solutions and operations here in Togliatti, in the Samara Region, is ahead of the curve, it is essential to involve the people in the discussion. They will be the ones living in this environment, which means that we cannot carry out these plans without their contribution and participation. In addition, people must also be able to see the prospects and benefits they can derive from expanding these activities.
Friends, we have just had a detailed and frank conversation with business leaders here at this research and production centre while touring a special exhibition. I would like to thank them for providing me with insights into this topic.
Our colleagues were quite open about the fact that despite our generally positive results in several fundamental aspects of the UAV national project, including regulations and the legal framework, progress has been too slow, while certain programmes had to be paused due to steep funding cuts. Let me remind you that we raised these issues at the meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects in December 2024.
It is obvious that we are facing a challenging and extremely competitive international environment. We need to substantially boost efforts to develop Russia’s UAV if we want Russia to emerge as one of the world’s leaders in this technology by 2030. The corresponding decisions must be taken as quickly as possible, which includes guaranteeing adequate funding for all key undertakings.
We have just gone over a detailed list of the corresponding sectors.
First, we must open our skies, to use the industry lingo, to civilian UAVs as quickly as possible. I know that we have the heads of law enforcement and security agencies taking part in this meeting via videoconference. This is a complex matter, and it is especially sensitive today. However, we do need to move forward. Something must be done. All the current and objective challenges notwithstanding, and regardless of any increased security requirements, this is a matter of principle if we view developing this sector as a major priority, and an imperative for testing new products and launching them into serial production.
First, in this connection.
A proposal has been just made during our discussions to establish a new class of airspace in the Russian Federation to simplify the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. We discussed this with you, and that was the essence of the proposals. The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) supports this measure, as far as I know. I am asking the Government to approve the necessary regulatory and legal framework by June 1 of this year and assign specific flight altitudes, or flight levels, as experts refer to them, for drones. We have just talked about this; transitioning from one flight level to another is the most critical aspect. Everything must be worked out properly. Mr Savelyev will present his remarks and, I hope, he will also say a few words on this subject.
Moreover, both access to these flight levels for certain types of drones and the technical operation requirements for UAVs should be simplified as far as possible. Let me note that several countries have already taken these steps, which have facilitated their qualitative breakthrough in developing unmanned aerial systems.
Second, I believe that drone flights must be permitted in regions where this is justified in terms of safety and where the necessary conditions exist. I am asking the Government to prepare specific decisions in this regard by April 30.
Let me note that certain regions of the Russian Federation already have practical experience in controlling unmanned aviation flights. Sakhalin, among others, tested domestic technological solutions last year. This has been discussed in detail under the Archipelago project and education programme. This know-how should be extended to other Russian regions.
In this connection, I think it is expedient to assess on a year-by-year basis which Russian regions create the best conditions for the development and use of unmanned systems. I am asking the National Technological Initiative to draw up and implement the respective ratings. This is an important area of activity, and colleagues in the regions should treat it as such.
Third, I have said that our efforts to open up airspace to civilian drones must proceed in compliance with strict security requirements through the application of novel technological solutions rather than across-the-board bans and stifling bureaucratic regulations. Such solutions are possible. It is also important to step up the implementation of existing national solutions, which will ensure reliable control of airspace. I am referring to drone intrusion detection and tracking systems and their identification in real time. We have been talking about this just now. I hope that speakers at our meeting will comment on our requirements regarding this.
Overall, we must implement fundamentally new management and flight coordination mechanisms for all types of aerial vehicles, from small drones to long-range aircraft and spacecraft. I fully agree with what has been said here. This is definitely the future. It is a difficult task but we can do it if we take a proactive approach and address it in a goal-oriented manner. The idea is to create a so-called seamless architecture of air and outer space, where all objects are interconnected and interact safely and effectively.
We recently talked about this during a meeting with Mr Borisov, head of the Roscosmos State Corporation. By and large, he shares this view, so we do not expect any difficulties here. We simply need to come to an agreement on this.
This certainly calls for creating ground-based infrastructure and satellite groups, which is extremely important. By June 1, 2025, we must prepare a detailed and phased plan for doing this. I hope that our colleagues in the Government and Roscosmos will settle all their interagency differences and will coordinate the necessary parameters of such groups. I repeat that this must be done without any delay.
Here is what I consider to be of crucial significance. We need a fundamentally new legal framework for creating, testing and using various types of drones and advanced flight and navigation control instruments. We should develop it gradually and with the use of experimental legal regimes. As I have said, their mechanisms and capabilities must be expanded, including here in the Samara Region, where we are holding our meeting.
Certainly, when building a new regulatory framework for unmanned aviation, it is important to maintain a balance between the industry’s interests and the country’s security and defence capability. To reiterate, we must actively seek solutions and press forward, regardless of the obstacles we encounter. Failure to do so will inevitably result in stagnation and an exacerbation of existing challenges.
I have already issued instructions to expand the use of photo and video materials collected by UAVs across various sectors of the economy. The timely integration of digital geospatial data into commercial markets is paramount. This requires a review of oversight measures, including the implementation of innovative technological solutions. However, progress in this area appears to be minimal, if any. I would appreciate your insights on this matter today.
There is one more essential issue. Progress in the unmanned aviation industry cannot happen without highly qualified staff whose competence and knowledge must correspond to the goals of technological leadership. It is according to this logic that we should adjust the professional training system, modify the existing educational programmes and create new ones. All decisions here must be made immediately as well.
Today, I would like to hear about unmanned aviation training and how it will be organised by colleges and universities starting with the new academic year. Of course, what I have seen here so far deserves high praise. I certainly want to thank you for setting a good example of handling this matter.
As I have consistently emphasised, we should build a close connection among all national projects focused on technological leadership. I would add that this imperative for coordination extends to both civilian and specialised domains. This integrated approach can help maximise outcomes across all sectors, bolstering our economic, industrial, and scientific potential, and ultimately enhancing our national defence and security.
As for the UAV sector, we are already experiencing the need for advanced and forward-looking solutions in microelectronics, power accumulation and storage, new materials and AI, of course. This is especially true considering that in the future the autonomous capabilities we develop for Russian drones will be instrumental in ensuring their competitiveness. The same applies to this sector’s economic standing and its architecture in general. We do have certain solutions and know-how in these domains, and have even some achievements under our belt, as I have been told today, which is great, of course.
Let me reiterate that having our own sovereign solutions for the main UAV components is one of our primary tasks. I ask the Government to make all the necessary decisions in this regard, including setting deadlines and allocating the required funds for launching powerful, large-capacity accumulators into serial production. This is another major task as part of our efforts to develop this sector.
Moving on, we had a detailed conversation at our previous meeting at Rudnevo Industrial and Technology Park regarding long-term state and private orders serving as a major impetus for shaping the UAV sector. So far, there have only been sporadic measures to this effect, even if some of them have made a difference.
That said, we need to adopt an integral and comprehensive approach when making these orders, especially when talking about public procurement. I ask the Government to assess the current and future needs of federal agencies, regions, companies, and entire sectors of our economy to understand how many drones they need, as well as what kind of drones and what specifications they must have, and their ability to perform special and civilian tasks, including in new emerging sectors. We need to anticipate our future needs in this sector and take various scenarios into account.
Let me reiterate that we must follow a system-wide approach when updating our long-term orders and ensure that efforts to carry them out are coordinated while ensuring that we meet the following imperative: not only major corporations, but also small and medium-sized technology companies manufacturing UAVs and their components must be able to take part in procurement tenders and deliver their products to consumers. There is no place for monopolies in this sector.
Promoting exports must serve as another powerful impetus for developing our domestic UAV sector. I ask the Government to act in a more assertive and competent manner when backing Russian technology companies as they seek to gain a foothold in the global markets.
In this regard, we must rely on the opportunities offered by our bilateral ties with friendly countries, as well as contacts within integration and international groups and associations. This includes, among other things, creating networking platforms within BRICS for launching joint, comprehensive, technologically advanced projects.
As part of this task, I ask the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Moscow Government – Mr Sobyanin has been proactive on this front – as well as the participants in the National Technology Initiative to hold an international forum on unmanned systems in 2025. I suggest that we invite researchers, developers and business leaders from other countries to have a detailed conversation on ways we can work together in these promising emerging sectors.
To deliver on our plans to generate positive momentum in expanding unmanned air services, we must pay close attention to enhancing efficiencies in terms of coordinating and managing this sector at both the federal and regional levels. I ask the Government to adopt a firm and resolute approach to monitoring performance under the national project to develop unmanned aviation systems and the development of this new sector in all its aspects in general.
This work must be carried out on a permanent basis, virtually in real time, in order to address any challenges that may arise along the way in a timely manner. They must be resolved as quickly as possible, in close coordination with ministries, agencies, state companies, private businesses, and the regions.
Most importantly, I ask the Government to submit proposals on streamlining the development management framework for the unmanned aviation sector, making it agile and responsive. I would like to emphasise once again that these decisions must be taken as quickly as possible.
Mr Savelyev will now tell us how this will be done.
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