Governor Dmitry Azarov held the meeting on development of the unmanned aviation systems (UAS) industry in the Samara Region. The meeting was participated by about a hundred specialists – UAS developers, company executives, researchers and potential consumers of the products.



“We hold such major meeting for the first time. We have met many manufacturers more than once, having individual meetings and ones with the small number of participants. I understand that we will not be able to discuss all the issues today. But I would like our today meeting to become the assembly point for the industry as a whole”, stressed Dmitry Azarov. “Now, it is very important to talk constructively, identify promising areas of development, and see how large enterprises can help small innovative companies in design and production of drones”.

The industry has been actively developing over recent years. Realizing importance of this area, the President of Russia gave instructions on formation of a separate national UAS project. It has been implementing since the first of January this year. The project defines the strategy for development of unmanned aviation for the period up to 2030. For its implementation over the next six years, federal funding in the amount of more than 570 billion rubles is provided for. The region has every chance to become a leader in the new and promising area.

“Undoubtedly, today unmanned aviation systems are one of the most promising industries, development of which directly affects not only achievement of our country’s technological sovereignty, but also largely its sovereignty as a whole”, emphasized Dmitry Azarov, opening the meeting with developers and manufacturers of drones. “The national UAS project is targeted at ensuring for our country to be one of the first to scalely enter the market of unmanned aviation systems, gain a dominant position, and become its leader. According to the national project, in the next six years, the promising independent industry engaged in manufacturing and using civilian drones must appear in the country. Knowing the driving force of national projects in general, we are convinced that this national project on unmanned aviation systems will contribute to our achievements in unmanned aviation”.

Large-scale work has been implemented in framework of this national project, and the Samara Region is actively involved in it. The region, with its strongest scientific schools and vast experience in developing aerospace engineering, has been entrusted with the special role in development of the UAS industry. “We plan to implement the entire chain of introducing drones: design and production of domestic components, testing, certification, development of concepts for commercial applications, servicing and maintenance”, noted the governor.

Now, when in our country, the new, promising, technologically rich and attractive industry is being formed, it is necessary to do everything possible so that drones produced in the Samara Region become well-known and in demand both in Russia and abroad. “We have everything to make our region a leader in this field. It is very important that we use as effectively as possible our current advantages – historical ones that have been established and created in the last year and a half”, emphasized Dmitry Azarov. That is why it was decided to hold this extended meeting with all the developers, manufacturers of various-purpose drones, as well as educational organizations that will train specialists.

Additionally, the governor said that at this stage, it is extremely important that each of the organizations identified possible points of development in the field of unmanned aviation, areas for interaction and plans for collaboration with active industry companies.

The regional cluster of unmanned aviation systems has been created on the basis of technological and educational competencies. It includes 6 organizations: Transport of the Future, Samara National Research University, DeltaTech, Aviakor-Service, AvtoKom, Tolyatti-Project. The regional program for development of unmanned aviation until 2030, which defines key goals, objectives and expected results of the industry development in the region, has also been made and approved.

For the efficient development of the UAS cluster in the Samara Region, created on Dmitry Azarov’s initiative and with the personal support of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, the experimental legal regime has been established. The relevant resolution was signed by the Government of the country in November last year. The special statute provides opportunities for full-scale testing and improving flight parameters, production technologies for UAS, as well as scenarios for their application in the interests of the industry development.

“Since the end of 2023, we have started creating the regional research and production center for testing and competencies in the field of UAS technology development, which will be furnished with high-tech equipment in framework of the national project in 2024. Besides, as part of the national project, the ground infrastructure for UAVs to fly will be created, pilot educational institutions in the region will be equipped, and unmanned aviation systems will be purchased for the needs of the Ministry of Forestry”, noted the governor.

The key industrial partner of the region – the company Transport of the Future – has been successfully implementing the comprehensive project on creating the full-cycle UAS production. Let us recall that at the end of last year, commissioning works were carried out as part of the first stage of the project on UAS assembly, where, primarily, agrodrones will be produced in the interests of agriculture. In 2024, 1.5 thousand drones must be manufactured there, and there are plans to expand the production.

“At present, we are actively boosting, and this is not only about the production of drones, but also their parts: a set of propellers, engines, drivers, flight controllers. And today, during the large meeting, we discussed, among other things, operation of the UAS research and production center in the Samara region. After all, our task is not easy. It is necessary not only to produce 1,500 drones this year, but to launch the entire line of domestic components”, said Yury Kozarenko, CEO of LLC Transport of the Future.

Recruitment is currently ongoing. According to the plans, the entire set of components and assemblies, as well as the UAS themselves, will be produced in the Samara Region. “By the autumn of this year, the region will have been able to localize key elements of all drones that are used in Russia”, stated the head of Transport of the Future.

The prospects for the UAS development and application are quite diverse. This is not only agriculture, but also a number of other areas.  “We proactively work to generate demand for unmanned aviation services in the region. This includes monitoring and delivery of medicines as a separate branch of medical purpose. There are already achievements noted by the Federal Minister of Health. We met Mikhail Albertovich Murashko not so long ago, he said that the best results were presented in the Samara Region, within our pilot project. Moreover, we consider it possible to use unmanned systems by pipeline and engineering companies, as well as for inspecting structures, in construction”, emphasized Dmitry Azarov.

The meeting was attended by holders of key competencies in unmanned aviation. These are large high-tech finishers of the regional UAS cluster; aerospace cluster enterprises; component manufacturers, including those from related industries; representatives of research centers of leading universities; potential consumers of unmanned aviation services, as well as key public organizations and development institutions.

Samara University was represented by Rector Vladimir Bogatyrev, First Vice-Rector – Vice-Rector for Research Andrey Prokofiev, Deputy Rector – Director of the Advanced Aerospace Engineering School Ivan Tkachenko, Director of the Institute of Engine and Power Plant Engineering Vitaly Smelov, Director of the Institute of Informatics and Cybernetics Aleksander Kupriyanov, Director of the Centre for Unmanned Systems David Ovakimyan.

“We must jointly focus our efforts on solving the tasks relevant to the industry. Helping ensure that unmanned systems provided accelerated development in a wide variety of industries. Among these tasks, the first line is occupied by development of demand. This task includes opening up new market segments and removing excessive restrictions on the use of drones. The second big block is promotion of development of mass production of domestic unmanned systems and their components. And it is equally important to provide the industry with highly qualified personnel, to involve young people – schoolchildren and students – in it”, outlined the priorities the head of the region.

The Samara Region proactively work in this areas. The region has been participating in the All-Russian “Cyberdrome” Competition for the third year. The Competition is targeted at creating the system of advanced training and retraining of personnel to operate unmanned aerial vehicles. Last year, the Samara Region’s team based on ODK-Kuznetsov took the 3rd place.

Samara University also contributes to training of the personnel: there the Centre for Unmanned Systems has been established, and the UAS areahas been organized as part of the work of the Advanced Aerospace Engineering School (AAES).

Vladimir Bogatyrev, Rector of the University, made a report on the prospects of staffing the UAS industry at the meeting. He spoke about organization of career guidance work with schoolchildren, higher and additional education programs, as well as about the educational infrastructure and capabilities of the University to train specialists for the unmanned aviation systems industry.

Ivan Tkachenko, Deputy Rector, Director of the AAES at Samara University, answered questions related to arrangement of collaboration between the University and enterprises and organizations of the real sector of the economy.

“We do what the industry is first and foremost interested in: we interact with our partners both in training, and in implementing our joint R&D, creating the final product”, stressed Ivan Tkachenko.

He believes that, given the extremely strong positions and competencies in aviation and aerospace engineering, the Samara Region has already occupied Position No. 1 in UAS development.  “Supporting by the state and the region is the most important. This is due to the market entry, the demand for our products, as well as personnel training; we can and are ready to train specialists in available technologies at present”, commented Ivan Tkachenko.

“The governor’s activity, his involvement not only in production, but also in development, and the use of drones is one of the cornerstones for achieving the goals set. And today, we need for supporting by the Government that is aware of the task of not just producing, but also the subsequent use of civilian drones until they become useful to the population”, agreed Yury Kozarenko.

Dmitry Azarov noted that the Samara Region has achieved significant success in all national projects that are being implemented by decision of the Russian President Vladimir Putin.  “We have significant achievements in all national projects where our region is actively involved. I am sure that, implementing the national project “Unmanned Aviation Systems”, we will achieve noticeable, required results not only for our region, but also for the country as a whole”, concluded the governor.