Published on: 2026-08-26
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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The Federal Center for Unmanned Aerial Systems (FC UAS) has begun manufacturing components for the first prototypes of a Russian internal combustion engine for medium-class unmanned aerial systems. This new development will reduce the industry’s dependence on foreign power units and will be an important step in the development of domestic production of components for unmanned aviation.
Currently, the specialists of the center, together with the customer, are manufacturing and testing a pilot batch of engines. During the preparation stage for production, the technologists of FC BAS, along with the customer’s experts, optimized the internal combustion engine design. This allowed the product to be adapted for future mass production, reduced manufacturing costs, and increased efficiency without compromising technical and flight characteristics.
The new engine is designed for long continuous operation with a safety margin of 120 hours. Its use will allow the unmanned aerial vehicle to remain in flight for more than 20 hours.
The creation of domestic power units is one of the key areas of technological development in the unmanned aerial systems industry. The development of proprietary solutions will increase technological independence and ensure sustainable market growth.
“Developing our own engine is an important stage in the development of the Russian unmanned aerial systems industry. It is the powerplant that largely determines the capabilities of the drone, its flight duration, and areas of application. The emergence of another domestic solution will expand the capabilities of Russian manufacturers and accelerate the creation of new unmanned systems. Engines with long operational duration are especially in demand where tasks need to be performed for extended periods without landing. This includes monitoring infrastructure objects, observing forest areas, controlling the environmental situation, and search and rescue operations. The longer a drone can stay in the air, the more effective its use becomes and the wider the range of tasks it can accomplish,” said Maxim Avdeev, General Director of the Federal Center for Unmanned Aerial Systems.
A wide range of support measures is in place at the federal and regional levels for the development of the unmanned aerial systems industry. These are implemented within the framework of a national project “Unmanned Aerial Systems”, as well as through industry-wide mechanisms. Thanks to this, developers receive support at all stages of the product lifecycle — from the idea and research and development to mass production and commercialization. More about Russia’s national projects and the capital’s contribution can be found at special page.
ANO “Federal Center for Unmanned Aviation Systems” — an institute for the development of the autonomous systems industry, a subordinate organization of the capital Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development. It was established on March 23, 2023. The founders are the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “NTI Platform,” and Government of Moscow.
FC BAS is located in a specialized unmanned cluster based at the Rudnevo industrial park in Moscow, where production, testing, and flight infrastructure has been established. The priority of its activities is the development of the unmanned technologies industry through uniting the capabilities of developers, manufacturers, businesses, and the government.
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