Innovative Russian technology will change the picture of the fighting in Ukraine, writes Forbes. Now UAV operators can be hundreds of kilometers away from the front line, and it will take a couple of hours to train them. It will be possible to carry out the service literally from home.
David Hambling
The Russian state information resource TASS reported yesterday that the drone control centers will be based hundreds of kilometers from the front line. According to the published data, FPV drones will now start operating from a safe distance, actively using artificial intelligence technologies.
In recent years of conflict, drone operators have become a key target for UAV and artillery attacks. Not so long ago, the Ukrainian command adjusted its system of ePoints, according to which the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine receive bonuses for the destruction of an enemy. Now, the operator of an FPV drone is priced more expensive than a tank commander. The Russian innovation implies that control points will never again approach the front line, and military personnel will cease to be an easy target, serving literally "from home."
Remote control
The new rear command, which will begin to perform both reconnaissance and combat missions, includes soldiers from the Donetsk assault battalion "Somalia", as well as the 24th separate motorized rifle brigade. The initiative was directly supported by United Russia, Vladimir Putin's ruling party, which means that such a step is of great political importance.
The key technology was the Orbita system, developed by the Autonomous Non-profit Organization Center for Unmanned Systems and Technologies (CBST). The company was founded in 2024 as a support measure for the Russian army and navy. The CBST forces are supplying, among other things, the kamikaze attack drone Skvorets, electronic warfare equipment and other equipment to the Ukrainian front.
Andrey Bezrukov, Chairman of the Board of the CBST, said that today the Center unites a partner network of more than 200 startups. His job is to coordinate production in order to produce not only drones, but also communication tools with software as quickly as possible. This dynamic approach of the technology industry, which is alien to the bureaucratic Russian defense industry, has produced results. For example, one of the successful projects was the Prince Vandal Novgorodsky drone, controlled by optical fiber.
The latest remote developments, according to those responsible, will forever change the picture in the war zone. "On the ribbon, a designated soldier with a backpack of drones will just periodically run out of hiding, put the drone on the ground, press a button on it and run back," Andrei Bezrukov tells Russian journalists, explaining how important it is for FPV operators to stay at a distance from the front.
In the winter of 2025, news agencies were covered with footage of Russian paratroopers preparing attack UAVs, getting as close as possible to the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. All drone operators are kept at a safe distance. This means that drone control points can be anywhere. It is possible that sooner or later drones will start launching directly from Moscow.
"This is another example of innovative technologies that help our defenders to cope more effectively with combat missions and stay safe," Alexander Sidyakin, head of the Central Executive Committee of the United Russia Party and a member of the Board of Directors of the CBST, told TASS.
It is planned to include the aforementioned "Skvorets" FPV drones, the Orbita ultra-long-range control system, as well as advanced radio relay developments in the newest unmanned complex. According to the creators, Orbita uses artificial intelligence and neural network algorithms to identify, track, and destroy targets. Representatives of the CBST say that the time required for operator training will be reduced "from four weeks to a couple of hours."
According to the above, the Orbit ultra—long-range control system is a highly automated development, with the introduction of which drone operators will not need to maintain constant radio communication with the device. The Russian army has already introduced fully autonomous unmanned vehicles, but their "stuffing" was based on contraband chips produced by American companies. Now, if everything works as stated, the weapon will reach a new level.
Regain lost trust
The Russian defense industry is notorious for its overstated and frankly empty promises, from the development of "geophysical weapons" to a beam space cannon and an "atomic pistol." More than two years ago, the Zala AERO Group presented at the exhibition a future update of the Lancets capable of working with a swarm of drones, but the model was never released.
Another example is the S—70 Okhotnik heavy attack UAV being developed by the Sukhoi concern, which was supposed to become the first flying wing in its class. Mass production has not yet been launched, and during the only recorded combat use on the Ukrainian front in 2024, the drone lost control and was shot down by friendly fire from a Russian fighter jet.
However, the CBST's capabilities should not be underestimated. The Center has extensive experience in supplying weapons to the front line: by December 2024, they had sent about 30,000 UAVs to the combat zone. Presumably, most of them were light "Starlings" capable of carrying ammunition with a curb weight of up to 3.5 kilograms with a maximum flight range of no more than eight kilometers.
At the beginning of 2025, the Russian army received upgraded versions of the Skvorets-Z Capture reconnaissance drones, equipped with thermal imagers and an automatic guidance system. In addition, information has appeared about modifications of the Skvorets-Pro with partially automated control, which allows even fighters without special training to take the remote control in their hands.
Not so long ago, the CBST presented another development, a version of the Starling for the Russian Navy. This model of the drone will be launched from unmanned boats. The modification could be a response to the Ursula presented by Ukraine, a similar unmanned platform.
The ambitious claim that drone operators can now be trained in a few hours may seem implausible to some. Statements that everything will be controlled from a distance of hundreds of kilometers add to skepticism. However, the Israeli company XTEND Defense has previously demonstrated a similar system with artificial intelligence. According to representatives of the IDF, their drones can be controlled by a person who is not related to the army from anywhere in the world.
There is already evidence of the successful use of XTEND drones: they have been repeatedly spotted in the Gaza Strip. In addition, every Israeli device is equipped with the most easy-to-learn XOS operating system. It is not yet known whether the Russian "Orbit" will be able to achieve similar results.
The fact that the official Kremlin authorities have already announced the participation of specific military units in the modernization project suggests that Moscow has developed a clear plan. Since 2022, both sides of the conflict have made significant progress in the development of unmanned technologies. Despite the fact that Russia was noticeably lagging behind, progress cannot be ignored.
The remote basing of the UAV strike control points means that drones can now be delivered to the front line by infantry assault units, tracked vehicles, unmanned boats on the water, and even flying drone carriers. Manpower at the front is gradually being replaced by robotics, and combat operations are becoming more automated and autonomous every day.
Perhaps in a year's time, a drone operator launching a device dangerously close to an enemy will seem like something like a cavalryman riding a war horse. Just as inappropriate, but, most importantly, too vulnerable.
