TSAMTO, October 7. The launch system of heavy-duty drones was tested in the Tomsk region before the introduction of an experimental zone for drones in the region, within which it is planned to cancel a number of norms of the Air Code, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the Foundation for Advanced Research (FPI).
The event was attended by the Governor of the Tomsk Region Sergey Zhvachkin, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Vladislav Fedulov and the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency Alexander Neradko.
The flights took place at the Chkalov aviation site of the Sibaerocraft company. Drones of various companies, including those belonging to the FPI, lifted containers with cargo into the air.
"The experiment on launching heavy-duty drones in the Tomsk region is a new stage in the development of domestic logistics. For Russia, with our distances and remote settlements, this is especially important. In those areas where it is often impossible to reach by land in winter, we will be able to deliver food, medicines, building materials from the air. It is much cheaper and faster to lift a drone into the sky than a helicopter with a pilot," RIA Novosti quotes V. Fedulov.
As explained in the FPI, the current aviation legislation does not allow businesses to widely use drones for cargo transportation. The draft experimental legal regime provides for the application of special regulation in the Tomsk region – some requirements of the Air Code can be changed or excluded for the duration of the experiment in the region, that is, for 3 years. In the Tomsk region, it is planned to use drones weighing more than 30 kg for the delivery of heavy loads, aerial photography and agricultural work.
The draft of the relevant decree of the Government of the Russian Federation regulating the test use of UAVs is undergoing interdepartmental coordination.
"Drones should become an important link in the development of sectors of the national economy. Their application is limitless: aerial photography, cargo delivery and much more. The Tomsk Region participates in this innovative project that will determine the future of aviation," A.Neradko quotes RIA Novosti.
