The organizational structure of the units will be formed next year
Troops of unmanned systems will appear in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the third quarter of 2025. This was announced by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov at an expanded meeting of the board of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The head of the Defense Department instructed to focus efforts on improving the tactical and technical characteristics of unmanned aerial vehicles, systematically conduct their field tests and organize the serial production of the best samples. Experts believe that the creation of a new kind of troops is a move in the right direction.
A new branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will form a new branch of the Armed forces — the troops of unmanned systems in accordance with the instructions of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. This was announced on December 16 at an expanded meeting of the board of the Russian Ministry of Defense by the head of the department Andrei Belousov.
According to him, their creation will be completed in the third quarter of 2025.
"The massive use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has become the most significant breakthrough in the tactics of units of the Russian Armed Forces," he stressed.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Grigory Sysoev
In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the need to increase the production of drones. It is equally important, according to the head of state, to train UAV operators, to train them according to programs developed on the basis of combat experience.
Russian troops use more than 3.5 thousand drones every day, this figure is growing, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said at a board meeting of the department.
Now the task is to focus efforts on improving the tactical and technical characteristics of unmanned aerial vehicles - in terms of increasing their range of use, autonomy and noise immunity, Andrei Belousov noted.
Therefore, he instructed Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko to conduct a full inventory of military developments, systematically conduct their field tests and organize the serial production of the best samples.
According to the head of the military department, today a huge number of innovative technical developments are being carried out directly in the troops, showing high results.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov
Image source: iz.ru
"For example, ground-based robotic complexes that carry out fire damage, reconnaissance, mining, ammunition delivery and evacuation of the wounded have proved effective during combat operations. Also, military inventors are constantly improving the characteristics of UAVs, communications equipment and electronic warfare," the minister said.
How will the new branch of the armed forces be integrated into the armed forces
As the former commander of the Pacific Fleet, Sergei Avakyants, explained to Izvestia, the branch of the armed forces is an organizational structure and for it it is necessary to create a theoretical structure of operational art.
— That is, to create a theory and practice of preparation and conduct of military operations on an operational scale (operations, battles, strikes), — he noted. — This is a move in the right direction, the main thing is that it is not just a sign on the door of the office. It is necessary to think over the training system for both non-commissioned officers and officers. To do this, it is necessary to make changes to the curricula — to create special faculties or educational institutions of secondary and higher education. Innovations should also apply to existing military academies, in particular the Academy of the General Staff.
In the course of its development, drones have become so indispensable that we have reached the point of having to form separate parts and, perhaps, even connections with our own infrastructure that ensures the use of drones. Military expert Dmitry Kornev told Izvestia about this.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
According to him, most likely, departments, platoons, and separate divisions will be created, which will be in close cooperation with other branches of the armed forces and ensure the use of drones in their interests.
— The troops of unmanned systems are likely to receive a status similar to that of the air defense forces, — military expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia. — Their units will be part of the Ground Forces, the Aerospace Forces, as well as the Navy, where, among other things, they will develop unmanned boats. These will include all unmanned systems used. It is possible that they will be united by some common structure that will be engaged in design, development, testing. It was not for nothing that the Minister said that interspecific centers for testing the latest and promising systems would be created.
Now it is necessary to generalize the experience gained during the SVO and prepare teachers, material resources and specialists to work with drones, military expert Viktor Litovkin believes.
— For example, we still do not have strategic range drones, but the United States has them, — the expert noted. — They fly for several days and tens of thousands of kilometers from American bases. It is also time for us to create such systems to control airspace, sea and land routes. All this work must be systematized and concentrated in the hands of one type of armed forces.
In August of this year, the Russian Ministry of Defense established the Rubicon Center for Advanced unmanned technologies on the basis of one of the combat units of unmanned aviation.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korotaev
Image source: iz.ru
He is engaged in the training of operators of UAVs and robotic complexes (RTK), as well as the development and implementation of new RTK systems in the troops.
His calculations have already destroyed more than 400 units of weapons and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and hit about 800 area targets.
An important area of Rubicon's work is the training of highly qualified instructors from among drone operators with combat experience.
In October, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov instructed the center to form five detachments in the zone of a special military operation.
Julia Leonova
Vladimir Matveev
Bogdan Stepovoy
