In 2024, the initial drone bases will become operational at airfields in nine towns across Chukotka and Yamal. A national newspaper notes this development, citing a passport for a federal project prepared by the Ministry of Transport of Russia. The project focuses on building infrastructure and ensuring safe unmanned aerial system (UAS) operations within the country’s airspace.
The ministry has named the first nine settlements where airports will receive a unified communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) framework to support drone flights. The selected locations are Anadyr, Beringovsky, Markovo, Kanchalan, Salekhard, Salemal, Panayevsk, Pitlyar, and Lopkhari.
As outlined in the document, the Ministry of Transport will determine later this year the technical and financial parameters for equipping landing sites in these areas. The rollout of the associated infrastructure is planned for 2024. Looking ahead, the plan envisions equipping 20 airports in 2025, 58 more in 2026, and a total of 290 airports nationwide by 2030 with such CNS networks to enable smoother UAS operations.
Other regions of the Russian Federation are also included in the program. Among them are the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Kamchatka, Tatarstan, the Republic of Bashkortostan, Samara, Tomsk, Moscow, Leningrad, Sverdlovsk, and Rostov regions.
Alongside the airport modernization, the Ministry of Transport plans to develop on-site ground handling and maintenance services, along with the infrastructure needed to receive and release UAVs in these areas. The aim is to create a seamless operational ecosystem for drone activity across the highlighted regions.
According to the proposal, the Federal Agency for Air Transport and its affiliated state unitary enterprise, the State Air Traffic Management Corporation, will oversee the deployment of these drone platforms. In addition, future drone routes will be proposed by the Russian Post, coordinating delivery and logistics where unmanned aircraft are used for missions such as freight, inspections, and emergency response. These steps reflect a broader strategy to integrate UAS into regional and national transport networks while maintaining safety and control over airspace. [Source: Ministry of Transport of Russia]”