Russia to bring first unmanned combat aircraft into service by 2020

The Russian Air Force is to receive its first unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) into service by 2020. It is expected that state trials or field tests of the new UCAVs may start in 2017. According to Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov, research and development work for this project is now nearly complete.

Drone fighters are able to tackle strategic tasks because they are difficult to detect and have better combat sustainability than manned aircraft. There are over 600 types of unmanned aerial vehicles produced in the world today, including 25 in Russia.

A mere 20 years ago, Moscow was an undisputed leader in this field: In the 1980s, it manufactured 950 Tu-143 reconnaissance UAVs alone.

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