Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree abolishing the Commission on the Development of General Aviation and Navigation and Information Technologies Based on GLONASS. The document, dated April 3, 2026, was published on the official legal acts portal. The decree comes into force on the day it is signed. The commission was established in November 2012, and in 2016 it was transformed, adding tasks related to navigation and information technologies based on GLONASS. Now, the presidential decrees on the commission itself, its composition, and amendments to it have been declared invalid.
New Data Transmission Rules for UAVs
The abolition of the commission occurs against the backdrop of the introduction of mandatory data transmission from drones to the state information system "ERA-Glonass". From March 1, 2026, all UAVs equipped with identifiers will be required to transmit an identification index, aircraft category, precise coordinates, and flight altitude to the system. From March 1, 2027, a similar requirement will come into force for manned aircraft weighing from 115 kg to 15 tons.
The GLONASS system includes 24 satellites and provides navigation in ground, sea, air, and space. Previously, the commission dealt with the development of unmanned aircraft systems and navigation technologies. Its abolition is likely due to the transfer of functions to other departments and the completion of the stage of forming a regulatory framework.
For drone owners (from 250 g), the new requirements mean the obligation to transmit data to "ERA-Glonass" through onboard identifiers. This increases the controllability of flights but requires retrofitting the devices. For the state, it means the centralization of data on the movement of small aircraft and UAVs in a single system, which simplifies monitoring and airspace management.
