The developer of a heavy cargo drone from Rostov-on-Don has received Skolkovo resident status. Igor Fyodorov, co-founder of Skyway, admits: the main goal is access to investments and grant support.
The first prototype flight took place in August 2025. The 370-kilogram drone was able to lift off the ground, but engineers are still refining the control system and design – they need to achieve stable flight for tens of minutes. The company needs money to create two final prototypes and is looking for investors.
The technical characteristics declared by the developers look ambitious: payload capacity of 500 kg, range of 500 km, speed of 180 km/h, operability in temperatures down to –40 °C and up to +50 °C, wind resistance up to 20 m/s. For now, the public is shown renders and an experimental pipe structure tested in a private courtyard.
Financial reports raise questions. According to Rusprofile, Skyway incurred a loss of 438 thousand rubles in 2025. Another of Fyodorov's enterprises, Stratera, which produces scales for railway cars, ended the year with a loss of 2.6 million rubles.
The market for heavy civilian drones in Russia is almost empty. Meanwhile, Chinese engineers tested a 3.5-ton payload aircraft in April 2026. The 500 kg promised by Skyway is not a breakthrough, but an average world level. From the first lift-off to mass production in the heavy segment, years pass – from three to five even in ideal conditions, notes the Telegram channel "Bespilot".
Initially, the drone was conceived as a cargo-passenger drone, but then the creators reoriented exclusively to cargo transportation. The company dreams of creating a "flying Gazelle" for autonomous deliveries. Time will tell if Skolkovo will live up to expectations.
