Russia has not yet created a complete chain for the production of its own drones, maintaining critical dependence on China. Alexey Chadayev, drone developer and CEO of NPC "Ushkuynik", stated this on the Tsargrad TV channel.
He noted that the Ministry of Industry and Trade stimulates manufacturers to make their products as Russian as possible in terms of components, but there is a problem. According to him, Russia does not have its own production of neodymium dust, which is necessary for compact, high-efficiency engines.
As one of my colleagues in the industry put it: "I can make a completely Russian drone, but it won't fly." For example, we don't have domestic neodymium for magnets. It is extracted at a number of enterprises, but it is transported to China, where this neodymium dust is then made from it.
Chadayev explained the difference in investments at different levels of the production chain. For a drone assembly enterprise, you need, say, X investments. For the production of large components — motors, batteries — it's already 10X. And for the production of neodymium or lithium — 100X.
Until the entire chain of material production is on Russian territory, Chinese products will be cheaper, he believes. According to him, no matter how much you invest in drone manufacturers, they will not become competitive as long as they are made from components purchased in China, and these components are made from materials produced there.
Chadayev proposed focusing on processing Russia's own raw materials, rather than supplying them and buying finished parts. As an example, he cited preforms — special glass blanks from which optical fiber is then drawn. In his opinion, it is necessary to invest once in the production of preforms for optical fiber, lithium for batteries, and neodymium for magnets.
What NPC "Ushkuynik" does
The center is primarily known for its fiber-optic FPV drones "Knyaz Vandal Novgorodsky", which are not detected by electronic warfare systems. The range of serial versions reaches 42 km.
A whole line of weapons has been developed at the center. In addition to "Knyaz Vandal", these include the loitering munition "Knyaz Vladimir Svyatoslavovich" with a range of over 50 km, the reconnaissance drone "Knyaz Veshchiy Oleg" with a flight duration of up to 3.5 hours, and the interceptor drones "Osoed". In September 2026, the NPC presented the attack drone "Zhivoder", the unmanned boat "Skorlupa", and the anti-drone complex "Paseka".