Russian Software for Aerial Drones Proves Competitive in Field Trials

A new drone system developed by Siberian university students and YADRO uses cellular networks—including 5G—for real-time video transmission.

Russia has successfully tested domestically developed software for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The system was created by students from the Siberian State University of Telecommunications and Information Sciences, a major IT training hub east of the Urals, in partnership with tech company YADRO, which specializes in next-gen base stations.

The trials demonstrated that the Russian solution outperforms foreign analogues. Unlike Western systems, it avoids imported codecs and instead transmits video streams over cellular networks—successfully operating under 4G while testing compatibility with 5G technologies.

Later this year, the drone platform will be integrated with a fully Russian hardware stack, paving the way for UAVs built entirely from domestically sourced components and running native digital systems.

The new technology is slated for public demonstration at the Technoprom-2025 forum in Novosibirsk this August.