More Than 13.5 Million Vehicles Connected to ERA-GLONASS Platform
ERA-GLONASS is saving thousands of lives by automatically transmitting crash alerts to emergency services.
Every day, thousands of road accidents occur across Russia, and in many cases those involved are unable to call for help. In such moments, every second can determine survival. That is precisely why vehicles are equipped with automatic emergency notification systems designed to alert first responders without human intervention.
Rapid Growth in Connections
In Russia, emergency signal transmission is handled through the ERA-GLONASS (ERA-GLONASS emergency response platform) service. To date, more than 13.5 million vehicles are connected to the platform. This was reported by CEO Alexey Raikevich during the Russian Space Forum.
“Russia was the first country in the world to launch the ERA-GLONASS emergency alert platform. Today, more than 13.5 million vehicles are connected to it,” he said.
Notably, the number of connected vehicles has increased by around 500,000 in less than six months. Integration with all active regional “112” emergency systems allows ERA-GLONASS to transmit accident data – including precise location and key vehicle parameters – to responders in about 19 seconds. The system is triggered automatically in severe crashes, which account for more than 80% of emergency calls, or manually via an SOS button. The manual option remains critical, enabling drivers to request assistance in non-accident situations, such as sudden health issues or when witnessing incidents on the road.
A New Partnership
ERA-GLONASS is expanding its capabilities through collaboration with the COSPAS-SARSAT (COSPAS-SARSAT satellite search and rescue system) operator.
“To transmit emergency signals, we are now working with the COSPAS-SARSAT system operator, which can provide emergency signal coverage for transport in Russia. Our platform can leverage COSPAS-SARSAT to extend this capability,” Raikevich added.
This integration is expected to expand geographic coverage while also improving signal reliability. In effect, the system has evolved beyond simple in-vehicle “emergency buttons.” Russia has built a comprehensive digital platform that operates at the intersection of telematics, satellite navigation, mobile communications, automotive electronics, as well as emergency services and government information systems.
A Multi-Purpose Platform
Today, ERA-GLONASS supports a growing range of services that extend well beyond emergency alerting. These include real-time monitoring of public transport in regional systems and identification services for unmanned aerial vehicles. Each of these capabilities contributes to improving safety for millions of people, including users of transportation systems.
At the same time, ERA-GLONASS has already demonstrated its effectiveness in real-world use. From January through November 2025 alone, approximately 92,000 emergency calls were transmitted via the platform. More than 78,000 were generated automatically through the SOS system, with the remainder triggered manually. The data show that the system supports the “golden hour” principle in emergency medicine – the first 60 minutes after an accident, when rapid response is critical to saving lives. Over its 10 years of operation, the system has transmitted more than 550,000 emergency calls.
Integration with Drones
A new area of development is the integration of civilian drones into a state information system. This became a mandatory requirement starting March 1, 2026. The platform enables tracking of flight paths, operator and owner data, as well as flight time and speed. This ensures transparency in drone usage and creates the conditions for scaling the technology across the economy. While regional flight restrictions still present challenges, these limitations are expected to ease in the near term.
It is now clear that ERA-GLONASS is evolving into a digital platform of strategic importance for Russia’s entire transport sector. It enables a new level of logistics management and incident response, with the range of use cases expected to continue expanding.
