Concern Radioelectronic Technologies (KRET, part of the Rostec state corporation) has launched a line of modern electric motors. 

“The Radioelectronic Technologies Concern of the Rostec state corporation has launched the production of modern brushless electric motors. Similar types of power plants are used in aircraft drones, in industry and mechanical engineering,” says a Rostec press release.

As the company notes, electric motors are developed and manufactured at the Ulan-Ude Instrument-Making Production Association (U-UPPO, part of KRET). The devices were named after the Baikal winds: “Sarma”, “Barguzin”, “Khius” and “Kultuk”. In the future, it is planned to produce more than 1 million products per year.

According to the developers, the power plants are made from domestic components and, compared to foreign analogues, have less weight and a higher efficiency.

“This allows you to install more additional attachments on the drone. Design features also contribute to the durability of the engines,” Rostec emphasizes.

Engines differ from each other in a number of parameters, including power. Thus, the Sarma electric motor is capable of lifting a drone weighing up to 11 kg into the air. Rostec did not specify the characteristics of other models.

According to the General Director of U-UPPO Vladimir Luchnikov, the company plans to expand the range of manufactured engines.

“Currently, U-UPPO has mastered the production of four modifications of brushless electric motors. Now the developed design and technological documentation for small-scale production is being processed for mass production. The plans are to master the production of ten more modifications of products, as well as a whole line of commutator motors. Mass production of products will ensure Russia’s import independence and technological sovereignty,” the press service quotes him as saying.

Rostec also noted that to implement the project, a Russian competence center for modern microelectric machines (electric motors, resolvers, sine-cosine transformers, generators, integrators, etc.) for various industries will be created at the Ulan-Ude Instrument-Making Association.

“The units must be Russian”

Let us recall that in recent years a whole line of UAVs for various purposes has been created in Russia, the design of which uses electric motors. However, as analysts note, many such devices are equipped with foreign-made power units. Now Russian enterprises are working on import substitution of this most important component of UAVs, experts say.

U-UPPO is not the first company to undertake this task. Earlier, the Russian research and production association “Android Technology” (Magnitogorsk) announced the establishment of production of electric motors for UAVs. In the fall of 2022, the executive director of this enterprise, Evgeny Dudorov, announced plans to enter the market with a line of “18 standard sizes of ATB series electric motors.”

The company’s website notes that ATBs are high-performance synchronous brushless electric motors with permanent magnets on the rotor. Among their advantages, the developers highlight high response speed, ultra-compact dimensions, low power consumption and high torque. Android Technology claims that such devices, in addition to drones, can be used in electric aircraft, including vertical take-off and landing, as well as in unmanned boats.

  • Products of the company "Android Technology"

  • © JSC NPO Android Technology

In May 2023, Dudorov reported that Android Technology specialists had tripled the volume of electric motors produced in 2022.

At the same time, in Russia there is a problem with the production of compact internal combustion engines (ICE) for UAVs. However, this issue is now being resolved. As RT was told last June by Associate Professor of the Department of Heat Engineering and Heat Engines at Samara National Research University. Academician S.P. Koroleva Mikhail Orlov, the engineers of this university have already created a basic 5 hp engine. pp., and also plan to develop a line of piston engines for UAVs with power up to 50 hp. With.

“Our plans are to create a family of piston engines based on a basic unit with a capacity of 5 liters. With. In this way, we will be able to solve a number of important problems, including those related to import substitution in the field of both drones and other products, for example, ground-based gasoline equipment,” he said in an interview with RT.

Russia “must have all the necessary engines for UAVs,” added Mikhail Orlov.

“All power units must be Russian,” the specialist concluded.

"Sovereign policy in the field of unmanned systems"

According to Dmitry Zubarev, a representative of the Russian Drones portal, establishing our own production of electric motors for UAVs is an extremely important task in the current conditions.

“Of course, it is very important for Russia to switch to its own production of these units,” the specialist said in a commentary to RT.

  • Russian FPV drones "Ghoul"

  • © Vladimir Tkachuk

In turn, the editor-in-chief of the specialized publication “Unmanned Aviation” Denis Fedutinov drew attention to the fact that, in addition to engines, a number of other components need to be imported in the UAV design.

According to Fedutinov, in the context of sanctions and SVO, Russia should not rely on foreign components.

“The implementation of our own sovereign policy in the field of unmanned systems implies the need to minimize the risks associated with the supply of components from outside. The best option is to create your own systems. The current situation related to the conduct of the SVO further reinforces this requirement,” the expert concluded.