How the regions were assessed

The ranking is built on three data sources:

📊 Statistics — market size, number of operators, presence of R&D centres and test ranges

🕵️ “Mystery shopper” — 168 real flight-permit applications: • ✅ 32% approved on time • ❌ 30% refused • ❌ 38% “stuck” with no reply

💬 Operator survey — 270 companies rated regional support measures: • ✅ 80% rated the availability of information highly • ❌ 73% could not assess the real experience of using test ranges or incentives

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Results: seven groups of regions Group Regions Description AAA 5 Leaders with a developed UAS ecosystem AA 5 Strong players with isolated shortcomings A 9 Steady development BBB 18 Average level BB 22 Early stage B 9 Low activity C 16 Minimal activity

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Key problems

1. The market is undercounted RUB 26.6 bn — the real size of the UAS-services market (estimate by the Federal UAS Centre) RUB 10.7 bn — captured in the ranking RUB 15.9 bn — left out due to the informal sector and gaps in statistics

2. Bureaucracy is stifling business Only 32% of flight applications are approved within the set deadline (14 days). The rest are either rejected or “stuck” in approvals.

3. The infrastructure isn’t working 29 R&D centres, test ranges and class-H zones have been created — but 73% of operators have no experience using them. The reason: complex procedures and the lack of clear business models.

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💬 The position of the NAS Association “The ranking revealed a critical gap between theory and practice. On paper everything is ready for flights — in reality only a third of applications are approved on time. R&D centres have been built — but businesses don’t use them. This is not a problem of individual regions or operators. It is a systemic problem: there are no clear rules of the game, no standard solutions and no success stories.

To move from producing UAS to using them at scale, three things are needed: ✅ Simplify regulation — unified standards, transparent timelines, minimal bureaucracy ✅ Make infrastructure accessible — standard solutions for business, not just sites for experiments ✅ Show the economics — clear business models with realistic payback periods

The 2027 ranking will show whether we have managed to close this gap. For now the infrastructure is there, but large-scale use is not,” noted Anna Manakhova, Director of the National Autonomous Systems Association.