ARKHANGELSK, October 12. /TASS/. The Vaskovo Airport in Arkhangelsk uses drones to monitor the equipment's operation, the Arkhangelsk Region's Deputy Prime Minister Igor Muraev said. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles helps to speed up the equipment parameters' adjustment.
"Our specialists have been using drones to fly around the runway light system facilities at the Vaskovo airfield. The monitoring results are used to assess necessary adjustments of equipment parameters and to maintain it in good condition," the regional government's press service quoted him as saying. "The use of UAVs significantly speeds up such work. Major federal airports have expressed interest in this experience."
A specialized structural unit has been formed in the 2nd Arkhangelsk United Aviation Squadron. The unit is engaged in design, development and production of UAVs, operation of unmanned systems, as well as in operating them.
The region's representative presented projects to use drones at the 7th International Conference on Shipbuilding and Development of High-tech Equipment for Development of Arctic and Continental Shelf, OMR-2026, in St. Petersburg.
In addition to using unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned sea vessels to deliver cargo to remote and hard-to-reach territories, the region plans to use autonomous systems in forestry and agriculture, control and supervisory activities, emergency response, and in organization of sports events. Right now, several training programs for the industry are available in the region.
"In 2025, more than 600 children and teenagers in the Arkhangelsk Region completed additional educational programs, and 120 technical schools students mastered operation of unmanned aircraft systems," the region's representative said. "NArFU (the Northern Arctic Federal University) has introduced this year the Software Engineering of Unmanned Systems in the Arctic master's program in the already existing master's program Life Cycle Management of Unmanned Systems and Ensuring Their Safety."
How the region uses UAVs
The region has been using unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in the forestry sector. The local Ministry of Forestry has bought 45 drones to control the fire situation as well as to identify illegal activities, including logging and waste storage.
In addition to the introduction of unmanned aircraft, the Arkhangelsk Region sees as very important the development of competencies in using autonomous marine systems for cargo deliveries to remote and hard-to-reach areas.
The region's mid-term task is to create a new autonomous vessel, the Clipper, capable of transporting various cargoes, including containers, the deputy prime minister said.
"According to our estimates, this particular vessel format, which can carry a 20-foot container, is an optimal solution for building routes and increasing the economic impact of such transportation," he explained. "The region has all the conditions for testing, developing necessary technologies and pilot operation of unmanned vessels: marine areas, navigable rivers, sea and river ports, islands, and remote territories."