Russian schoolchildren are reported to build and pilot drones, in reaction to a decree published through Putin in 2023:

“Complete the proposals made through our corporations so that young people can be informed to exploit, bring drones of the combination and design school,” said Putin, cited through the state media.

Putin discussed the importance of the drone industry to Russia, but it is not the maximum factor.

“The military angle in this training and education is probably the most significant,” Samuel Bendett, an expert Russian drones and adviser to the CNA and CNAS thinktanks, told me.

Schools are now training the new program, and a new diversity of attack drones for school use is brought. What merit will give Russia in the next war?

Russian schools are in trouble, and the war economy is a component of the problem. A recent report through the Jamestown Foundation points to a chronic shortage of teachers, with the number of teachers falling while the number of scholars is rising. Many teachers are at the minimum wage of $225 according to the month and are forced to take on extra paints, such as cleaning just to survive.

The first new drone for Russian schools

In this environment, schools get more fabrics to cover. Now they will have to teach “fundamental principles of devotee culture”, the promotion of classic values ​​and national identity, and “fundamental principles of security and defense of the homeland”, adding fundamental education in the army. And 11th year, it covers how to undress, clean, load and shoot a Kalashnikov, as well as to the maximum of the drone war.

These subjects go back to the classic classes because there is no ability to upload more. The quality of training is questionable.

Bendett says that accused technical patriotism is just one aspect.

“Putin is making sure that the next generation is as familiar with drone technology in general, “ Says Bendett. “He is making sure there is a ready pipeline of ‘drone-enabled’ workforce and cadres for the military, given a constant need for more and more drone pilots at the front today. And obviously, young students who can train to manage drone technologies for their country going forward,”

Putin in the past expressed the opinion that long -term wars will be through anyone who has the most powerful drone. The concept that everyone deserves to know the drones and the attack rifles is a strong indication of the position where the long streak of war sees.

However, the lack of wisdom of teachers is a problem, since few have delighted with the generation of drones.

Teenagers in Ukraine learn first aid, piloting drones and shooting with military weapons

“This is reminiscent of the Russian efforts to educate students on AI,” says Bendett. “That effort requires teachers to know about AI, and now there is an effort to educate teachers on that sophisticated topic, likely with mixed results.”

Meanwhile, Russia promotes drone awareness in young people in other respects, cartoons of young people in which characters use their video game skills to pilot drones by delivering toys.

Other countries are slowly awakening the concept of selling drone -based activities among young people. The British army celebrated FPV drone racing occasions for the first time last year. Now sponsoring occasions in the FPV races. But there is nothing that fits the national participation of Russian young people who, at least in theory, will leave school capable of establishing and flying drones. The apparent exception is, of course, Ukraine, where teenagers are already learning the basic concepts of how to work drones.

Surely there is a safe participation of companies. Putin’s announcement discussed “the proposals of our business. ” And in a while after his speech, the Corporate drone Geoscan published the first approved school drones manual. Russian drones brands probably see this as an opportunity to open a new market and earn serious money. Drones classes will require enough drones for everyone to try

Several types of educational drones are already to be had in Russia, such as this $1500 fundamental quadcopter for visual piloting. But the ideal school drone is a small, affordable device that can be produced in volume.

The Simbirrsk design office, which produces several of the Russian FPV used in Ukraine, recently announced a new model, the Mini-Drone Piranya-5 designed for education and the use of the army.

The Piranya-5 is a small training drone that can also be used for combat

The Piranya-5 scale is based on a 5-inch frame than the 8- and 10-inch versions used in combat, but it has a more sensible speed of over a hundred mph and can bring a respectable 2-pounder warhead with a maximum diversity of up to two miles. Their larger brethren can bring twice the payload of many times the distance, however, anything capable of putting a window grenade a mile away can still be useful in combat. Manufacturers did not report unit costs.

Piranya-5 is the drone in the “light attack coach” on the plane in which the pilots exercise before obtaining their title to combat opposite to the planes. At the beginning of aviation, the pilots learned about ancient or obsolete models, however, when there were not enough, new types adapted to amateur pilots were developed. These continue with airplanes such as A-29 Super Tucano, an accessories aircraft used to exercise and attack in low intensity conflicts.

Another view of the Piranya-5 trainer/light attack drone

A national standard drone which every teenager knew how to fly would be a major asset. Apart from giving a head start in learning more challenging drones, the training drones could be issued in wartime as short-range reconnaissance and light strike drones which any graduate could fly. And it will be a bonanza for the makers if they can sell millions to schools across Russia.

This has not been lost in complex drones brands in the world, DJI, which recently introduced the neo, a similar style that still has complex characteristics such as automatic follow -up of subjects and presents a FPV mode and is sold for less than $ 200.

Although educational airplanes are too vulnerable for the war of maximum intensity, educational drones can be useful.

“I think Piranha-5 will be used for a genuine fight,” Bendett explains.

Perhaps the new president of the United States, through the drone enthusiast, Elon Musk, will require a counterpart capacity for the United States.

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