Unmanned Systems Forces (Russia)
| Unmanned Systems Forces | |
|---|---|
| Войска беспилотных систем | |
Medium emblem of the Unmanned Systems Forces | |
| Founded | 12 November 2025 |
| Country | Russia |
| Role | Drone warfare |
| Size | 87,000 active personnel (est. Feb 2026) [1] |
| Part of | Russian Armed Forces |
| Engagements | Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present) |
| Commanders | |
| Supreme Commander-in-Chief | President Vladimir Putin |
| Minister of Defence | Andrey Belousov |
| Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces | Podpolkovnik Yuri Vaganov |
| Deputy Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces | Polkovnik Sergey Ishtuganov |
| Insignia | |
| Flag | |
| Patch | |
| Great emblem | |
| Small emblem | |
The Unmanned Systems Forces (Russian: Войска беспилотных систем [ВБС], romanized: Voyska bespilotnykh sistem [VBS]) is a branch of the Russian Armed Forces dedicated to drone warfare. It was established on 12 November 2025.
The Unmanned Systems Forces conduct drone warfare using unmanned military drones on land, sea, and air. The establishment of the VBS is a formal recognition by the Russian military of the centrality of drone warfare and autonomous systems in contemporary conflicts,[2] as well as Russian efforts to reorganise training, force structure, development, and provisioning related to drone warfare.[3]
History
The idea of establishing a separate military branch of the Russian military dedicated to unmanned system dates back to 16 December 2024. Minister of Defence Andrey Belousov stated on that occasion that the branch would be established in the third quarter of 2025,[3] with a scope beyond the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).[4] In June 2024, Ukraine had already created its own Unmanned Systems Forces as drone warfare became a central facet of the Russo-Ukrainian war.[5]
According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russia began creating separate drone military units as early as late January 2025,[6] with the first drone regiment being presented at the 2025 Moscow Victory Day Parade.[7] In June 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a rapid development of the unmanned systems branch.[8][9]
On 12 November 2025, the deputy head of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Polkovnik Sergey Ishtuganov announced that the branch had completed its formation and is fully operational.[10]
The Unmanned Systems Forces of the Russian Armed Forces have been established. The structure of this new branch of the armed forces has been determined, the head of the Unmanned Systems Forces has been appointed, military administration units have been created at all levels. Operational regiments and other units have been formed. Combat work of the unmanned systems units is being carried out following a single plan and in cooperation with other units in battlegroups.
According to BBC Russia, the branch is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Vaganov, a former businessman and one of the main suppliers of FPV drones to the Russian military.[11]
According to Russian military journalist Dmitry Steshin, the establishment of the Unmanned Systems Forces happened more quickly than other branches, having built on the progress made by DPR and LPR People's Militias.[12]
Kyiv-based defence reporter Kollen Post links the establishment of the Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate branch to the attempt of the Russian military to organise under a more efficient system various autonomous, and spontaneous, units and industrial initiatives which sprang up in the earlier periods of the Russo-Ukrainian war.[13]
In February 2026, Izvestia reported that formations of regiments of unmanned systems had been established in all five military districts.[14] Regiments vary in their purpose, with tasks such as reconnaissance, strike and medical evacuation.
Structure
In the Russian military, the Unmanned Systems Forces are classified as a combat arm (rod), similar to Motor Rifle or Coastal Troops, rather than a service branch (vid), such as the Ground Forces or the Navy.[15] Units of the Unmanned Systems Forces may be attached to units of the Ground Forces, Navy or Airborne Forces on a dynamic basis. According to Colonel Sergey Ishtuganov, the VBS includes fully organised regiments, units, and a designated command structure.[16] A Higher Military School of Unmanned Systems is to be established in 2026.[2][17]
A driving factor behind the service branch is the coordination of the development, production and employment of unmanned systems, in a move away from a large number of heterogenous products, to the mass deployment of a selected number of highly scalable systems.[14]
Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies "Rubicon" is the premier unit of the branch.[18]
Active units
- 7th Separate Reconnaissance-strike Regiment of Unmanned systems[7]
- 65th Separate Regiment of Unmanned systems[19]
- 71st Separate Regiment of Unmanned systems[20]
- 75th Separate Regiment of Unmanned systems[21]
- 77th Separate Regiment of Unmanned systems[21]
- 1st Separate Battalion of Unmanned systems[22]
- 2nd Separate Battalion of Unmanned systems[22]
- 3rd Separate Battalion of Unmanned systems[22]
- 6th Separate Battalion of Unmanned systems[22]
- 11th Separate Battalion of Unmanned systems[22]
- 15th Separate Battalion of Unmanned systems[22]
- Separate regiment of unmanned systems "Burevestnik"[23]
- Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies "Rubicon"[18][24]
- GROM "Cascade"[21]
- Special Purpose Center "Bars-Sarmat" (formerly BARS Volunteer Detachment "Sarmat")[25][26]
Personnel
As of November 2025, the size of the branch was estimated at around 10,000–20,000 servicemen.[27] On 6 January 2026, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed that the Russian Unmanned Systems Forces "already number" 80,000 servicemen with plans to expand to 165,500 servicemen by sometime in 2026 and further expand to nearly 210,000 servicemen by 2030.[28] In early February 2026, the Russian Unmanned Systems Forces was reported to number 87,000 servicemen.[29]
Equipment
The VBS are designed to integrate various types of unmanned systems into a single organisational structure, tasked with performing several combat missions.[15] The VBS are primarily equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles (both FPV and fiber-optic drones), but also with ground unmanned systems and unmanned boats.[15] Notable aerial drones include Kinzhal counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), Geran-2, Geran-5 & Volk-18 (for Veterok 7 Pro launch site protection).
Operations
VBS operational doctrine emphasizes the mass deployment of FPV assets alongside specialized point-defense for ground units & near daily launching of long range drones. In 2025, VBS planned to produce a monthly average of 166,000 FPV drones & 2,500 long‑range & decoy drones.[30] Russian officials later claimed they had already tripled their planned 2025 production volume by mid‑year,[31] but the daily Geran attack numbers only indicated a doubling of the June numbers (& western intelligence assessments didn't corroborate the claimed triple FPV increase of the manufacturing rate).
References
- ^ "'Genuinely worrying!' Vladimir Putin's new drone force 'bigger than the entire British army'". GB News. 7 February 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ a b McDermott, Roger N. (20 June 2025). "Russia's New Unmanned Systems Forces and the Strategic Role of DKO Weapons". www.saratoga-foundation.org. The Saratoga Foundation. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ a b Hardie, John (20 December 2024). "Russia announces plans to form Unmanned Systems Forces". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ Piccioli, Lorenzo; Pili, Giangiuseppe (27 November 2025). "The Russian USV era dawns". euro-sd.com. European Security & Defence. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
- ^ Alexander Khrebet (11 June 2024). "'We set a precedent.' Ukraine officially presents Unmanned Systems Forces". The Kyiv Independent. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ Diakonov, Ivan (29 January 2025). "Russia creates separate regiments of unmanned systems to strengthen its army – ISW". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ a b Shumlianskyi, Dmytro (11 May 2025). "Russians Completes Formation of First UAV regiment, Presents it at May 9 Parade". Militarnyi. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ "Russia's Putin calls for quick development of drone forces". Reuters. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ Staalesen, Atle (13 June 2025). "Drone troopers are established as separate branch of Russia's armed forces". The Barents Observer.com. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ "Russia establishes Unmanned Systems Forces". TASS. Retrieved 2026-03-04.
- ^ Glynn, Jordan (2025-12-27). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 26, 2025". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
- ^ Steshin, Dmitry (1 December 2025). "Фанаты неба и дронов с горящими глазами: Первый репортаж изнутри нового рода войск, изменившего ход СВО" [Sky and drone enthusiasts with glowing eyes: The first report from inside the new branch of the military that changed the course of the Central Military District]. Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). Retrieved 1 December 2025.
- ^ Post, Kollen (3 December 2025). "Deadly, elite, and scaling — inside Russia's Rubikon front-line drone system". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ a b Kretsul, Roman (8 February 2026). "With regiment and arrangement: units of unmanned systems troops have been created in all districts". Izvestia. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ a b c Salo, Ivan (28 November 2025). "Войска беспилотных систем: что это за новый род войск и зачем его создали" [Unmanned Systems Troops: What is this new branch of the military and why was it created]. РБК (in Russian). Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ Zakharchenko, Kateryna (12 November 2025). "Russia Launches New Drone Warfare Branch to Boost Unmanned Forces". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ Telezhnikov, Ihor (12 November 2025). "Russia has completed the formation of UAV troops: command bodies, regiments, and units have been announced". Ukrainian National News (UNN). Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Russian drone troops nearly fully operational - deputy commander". BigNewsNetwork. 12 November 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ "Military personnel of the North group of forces spoke about training on working with drones". Izvestia. 2025-11-28. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ "Подготовка военнослужащих войск беспилотных систем длится до трех месяцев" [Training of unmanned systems troops personnel lasts up to three months]. TACC (in Russian). Retrieved 2026-01-26.
- ^ a b c Volzhsky, Ilya; Kanevskaya, Sofia (15 November 2025). "Коррупционный полк. В России вновь заговорили о создании войск беспилотных систем. Зачем эта структура понадобилась российским властям и будет ли она работать" [The Corruption Regiment. In Russia, they again talked about the creation of troops of unmanned systems. Why this structure was needed by the Russian authorities and whether it will work]. Новая газета Европа (in Russian). Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Ciślak, Jarosław (2026-01-30). "Russia Bets on Drone Forces. Will Ukraine Lose Its Edge? [REPORT]". defence24.com. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ^ tass.ru https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/25262959. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Белоусов: Киевский режим объявил центр БПЛА "Рубикон" угрозой нацбезопасности" [Belousov: The Kyiv regime has declared the Rubicon UAV center a threat to national security.]. Российская газета (in Russian). 2025-12-17. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
- ^ "БАРС-САРМАТ – Центр специального назначения". bars-sarmat.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ^ Oleynik, Svetlana (25 March 2025). "Отряд "Сармат" преобразован в Центр специального назначения - Рогозин" [The Sarmat detachment has been transformed into a special forces center, according to Rogozin.]. Глас Народа (in Russian). Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ^ "Коррупционный полк. В России вновь заговорили о создании войск беспилотных систем. Зачем эта структура понадобилась российским властям и будет ли она работать" [Corruption Regiment. Russia is once again talking about creating unmanned systems troops. Why do Russian authorities need this structure, and will it work?]. Новая газета Европа. 15 November 2025. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ^ "Russia plans to double the number of drone units by recruiting young people". Ukrainian National News (UNN). 6 March 2026.
- ^ "Vladimir Putin's new drone force 'bigger than the entire British army': 'Genuinely worrying!'". www.gbnews.com. 7 February 2026. Retrieved 2026-03-04.
- ^ Zadorozhnyy, Tim (2025-06-05). "Russia plans to produce 2 million FPV drones in 2025, Ukrainian intelligence says". kyivindependent.com. Kyiv: Kyiv Independent. Archived from the original on 2025-12-29. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
- ^ Moretti, John (2025-07-09). "With China's Help, Moscow Says It Has Tripled Its Drone Production". kyivpost.com. Kyiv: Bisnesgroupp. Retrieved 2026-01-09.