Hero of Russia Major General Sergei Lipovoy believes unmanned systems will not be able to fully replace the Aerospace Forces in the future.

He stressed that the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) are a vast, integrated system responsible for a wide range of missions «in space, in the air and on the ground." Drones, he noted, are still only at the beginning of their development path and cannot yet compete with such a complex structure. According to TASS, he described the Aerospace Forces as a reliable shield for the country and its territory, which are successfully carrying out their tasks today.

It was earlier reported that in November 2025, Colonel Sergei Ishtuganov, deputy chief of the unmanned systems troops, announced that this new branch within the Russian Armed Forces had already been formed. He said its organizational structure had been defined and regular regiments and other units created, adding that the troops were being set up on the direct orders of the supreme commander-in-chief.

Later, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov stated that the formation of the unmanned systems troops is expected to be completed in 2026. In his view, the armed forces must move away from separate groups handling isolated missions and shift to coordinated joint operations carried out by full-fledged units and military formations.