Russia is making the development of low-cost strike drones that can outperform missiles in several key areas a priority for its defense industry. Alexander Perendzhiev, an associate professor at the Department of Political Analysis at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and a member of the expert council of Officers of Russia, explained the reasoning behind this approach in an interview with NEWS.ru.

According to Perendzhiev, economics plays a decisive role in modern warfare. Manufacturing an unmanned aerial vehicle is considerably cheaper than producing a missile, yet the damage it can inflict is often comparable. This cost advantage is pushing Russian engineers to develop affordable UAVs that combine the capabilities of missile weapons with even better performance.

The expert also argued that Russian drones already surpass missiles in strike accuracy. Equipped with artificial intelligence, these aircraft can identify and engage enemy targets even when they are moving at high speed. Their maneuverability provides another major advantage. Advanced models can adjust their flight paths, exploit terrain features to conceal their movements and navigate around areas covered by enemy air defense systems.

Rostec previously announced that it was developing and manufacturing strike UAVs with capabilities closely matching those of cruise missiles. The Russian state corporation identified its latest Dan-T drone as an example of this new generation of weapons.