The low-altitude economy is moving from isolated pilot projects toward building full-fledged industry infrastructure. For Russia and China, this opens opportunities not only for exchanging experience, but also for joint technology testing, creating new logistics scenarios, developing digital infrastructure, and establishing market standards. Prospects for Russia–China cooperation were discussed at the session “Low-Altitude Economy: A New Contour of Urban Mobility,” organized by the Association of Innovative Regions of Russia (AIRR) and the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan within the International Forum “ROSTKI: Russia and China – Mutually Beneficial Cooperation” in Kazan. In his opening remarks, Yang Jincai, Chairman of the Shenzhen UAV Industry Association, highlighted Tatarstan’s exceptional role in developing the low-altitude economy and related industries, noting its innovation and technological potential. Opening the discussion, Rustam Minnikhanov, Rais of Tatarstan and Chairman of the AIRR Council, noted that the republic already has its own technological developments, including a range of UAV models, logistics solutions, and control systems. For the systemic development of unmanned aerial systems, Tatarstan is considering creating a “drone offshore” — a specialized territory with special conditions for developers and manufacturers — as well as launching a regulatory sandbox. “Such an approach will allow testing new technologies and business models in real conditions without waiting for lengthy legislative procedures to be completed. We have the infrastructure ready for this. An experimental legal regime can be introduced now in Innopolis — the space and competencies are fully prepared. However, an even greater effect will come from combining a regulatory sandbox with tax and customs incentives provided for residents of special economic zones, particularly industrial and production zones,” Rustam Minnikhanov said. According to the session moderator, AIRR Director Alexander Smekalin, developing the low-altitude economy is not just about launching individual services based on drone technologies, but about forming new industry-wide infrastructure. Russia and China are actively advancing this direction, building on their own technological and practical experience. “Today, China’s low-altitude economy sector stands at 1.5 trillion yuan. In just 10 years, they expect it to reach 3 trillion yuan. This is a huge layer of services. On one hand, in the near term this helps address labor productivity; on the other, it tackles workforce shortages across a range of areas — transport, logistics, inspection and oversight, agriculture, and even passenger transport,” Alexander Smekalin explained. At the same time, despite its current scale, the Chinese market is still fine-tuning regulatory mechanisms and standards. For Russia, this creates an opportunity not only to leverage accumulated international experience, but also to participate in shaping regulatory approaches for this emerging industry, the moderator added. “This is an opportunity not only to accelerate the formation of the low-altitude economy, but also to take part in creating international industry standards. At the same time, it is important to understand: new industries are not created for immediate economic return — first, it is necessary to develop mechanisms for regulation, control, insurance, and decision-making,” Alexander Smekalin noted. Chinese experts presented practical solutions for urban drone management systems, AI applications, and general aviation development. Russian participants, in turn, showcased regional practices in infrastructure development, certification, and deployment of drone technologies. Solutions were presented by the Republic of Tatarstan, Nizhny Novgorod Region, and Amur Region. According to Hung Ning Norman Ng, Secretary General of the World UAV Federation, Russia and China possess complementary competencies that create a foundation for practical cooperation in the low-altitude economy. “China has the world’s leading UAV production chain and cost-control capabilities, significant competencies in low-altitude digital platforms, intelligent sensing and remote mapping software, and extensive experience in commercial operation of low-altitude airspace management systems in major cities. Russia, in turn, has a mature system for low-altitude airspace management and safety control, a wide range of application scenarios, deep technological competencies in low-altitude equipment management and navigation correction, and a solid production base for large aircraft, including helicopters. This combination of competencies creates good conditions for mutually beneficial cooperation and joint industry development,” Hung Ning Norman Ng assessed.
Another expert from the Chinese side, Yang Shuai, CEO for Russia and Central Asia at the Shenzhen Urban Transport Planning and Design Institute, believes that Russia–China pilot projects in the low-altitude economy, smart cities, and AI should be developed along three lines: creating an urban low-altitude management platform, improving AI-driven operational models, and launching joint unique projects. “We believe the right starting point is joint pilot projects, not turnkey exports. Both sides should select one or two pilot sites, define a clear set of operational scenarios, and conduct a 12-month test with shared KPIs. This will give both teams real-world data, and Russian regulators a concrete basis for creating their own rulebook for low-altitude flights,” Yang Shuai explained. Russian experts say the domestic market has also entered a systemic development stage. Andrey Potemkin, Deputy Head of Rosaviatsia, commented on the industry’s dynamics. “As of August 1, more than 157,000 unmanned aircraft are registered. The country has 14 certified developers of unmanned aviation systems; type certificates have been issued for eight UAS, and four more type certificates are expected by the end of 2026. Industry growth is supported by equipping regions with unified navigation and surveillance infrastructure, creating the Digital Platform of the Unified Air Traffic Management System of the Russian Federation and the Unified Identification System. In addition, to further integrate drones into the unified airspace, requirements have been developed for UAS control and management lines and collision avoidance systems,” Andrey Potemkin explained. According to Maxim Chizhov, Advisor to the General Director and Head of UAV Projects at JSC GLONASS, the development of civil unmanned aviation in Russia is entering a new phase — from pilot projects to systemic deployment. “International experience, primarily from China, where the low-altitude economy exceeds the equivalent of tens of trillions of rubles with significant annual growth, convincingly proves that fragmented approaches do not scale. Economic impact arises only when consumers, operators, and users are united within a common digital loop that ensures predictability and digital parity. Russia has the ready foundation for this,” Maxim Chizhov commented. Russia’s state ecosystem is being built on the ERA-GLONASS platform, integrated with Rosaviatsia’s digital platform; all civil aviation drones are being connected to it. JSC GLONASS’s task is to layer fleet management and traffic management solutions onto the ecosystem and connect industry marketplaces, while removing excessive administrative barriers where practice has shown no significant risks, the expert explained. Other Russian session participants also emphasized the need for a systemic approach. Dmitry Afanasyev, Chairman of the National Autonomous Systems Association, drew attention to Chinese projects where the effect is achieved not through individual technologies, but through synchronized development of industry, infrastructure, regulation, and practical use cases. “The key challenge is designing the cities of the future today. New technologies should not be squeezed into old infrastructure. Master plans of modern cities must proactively provide for landing zones, hubs, charging stations, and unified interaction standards for all types of autonomous devices — from drones to anthropomorphic robots (…) The next stage is creating a unified multimodal autonomous economy, where air, land, water, space, and the digital environment are integrated into one system,” Dmitry Afanasyev noted. Thus, at the current stage of active formation of the low-altitude economy, the key condition for industry development will be designing and testing regulatory mechanisms and scaling successful solutions.