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First airworthiness certificate issued for heavy drone in Russia

The document is the clearance for flights to be made by the specific drone and gives an entitlement to be in common airspace on the basis of its performance characteristics

ST. PETERSBURG, December 17. /TASS/. The VT-440m heavy drone from St. Petersburg-based Radar MMS has become the first one in Russia with the airworthiness certificate, the press service of the St. Petersburg Committee for Industrial Policy, Innovations and Trade said.

"The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) has for the first time in the agency’s history issued the certificate of airworthiness for a rotary-wing type unmanned aerial vehicle VT-440m with the weight over 30 kg, developed by St. Petersburg undertaking Radar MMS," the committee said.

The document is the clearance for flights to be made by the specific drone and gives an entitlement to be in common airspace on the basis of its performance characteristics.

The maximal takeoff weight of the drone grew to 500 kg, making it possible to significantly expand the range of carried cargo.

"We plan to receive airworthiness certificate for six more rotary-wing type unmanned aerial vehicles next year. We also intend to file for certification of a model design of the rotary-wing type unmanned aircraft this year," Director of Unmanned Aviation and Marine Systems of Radar MMS Vasily Antsev said.

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