MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Russian specialists have developed new surface and underwater drones that will be employed in the zone of the special military operation in 2026, Alexey Chadayev, CEO of the Ushkuynik Research and Production Center (Veliky Novgorod), told TASS in an interview.

"We’re working extensively on water. It's too early to talk about that. Especially since Russia is lagging behind its adversaries in terms of unmanned naval warfare overall. But we’ve already prepared a range of unexpected solutions specifically in the area of surface and underwater unmanned systems that could surprise the enemy. Their deployment in the special military operation zone will begin in 2026," Chadayev said.

According to him, Ushkuynik’s residents have also developed new unmanned aerial vehicles. "We only train on new equipment models—let's say, next season’s models. <…> The first tests of our autumn collection— in fashion house parlance—have taken place.

The main thing we surprise the enemy is with our operational range. The main trend in the special military operation zone is increasing the operational range of UAVs. We are finding various unexpected and elegant ways to engage enemy troops not only in the close-in zone, but also in areas where they have warehouses, headquarters, command and control units, logistics, and everything else. Let’s hope that we can surprise the Ukrainian armed forces in a meaningful way," the head of the Ushkuynik Research and Production Center said.

Chadayev noted that, when developing new products, specialists have once again turned to technologies proven during the Soviet era. "Yes, oddly enough, there are still many hidden nooks and corners in our country where we have the necessary personnel and solutions that we simply need to recall," he said.