MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. A mesh network allowing autonomous drone navigation in conditions when the signal is lost will be tested in Russia in 2026, the NTI Fund press service told TASS.

The project received a 43.8 million rubles ($570,000) grant from the NTI Fund following a competitive selection process for the UAV national project. "This funding will allow us to complete testing of the network prototype as early as 2026. Field trials are planned for the end of the year, with deployment of a network of four base stations and two UAVs," NTI Fund CEO Vadim Medvedev said.

The fund representatives noted that the project was developed by Kazan's engineers and is designed for the precise positioning and control of unmanned aerial vehicles in the absence or instability of GLONASS/GPS satellite signals.

The NTI Fund specified that the solution is an adaptive wireless mesh network of ground base stations and onboard modules operating in different bands. "The network nodes form a distributed communications and navigation infrastructure, in which each element can transmit data further across the network, ensuring stable operation without relying on satellite navigation," the company added.

According to the NTI Fund, the system determines drone coordinates based on the strength and characteristics of the radio signal between the mesh network nodes, enabling navigation and control in dense urban areas and other areas where satellite signals are unavailable. Positioning accuracy is up to 10 meters. The communication range is up to 10-15 km in open terrain," the fund reported.

It added that the innovation reduces dependence on foreign navigation systems and components, improves stability and safety of UAV use in critical infrastructure and urban environments, and opens up new opportunities for using drones in logistics (including for marketplaces), for monitoring fuel and energy facilities, for operations of the Emergencies Ministry, and for smart city projects.