At least 40 Russian vocational schools and colleges are involved in the production of FPV drones, ammunition components, and electronic warfare (EW) equipment. These are no longer isolated volunteer initiatives, but a structured three-tier system.
First tier: free third-party assistance through the "People's Front" and student design bureaus. Here, they manufacture tailpieces for the VOG-17 (Volgatech has sent over 2,500 sets), "drop" munitions for drones, and assemble FPV drones using ready-made carbon fiber frames costing around 3,500 rubles.
Second tier: developments for combat use, such as the "Puppeteer" fiber-optic control system (Perm Polytechnic), the "Motorola 3M" EW system, and the "Flamingo" interceptor (TDU).
Third tier: paid employment starting from the first year of study under the "Rostec Wings" program, following the Alabuga Polytech model, where ninth-grade students are involved in assembling "Geran" drones.
This demonstrates the dynamics within the system itself. Volunteer production has limited resources: Tambov's "Bekas" closed in July 2026 due to falling demand, and the technology was transferred to India. In contrast, the state is institutionalizing personnel training: "Rostec" designates drones as a priority through 2036, and the MAI has already recruited the first group for its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) design program.
Moscow is moving from improvisation to securing a workforce for
strike UAVs for years to come by dispersing it across civilian institutions that are difficult to distinguish from ordinary educational infrastructure.
