Russia has formally introduced drone operations into its national school curriculum as part of a comprehensive initiative to train a new generation of unmanned systems operators.
On Monday, Russian drone manufacturer Geoscan announced the release of the country’s first state-approved school textbook on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), designed for use in 8th and 9th-grade classrooms.
Titled “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: 8th and 9th Grades,” the publication is now included in the federal list of approved teaching materials, following formal certification by the Russian Ministry of Education.
The course will be delivered under the “Robotics” module of the subject Labor (Technology), Russia’s equivalent of technical education.
World’s first drone ops textbook
Geoscan said this is “the only school publication on unmanned aircraft systems that has passed state expertise.”
The textbook was co-developed with Russia’s largest schoolbook publisher, Prosveshcheniye, and reflects 14 years of the company’s drone R&D and eight years of experience in educational robotics.
Head of Geoscan’s educational projects, Mikhail Lutsky, said the material was not abstract theory, but “tested in practice,” forming a “ready-to-use course” to build applied piloting and engineering skills among Russian youth.
The course spans 34 academic hours and includes chapters on UAV classifications, design, electronics, manual control, autonomous programming, and career trends in drone aviation.
The initiative is part of the Russian government’s “Personnel for Unmanned Aerial Systems” program, which aims to train 1 million drone operators by 2030 across over 500 schools and 30 universities.
In 2023, approximately 30,000 university students in Moscow and St. Petersburg began similar coursework. In parallel, military training in schools has begun incorporating basic combat drone instruction.
The political backdrop to this education push is significant. In November 2023, a foundation linked to President Vladimir Putin’s youngest daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, acquired a 10% stake in Geoscan.
The company is currently under US sanctions, reflecting broader Western concerns about the militarization of Russia’s youth education and its use of dual-use technologies.
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