Specialists from the Sukhoi Design Bureau, part of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and the Rostec state corporation, are actively developing eight distinct types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to Mikhail Strelets, the first deputy director and managing director of the bureau.

"Currently, we are working on approximately eight different UAV variants," Strelets stated.

He emphasized that a significant next step in tactical aviation is transitioning from viewing it as a mere collection of individual high-tech aircraft to developing integrated aviation systems. Strelets explained that countering multi-layered air defense systems with manned aircraft alone has become prohibitively expensive. Therefore, the focus is shifting toward a network of functional complexes, each designed to address specific targets and tasks.

"This approach also applies to optionally piloted and unmanned systems," he added. "We recognize that the future of aviation, in a broad sense, involves systems that encompass both manned and unmanned elements, as well as optionally piloted components."