OREANDA-NEWS Chinese drone manufacturers are thinking about assembling quadrocopters in Russia. A number of companies are discussing the organization of independent production of drones or the launch of a joint venture with domestic developers, with reference to industry representatives, Kommersant reports.

Among potential investors, sources name such small firms as Zara, Femme and AEE. According to Nikolay Ryashin, CEO of Rusdronoport, major players are not interested in a small Russian market. It is profitable to localize production only with a large guaranteed order, and a mass product finds demand in many countries.

Vitaly Mankevich, Chairman of the Russian-Asian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, added that well-known brands are afraid to participate in localization in order not to lose Western customers, and for small manufacturers, production in Russia can become a competitive advantage. Another reason to launch production in Russia may be certification problems faced by drone suppliers. The devices imported from abroad operate at the same frequencies as the equipment of power structures, which narrows the range of supplied models, explained in Geoscan.