The Kremlin-affiliated media outlet TASS recently published an article revealing details about the activities at russia's "secret" Special Technology Center (STC). This facility offers around 90 different courses, but the primary focus of this report was the training of operators for Orlan-10 and Orlan-30 reconnaissance drones.
According to Roman Ivanov, the center’s chief design director, since russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the training processes for these drone operators have been significantly intensified. The training course now runs for 12 hours a day, up from eight, allowing operators to be fully trained in just one month. The curriculum has also dropped the previously included "civilian applications" segment to focus entirely on military use.
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The article notes that russia’s Ministry of Defense has requested upgrades to the equipment used at the training center, though no formal agreements have been reached yet. The ministry aims to train 1,000 drone operators over the next year, averaging more than 80 per month.
Notably, russian officials lament the high cost of the training program, which amounts to one million rubles (about $10,600) per operator. This expense is largely due to the extensive hands-on practice with real drones, as the Orlan UAVs used in training cost more than 10 million rubles (around $106,000), depending on the specific configuration.
During the training, an Orlan drone typically endures two to three months of continuous use. Based on this information, it can be estimated that an Orlan UAV has a service life of about 720 to 1,080 flight hours, assuming 12 hours of daily use, seven days a week. However, in practice, they seem to wear out more quickly.
The trainees, many of whom have no prior experience with UAVs, especially fixed-wing types like the Orlan, are divided into teams of at least three people: a pilot, an equipment operator, and a technician. Before beginning the course, the candidates undergo aptitude tests to assess their suitability for drone operation.
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