Unmanned aerial vehicle troops have been created in Belarus

The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus has announced the creation of unmanned aerial vehicle troops.

This was reported by the BelTA publication.

Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces – First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus Pavel Muravyov reported to the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on the purpose, composition and structure of the unmanned aircraft of the Armed Forces. This took place during Lukashenka’s visit to the center for training and use of unmanned aerial systems.

According to Muravyov, the Armed Forces of Belarus have created unmanned aerial vehicle troops as an independent component of the special forces.

These troops are tasked with conducting aerial reconnaissance, inflicting damage on the enemy, directing and guiding fire, and performing tasks in the interests of other special forces units.

It is noteworthy that, unlike in Ukraine and Russia, where unmanned systems troops have the status of a separate branch of the armed forces, in Belarus they were created only as a component of the special forces (it is important not to confuse them with Special Operations Forces).

The Special Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus are designed to support the combat operations of the Land Forces. They include electronic warfare troops, communication troops, engineer troops, CBRN troops, and navigation and topographic service. And from now on, they also include unmanned aerial vehicle units.

The report was followed by a demonstration of practical skills in passing a specialized track by FPV drone operators. This was done by drone operators who had been trained on a computer simulator.

Alexander Lukashenko was also interested in how countermeasures against electronic warfare were organized. At the same time, he emphasized that other types of weapons remain in demand: “A man with a gun is the main thing. And this (drones – BelTA note) is where the terrain allows.”

The head of Belarus notes that one should not get too carried away with the direction of drones, and that one should be guided by the available means and needs. “The main thing is not to get carried away. We should always have a head on our shoulders and understand what we can and cannot do. We need to determine what we need and to what extent,” he said.

In May 2025, the Belarusian 558th Aircraft Repair Plant presented an updated version of the Chekan attack drone.

The upgraded drone is called Chekan-V and is said to be able to operate as part of a swarm of 7-10 units that can operate autonomously – without direct operator control.

The declared flight range is up to 25 kilometers and the duration is up to 45 minutes. The weight of the drone is 13 kilograms, and the weight of the high-explosive warhead is up to 2.3 kg.