Chinese commercial drones expand market in Russia

DJI, the world's leading consumer drone maker, has established a reputation for its technology and products among individual and industry users in the West and is now gaining popularity in Russia.

Several major infrastructure operators in Russia have become users of DJI drones over the past two years and have benefitted extensively from the deployment of the Chinese flying gadgets, according to Luo Zhenhua, president of DJI.

"Russia has the largest population in Europe and is one of the major industrial and energy powers in the world, so there are many businesses in this country that can make use of unmanned aircraft," Luo said last week in Russia as he attended the International Aviation and Space Salon 2019 in Zhukovsky, near Moscow.

The Chinese drone maker brought a number of its drones to the Russian air show that concluded on Sunday, saying they are capable of servicing a wide range of industries such as electric power, infrastructure operation, construction, oil prospecting and agriculture.

Moscow United Electric Grid, Russia's biggest electric power transmission and distribution company, has been adopting DJI drones carrying thermal imagers and cameras in key areas such as Moscow and Yekaterinburg to conduct intensive patrols and inspections of grid facilities, according to DJI.

DJI quoted Moscow United Electric Grid as saying in a news release that the Chinese drones enable engineers at the Russian company to detect unnoticeable hazards in a timely and accurate manner. In addition, small drones from DJI like Mavic 2 are pocket-size, so patrol workers are able to carry and use them whenever they want to, the company said.

Russian Railways, a state-owned giant that operates the world's third-largest rail network, has also begun using more than 50 aerial photography drones to perform rail line examination and accident mapping for 29 key hubs, which had been carried out by workers driving cars. Now inspectors at those hubs can check railway conditions and locate safety hazards in real time thanks to DJI's airborne solution that boasts a high efficiency three times faster than before.

In addition, Transneft, the state-owned transport monopoly and the world's largest oil pipeline company, has introduced several models of DJI drones to monitor and track damages or emergencies on its pipelines.

Meanwhile, Russian Highways, commonly known as Avtodor, has been using DJI drones to execute road surveys and mapping, especially in rough terrain or bad weather, according to DJI.

Founded in 2006, DJI is the world's largest commercial drone manufacturer by market share, with global operations spanning the Americas, Europe and Asia.