According to reports, Russia's first high altitude solar drone LA-252 "Ayster" will conduct stratospheric flight tests. The technical preparation for drone flight test has been completed and necessary low-level flight tests have been carried out. Lavogie Gold Scientific Production Co. said that if it obtains a permit from the relevant government agencies, the stratospheric flight test will be implemented before the end of 2017. The LA-252 drone adopts the design of a pressure-bearing wing of a conventional aircraft. It relies on solar charging to perform non-landing flights throughout the year. Solar panels are installed on the surface of the wing and are driven by two electric motors. At night, the battery is fully charged during the day to maintain power. Sergey Lemeshevski, general manager of Lavogie Gold Scientific Production Co., Ltd., said that the test of the aircraft in July and September this year basically confirmed the design performance parameters of drones other than high altitude flying. . The prerequisite for stratospheric flight is the need for a dedicated registration and formal approval from the local aviation department. At present, the company is preparing documents to be issued to the Ministry of Industry and Trade to obtain the certificate of drone airworthiness, and it is also preparing documents issued by the regional air traffic control system Rostov Regional Center. The company intends to obtain a certificate for a test flight at the airport in Kuban and plans to organize a flight test from November to December. The LA-252 “Ayster†high-altitude solar drone is a near-space vehicle. Similar satellites rely on solar energy and can work at altitudes of 15 to 22 kilometers that cannot be reached by civilian aircraft. In order to achieve the goal of flying in the atmosphere in the future, this type of drone minimizes weight, is made of advanced composite materials, and has a high aerodynamic index. The weight of the drone body per square meter does not exceed 3 kilograms, the wingspan is 23 meters, the take-off weight is 125 kilograms, and the payload is 25 kilograms. For example, monitoring and communication equipment can be carried. It is reported that this type of UAV will display flights to the potential ordering parties such as Russian powerful agencies and the military after the stratospheric flight test. Unmanned system field expert Denis Fedudinov pointed out that other countries with advanced manufacturing technology also showed a similar demand for LA-252 drones, and the United Kingdom and the United States plan to use it to ensure communications. The UAV can patrol in designated airspace to secure communications, which is very much needed in areas where there is a lack of related infrastructure and equipment failures. The first prototype of the LA-252 passed the test in 2013. At that time, it was confirmed that it had no landing day and night flight capability. In order to carry out the next test, the factory manufactured a second aircraft of this type. Earlier reports said that another high-altitude drone model "Owl" was tested this spring. The potential buyer of this drone is the Ministry of Defense and can be used for reconnaissance patrols on the high seas and in the Arctic, relaying communications signals between ships and military installations. This type of UAV was developed by the "Debyel" company based on the contract of the Advance Research Foundation. Experts from Lavogie Gold Company stated that although the advantages are outstanding, the shortcomings of the "owl" drone are obvious, so the drone project was forced to give up.