The plan targets ± 78,800 personnel by end 2026, of which roughly 58,000 from students, aviation veterans and female recruits, and ± 20,800 via conscript-to-contract conversion. Training curricula reportedly already run at 32 Russian universities.
Gamers as a target group
Recruitment deliberately targets competitive gamers, esports players and model-aircraft hobbyists — exactly the hand-eye coordination an FPV operator needs. Contracts require at least one year, with two months of mandatory specialist training.
Quality risk
Relying on students and civilians yields numbers fast, but also variable quality and retention. Together with the high officer-to-enlisted ratio (§ 11.2), human capital — not technology — may be the biggest constraint on the build-up.