Kronshtadt
A St Petersburg simulator and avionics firm built Russia’s first home-grown MALE combat drone, the Orion, and a dedicated drone factory at Dubna that Ukrainian drones struck in 2025.
Kronshtadt: the company and the aircraft that made its name
Simulators to strike drones
Kronshtadt began as the aviation side of Transas, a St Petersburg company that was Russia’s leading maker of flight simulators and cockpit equipment. In 2015 Transas sold its aviation businesses to the Sistema conglomerate, and the group took the name Kronshtadt; it was still called Transas in some contexts until 2017. In 2016 it sold its flight-instrument business to the Ramenskoye avionics bureau, keeping simulators and drones, the business on which it had chosen to bet.
The Orion
That bet was the Orion, developed from 2011 under the Defence Ministry’s Inokhodets programme. It first flew in May 2016 and has been described as the first MALE drone fully developed in Russia from domestic components. According to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu it was tested on strike missions in Syria in 2019, and the ministry received the first batch for trial operation in 2020. Over Ukraine in 2022 it was filmed making strikes on vehicles, and by December 2025 nine had been lost in combat.
Dubna, sanctions and exports
To build it in quantity Kronshtadt erected a 45,000 square metre plant at Dubna near Moscow, due to open in November 2021 and planned to employ about 1,500. Britain sanctioned the company in 2022, Sistema withdrew in 2023, and on 28 May 2025 the Dubna factory was hit by Ukrainian drones. The larger Sirius flew in August 2023, and the Orion-E found export buyers, with Ethiopia receiving a system in January 2026.
Kronshtadt in numbers
החברה
- בקיצור
- Ex-Transas aviation arm
- Aviation businesses sold by Transas to Sistema, 2015
- Avionics sold to RADB, 2016
- Sistema withdrew, 2023
הֲפָקָה
- ידוע בעיקר בזכות
- Orion (Inokhodets)
- Orion first flight May 2016
- At least 48 Orions built
- Sirius first flight August 2023
הַיוֹם
- עַכשָׁיו
- Sanctioned drone maker
- UK sanctions, 2022
- Dubna plant struck 28 May 2025
- Orion-E exported from 2024
המספרים
- Orions built
- at least 48
- Orions lost in combat
- 92025
- Dubna plant area
- 45,000 square metres
- Planned Dubna workforce
- about 1,500
Every notable Kronshtadt aircraft
| כְּלִי טַיִס | תַפְקִיד | טיסה ראשונה | בנוי | סטָטוּס | פֶּתֶק |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kronshtadt Orion | MALE reconnaissance and strike UAV | 2016 | 48+ | בהפקה | Inokhodets programme; Syria 2019, Ukraine from 2022 |
| Kronshtadt Orion-E | Export MALE UAV | בהפקה | First export contract signed December 2024 | ||
| Kronshtadt Sirius | מל"ט מאלה | 2023 | Scale model shown at MAKS 2019 | ||
| Kronshtadt Grom | Unmanned combat aircraft | Full-size mock-up shown at Army-2020 |
Kronshtadt aircraft in the world’s air forces
1 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Kronshtadt types. לאחד מהם עדיין יש אחד בשירות.
| חֵיל הַאֲוִיר | בשירות | טס בעבר |
|---|---|---|
| כוחות התעופה והאוויר הרוסיים | קרונשטאדט אוריון ופורפוסט |
Where Kronshtadt built, who led it, what it achieved
מפעלים
- Dubna plant · Dubna, Moscow Oblast — Serial drone factory; hit by Ukrainian drones 28 May 2025
Kronshtadt, year by year
Orion development begins under Inokhodets programme
Transas aviation businesses sold to Sistema
Avionics business sold to RADB
Orion first flight
Orion tested on strike missions in Syria
First Orion batch delivered for trial operation
Dubna plant scheduled to open
UK sanctions; Orion used over Ukraine
Sistema withdraws
Sirius first flight
First Orion-E export contract
Dubna plant hit by Ukrainian drones
Everything people ask about Kronshtadt
What is the Kronshtadt Orion?
Was Kronshtadt part of Transas?
Where are Orion drones built?
Has the Orion been used in combat?
Around Kronshtadt
כל עובדה, נבדקה
- Kronshtadt Group — Wikipedia
- Kronshtadt Orion — Wikipedia
- Orion UAV / Inokhodets — GlobalSecurity.org
- Kronshtadt Group sells avionics business — Russian Aviation Insider, 2016
אומת בתאריך 2026-10-03.