Russia Ramps Up Production of Domestic Autonomous Tractors

A new tech cluster in Tomsk aims to develop next-gen unmanned vehicles for agriculture, municipal work, and beyond.

Russia is accelerating efforts to scale up domestic innovation by creating regional tech clusters focused on electronics and autonomous systems. One such cluster was launched in Tomsk this March with the goal of producing a state-of-the-art, locally built autonomous tractor.

While the primary use case is agriculture, these unmanned vehicles are also expected to serve in public utilities and airport maintenance. The Tomsk initiative already includes 17 scientific and industrial organizations and is receiving government subsidies to support development. Current funding is directed toward producing pilot batches of components. Plans also include building out logistics for distribution and training specialists to operate and maintain the vehicles.

Russia has already been using unmanned tractors in its agricultural sector for some time, supported by GPS and GLONASS navigation technologies. This new push is designed to strengthen domestic capabilities and expand the use of AI-powered machinery in multiple industries.