How Sovelmash is making aviation history
On May 21, 2026, an event occurred that can be called historic not only for Sovelmash but for the entire world.
The first stable flights of the super-heavy-class drone "Motylek" took place — the only aircraft in the world powered by asynchronous motors! It was developed and built at Sovelmash's DETB, using the Slavyanka technology.
This is how the inventor of the technology, Dmitry Duyunov, commented on the event:
"Today, the theorem of the feasibility of an asynchronous drive in quadcopters, in unmanned aviation, in manned aviation — in aviation overall — was proven. Until now, nothing like this had ever happened in world history. Therefore, you have all made history as participants in the project. In time, textbooks will cover how this came to pass. I congratulate all project participants and investors on this historic moment!"
What does this mean for the world? In brief: asynchronous electric motors using Sovelmash's combined windings technology are more reliable, longer-lasting, more affordable to manufacture, more energy-efficient, and more powerful than permanent-magnet counterparts. They open up new opportunities in logistics, agriculture, rescue operations, and other fields.
More information about the project's development is available in the Roadmap.
*The translation is done with the help of artificial intelligence.