Russia plans to create 48 drone production centers

About 48 drone production centers are planned to be created in Russia within 10 years. This was announced by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin at a meeting on the development of unmanned aviation, UNN reports with reference to TASS.

"A total of 48 such centers (for drone production - ed.) are planned to be created in the current decade. There are already 15 of them now, so I think more can be created. Among other things, such centers are operating in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novgorod, Ryazan, Sakhalin, Tomsk regions, Perm Krai, Udmurtia and Tatarstan republics, as well as here in Samara region," Putin said.

In addition, he stated that it is necessary to radically accelerate the development of the drone industry in Russia.

Putin noted that during a tour of the Samara drone production center, he was informed that despite the allegedly good results achieved in general in a number of fundamental areas of national projects in the field of unmanned aircraft systems (including regularization and regulatory framework), progress is too slow. And for some programs, due to a sharp reduction in funding, work has been completely halted.

"The development of the industry should be drastically accelerated. The relevant decisions should be taken as soon as possible, and all key measures should be provided with appropriate funding," Putin pointed out.

Putin also set a goal to make Russia a leader in drones by 2030.

"By 2030, Russia should become one of the global technological leaders in the field of unmanned aircraft systems," Putin said.

In addition, the Russian dictator instructed the government to work on the issue of allowing flights for drones in those Russian regions where it would be justified from a safety point of view by the end of April 2025.

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In December 2024, Andriy Kulchitsky, head of the Military Research Laboratory, reportedthat Russia has increased production of attack UAVs that it is using in its war against Ukraine. In particular, the aggressor produces about 600 Shahed-type kamikaze drones every month.

Also in December , it was reportedthat Russian drone attacks had increased over the past six months from about 400 in May to more than 2,400 in November, according to CNN's calculations from the Ukrainian military. There were at least 1,700 drone strikes in December.

CNN reported that the Alabuga plant in Tatarstan in southern Russia has significantly increased production of Iranian strike and reconnaissance drones, using a number of Chinese components and recruiting a very young, low-skilled labor force of Russian teenagers and African women.