Russia to Produce Over 32,000 Drones Each Year by 2030 -TASS

Defense News ,Russia :- In a recent announcement, Russia has set forth an ambitious plan to dramatically increase its drone production, aiming to manufacture over 32,000 drones each year by 2030. First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov revealed this vision, emphasizing that domestic producers should dominate 70% of the market, as reported by the TASS news agency.

The surge in drone production is a strategic response to the evolving dynamics in military conflicts, particularly evident in the ongoing war since Russia invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Both Moscow and Kyiv have significantly heightened their military production efforts as the conflict persists.

Belousov outlined the plan, stating, "The annual production volume of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), excluding educational UAVs, is planned at 32,500 units. This represents nearly three times the current production volumes. Simultaneously, the goal is for Russian UAVs to claim a substantial 70% share in the UAV market."

To fund this national project on UAVs, Russia has allocated a substantial budget of 696 billion roubles ($7.66 billion) by the year 2030. Further details regarding the financial aspects and project specifics will be disclosed later this month.

In recent times, Moscow has increasingly utilized cost-effective Iranian-made Shahed drones, known for their noisy petrol engines, in aerial assaults on Ukrainian infrastructure situated far beyond the war front lines in the eastern and southern regions of the country.

Notably, Russian drones initially posed challenges for Ukrainian air defenses due to their elusive nature compared to missiles. The use of expensive air defense missiles to shoot down these relatively inexpensive drones was not a financially viable strategy, prompting a shift in military tactics.

President Vladimir Putin had already hinted at the versatility of UAVs, suggesting their applicability across various industries, not limited to the military domain.

Ukraine, on the other hand, has adopted a pragmatic approach by intensively utilizing FPV drones – originally designed for personal civilian use but modified for battlefield purposes. This cost-effective tactic, primarily focused on reconnaissance and attacks, has proven successful and has been emulated by Russia.

In response to Russia drone production surge, Ukraine has announced its own plans to produce more than 11,000 medium- and long-range attack drones in 2024, along with one million FPV (first-person-view) drones. These drones are in high demand on the front lines due to their affordability and effectiveness in military operations.