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Russia has announced plans to significantly increase its drone production, claiming to produce over 32,000 units annually by 2030, with domestic producers expected to dominate 70% of the market.

First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov detailed these objectives, stating, “The annual production volume of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – excluding educational UAVs – is planned at 32,500 units,” and “At the same time, it is planned that the share of Russian UAVs will make up 70% of the market in this type of UAV.”

Amid the ongoing war with Ukraine, where both nations have heavily relied on drones, Russia’s strategy includes a significant investment of 696 billion roubles ($7.66 billion) into its UAV project by 2030. Belousov confirmed these funding plans.

This comes as the use of drones in warfare has evolved, with Russia frequently deploying cost-effective, Iranian-made Shahed drones for assaults, emphasizing a shift in military tactics.

On the other side, Ukraine is not staying idle. It has plans to produce more than 11,000 medium- and long-range attack drones in 2024, as well as one million FPV (first-person-view) drones, highly sought after on the frontline.