Media: Drone production drives record growth in Russia’s aerospace sector

Russia’s aircraft industry is experiencing rapid growth driven by soaring demand for drones, even as broader defence production begins to lose momentum under mounting economic pressures and labor shortages, Bloomberg reports.

According to data from the Federal Statistics Service, output in Russia’s aircraft sector—including both manned military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—rose 117% in April compared with a year earlier, far exceeding the industry’s average annual growth rate of 68% in 2025. The figures highlight Moscow’s increasing reliance on drones as the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year.

Analysts say unmanned systems have become one of the few areas of Russia’s military-industrial complex still capable of rapid expansion. As production and battlefield effectiveness of tanks and other conventional armored vehicles reach practical limits, inexpensive and scalable drones have emerged as a key component of Russia’s war strategy.

“First-person view UAVs are now a dominant feature of fighting on the ground, making any kind of force build up hazardous for kilometres either side of the line of contact,” said Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He added that longer-range UAVs have enabled Moscow to supplement its limited stockpile of cruise missiles and sustain attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the creation of dedicated unmanned systems troops, while Defence Minister Andrey Belousov recently claimed Russia had overcome an earlier Ukrainian advantage in combat drone operations.

Although official military production figures remain classified, Putin previously stated that Russia produced 1.4 million drones in 2024. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Moscow plans to manufacture 7.3 million first-person-view drones and 7.8 million UAV warheads in 2026.

Meanwhile, growth across Russia’s wider defence sector has slowed sharply. Official forecasts indicate production in industries manufacturing heavy equipment, ammunition and missile components will expand by only 4% to 5% this year, down from roughly 30% in previous years.

“There’s no escaping drones anymore, this is the new reality — both in the economy and on the battlefield,” said Vladimir Tkachuk, head of Russian UAV producer Uraldronzavod, describing what he called an “endless contest” between drone developers and counter-drone technologies.

By Vafa Guliyeva