Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has ordered the head of a state-owned defense conglomerate to increase production of attack drones as the drone war flares up in Ukraine.
In televised footage of Monday night’s rally, the Russian president was told by the head of Rostec, which produces about 90 percent of Russia’s military equipment, to increase the number of kamikaze drones being sent out.
Putin said Russia needed more Kub and Lancet drones, which have become a thorn in the side of Ukraine’s advancing armed forces, saying they had proved “very effective”.
“It is necessary to increase the percentage of production of the latest types of weapons. T-90 ‘Proryv’ tanks and aircraft systems,” the Russian president said.
Russian state media said last month that the Lancet drone would go into mass production, while Rossiya-1 television reported that production would triple in the coming months.
Ukrainian military officers have described the drones as one of their biggest battlefield threats, as Moscow’s kamikaze drones are difficult to defend.
The drones fly low and slow to evade traditional air defense systems and can be directly controlled by operators on the ground, unlike the Iranian drones which are pre-programmed to head for a target that cannot be changed once launched.
Analysts have suggested that the Russian defense ministry is keen to get its hands on more of the Lancet drones, reportedly costing around £28,000 each, as a cheap way to make up for losses from their more expensive and sophisticated equipment.
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