Satellite Images Reveal Massive Expansion of Russian ‘Kamikaze’ Drone Factory
Eastern Europe and Central Asia , Aircraft and Anti-Aircraft
Satellite images published by CNN have revealed significant efforts to expand Russia’s primary production facility for single use attack drones in Alabuga. The images indicate that the construction of dozens of buildings is underway, including not only production workshops, but also dormitories for the workforce of up to 40,000 people expected to live on site. The Russian defence sector’s capacity to produce single use attack drones has been expanded tremendously since 2022, with The Economist reporting in May that output of the Geran-2, the primary drone class produced at the Alabuga Factory, had increased more than tenfold from 300 a month, to over 100 per day. Industry was reported at the time to be on track to be able to produce 500 Geran-2 drones daily, which would allow for 15,000 attacks to be launched per month.
The Geran-2 is the local name of the Iranian Shahed 136 drone, which Russia began to produce domestically under license in 2022. The Russian military drone industry was previously disproportionately small relative to the size of its defence sector, with Iranian support having been key to allowing it to grow to meet urgent wartime demand. The drone class made its combat debut in the Ukrainian theatre in September 2022, and quickly emerged as one of the Russian Armed Forces’ most valued strike assets. The expansion of Geran-2 production has been a primary factor increasing pressure on Ukrainian air defences, with the London-based Financial Times reporting in May: "Russia is now producing missiles and drones faster than it uses them, building up stockpiles and increasing pressure on Ukraine's stretched defences.” Costing under $30,000 each, the drones provide a very low cost option for launching precision strikes.
Russian state media for the first time revealed footage of the Alabuga Factory in the third week of July. The footage showed hundreds of the aircraft already completed, at what is reportedly the largest facility of its kind in the world. Regarding the workforce of the factory, reports emerged in June that 25,000 North Korean industrial workers were being dispatched to Tatarstan to help increase drone production. This corroborated prior reports from Ukrainian intelligence officials, with North Korea’s sizeable industrial workforce with high levels of technical education were expected to make this support highly prized. Russia reported to also be transferring drone-related knowhow to its East Asian neighbour, which is expected to allow for large scale production of a similar drone design in the country.
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