St. Petersberg, Sep 20 (IANS): Russia plans to raise its drone production by nearly ten times in 2024 in comparison with the previous year, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced in St. Petersburg.

At a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission on Special Purpose UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) on Thursday, Putin said that about 140,000 drones of various types were delivered to the Armed Forces in 2023. In the current year, drone production is expected to expand dramatically this year. Meanwhile, the range of unmanned systems is expanding, and crewless boats are being developed, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the Russian President, by 2030, 48 research and production centres for drone design, testing, and serial production will be established throughout the country.

As Putin noted, Russia's national project concerning unmanned systems has been in place since this year and will continue until 2030. One of its main goals is to boost the development and production of domestic components and materials for drones, he said, adding that it is crucial for achieving technological independence in this significant field.

Before the meeting, Putin inspected the Special Technology Center, a Russian technology and defence industry company, in St. Petersburg, viewing modern unmanned aircraft systems with target payloads and special software, including artificial intelligence technologies, as well as other types of weapons and equipment.