Russian President Vladimir Putin convened a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission of the Russian Federation in Izhevsk, about 950 km east of Moscow, yesterday. Izhevsk is where the deadly Lancet kamikaze drone is produced by the ZALA Aero Group, which plant Putin visited before the meeting.
“The output of major armored vehicles has doubled compared to last year while the production of the most in-demand weapons has tripled,” Putin said. “At the same time, we need to boost the production of counter-battery and air defense equipment. We have discussed this, and I have issued a number of instructions to supplement the 2024 delivery schedule with the corresponding items.” He reiterated that “in general, defense companies should put in more effort to develop their production capacities, introduce advanced technologies, and, as before, pay extra attention to the quality of military products.”
Another item on the agenda was the drafting process for the 2025–2034 State Armament Program. “We should, of course, look to the future and beyond the horizon,” he said. “I have noted many times that this is one of the key strategic planning documents, which is of fundamental and decisive importance for strengthening Russia’s defense capability and security.”
“However, due to a number of factors, the need for weapons, military and special equipment have increased significantly, and everyone is clear about those factors. This is connected with the conduct of the special military operation, unprecedented sanctions pressure on Russia and the growing size of our Armed Forces, which includes the creation of new units and formations,” he added. “Therefore, it is necessary to specify the baseline data for drafting the programme and its resource support volumes.”
RT reported, meanwhile, that Bekhan Ozdoev, the industrial director of the Rostec defense conglomerate, said that the company has ramped up production of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile. According to RT, Interfax quoted Ozdoev as saying that the figures for certain munitions have risen up to tenfold. He noted that “among other things, the production of missiles for the ‘Kinzhal,’ ‘Iskander,’ and ‘Pantsir’ systems, aerial bombs, artillery and tank shells is being ramped up.” According to Ozdoev, Russian defense manufacturers are making more and more tanks, armored vehicles and multiple launch rocket systems. The director added that there are also plans to increase the production of military drones, with work ongoing on the development of guided artillery munitions.
