Kazakhstan’s Airborne Assault Forces (AAF) have established in-house production and maintenance capabilities for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), signaling a shift toward increased domestic oversight of drone operations.
According to reports from the Kazakh Ministry of Defense, around 100 drones have been assembled and deployed across various units of the armed forces.
A dedicated drone manufacturing and repair workshop became fully operational last month, completing its first full production cycle from assembly and software configuration to testing and delivery within two months.
In addition, the AAF will launch UAV operator training this year, led by instructors with hands-on experience across several drone types.
According to The Times of Central Asia, UAV units were tested in operational conditions during Desant-2025 at the Koktal training ground in southeastern Kazakhstan, with more than 3,000 AAF personnel participating.
During the exercises, drone units conducted aerial reconnaissance, coordinated artillery and aviation fire, designated targets, and provided real-time control and situational awareness for ground troops.
Strengthening Drone Capacity
The AAF formally established dedicated unmanned divisions in 2024, giving personnel hands-on experience and building domestic capabilities for drone assembly, maintenance, and repair, while Kazakhstan had previously relied on drones imported from Turkey.
In 2022, Ankara and Nur-Sultan agreed to collaborate on the production of Anka medium-altitude, long-endurance UAVs.
Under the agreement, Kazakh engineers work alongside Turkish Aerospace Industries to design and assemble the drones, with the partnership including technology transfer and ongoing support for repair and maintenance.
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