Russia Ramps Up Production of Shahed Drone Clones at New Izhevsk Facility

Russia is expanding production of Shahed drone clones at a new facility in Izhevsk.

Matthew Bint and Fabian Hinz found out this fact and published their article on the International Institute for Strategic Studies website.

The facility is being developed at the Kupol Electromechanical Plant, a subsidiary of the state-owned arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey.

According to European intelligence sources cited by Reuters, production is taking place at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, which was acquired by Kupol in 2019.

At the time, the facility was reportedly intended for manufacturing equipment for nuclear power plants.

The Shahed drones produced here, unlike the “Geran-2” manufactured in Alabuz, have the Russian index “Garpiya-A1.”

In addition to the name, there are technical differences that are visible on the drones.

In a September 2024 analysis, Hinz highlighted on X differences in winglet attachment and other structural details.

How about that bolt-on fin? Here it get’s interesting. On the original Shahed 136/Geran 2, the vertical stabilizer is fused with the wing (left). However, a while ago images emerged of a Shahed featuring a detachable stabilizer attached with three screws (right). 10/14 pic.twitter.com/oguHwhixL3

— Fabian Hinz (@fab_hinz) September 16, 2024

Drones produced in Izhevsk also bear serial markings starting with “K,” “KB,” or “KC.”

Journalists also report that the two plants use different versions of the Limbach 550 engine. The Alabuga facility employs the Iranian-made MADO MD 550, while the Izhevsk plant uses a Chinese copy of the Limbach 550.

In a video on his Teoriya DVS YouTube channel, Yevhen Travnikov confirmed the use of different engine models.

He points to variations in quality and design, although most parts remain interchangeable.

The scaling of drone production at both sites has led to a sharp increase in the number of drones launched against Ukraine.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, drone attacks have surged since June 2024.

By September, the monthly total surpassed 1,000, rising to more than 4,000 in March 2025.

This fourfold increase over six months suggests that each of the two production sites has at least doubled output during this period.