Kalashnikov Concern Set to Massively Expand Production of ‘Suicide Drones’ in 2025
Russia’s Leading Defense Giant Ramps Up Loitering Munition Capabilities Amid Rising Global Demand
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Russia’s premier defense manufacturer, Kalashnikov Concern, is poised to significantly escalate the production of its Kub loitering munitions and their advanced variants in 2025.
These next-generation munitions are set to feature enhanced lethality and upgraded combat effectiveness, positioning them as a key force multiplier in modern warfare.
The move comes as demand for loitering munitions—often referred to as “suicide drones”—continues to rise worldwide, fueled by their proven battlefield effectiveness in contemporary conflicts.
According to a TASS report, Kalashnikov Concern achieved a tenfold increase in the production of loitering munitions last year alone.
The same year saw the company sign its first-ever export contract for its Kub-E Guided Loitering Munition (GLM), marking a significant milestone in Russia’s expanding unmanned systems market.
The Kub-E GLM, engineered by Kalashnikov Concern to eliminate armored vehicles and enemy personnel, has already proven its battlefield prowess in military operations.
Its precision strike capability, coupled with its ability to autonomously loiter over the battlefield before executing a high-precision attack, makes it an invaluable asset for modern militaries.
Its performance and versatility were on full display at IDEX 2025, the prestigious defense exhibition recently held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The KUB-2-E GLM attracted strong interest from high-ranking military officials and defense industry leaders worldwide, underscoring its growing reputation as a cost-effective, lethal, and technologically advanced loitering munition system.
Kalashnikov Concern is expanding the Kub family with two distinct KUB-2-E variants, each designed for specific battlefield roles:
-
The Light-Class KUB-2-E: Tailored to engage enemy personnel and unarmored military equipment, including high-value soft targets such as logistics convoys and forward operating bases.
-
The Medium-Class KUB-2-E: Developed to neutralize a broader array of targets, including UAV launch sites, helicopter landing zones, and lightly armored vehicles, offering operational flexibility across multiple combat scenarios.
Both variants boast advanced maneuverability, ensuring they can strike dynamic targets with high precision.
Equipped with cutting-edge optronic guidance systems, they allow operators to track and engage moving targets with pinpoint accuracy, significantly increasing their battlefield effectiveness.
One of the defining strengths of the KUB-2-E family is its ability to operate under extreme environmental conditions.
With a weight exceeding 10 kg, both the light and medium-class versions can function day or night, in diverse weather conditions, including:
-
Smoky and dust-filled battlefields
-
Strong ground winds of up to 15 meters per second
-
Electronic warfare environments with passive and active jamming
-
Temperatures ranging from -40°C to +50°C
This versatility ensures that Kub loitering munitions remain highly effective in contested and complex combat zones, where traditional guided munitions may struggle.
Kalashnikov Concern is also advancing higher-caliber loitering munition technology with the KUB-10E, designed for strategic precision strikes against critical enemy infrastructure.
Capable of targeting:
✔ Light armored vehicles and personnel carriers
✔ Enemy command posts
✔ Air and missile defense installations
✔ Electronic warfare and surveillance stations
✔ Ammunition and fuel storage depots
✔ Drone launch sites and exposed aircraft, including helicopters, on airfields
The KUB-10E is optimized for maximum impact, operating effectively across varying environmental conditions.
It can withstand wind speeds of up to 15 meters per second and remains fully functional within temperature ranges of -30°C to +40°C at ground level.
Its guidance system relies on pre-programmed target coordinates and real-time data from global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), ensuring high-precision strikes even in GPS-denied environments.
Designed for rapid deployment, the KUB-10E is catapult-launched, with a cruising speed of approximately 100 km/h and an operational altitude between 100 and 2,500 meters, making it an adaptable and formidable weapon system.
Speaking to TASS, Kalashnikov Concern President Alan Lushnikov emphasized the company’s commitment to providing not just weapons, but comprehensive combat solutions:
“Kalashnikov Concern has successfully developed and launched an extensive range of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Guided Loitering Munitions (GLMs) in record time. We do not merely supply individual products—we deliver integrated, battlefield-proven solutions tailored to modern military requirements.”
Lushnikov further stressed that the future of defense technology lies in turnkey solutions, stating:
“As both a developer and manufacturer, I firmly believe that offering a fully integrated solution is far more valuable than merely delivering standalone products. Our customers should not have to navigate the complexities of integration—what they need is a pre-configured, highly effective, and mission-ready system.”
With its aggressive expansion in loitering munition production and export capabilities, Kalashnikov Concern is solidifying its position as a global leader in next-generation UAV and GLM technologies.
The latest advancements in the Kub and KUB-10E families reflect the shifting dynamics of modern warfare, where precision, automation, and cost-efficiency are increasingly defining the battlefield.
As demand for autonomous precision-strike munitions continues to surge, Kalashnikov Concern’s rapidly evolving portfolio ensures it remains at the forefront of the global arms race in unmanned warfare.
— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA
