Russia Expands Drone Production With China’s Help

Shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, the Kremlin encountered one of the battlefield’s most pressing challenges—a shortage of attack drones that were rapidly reshaping the nature of warfare. On the other side of the country, in Khabarovsk, a little-known company called Aero-HIT devised a plan: establish partnerships with Chinese firms to fill this critical gap.

As reported by Bloomberg, which obtained internal company documents and correspondence with Russian officials, Moscow swiftly leveraged its close ties with Beijing to bypass Western sanctions and access essential technologies. The materials offer a rare window into how Sino-Russian corporate cooperation in the defense sector can unfold—despite Beijing’s public assertions of neutrality and its stated refusal to supply weapons to either side of the conflict.

According to the documents, Aero-HIT—a state-funded firm—set up production near the Khabarovsk airport and claims it can produce up to 10,000 drones per month by the end of this year. The company plans to expand capacity and shift to more advanced models. It has rapidly become a key supplier of unmanned aerial vehicles for Russian forces, particularly on the Kherson front—a region Moscow now frames as a non-negotiable part of its territorial demands in any future peace settlement.

Taken together, the documents illustrate how sensitive technologies are flowing from China to Russia—even if Beijing officially denies it.