Crossroads Asia | Security | Central Asia

Kazakhstan Is Slowly Integrating UAVs Into Its Armed Forces

As drones prove decisive in modern warfare, Kazakhstan is working to embed them in its military while slowly making a shift toward domestic production.

In recent years, Kazakhstan has only sporadically appeared in drone-related headlines, often due to accidental crashes in the country or incidents involving infrastructure across the border in Russia, all related to the war in Ukraine. Yet as drones become central to modern warfare, Kazakhstan has been steadily building its own capabilities.

Since 2016, the Central Asian country has expanded its arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), sourcing systems from a range of international partners. However, despite increased investment, their use has largely been confined to surveillance, particularly in policing contexts, while combat applications remained limited.

This began to change in January, when the Ministry of Defense announced that elements of Kazakhstan’s airborne forces would begin training with smaller UAVs, including first-person view (FPV) drones. The move suggests a growing recognition of drones not just as reconnaissance tools, but as tactical assets on the battlefield.

At the same time, Kazakhstan is positioning itself for a longer-term shift. With domestic repair facilities and licensed production of foreign-designed drones already in place, attention is now turning toward developing indigenous systems. While such ambitions have existed for years, 2026 could mark a turning point.

As previously reported, Kazakhstan entered the military drone market in 2016 with the purchase of two Chinese long-range UAVs capable of both reconnaissance and strike missions. This acquisition marked the beginning of a broader procurement strategy, with additional drones later sourced from Russia, the United States, Israel, and Turkiye.

A key development came in 2022, when Kazakhstan reached an agreement with Turkiye not only to purchase drones but also to begin licensed domestic production of the Anka UAV. In 2024, officials announced plans to expand this arrangement to include the more affordable Bayraktar platform, although negotiations have yet to be finalized.

Parallel to these acquisitions, Kazakhstan has invested in human capital, training over 100 drone operators between 2017 and 2022. Despite these efforts, the country has long lacked a fully domestically developed UAV.

That gap appeared to narrow with the development of the Shagala-M (“Seagull”), first tested in 2021. The drone reportedly passed its final tests in 2023 and was expected to enter commercial production the following year. However, little has been reported about the project since.

In the meantime, Kazakhstan has continued diversifying its drone inventory, increasingly incorporating smaller FPV systems. By December 2025, the country had established both domestic manufacturing and repair capabilities for such platforms.

While FPV drones do not offer long-range strike capabilities, they provide flexibility at shorter distances, typically within 7 to 15 kilometers, where they can be used as loitering munitions or equipped with payload-release mechanisms. This shift toward smaller, domestically producible systems has led some observers to speculate whether Kazakhstan could eventually emerge as a regional drone hub.

However, while the military sector is advancing, civilian drone development and usage still rely heavily on international support, as is the case with flying taxis envisioned for the futuristic Altau.

For now, it remains too early to determine whether Kazakhstan can position itself as a major player in the regional drone industry, especially given the proximity of established manufacturers in China and Russia. What is clear, however, is that the Kazakh military is actively modernizing, seeking to integrate UAVs more deeply into its operational structure and, ultimately, to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.

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In recent years, Kazakhstan has only sporadically appeared in drone-related headlines, often due to accidental crashes in the country or incidents involving infrastructure across the border in Russia, all related to the war in Ukraine. Yet as drones become central to modern warfare, Kazakhstan has been steadily building its own capabilities.

Since 2016, the Central Asian country has expanded its arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), sourcing systems from a range of international partners. However, despite increased investment, their use has largely been confined to surveillance, particularly in policing contexts, while combat applications remained limited.

This began to change in January, when the Ministry of Defense announced that elements of Kazakhstan’s airborne forces would begin training with smaller UAVs, including first-person view (FPV) drones. The move suggests a growing recognition of drones not just as reconnaissance tools, but as tactical assets on the battlefield.

At the same time, Kazakhstan is positioning itself for a longer-term shift. With domestic repair facilities and licensed production of foreign-designed drones already in place, attention is now turning toward developing indigenous systems. While such ambitions have existed for years, 2026 could mark a turning point.

As previously reported, Kazakhstan entered the military drone market in 2016 with the purchase of two Chinese long-range UAVs capable of both reconnaissance and strike missions. This acquisition marked the beginning of a broader procurement strategy, with additional drones later sourced from Russia, the United States, Israel, and Turkiye.

A key development came in 2022, when Kazakhstan reached an agreement with Turkiye not only to purchase drones but also to begin licensed domestic production of the Anka UAV. In 2024, officials announced plans to expand this arrangement to include the more affordable Bayraktar platform, although negotiations have yet to be finalized.

Parallel to these acquisitions, Kazakhstan has invested in human capital, training over 100 drone operators between 2017 and 2022. Despite these efforts, the country has long lacked a fully domestically developed UAV.

That gap appeared to narrow with the development of the Shagala-M (“Seagull”), first tested in 2021. The drone reportedly passed its final tests in 2023 and was expected to enter commercial production the following year. However, little has been reported about the project since.

In the meantime, Kazakhstan has continued diversifying its drone inventory, increasingly incorporating smaller FPV systems. By December 2025, the country had established both domestic manufacturing and repair capabilities for such platforms.

While FPV drones do not offer long-range strike capabilities, they provide flexibility at shorter distances, typically within 7 to 15 kilometers, where they can be used as loitering munitions or equipped with payload-release mechanisms. This shift toward smaller, domestically producible systems has led some observers to speculate whether Kazakhstan could eventually emerge as a regional drone hub.

However, while the military sector is advancing, civilian drone development and usage still rely heavily on international support, as is the case with flying taxis envisioned for the futuristic Altau.

For now, it remains too early to determine whether Kazakhstan can position itself as a major player in the regional drone industry, especially given the proximity of established manufacturers in China and Russia. What is clear, however, is that the Kazakh military is actively modernizing, seeking to integrate UAVs more deeply into its operational structure and, ultimately, to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.

Albert Otkjær is a journalist focusing on post-Soviet countries.

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