Photo: Press Service of the President of Uzbekistan
During his visit to Uzbekistan, King Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein of Jordan, together with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, toured an exhibition of domestically produced goods in Samarkand. Among the highlights were unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) manufactured by the company Sahro Drone Industry, Spot.uz reported.
The stand featured both quadcopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
According to official data, Sahro Drone Industry was founded in May of this year, with its registered office in the Kibray district of Tashkent region. Its core activity is listed as “manufacture of other machinery and devices for special purposes not classified elsewhere.”
The company’s charter capital amounts to 10 billion soums (about $812,000). A 90 percent stake belongs to Top-IT, owned by entrepreneur Abdufotikh Abdugafurov, while the remaining 10 percent is controlled by MS-Investment, which is fully owned by the Agency for Defense Industry under Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Defense. The company is headed by Olmoskhon Niyazkhonov.
In July, the TV channel Uzbekistan 24 aired a report on local firms working to establish mass production of drones. It was noted that engineers are actively developing electronic components and software for UAVs, with the localization level reaching 80 percent, though company names were not disclosed.
Since 2022, the Ministry of Defense has overseen production of domestically made UAVs under the Lochin (“Falcon”) brand. The ministry emphasizes that these drones are used for both military and civilian purposes.
In November 2023, President Mirziyoyev inspected drones manufactured in Uzbekistan during a visit to a military unit in Surkhandarya region. Alongside these, he was shown imported UAVs from Turkey and China.
Since 2015, the import of drones into Uzbekistan has been banned. Until mid-2024, violations were punishable by up to 10 years in prison, though penalties were later eased to fines and confiscation of the equipment.
Currently, legal entities may import drones into the country with special permission. Such UAVs are typically used in agriculture or for filming content aimed at promoting Uzbekistan to foreign tourists.
