 The Russian drone industry could soon be worth $12.25 billion once a plan to boost production is put into place, given the vehicle's versatility, President Vladimir Putin said on April 27. Late last year, Putin said Russia must increase its own output of unmanned aerial vehicles and create infrastructure for their widespread use in military and civilian applications. He ordered a strategy for drone development through 2030. Putin said he and executives involved in drone production had looked over figures that showed the industry could in the near future be worth 500 billion rubles. Everyone agreed this was a very conservative estimate, he said. Putin, who spoke after touring an industrial park in Moscow, which has been specially designed to manufacture drones, said UAVs could be used in virtually every part of the economy.