In a sign that the Russian invasion is not going as planned, Moscow officials have traveled to Iran to purchase drones, according to US intelligence. Tehran has long specialized in remote-controlled flying devices and has plenty of deadly models to offer Russia.
Iranian drones will be part of the Russian arsenal. The information was revealed by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on July 11 during a press conference at the White House. It is not yet clear which models will be sent from Tehran, but the United States has recovered satellite images of Russian officials visiting drone hangars in Iran. In addition, the US administration has indicated that Russian soldiers are already training in the use of war drones in the Middle East. This means that Moscow hopes to deploy these devices as soon as possible to the front in Ukraine.
For the Kremlin, this is an admission of weakness, but for Ukraine it is rather bad news. Indeed, the second military power in the world has its own MALE (medium altitude long endurance) type war drone, the Orion-E, but until then its presence on the ground has been limited to a few rare interventions. The real star of the air since the start of the invasion has been the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 used by the Ukrainians, who are happy to post the strike videos on social media.
Russia therefore hopes to have as much success with the Iranian models. Tehran has specialized for years in flying robots and sells its devices to several diplomatic allies: Syria, Venezuela and even the Houti rebels in Yemen. The United States estimates that Iran could send a hundred drones to Russia. With the stocks of massive devices not being so high, it could be that Moscow will mainly receive “suicide” models, like the American equivalents delivered to Ukraine.
Overview of devices manufactured by Iran, potentially sold to Russia.
Shahed-129, the Iranian flagship drone
The United States has the Predator, the Chinese the Wing Loong and Iran theShahed – lightning in Persian. The Model 129 is the MALE type combat drone developed to spot and strike from a long distance. This imposing device, with a wingspan of 16 meters, flies with a cruising speed of 175 km/h and can remain in the air for nearly 24 hours, with a maximum height of 7,300 meters. This model has four Sadid-345 precision-guided missiles weighing a total of 400 kg. theShahed-129 was deployed against rebels in the Syrian Civil War. This model could be high on Moscow’s shopping list because of its potential for long-range missions, including against US-supplied HIMARS rocket launchers, which are currently devastating Russian ammunition depots.
Shahed-191, the stealth version
In 2011, an RQ-170, an American reconnaissance drone, was captured by the Iranians while the aircraft was flying over the territory discreetly. Blessed bread for Tehran which later released its own similar version of this model, the Shahed-191. Composed of a single wing, this drone, mainly used for surveillance missions, can move at 300 km/h and climb up to 7,600 meters. It is also capable of carrying two anti-tank missiles. In theory, they are more difficult for air defenses to detect, but Israel has already shot down several of these Iranian drones with no apparent difficulty.
Shahed-136, the kamikaze model
At the end of 2020, Iran unveiled a new type of “Shahed”, the 136, intended to directly crash and explode against a target. Suicide drones are already massively developed by the United States and Iran is following this trend with this model suitable for strategic strikes in bogged down wars. Ukraine used it against refineries in Russia. Shahed-136s were delivered to Houthi rebels in Yemen, a group backed by Tehran. It is known that these drones have a range of 2,000 km and are equipped with an explosive charge.
Mohajer-6, the most economical
theMohajer-6 is the closest thing to the Turkish Bayraktar TB2. This 5.5 meter wingspan model, smaller than its big brother, the Shahed-129, is used for both reconnaissance and opportunistic strikes. Also lighter,Mohajer-6 is equipped with four laser-guided missiles, which have a total weight of 40 kg. The attacks will therefore be more directed against an armored vehicle or an arms depot. Introduced in the Iranian arsenal since 2017, Iran has delivered several Mohajers to Ethiopia as well as Venezuela.
Nevertheless, while Iranian drones have made astonishing progress in recent years, there is little public information on their combat performance. It is therefore difficult to judge their true capabilities, even more so on the Ukrainian front where Stinger missiles and drone jammers abound.
