Remains of a Shahed-136 used by Russia to attack Ukraine earlier this year.
LONDON—Russia has begun using domestically produced versions of Iran’s Shahed one-way attack (OWA) uncrewed air systems (UAS), independent researchers and the UK Defense Ministry have stated.
Thousands of Iranian-supplied delta-winged Shahed-136 air systems have been imported by Russia and used as part of its ongoing offensive in Ukraine since September 2022, but now it seems Russia is seeking a level of self-sufficiency in the capability.
Often launched in salvoes, the low-cost system has not only been used to strike targets, but also as a means to draw out and use up Ukraine’s stocks of ground-based air defense weaponry.
According to the UK Defense Ministry, indigenous manufacture will allow Russia to “establish a more reliable supply” of the OWA-UAS.
Currently, production relies on components and systems from Iran shipped via the Caspian Sea, but Russia is aiming for self-sufficiency in production, the UK ministry says.
The statements have been confirmed by Conflict Armament Research (CAR), whose missions into Ukraine have been examining the weaponry supplied to Russia and the components that make those weapons viable.
CAR has been able to examine wreckage of several recently downed systems and confirmed that a Russian version of the Shahed-136, called Geran-2, has been pushed into service.
Geran-2 uses similar construction methods as those associated with the Shahed-136 and “follows the same general working principles as the Shahed [uncrewed aerial vehicles],” CAR states.
Like the Iranian system, the Russian Geran-2 makes extensive use of electronics and components sourced outside of Iran and the Russian Federation, CAR’s research reveals.
Media reports had stated that Russia would try to achieve production of its own OWA-UAS in 2024, but the CAR research suggests this has already gotten underway.
“Since their first introduction to the conflict in September 2022, Shahed single-use [uncrewed aerial vehicles] have become a central part of the Russian Federation’s campaign in Ukraine,” CAR’s report says.
“This new development shows that the Russian Federation now has more than one pathway to still be able to sustain its current attack patterns,” the organization adds.
