Russia Localizes Production of Iranian Shahed Kamikaze Drones: Report

Russia has localized the production of Iran-developed Shahed-136 loitering munitions, the local variant of which is designated “Geran-2”.

This was reported by the investigators of Conflict Armament Research (CAR).

Russian version of the drone is simplified and work has been done to unify it with other Russian-made UAVs. It has also received structural changes to the fiberglass airframe and another navigation system.

The Russian model lacks internal duo-lateral airframe structure, which is observed in Iranian-made drones.

The Iranian Shahed uses a combination of four antennas attached to the base structure, which is connected to an off-body satellite navigation unit while being physically separated from it and with the fifth antenna being independent.

The Russian “Geran” has four antennas, which are components of the satellite navigation system and are located inside the airframe.

The Russian-made navigation unit has elements of the “Kometa” electronic warfare system, the same units are used in the Orlan, Forpost UAVs and guided kits for FAB-250, as well as AB-500 bombs.

Flight control units and starter units also differ.

Nevertheless, the number of Russian-made components remains low. CAR investigators said they documented more than 100 components belonging to 22 brands from 7 countries around the world.