Is Iran becoming the chief producer of cheap but lethal drones?

Iran is becoming a “global leader” in manufacturing cheap but dangerous drones, United States officials have claimed. As per The Guardian report, Iran is utilising Russia’s war with Ukraine to exhibit its technologies to other potential buyers. According to analysts at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Iranian drones used for strikes in the Middle East had identical features to those being used in Ukraine. Last November, Iran admitted to supplying Russia with drones but maintained that they were provided before the Ukraine invasion last February. US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley refuted the claim, saying Tehran gave Moscow only “a limited number of drones before the war.” “They transferred dozens just this summer and have military personnel in occupied Ukraine helping Russia use them against Ukrainian civilians,” Malley said in a tweet then. What have the US officials said and how Russia has been using Iranian drones in the Ukraine war? Let’s take a closer look. ‘Evidence’ of Iran-made drones used by Russia According to The Sydney Morning Herald report, the DIA officials on Tuesday (14 February) said that hundreds of drones have been provided to Russia since August 2022. Iran has supplied Moscow with three models of drones – Shahed 131 and 136 single-use kamikaze or suicide drones and the Mohajer-6 multi-role drone, reported The Guardian. During a briefing in London, the US officials said they used the videos and pictures from marketing materials of Iranian drones to compare them to the wreckage of a Shahed 136 drone recovered from Ukraine to disprove Tehran’s claims that its drones have not been used in the war by Russia. “While Iran has said it has sold drones to Russia, it has said explicitly that they have not been used in this conflict and that if they were, they would not ‘remain indifferent’,” an official was quoted as saying by The Guardian. The official also showed images of debris from a Shahed 131 killer drone used in an attack in Iraq last September and the scrap from an attack on Kyiv last October. [caption id=“attachment_12159912” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Ukraine has downed many Iranian drones deployed by Russia since last fall. AP File Photo[/caption] Except for Russian markings on the debris of the drone that struck Kyiv, the pictures displayed similar components including the rotary engine, wooden propeller, relay board, and hex screws, reported The Guardian. Calling it “compelling evidence”, the American defence officials said, “What we have seen is very recognisable debris from two very different geographical regions that has come from the same source”. “Iran is a partner in the conflict with Russia,” an official said on condition of anonymity, as per the Associated Press (AP). The officials also noted that Iran seemed to be “committed to resupplying” Russia with drones. As per the analysts, Iranian drones were cheaper to produce and cost anywhere between $US20,000 to $US40,000, reported The Sydney Morning Herald. ‘Marketing opportunity for Iran’ The US officials pointed out how, since 2014, the use of Iranian drones has ramped up. While earlier they were deployed in limited attacks such as those on Saudi Aramco and shipping as well as the 2021 Mercer Street tanker attack, they are now being used extensively in a war.

The officials said they believe Tehran is gathering “valuable lessons” to improve its drones from their deployment in Ukraine war.

Citing an example an official said that the Shaheds – dubbed “lawnmower” and “flying moped” for their loud motor – alerts the civilians and troops before the attack. This could lead to the manufacturing of quieter models in the future, reported AP.  The analysts also warned that Russia’s growing ties with Iran could lead to the latter emerging as a global, rather than regional, exporter of the lethal weapons. “This is validation for Iran, it helps Iran validate [their drones] as a viable weapon,” an official said, as per The Sydney Morning Herald. “Iran has said this has led to interest from 20 countries, they view it as a marketing opportunity.” Last week, the news website Al-Monitor reported citing an Iranian military intelligence official that several countries were interested in buying drones from Tehran. “Our power has grown to levels where China is waiting in line to buy 15,000 of our drones,” the official reportedly claimed at Imam Khomeini International University in the city of Qazvin. Explaining the purpose to declassify this intelligence, the DIA officials said they wanted to present “irrefutable evidence” to those sceptical about Iran supplying drones to Russia. “The main point is that Iran’s foreign ministry is denying that they are being used. What the US and the UK want to do is provide irrefutable evidence to a global audience where there may be more scepticism,” The Guardian quoted the officials as saying. [caption id=“attachment_12159922” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Tehran has provided Moscow with hundreds of drones that Russia has used to target Ukraine. Reuters File Photo[/caption] The briefing by DIA officials came a day after Britain presented evidence of Iran supplying advanced weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Tobias Borck, a research fellow for Middle East security studies at the Royal United Services Institute, told AP that the “timing of the release suggests Western powers are hardening their stance on Iran”. ‘Modified’ Iran-made drones for Russia The Guardian reported last week that Iran used boats and a state-owned airline to smuggle advanced long-range armed drones to Russia for use in Ukraine. Six Mohajer-6 drones, along with 12 Shahed 191 and 129 drones, were selected by Russian officers and technicians who visited Tehran last November. On 9 February, a report released by UK-based Conflict Armament Research (CAR) said that Iranian drones are being modified to fulfill Russia’s war needs. The investigation found that one of the Iranian-made Shahed-131 loitering munitions deployed by Russia had a multipurpose warhead. “CAR’s analysis shows that this multipurpose warhead was designed to ensure maximum damage to targets such as critical infrastructure, while also having a significant impact on the ability to undertake quick repair efforts,” the report said, as per Forbes. CAR further said that the warhead uncovered from the Shahed-131 “suggests that they may have been designed specifically for attacks against large targets like energy infrastructure.” “This observation is supported by the fact that, while the overall finish of the warhead seems well done, the fragmentation matrixes appear to be a later addition, with poor fit, finish, alignment and quality,” Forbes cited the report as saying. Samuel Bendett, a research analyst with the Center for Naval Analyses, told Forbes that the CAR findings prove that Russia “is modifying Shahed warhead for maximum damage.” “This modified type of warhead can leave a lot of damage in its wake in a strike on a civilian energy installation, making repairs difficult and lengthy, thereby increasing the impact of each drone that gets through Ukrainian defenses,” he added. As per The Wall Street Journal report on 5 February, Moscow and Tehran have cemented plans to set up a new factory in Russia that could produce at least 6,000 Iranian-designed drones for the conflict in Ukraine. With this, the two countries aim to manufacture faster drones to counter Ukrainian air defenses. How Iranian drones have been used by Russia The US has claimed that Tehran has already provided Moscow with hundreds of Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 drones that have been used by Russian troops to strike cities, military and civilian targets in Ukraine since September. Russia also used these Iran-made drones to target Ukraine’s power grid to hit the country’s power supply during the cold winter. However, Ukraine has succeeded in mostly nullifying the drone threat and has shot down over 540 of these unmanned aerial vehicles, according to the country’s air force, reported The Wall Street Journal.  With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.