Iranian UAVs | News and Discussions

[Arash1991]

Right. Why renamed it to Geranium-2 but it looks exactly the same.

Can one accused Iran of supplying these drones from its warehouses?? Or was the tech just sold to Russia and now produced by them, which is very different situation than direct supplying.

Iranian-style Shahed-136 drones, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.​

What is Iranian-Style Shahed-136 drone? Does it have this symbol pattern printed on it?

View attachment 880459

VOA and Jerusalem Post Breaking News: Iran unveiled the Tabriz 313 drone:

 

[Stryker1982]

VOA and Jerusalem Post Breaking News: Iran unveiled the Tabriz 313 drone:

View attachment 880461

Iranian Style Remote controlled, vehicle-based IED

 

[thesaint]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1571172675426418689

 

[Arash1991]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1571172675426418689

after all the empty talk a few weeks ago, the liars in the media are now being confronted with reality.

 

[Blue In Green]

Salam agham! Always nice to see you turn up.

Big development in Ukraine...the amerikwans told the truth twice this year! Once about the invasion and now about the arms deal

Appreciate the comment!!

I made a tiny post about before, but I will mention it again, I think the possibility that Russian MoD releases zero information about use of drones from IR, is not low and kept fully under the table.

It would help them alot for media reasons, but perhaps as part of the agreement, no information was to be released. Just speculating here.


I haven't looked at the comments yet, but I will when I feel like getting some entertainment, but I imagine "nuke Iran " is one of them

The abject racist hatred the anti-Iran crowd harbors is something else man... You gotta lurk with them for a little while to really understand that they actually hate us for who we are and want us dead because of it.

Anyways, 'back to topic'.

Iranian drones will help put immense pressure on regular UKR-forces as the Russian military does indeed seem to be using them as intended.

 

[Sineva]

Vtol Yasir variant.

What gets me about this one is that it is so simple that when you see it you think,now why didnt I think of that.
Literally all the yasir needs to be converted to vtol is to have both the tail booms and their wing mounts extended,and then the vtol rotor assembles fitted to the booms,at least in theory

 

[lydian fall]

 

[jauk]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1571118912456265734

Russia’s Use of Iranian Kamikaze Drones Creates New Dangers for Ukrainian Troops
Shahed-136 drones supplied to Russia carried out several devastating strikes in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region over past week, Ukrainian commanders say

Russia has inflicted serious damage on Ukrainian forces with recently introduced Iranian kamikaze drones, in its first wide-scale deployment of a foreign weapons system since the war began, Ukrainian commanders say.

Over the past week, Shahed-136 delta-wing drones, repainted in Russian colors and rebranded as Geranium 2, started appearing over Ukrainian armor and artillery positions in the northeastern Kharkiv region, said Col. Rodion Kulagin, commander of artillery of Ukraine’s 92nd Mechanized Brigade.

In his brigade’s operational area alone, the Iranian drones—which usually fly in pairs and then slam into their targets—have destroyed two 152-mm self-propelled howitzers, two 122-mm self-propelled howitzers, as well as two BTR armored infantry vehicles, he said. Before the current wide-scale use of the Shaheds, Russia carried out a test last month, striking a U.S.-supplied M777 155-mm towed howitzer with the drone, Col. Kulagin said. Another Iranian drone malfunctioned and was recovered, he said.

So far, the Iranian drones seem to have been mostly deployed in the Kharkiv region, where the 92nd Brigade and other Ukrainian forces carried out a major offensive this month, retaking some 8,500 sq. km of land occupied by Russia and seizing or destroying hundreds of Russian tanks, artillery pieces and armored carriers.

“In other areas, the Russians have overwhelming artillery firepower, and they manage with that. Here, they no longer have that artillery advantage, and so they have started to resort to these drones,” Col. Kulagin said.

Independent experts who examined photographs of recent drone wreckage from the Kharkiv region say that it appears to be Shahed-136, the latest evolution of Tehran’s delta-wing design.

Scott Crino, founder and chief executive of Red Six Solutions LLC, a strategic consulting firm, said the Shahed-136 could provide Russia with a “potent counterweight” to the high-tech weapons systems, such as Himars missile launchers, that the U.S. has provided to Ukraine.

“The presence of Shahed-136 in Ukraine war is undoubtedly changing the operational plans of Kyiv,” he said. “The sheer size of Ukraine battlefield makes it hard to defend against the Shahed-136.”

Mr. Crino said the Shahed-136 can be used with great effect with one targeting a radar system and the second one hitting artillery pieces. Iran also has antijamming systems that can make it hard for Ukrainian forces to counter, he said. “Once a Shahed locks onto target, it will be hard to stop,” he said.

Russia’s use of Shahed-136 drones in Ukraine represents the most challenging expansion of Tehran’s arsenal beyond the Middle East, where Iran has successfully used its unmanned aerial vehicles to pressure America and its allies in the region. It also highlights the deficiencies in Russia’s own drone program, which hasn’t been able to match the firepower of armed UAVs deployed by Ukraine.

Israel and the West have accused Iran and its proxies of flying armed drones to attack Saudi Arabia’s oil industry, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, American soldiers in Syria, as well as tankers in the Gulf of Oman in recent years.

The British Ministry of Defense, in its intelligence update on Sept. 14, also said it was highly likely that Russia had deployed Iranian drones in Ukraine for the first time. Noting that the Shahed-136 has a claimed range of 2,500 km, it added that so far, it appears that Moscow is using these drones for tactical strikes near front lines rather than to destroy more strategic targets deep into Ukrainian territory.

The Iranian drones are relatively small and fly at a very low altitude, making it hard for Ukrainian air-defense systems to detect them, Col. Kulagin said. He said he hoped the U.S. and allies could provide Ukraine with more advanced antidrone technologies, or would step in to disrupt Iranian drone shipments to Russia.

In July, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned that Russian defense officials have visited Iran, preparing to purchase up to several hundred Iranian drones, including the weapons-capable ones, on an expedited timeline. At the time, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian denied the plan in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart and said that Tehran opposes the war on Ukraine, according to a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Russia hasn’t publicly commented on Iranian drone purchases. Iran’s Foreign Ministry didn’t respond to a recent Wall Street Journal request to comment on the matter. The Russian ministries of defense and foreign affairs didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

On Sept. 8., the U.S. Department of the Treasury said it had sanctioned Iranian company Safiran Airport Services for coordinating Russian military flights that transported Iranian drones and related equipment to Russia, and Iranian drone-manufacturing companies Paravar Pars, DAMA and Baharestan Kish.

Drones of different kinds play an important role in the Ukrainian conflict, in part because neither side has air superiority and is, therefore, reluctant to use manned aircraft over enemy positions. Hundreds of military and commercial reconnaissance drones hover in the air daily along the front lines, spotting targets and guiding artillery fire.

Ukraine, unlike Russia, also operates a fleet of drones armed with missiles. These Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones destroyed several Russian armored columns in the early days of the war and are being used more frequently once again, now that Kyiv has been able to weaken Russian air defenses in many areas, in part thanks to U.S.-supplied AGM-88 HARM antiradar missiles.

Both Russia and Ukraine also use kamikaze drones, also known as loitering munitions. Russia’s Kalashnikov Group has developed a homemade drone known as Kub-Bla, while Ukraine is flying Polish-made Warmate and U.S.-supplied Switchblade drones, as well as some locally-made UAVs. These munitions have a much shorter range and flying time than the Iranian-developed Shahed drones, and carry a significantly smaller payload.


Iran has emerged as one of the world’s most resourceful developers of combat drones, in part by reverse-engineering American drones that went astray over the past two decades in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Since Iran unveiled its kamikaze drones in 2016, versions of them have been used to carry out attacks across the Middle East. Last year, the British government accused Iran of using Shahed-136 drones to strike an Israeli-affiliated oil tanker off the coast of Oman, in an incident that killed two crew members. A U.S. military investigation recovered drone debris from the MT Mercer Street tanker and concluded that these were parts of Iranian made delta-wing drones.

Washington also accused Iran of using delta-wing drones as part of a coordinated 2019 attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry.

The U.S. and Israel have accused Iran of providing militants everywhere from Yemen to Lebanon with the training and the parts they need to develop their own drones.

Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have repeatedly used delta-wing drones to carry out attacks on neighboring Saudi Arabia. In February, Israeli officials said, U.S. jet fighters brought down two Iranian delta-wing drones over northern Iraq. Israeli officials said the drones were heading for Israel.

While the Biden administration has been warning for months that Iran was preparing to provide Russia with hundreds of drones to use in Ukraine, the U.S. initially expected Tehran to have shipped drones capable of carrying missiles, not the kamikaze-style Shaheds.

Michael Knights, a military specialist at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank, predicted that Ukrainian forces would be able to quickly counter the threat posed by Iranian kamikaze drones. “Iran’s drones look snazzy in Yemen and Syria and Gaza, but they’re increasingly blockable,” he said.

Ukraine, he said, is “a serious counter-air environment and electronic warfare environment that Iran hasn’t really experienced before.” These drones, Mr. Knights added, “tend to have effect at first and then the shock effect wears off.”

The main thing swirling in my head is what does Iran have in store unannounced that they have willingly sent and publicized the hi tech drones to combat zones. THAT’S what keeps opponents awake at night and, frankly, the most important hidden item in the news.

 

[drmeson]

 

[jauk]

Recent information on deadly effectiveness of Iranian drones ( WSJ and now NY Times). The irony is that given the success of Iranian drones, the runaway province is crying foul and begging for help which can be used as internal fodder by western governments as justification for more material support. Also note, this article almost entirely negates the 'huge successes!’ propagated by unreliable western media reports over the past few weeks.

Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Forces Face Mobilized Inmates and Drones (Published 2022)

Ukraine has been pushing a counteroffensive in the east and south, applying greater pressure to Russian forces, but there is no indication of any mass Russian withdrawal.

www.nytimes.com

 

[drmeson]

Recent information on deadly effectiveness of Iranian drones ( WSJ and now NY Times). The irony is that given the success of Iranian drones, the runaway province is crying foul and begging for help which can be used as internal fodder by western governments as justification for more material support. Also note, this article almost entirely negates the !huge successes’ propagated by unreliable western media reports over the past few weeks.

Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Forces Face Mobilized Inmates and Drones (Published 2022)

Ukraine has been pushing a counteroffensive in the east and south, applying greater pressure to Russian forces, but there is no indication of any mass Russian withdrawal.

www.nytimes.com

This merits a separate thread I guess. Shahed-136 exploits in Ukraine.

 

[Stryker1982]

This merits a separate thread I guess. Shahed-136 exploits in Ukraine.

How much you guys reckon a S-136 would cost.

$20K a piece?

Example: Say 5000 pieces were produced = $100million.

S-136 was probably made at some point on 2019 or earlier. First known use was in 2019. Maybe had them for 3+ years. It's possible to to produce them into the 4 digits. I don't know about getting up to 5000 pieces which may take some more time till it gets there. Just guesstimating. It's a decent chance theirs atleast 1000 pieces by now.

 

[makranman]

How much you guys reckon a S-136 would cost.

$20K a piece?

Example: Say 5000 pieces were produced = $100million.

S-136 was probably made at some point on 2019 or earlier. First known use was in 2019. Maybe had them for 3+ years. It's possible to to produce them into the 4 digits. I don't know about getting up to 5000 pieces which may take some more time till it gets there. Just guesstimating. It's a decent chance theirs atleast 1000 pieces by now.

say there are 20000 drones produced so far. that makes almost 5000 units a year or some 17 units a day (if workers take 60 days off a year, which they don't.)
if there is money, much much more can be produced. does iran have 500 million for such drones? probably. depends on the usecase. remember, iran has thousands of missiles. thousands of drones are much cheaper.

the buttleneck here are engines. well, iran produces hundreds of thousands of car a year(upwards of 300,000). so the number can go much much higher.

 

[sha ah]

The Americans would sell something like this for $100,000. Look how much they sell their ATGMs for (Javelin). Iran is probably charging Russia $20-$50,000 a piece, taking full advantage of the fact that the Russians don't have that many options. It's called "Geran" for a reason. LOL

How much you guys reckon a S-136 would cost.

$20K a piece?

Example: Say 5000 pieces were produced = $100million.

S-136 was probably made at some point on 2019 or earlier. First known use was in 2019. Maybe had them for 3+ years. It's possible to to produce them into the 4 digits. I don't know about getting up to 5000 pieces which may take some more time till it gets there. Just guesstimating. It's a decent chance theirs atleast 1000 pieces by now.

 

[Arash1991]

How much you guys reckon a S-136 would cost.

$20K a piece?

Example: Say 5000 pieces were produced = $100million.

S-136 was probably made at some point on 2019 or earlier. First known use was in 2019. Maybe had them for 3+ years. It's possible to to produce them into the 4 digits. I don't know about getting up to 5000 pieces which may take some more time till it gets there. Just guesstimating. It's a decent chance theirs atleast 1000 pieces by now.

Russia developed a much smaller but similar looking Lootering UAV in 2019.

Flight time: 30 minutes
Warhead weight: 3kg
Speed: 130 km/h
Development: 2019
Origin: Russia
Unit Cost max estimate : 160.000$ per unit Source
Unit cost minimum estimate: 70.000 $ per unit Source
Role: Lootering & Scout
Experiences: Syria War, Ukraine war

Other Data Source


So 70.000$ to 160.000 Dollar per unit is not cost effective. To be honest its very expensive for the russian version.

So what could be the price of a shahed drone?


KUB BLA

Another similar and more realistic variant i found is the Zionist IAI Harpy (older version)
Source
Flight time: 6 hours
Warhead weight: 32kg
Speed: 185 km/h
Development: 1989
Origin: Zionist
Unit Cost max estimate : 70.000$ per unit Source
Unit cost minimum estimate: 70.000 $ per unit Source
Role: Lootering & Scout
Experiences: ?

Price estimation:
We cant find the exact price of the Shahed 139 in a official Iranian price list. But we can maybe get close to it.
I will consider different factors wich will estimate the price:


1. Energy costs Source:
Iran: 0.005$ per kwh
Russia: 0.079$ per kwh
israel: 0.163 $ per kwh
Conclusion: Irans energy price for households is more than 15 times cheaper than compared to russia and more than 32 times cheaper than Zionists. Because I did not found values for industry, I will take this also for Industry.

2. Labour force salary:
Iran: 900$ Source
Russia: 939 $ Source
Israel: 3710,00 $ Source
Conclusion: Russia just little bit higher. technical workers in Israel can earn 8300$ + per month.

Every Price is made out of 3 factors:
1. Production Costs
2. Customer readyness
3. Competitors on the Market

Production Costs:
Energy and labour force are 2 big components of a production price. Its true that we dont know the material cost of every component of the Shahed 136 Drone or the development costs. But when we use Global criterias wich have an effect on all of these smaller factors (energy, Labour salary), we can get maybe closer to the real price than only "Guessing".
the absolute values are not even that important. What is more important are the ratios to each other. The Zionist drone comes closer to Iranian drone from Size, Engine and Design. But its quite an old model and we dont know the production Cost of this device today. Secondly, the russian drone differs more from iranian drone but its more recent.
All in all Russian and Zionist drone are on a similar price level. All these cost are by the way the sell costs to the customer. Is we consider that Iran can sell the drone between 32 to 5 times cheaper than comparable drones (SELL price to customer) it is realistic to assume that Iran can produce them at cheap costs somewhere around 20.000 Dollar Each. Production cost may be even cheaper. May around 10.000 Dollar.

Other points:
Customer readyness to buy that drone: In case of Russia: Very High. Their own drones lack of quality, they may have problems due to sanctions with own production and they are in an active war.
Competitors on the market: Only China. But Iran is may even cheaper than china due to low energy costs and labour force costs. These drones are not designed and produced by 2 Dollar workers.
And may Iran is the only Combat experienced and tested producer of this drone class in this size.

So Iran would definitily have the position to sell each of this drone for maybe 40.000 or 50.000 Dollar to foreign customers if they want. 300 of them would be worth 15 Million.
For comparision: India bought only 10 Zionist Harpy Drones (with training and everything else for 100 Mio dollars. (redicuilus)