Shahed-136 - Tracking usage & expanding understanding.

[Sineva]

This is what many in the west don't understand about suicide drones, they are utterly expendable. The switchblade, which is small battlefield drone, costs 70k a pop, compared to Shahed-136 which is 20-40k a unit and is both a strategic and battlefield weapon which has inflicted large amounts of damage to Ukrainian military and civilian infrastructure.

AeroVironment Will Upgrade the Switchblade | The Motley Fool

Orbital ATK will help, providing an advanced warhead for AeroVironment's killer drone.

www.fool.com

Its not surprising when you see that even western short ranged guided antitank weapons like the javelin cost around $200,000+ a piece.
Frankly I think that a western mic produced shahed 136 equivalent would easily cost in the multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars range.

 

[Stryker1982]

Busy day today with Shahed-136.

With launches occurring during the day time and night time.

Air alarms were frequently on in Central Ukraine, with locals hearing sounds of Geran-2's. Particularity in Vinnytsia where explosions are heard. Alarms were frequent during the day.

Statement:
Air raids will now last longer, - an explanation from the speaker of the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yuriy Gnat.

The reason is kamikaze drones: “The speed of the drone is not high, 120-150 km per hour. It flies for a long time and can correct the route. Therefore, the duration of the alarms is higher than before.”

In Vinnytsia region, a Mig-29 was pulled up to down Geran-2 UAS. As we saw in the past, resorting to airpower is necessary in dealing with this threat, but it is extremely cost-ineffective. Amazingly a Mig-29 after downing or attempting to down a Geran-2, succumbed to failure from 'technical malfunction' and crashed!

https://imgur.com/a/7IFOT7K

Proof;

View attachment 886528


Drones in swarms were frequently heard approaching Odessa and Nikolaev Oblasts into the night. Destination not clear.


Explosions were caught on video and recorded as far as Kiev Oblast tonight.

https://imgur.com/a/PBwl2SL

https://imgur.com/a/LN38hnA

https://imgur.com/a/1vNtKDK

https://twitter.com/x/status/1580398172727230465

 

[Stryker1982]

Kiev officials 3 more explosion's in the oblast. Likely part of the drone swarm that was launched several hours ago arrived.

Keep in mind, it takes several hours for the drone to reach as far as Kiev oblast, just on a mathematical calculation, ~580km to Kiev from shorelines of Crimea, and average speed if assuming 150km/h, would take 3.8 hours. Slow and steady for targets that are not urgent.

As is proven, they cannot detect these very comfortably.

 

[Stryker1982]

Kiev officials 3 more explosion's in the oblast. Likely part of the drone swarm that was launched several hours ago arrived.

Keep in mind, it takes several hours for the drone to reach as far as Kiev oblast, just on a mathematical calculation, ~580km to Kiev from shorelines of Crimea, and average speed if assuming 150km/h, would take 3.8 hours. Slow and steady for targets that are not urgent.

As is proven, they cannot detect these very comfortably.

Targets was critical infrastructure that was guarded by armed personnel.

I remember when these UKR clowns were mocking this system when it first was reported in use

@Navigator @zestokryl

​

 

[Stryker1982]

Kiev officials 3 more explosion's in the oblast. Likely part of the drone swarm that was launched several hours ago arrived.

Keep in mind, it takes several hours for the drone to reach as far as Kiev oblast, just on a mathematical calculation, ~580km to Kiev from shorelines of Crimea, and average speed if assuming 150km/h, would take 3.8 hours. Slow and steady for targets that are not urgent.

As is proven, they cannot detect these very comfortably.

Makarov Area, scenes close to the front line when Russia was in Irpin near Kiev several months ago.

 

[Beast]

No airforce is needed in new era of high tech warfare.

-Long range MLRS
-Swarm of small stealthy suicide drone
-powerful air defense to wearout defender attack airforce.
-strong targeting and surveillance to obtain highly precise target info.

So far Iran drone is successful against stastic targets. I guess Iran/Russia will still have problem dealing with mobile targets.

 

[Stryker1982]

I guess Iran/Russia will still have problem dealing with mobile targets.

So far. Give them some time to train on UCAVs, Takes many months.

 

[IblinI]

No airforce is needed in new era of high tech warfare.

Stealth fighter (be it 5th or 6th gen) alone with wingman is none replaceable.

 

[Oldman1]

don't knew about Ukraine capacity for producing those boards , they are not that complex probably only 4-5 layer , but I don't see why any other Europeans country can produce it for them if Russia managed to destroy the facilities that are capable of producing such boards. the rest of the drones not that complex, and mostly of the shelf material , Ukrainian are fools if they don't copy them specially after west refused to gave them longer range weapons , what I doubt is Ukraine be able to build them as cheap as us my guess is by how the military industry work in west if they want to copy it it will be at least 100,000$ still in my mind worth the investment

How about in hidden facilities? Not too big but good size for dozens to make. Its true that NATO and rest of the world have not provided such long range weapons and probably good idea to make duplicates for it. Probably even make it in Poland next door safely and ship it back in.

 

[Oldman1]

Conceptually this UAS is not difficult to make. If they were smart they should make something like it. Even a simplified version would work

Fiberglass body similar to a car body
Fueltank
Diesel
2-stroke commercial engine that many US companies can offer (Chinease if you want super cheap). Wooden propeller
Navigation (military grade GPS receivers) (provided by NATO nation).
Fuse & TNT



If you want lower RCS, Anti-EW, Autonomous targeting software, Infared Cameras, ability to be controlled as part of a network by another recon/relay UAV and such of course alot more work is needed, but if you just want a flying bomb that can fly 500km into enemy territory, they should be able to.

The cream/parameters is keeping costs low and production capacity very high, otherwise 100 or 200 of this UAS or scaled down variant is pretty useless in the grand scheme of things in a war of this size. If those parameters are violated, the UAS loses it's purpose

Inventories need to be well into the thousands, and production needs to be dozen+ per day at minimum to be very effective. Just consider this UAS to be like a flying JDAM, you should be using 1000s of them over the course of a war and more.

Most of the time its short range loitering munitions provided by NATO mostly for frontlines. Not to mention quad copters for grenade dropping. But I'm hoping for the long range version with about 2000km range like the Shahed 136 that can hit airbases and logistics and other important facilities, even critical infrastructures in Russia. And since its not bound by western rules since its not western design, they can use them however they like.

 

[ziaulislam]

Only issue is engine domestically built copy or imported.

If imported than west will try to make it hard for Iran to procure more engines.

Moscow needs thousands of S-136 and that means thousands of drone prop engines.

Engine isn't issue, it's simple old piston engine
Electronics may be but they are simple

 

[Hack-Hook]

How about in hidden facilities? Not too big but good size for dozens to make. Its true that NATO and rest of the world have not provided such long range weapons and probably good idea to make duplicates for it. Probably even make it in Poland next door safely and ship it back in.

if you have an underground parking lot , i can't see why you can't transform it to produce those electric parts , it only need a moderate workshop to produce them
and they always can be built outside country and ship back in a car literally can carry enough board for probably 50-60 uav . what is a concern here is how much it will cost for them to produce it .
in west they want higher than rational amount of margin on anything produced related to military .they say , its government , its military let ask as much money from them m it cost us 100$ to produce the board let ask for 2000$ and if they complain we can reduce it to 1500$ , they pay for it

 

[Sineva]

Targets was critical infrastructure that was guarded by armed personnel.

I remember when these UKR clowns were mocking this system when it first was reported in use

@Navigator @zestokryl

​

Yes,they were derisively referring to them as "mopeds"
Guess they forgot about these versions

Technically its not even accurate,mopeds were usually powered by single or twin cylinder engines,not four cylinder,that`d be a Volkswagen... [and we all know who made them,dont we?]

 

[Hack-Hook]

like the concept behind it , that was the secret behind King Nader Afshar victories in the wars small cannons mounted on camel that were in constant move during battle It was called Zanboorak (Small Bee)

 

[Nevsky]

Amazingly a Mig-29 after downing or attempting to down a Geran-2, succumbed to failure from 'technical malfunction' and crashed!

According to the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation, as a result of the destruction of one of the kamikaze drones, its fragments hit the cockpit of the Ukrainian MiG-29, after which the pilot was forced to eject. The plane crashed into a field and burned out.