Iran - Unmanned Air Vehicles UAV
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"Sanctions have had no impact on the performance of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force and we are currently one of the most powerful air forces in the region and even in the world" the IRIAF commander pointed out. Over the past years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing military equipment and hardware despite sanctions and economic pressures on the country.
The Islamic Republic maintains that its military power poses no threat to other countries and was based on its military doctrine of deterrence. The senior spokesman of the Iranian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, on Sunday once again reiterated Iran's message of peace and friendship to the world, emphasizing that the country seeks no one's permission to boost its defense capabilities. "The Islamic Republic of Iran manufactures any equipment it requires to defend the country and will not ask for anybody's permission in this regard," Shekarchi told IRNA.
The number of countries developing UAVs has increased dramatically from 2005 to 2010, by which time there were over 50 countries developing more than 900 different UAV systems. This growth was attributed to countries seeing the success of the United States with UAVs in Iraq and Afghanistan and deciding to invest resources into UAV development to compete economically and militarily in this emerging area. Iran has developed and fielded tactical UAVs that are less sophisticated than Western designs, but still can perform missions, such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and one-way strike missions. US trade embargos on countries such as Iran, North Korea, and Syria cover UAV technology, along with a wide array of other items.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force units operating in Syria fired roughly 20 rockets into Israel’s Golan Heights in May 2018. In February 2018, Israel shot down a weaponized Iranian drone launched from Syrian territory.
Iran has a long history with UAV experimentation, demonstrated limited exploitation of the IRMA, and expanded its UAV use in the maritime domain over the past 20 years. Remotely guided drones are a powerful arm of any army or intelligence unit. Due to the strategic and border position with several different countries as well as possible threats, Iran needs a variety of these UAVs, and there have been many efforts in this direction. Iran's first use of the drones goes back to the time of the Iraq-Iran war, but where was it standing today in terms of UAVs? Iran's progress in the field of drone manufacturing was so dramatic that it has surprised the world; however, it owes this progress to the unwelcomed sanctions by the United States.
Along with the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran became the victim of the worst crippling sanctions especially in military areas. During the war Iranians managed to use military drones and even mounted rockets on them. But today, they are known as one of the top 10 drone producers in the world. Iran showed its power of military drones just recently in its retaliatory attacks against terrorists in Syria's Deir ez-Zor and the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
Iran’s UAV capabilities have improved significantly since their initial fielding. Although the country has operated unmanned aircraft since the early 1980s, development and employment of new UAV airframes as part of routine surveillance operations was relatively new for the Iranian military. Iranian drones range from STUAS platforms to MALE airframes.
Iran's progress in the field of drone manufacturing has been very impressive. The Sadegh UAV was one example. Its flight ceiling was 15000 feet or 4500 Metres. It operates with a velocity or speed of 200 Km per hour, a mass of 242 Kg, 6 hours flight endurance and an operational radius of 200 Km. Mohajer-6 was the Mohajer family blueprint metamorphosed. To achieve this model, Iranian defense experts seem to have localized one of Europe's best tactical UAVs, the Falco. Less than a year ago began the mass production of Mohajer-6 UAVs. This put the number of Iran's long-range UAVs at 3. The 2000 Km-Thrust threesome comprises the Shahed, Fotros and Mohajer-6.
In the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, Iran was now one of the world’s top four or five countries, and the top drone power in the region. Iran's UAV program has expanded in recent years with more than a dozen models operating for a variety of functions ranging from surveillance to intelligence gathering, carrying bombs and Kamikaze operations. They have been playing a significant role in the fight against Takfiri terrorists as well as monitoring US warships in the Persian Gulf.
Iran currently possesses the biggest collection of captured or downed American and Israeli drones, including the American MQ-1, MQ-9, Shadow, ScanEagle, and RQ-170 as well as the Israeli regime's Hermes, according to IRGC Aerospace Commander Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh.
Iran was publicly known to have approximately fifteen different variants of UAVs based on eleven distinct airframes. Most Iranian unmanned platforms are designed for ISR but newer platforms like the Shahed 129 show an Iranian proclivity to arm unmanned aircraft. The oldest platform in the Iranian inventory was the Ababil class of UAV. Developed indigenously by HESA in the early 1980s, the Ababil comes in short-range, medium-range, and attack variants in the Ababil-S, Ababil II, and Ababil-T, respectively. The latest version of the airframe, called the Ababil III, was released in 2014. The newest platform in the Iranian inventory was the Fotros, claimed by Iran to have a 30-hour endurance at 25,000 feet. Iran announced the Hamaseh unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), which made its unarmed debut in 2016 during Iran’s Great Prophet exercises.
In 2012, Iranian media reported that Tehran was developing a "mother drone" -- a pilotless aircraft capable of launching multiple microdrones. Designed by a student at Isfahan University, according to Iranian media, the as-yet-unseen craft was said to be capable of carrying five baby drones. Iran was believed to have more than a dozen types of surveillance drones currently in existence, including the Fotros, which was Iran's largest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and was said by Iranian officials to have a range of 2,000 kilometers.
According to a RAND report, Iran was still "unable to develop UAVs that can cruise high enough to avoid terrain yet low enough to avoid radar, especially against enemies on high alert, such as Israel or U.S. bases in the Middle East." Iranian drones have been spotted in Syria and Iraq and have been shot down over Lebanon by the Israeli military.
Two of Iran’s most frequently employed UAVs in the maritime domain are the Mohajer class and the Shahed 129 UCAV. The Mohajer class of UAV, like the Ababil, saw use in the Iran-Iraq war. The platform’s latest upgrade was the Mohajer-4, depicted in Figure 6, commonly used to surveil U.S. Navy vessels transiting at sea.
In November 2006, the US Government provided German officials information indicating that Iran was in possession of L550E engines manufactured by the German firm Limbach Flugmotoren GmbH & Co. - likely supplied by the Dutch firm Aviation Services International (ASI). The US also advised the FRG that the Taiwanese firm Prime Kit Enterprises Inc. was working as a middleman for an additional shipment of Limbach engines to Iran.
In July 2007, German authorities advised the US that their investigation confirmed that Limbach shipped 34 engines to Iran via ASI, and that Limbach was likely aware of the fact that the end-user was Iranian. German interlocutors also advised that the Federal General Prosecutor had initiated legal proceedings against the firm for violating the Foreign Trade and Payments Act. As of July 2007, the German Federal Economic and Export Licensing Agency (BAFA) was still investigating the possible connection between Limbach and Prime Kit, though BAFA did confirm that ASI had shipped four Limbach-produced engines to Taiwan firms between March 2005 and October 2006.
Between July 2007 and January 2008, the UAE-based firm Noor Aerospace Technologies was working to supply Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Technologies with several types of engines, including Limbach L-550E engines. In an effort to facilitate this transaction, Noor intended to falsify export licensing documents by labeling the engines as "pneumatic pumps" and to make it appear as though the end-user was not in Iran, but in another country in the region.
One of the less known Iranian drone features was the development of a technology for the design and construction of a type of engine named Wankel. Although this type of engine has been available to the defense industries of the United States for many years, the availability of Iranian specialists to this capability in the difficult conditions of boycotting the country, suggests the growth and improvement of the level of defense technology in the country.
In the case of rotary engines, the combustion pressure enters a force on the surface of a triangle rotor that completely leaks the combustion chamber. This piece (rotor) was what was used instead of the piston. As the rotor moves, each of these three volumes will gradually expand and contract; it was the same contraction and expansion that blows air and fuel mixture into the cylinder and condensates it. During the expansion process, it produces a useful power and exhaust gases. Engines have a spark ignition and fuel system similar to piston engines.
Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said 23 July 2019 Iran was in possession of intercontinental drones and will definitely put them to use if the need for a long-haul mission arises. Elaborating on Iran's drone capabilities in an interview with the Young Journalists Club (YJC) published on Tuesday, Khanzadi said the country monitors American ships in the Persian Gulf and has "complete images and a large archive of the daily and moment-by-moment movements" of the vessels belonging to the US and its allies.
"We can bravely declare that we observe all enemy ships, particularly Americans, point-by-point from their origin until the moment they enter the region," he said, adding that Iran's Armed Forces also possess information about the type of their missions and their conduct in the region. Khanzadi also complained that enemy ships create "severe insecurity" by "aimless sailing and hypocritical behavior" in the region. "Our drones monitor their ships and warships from their entry moment and the monitoring process continues until they sail into the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Their behavior in the Persian Gulf, which is part of our identity and our backyard, is fully under watch based on international law and aviation regulations," he said.
Asked about UAVs for intercontinental missions, the Iranian Navy chief said, "Yes, now we have this type of drones and will definitely use them if necessary."
What is objectionable from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's point of view and, of course, from the point of view of logic, is the repetition of experiences that do not need to be repeated. Undoubtedly, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force, which provides its UAV to the Army Navy and its tactical missile pointing technologies to the Army Ground Force to convert rockets into point-to-point missiles, refrains from sharing the experience of more than 50,000 hours. Shahid 129 operational reconnaissance and combat flight does not belong to the Army Air Force, even though there are cooperation agreements between the Air Force and Nahaja; Experiences about the engine, the non-metallic composite wing structure with a span of more than 15 meters, the performance of various sensors at medium to high flight altitude, and any points that despite being experienced in Shahid 129, there is no need to repeat and learn about it by trial and error. have, are among the fields whose repetition is considered parallel work. The United States said 11 July 2022 it had intelligence that Iran was preparing to deliver armed drones to the Russian military. Jake Sullivan, the White House national security advisor said that Iran was planning to supply hundreds of drones with combat weapon capabilities to Russia for use in Ukraine. The US says it's unclear whether any drones have already been delivered, but that Iran's set to train Russian forces on their use this month. The Kremlin's announced that president Vladimir Putin will visit Iran next week.
The White House revealed intelligence that Russia and Iran are moving quickly on a drone supply pact, which comes as Russia forces face stiff Ukrainian resistance in their push to consolidate control of eastern and southern Ukraine. "The Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), including weapons-capable UAVs, on an expedited timeline," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters. "Our information further indicates that Iran was preparing to train Russian forces to use these UAVs, with initial training sessions slated to begin as soon as early July," he said.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the national security council, said the deal, revealed by the White House on Monday, also shows Iran's willingness to support Moscow's war on Ukraine. But he said supply the drones would not necessarily affect US ongoing attempts to negotiate a return to the 2015 six-party deal to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. "We continue to want to see a nuclear deal that takes Iran's nuclear ambitions, at least its nuclear weapons ambitions, off the table," Kirby said.
Kirby told CNN that the drones can be both for reconnaissance and to deliver munitions, and explained why the information was divulged. "It was important to make it clear to the world that we know that Russia needs these additional capabilities," he said. "They are expanding their resources at an accelerated rate."
Viktor Litovkin, a retired colonel and military commentator for TASS, told RT that “Iran has manufactured a significant number of drones that are just being stored at warehouses right now. “Iran is not engaged in any wars, so it doesn’t need all those drones, while Russia could use them in its Ukraine campaign. It is no wonder then that we could buy different types of UAVs from Iran”.
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian said on July 13 that his country would not help Russia, despite the defense agreement. According to him, official Tehran avoids any actions that could lead to further escalation in Ukraine, in particular, refuses to supply military equipment. Moscow was clearly irritated by Washington's statement and Tehran's response. Peskov said that Putin does not plan to discuss the purchase of UAVs during his visit to Iran next week.
Another aspect was interesting in this drone story. In the Russian media environment, the question "how did we get to such a point where Iran, which has been under severe sanctions for a long time, managed to establish the production of drones, and Russia did not" was actively asked. It seems that, among other things, it was planned to create something "its own, Russian" on the basis of Iranian (actually intercepted American drones of an old version) and happily report it to Putin.
Vladimir Sazhin, from the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences and an expert on Iran, had doubts about Teheran’s ability to mass produce and export UAVs, “Iran supplies drones to its ‘allies’ – mostly, Yemen’s Houthis, and we can hardly count them in the hundreds, dozens would be a more realistic estimate, and we don’t even know the type. Besides military drones, Iran also manufactures simple models, almost like toys. I don’t think Iran is capable of increasing the scale of production in such limited time. The systems that are manufactured in Iran right now can hardly be exported.”
Kaman-22
Kaman 22 drone [kaman = bow], which is very similar to the design of the American MQ-9 Predator drone and looks generally similar to the Shahid 129 drone, was seriously tested against rebel groups in Syria. In the past, Iranian drones have shown high capabilities in combat situations and have been praised by the authorities of this regime as "very sophisticated" due to their efficiency in evading Israeli air defenses in reconnaissance mission.
The long-range and strategic multi-purpose drone of the 22nd Air Force was on public display for the first time during the Army Day parade. "Kaman 22" which was unveiled on 06 March 2019, was the first wide-body combat drone of the army, which has the ability to carry all kinds of cargo in a continuous flight of more than 24 hours. Kaman 22 was currently undergoing final testing; The Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran has used this drone to guide, control and monitor the exercise area.
The drone named "Kaman 22" can fly at a distance of 3 thousand kilometers and was difficult to observe. Perhaps it was for this reason that Seyyed Ibrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, warned the Zionist leaders that in case of any move by Israel, the great and formidable power of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not leave the Zionists alone for a moment and will strike deep into Israel.
He pointed out that before this, the Kornet anti-tank missiles made by Syria and Russia were able to destroy the legend of the Merkava tanks, which were once the pride of the Zionist military industry, and prevent any attack by the Zionist regime on the Gaza Strip in the past 10 years. Even now, it seems that Russia's Sterla missiles will prevent any incursion of Israeli fighters into the Gaza Strip in the foreseeable future.
Atwan clarified, in addition to all this, now the Kaman 22 UAV of the Islamic Republic of Iran has caused great concern for the Israeli military institutions; Because this drone can easily reach the depths of occupied Palestine and Iran has hundreds of these drones and possibly more. For this reason, he said the Zionists are worried that the technology of these drones will reach the resistance groups in the Gaza Strip and South Lebanon, etc.
An important point about Keman 22 is that it is officially the first Iranian drone equipped with a combination of detection systems, weapons and electronic warfare pods at the same time. At the same time, the combination of all these things in one flight makes Kaman 22 the Iranian drone with the highest amount of cargo (in terms of number) in flight. The basic mission of Kaman 22 is to install electro-optical equipment, aerial monitoring and surveillance, identification and targeting.
Various types of these systems have been built in the country, which have daytime vision cameras, thermal imaging cameras that can work at night and adverse weather, and laser rangefinders. This system is installed in the Kaman 22 under the nose and in front of its landing gear. On the other hand, Kaman 22 will be a suitable drone for electronic warfare (jungle) operations. The possibility of carrying up to 300 kg of equipment and the multitude of mounting positions under the wing and fuselage make this bird able to play the role of a jungle air base station and even electronic eavesdropping and espionage.
The length of this drone was six and a half meters, its height was 2 and a half meters, and its wingspan was more than 17 meters.
This wide-body drone was at a higher level in terms of range and flight height compared to the operational and multi-purpose drones Shahid 129 and Mohajer 6; Although in the area of carrying weapons, compared to Shahid 129, it has the ability to carry weapons with less weight.
When examining the appearance of this drone, its similarity to the American MQ-9 Reaper drone is the first thing that comes to mind; The shape of the nose, the configuration of the wing and the body, as well as the vertical and horizontal rudders of the Kaman 22 UAV are remarkably similar to the American MQ-9 UAV.
Kaman 22 wide-body UAV has an operating range of more than three thousand kilometers and is capable of flying up to an altitude of eight thousand meters with a flight duration of more than 24 hours. This UAV is capable of carrying all kinds of ammunition and laser and smart missiles and has the capabilities of identifying, monitoring and collecting information and taking pictures of distant targets. Kaman 22 has the ability to carry all kinds of cargo, and in terms of flight continuity, carrying weapons and having a jungle system (electronic warfare), it is more up-to-date and increasingly useful than its previous model, Kaman 12. This UAV was capable of carrying all kinds of ammunition and laser and smart missiles and has the capabilities of identifying, monitoring and collecting information and taking pictures of distant targets.
This wide-body drone weighs more than one and a half tons and can carry 300 kg of weapons. This unmanned aircraft was equipped with combat, optical and forest payloads and was designed based on the operational requirements of the Air Force. In terms of weapons, the Kaman 22 has four pods of Qaim series vertical bombs and two smart missiles, and it was also equipped with an X-band jamming system.
Considering the continuous flight of more than one day and the flight height probably more than 20,000 feet (more than 6 kilometers), this UAV has quickly become an important element among the aircrafts with forest missions in the Air Force and will greatly help to improve the modern electronic warfare capability of this force.
The Kaman 22 drone is a long-range multi-purpose drone of the Air Force
Capabilities
Weapons
4 pods of vertical series bombs
ID
taking care
2 smart missiles
Data collection
X-band jamming system
Dimensions
Taking pictures of distant targets
Carrying 300 kg of weapons
Length: 6.5 meters
Operating range of more than 3000 km
Height: 2.5 meters
Flight up to 8000 meters
Wing length: 17 meters
001
Shahid-149 Gaza, manufactured by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Corporation, was unveiled in May 2021. It is an advanced high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned combat aircraft, capable of flying for over 35 hours and covering 7,000 kilometers on a single mission. Iranian military relies on the plane for improvement of its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) potentials.
Now its updated version with higher specifications has been demonstrated. Reports published in local media on 23 July 2023 showed a footage of the drone at Martyr Karimi Air Base in central city of Kashan. The reports said the drone had been equipped with a new landing gear system and a hardpoint. The combat UAV Shahed-149 Gaza has a length of 10.5 meters and a wingspan of 21 meters. It can carry up to 13 bombs. Cruising speed – 350 km/h. The new version has increased service life, flight duration (claimed more than 35 hours) and range (7,000 km at a time).
A group of experts established a list of Western companies whose components are used in the production of Shahed-136 kamikaze drones , with which Russia attacks Ukraine. The investigation data was published by the public organization "Independent Anti-Corruption Commission" (NACO) . The 07 April 2023 report, which was compiled by NAKO together with the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), Truth Hounds and Global Diligence LLP, details ten Russian attacks using Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones. "The targets of the attacks were residential buildings, power plants, businesses, a school and a children's summer camp. In each case, the report examines the context of the attack, the presence of military facilities or activity near the target," - reports NAKO.
The authors of the report emphasize that the Shahed-136 attacks were deliberately directed against the civilian population and infrastructure, without a tangible military advantage, indicating that the main purpose of such strikes is to terrorize the civilian population.
The report separately states that the drones used by the aggressor were manufactured using a large number of Western components. In particular, the design of "Shakhed" includes components manufactured by the following companies:
Adesto Technologies (USA);
Analog Devices (USA);
Freescale (USA);
Hemisphere (USA);
Hitec USA Group (USA);
International Rectifier (USA);
Marvell Technology (USA);
Maxim Integrated (USA);
Micrel Semiconductor (USA);
Micron Technology (USA);
Texas Instruments (USA);
Murata Manufacturing (Japan);
Tallysman (Canada);
STMicroelectronics (Switzerland).
The authors of the report emphasized that requests were sent to all companies on this list asking them to voice their position on these facts. Some of them responded by condemning the Russian invasion and assuring that they would try to tighten control over the supply of their electronics.
Previously, the mass media repeatedly wrote about numerous facts and examples of how Russia circumvents Western sanctions. Sometimes sanctions were violated rudely and directly, when sanctioned goods transited through the Russian Federation, but "disappeared" on the way. More sophisticated schemes involve several stages of resale of goods in neutral countries with final delivery to the Russian Federation. In June 2023, the European Union approved the 11th package of sanctions against Russia, which is primarily aimed at stopping Russia's attempts to circumvent sanctions. One of the most radical measures of this package is the threat of sanctions against third countries that help or at least do not prevent the circumvention of sanctions through their jurisdiction.
According to some reports, the effective flight range of the Shahed-136 is from 1000 kilometers with the possibility of delivering a warhead weighing 50 kilograms. The declared maximum flight range is 2000 km, but, according to the assumptions of American experts, its actual range is several hundred kilometers.
Such a drone flies at an altitude of 60 to 4000 meters with a cruising speed of about 150-170 km/h. The UAV has a 2-stroke MADO MD 550 engine (a clone of the German aircraft engine Limbach L550E ) with a capacity of 50 hp or 37 kW, so the "moped" sound of the shock drone can be heard for kilometers.
Iran produces these UAVs for mass use on one or a group of targets.
Disassembly of downed drones showed that Shahed136 also has a simple inertial navigation system , therefore, even with successful EW operation, it can continue to move towards the target with acceptable accuracy. According to military experts, the use of air defense systems against a drone is also ineffective, since it costs much less than an air defense missile system. The expert believes that systems can be effective against Shahedanti-aircraft artillery and specially trained arrows. Although, given its approximate cost of $ 20,000 , even if you manage to shoot down 4-7 out of 10 launched drones, its use will still be quite cheap and effective [2
Shahed 136 has a delta wing and is built according to the " tailless " scheme [13] .
similar Iranian drones have proven effective in bypassing air defense systems in a successful Houthi UAV attack on a Saudi Aramco oil refinery in Saudi Arabia. As a result, the Shahed 136 gained the nickname "Aramco killer". Although it is not known exactly, the high pointing accuracy suggests that these drones probably have an autonomous homing system (optical or thermal) not connected to GPS [16] .
According to military analyst Brett Friedman, the payload of the Shahed-136 is about 40 kilograms of explosives, while a typical 155-mm M795 artillery projectile carries 11 kilograms of explosives, so one Shahed-136 drone carries more than three projectile masses of M795 explosive [
precision, and pictures of its effect were recently published in “Maneuvers of the Greatest Messenger 17”; Serious questions among military gun enthusiasts and experts about how to steer this aircraft. In what follows, we will provide answers to this question by examining the evidence.In the "Maneuvers of the Greatest Messenger 17", for the first time, close-up pictures of the Shahed-136 suicide drone and its performance were shown. As part of the maneuvers, the Shahed-136 UAVs were fired from a five-port launcher at predetermined targets and hit with perfect accuracy. Which attracted a lot of comments from outside Iran. But where does this high accuracy come from?By carefully examining some of the video frames released from the maneuvers, the color and amount of light reflection from the nose of the drone back to the body seem to differ slightly, which could indicate the nose used an IR Dom
The drone has a total length of about three meters and a wingspan of just over two meters, weighing about 440 pounds (200 kg). The weight of the warhead is 40-50 kg.
The Shahid 136 launch pad was designed by Seydamar Mousavi, one of the martyrs who defended the shrine, who was martyred during the Zionist regime's missile attack on the T4 air base in Syria. According to the defense correspondent of Tasnim news agency, during the opening of the exhibition of IRGC Aerospace Force's achievements in Qom province, a poster of Shahid 136 UAV specifications was published, in which Martyr "Sidemar Mousavi" was mentioned as the designer of IRGC Aerospace Force's drone launcher systems.
Martyr Mousavi was born in August 1365 in Ahvaz and after receiving his diploma, he entered the IRGC Air Force. After some time, he became one of the UAV launch and recovery experts and in the same way, he succeeded in designing various UAV launchers and the Shahid 136 suicide UAV launcher in the IRGC. On April 20, 2017, at the age of 32, Seyyed Ammar Mousavi was martyred during the Zionist regime's missile attack on Syria's T4 air base.
The Shahid 136 drone launcher can carry and launch up to 5 suicide drones at the same time. The high mobility of this launcher, in addition to increasing the speed of this system for deploying and launching the drone, allows the user to leave the place after launching the drone and thus have a higher security factor against being identified and targeted by enemy systems. This launcher is designed based on commercial trucks, and this reduces the economic costs and time of designing and producing this system. This type of design will also ensure compliance with the principles of protection and help it not be detected by the enemy.
Since the front is milky in color, it appears to have been made of ZnS zinc sulfate (without applying the isostatic hot pressing process) or magnesium fluoride to reduce manufacturing cost. As these materials are able to transmit the infrared spectrum and largely absorb the visible spectrum. This feature would mean using a conventional camera sensor that only detects the NIR spectrum by absorbing the visible light spectrum through the infrared front. (The camera's visible sensors have the ability to detect the near infrared spectrum.)Considering the defense policies of the Iranian Armed Forces, weapons such as suicide marches should be as low cost as possible, and the use of conventional camera sensors instead of expensive infrared sensors is fully compatible with this strategy. Of course, infrared sensors in the MWIR and SWIR spectrum can be used for night operations, and radar detectors for rollback operations.Of course, it is indicated that some sources denied that the nose of the plane uses infrared radiation in Shahed 136 by examining the progress of infrared air-to-air missiles. Because in the infrared imaging models of heat detection missiles, a transparent front is used. However, with the studies carried out, it was observed that in the photovoltaic system of Shahed 149 an infrared window was used, which indicates that these introductions can be used even in imaging sensors.The Shahed-136 suicide drone
Length: 3.1 meters
3.5 meters ??
Wingspan: 2.2 meters
1.5 meters ??
Range: 1,800 to 2,500 km
Weight: About 200 kg Speed
: +185 km/h
Thrust: MD 550 or 3W engines
Made in Iran
https://nako.org.ua/news/russian-forces-have-used-iranian-made-shahed-136-uavs-that-contain-western-components-to-commit-suspected-war-crimes-in-ukraine">July 3, 2023
Russia uses Iranian Shahed-136 with Western components to commit war crimes in Ukraine
Type loitering ammunition
Developer Aviation Industry Research Center Shahed
Manufacturer Iranian Aircraft Industrial Company
Operators Russian Armed Forces , Air Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [d] , Ground Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [d] and the Houthis
Units produced about 100 (as of 2021)
Unit cost from 20,000 to 50,000 euros
Shahd-131 is the younger brother of the Shahd-136. The Shahed-type attack drone marked Geran-1 can be seen, which is probably a "younger" version of the Geran-2 (Shahed-136) kamikaze drone. It has smaller dimensions compared to the Shahed-136 (wingspan – 2.2m versus 2.5m, length – 2.6m versus 3.5m in the older version), as well as a takeoff weight (135kg against 200kg) and combat part (10-15kg against 30-40kg). Russia bought not only the Iranian Shahd-136 kamikaze drones, which were used to attack cities like Odessa, but also the Shahd-131. Given the serial number and smaller dimensions, the Shahd-131 is the earlier version of the Shahd-136, but with a similar and, most likely, unified principle of operation. Optimized in all major components, especially the electronics.Also, the layout and aerodynamic solution are identica. The visual difference of the Shahed-131 from Shahed-136 is ini the winglets, in Shahed-131 they are directed only upwards.
688D0F79-CBC6-44C0-8640-A95C3BC4B828.jpeg
Shahed-131 is the smaller "brother" of Shahed-136. The Shahd-131 is slightly smaller than the Shahd-136, with a wingspan of 2.2 meters versus 2.5 meters, and a length of 2.6 meters versus 3.5 meters. Take-off weight is estimated at 135 kg against 200 kg. The estimated volume of the high-explosive warhead with the preformed Shahd-131 fragmentation is 10-15 kg. Flight range is estimated at up to 900 km. Experts have already disassembled this drone and studied it in detail. The weight and dimensions of the UAV platform are estimates as the platform was not intact during operation. Their report makes it possible to roughly estimate the Shahed-136's capabilities, as there is still a gap regarding the unit's combat mass and flight range. If the Shahd-136's take-off weight-to-warhead ratio is maintained, the more powerful version will carry 15-22 kg.
But the main value of the report lies precisely in the analysis of electronic components. As expected, they are all civilian, and among the guidance systems, only a civilian class GPS receiver is used, which allows this drone to be used only against stationary objects.
The flight controller is assembled from five boards containing TMS320 F28335 processors by Texas Instruments (available on the market in open access). An unpleasant surprise was found, a system was added to the GPS guidance that prevents the alteration of GPS signals by electronic warfare systems, but judging by the description, it does not prevent interference. The drone is also equipped with a rudimentary inertial system that allows it to maintain an approximate course and altitude if satellite navigation is prohibited. When the drone flies into an area where the GPS signals are suppressed, the wind starts blowing the drone, and it also encounters errors in the inertial system itself.
Depending on the wind speed and direction, the deviation will be 5% of the distance covered without GPS. On a 5 km section, this would give an error of 250 metres. It is clear that when the GPS signal is received again, the drone will adjust its flight.” In summary, these drones have a VLONASS system and inertial guidance, which makes it effective despite the confusion, but it loses a lot of accuracy.
It was established that the flight control unit of the Shahed-131 is capable of connecting with Iridium satellites, which theoretically allows changing the trajectory during flight. The flight controller has a backup inertial navigation system based on a MEMS gyroscope .
The IRN-05 (Shahed-131) is a deadly one way attack (OWA) unmanned aerial vehicle. System (UAS) manufactured by Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center (SAIRC). The IRN-05 is made of carbon fiber reinforced with internal metal supports. The total length is 2.6 m; The wingspan is 2.2 m with an approximate weight of 135 kg. A piston internal combustion engine drives the platform using a wooden screw with a fixed pitch. The electronic system inside the UAS was interconnected using a specially marked wire. All markings in the UAS were written in English. It is estimated that it can be launched from static rails or a truck.
GNSS transceiver is a commercial off-the-shelf receiver enclosed in a custom-made metal box made of CNC. It should be noted that the GNSS was machined and manufactured from the same material as the GNSS, Flight Control Unit (FCU) and Power Control Unit (PCU) seen on the IRN-16 platform. It has the ability to receive from the four outer washers of the COTS receiver. A fifth COTS GNSS receiver was also present outside the IRN-05 fuselage, but the wire leading from it had been cut. Black GNSS washers from other systems were also either cut out or disabled, FIT Comment: This indicates that mid-life upgrades have been performed on Iranian OWA UAS weapon systems; upgrading the system from a standard black GNSS system to a system that can now operate in airspace, where GNSS is prohibited (multiple white GNSS washers).
Flight Control Unit (FCU) contained five custom-made printed circuit boards (PCBs) that housed the Texas Instruments TMS320 F28335 processors. It is a highly integrated, high-performance chipset for demanding control applications. Four PCBs were identical and the fifth PCB was evaluated as a power distribution system for the other PCBs. FIT Comment: The four identical PCBs look very similar to the board from the IRN-16 FCU. End of FIT comment. As of May 2019, MEPED reports stated that the IRN05 has line-of-sight (LOS) capability, an Iridium SATCOM radio, possibly a homing gun, and pre-programmed flight paths, which could explain why each of the 4 PCBs are programmed to execute.
ATOL (Automatic take off and landing) marked box is the first time this system has been used by FIT exploit teams. This system is connected between the GNSS system and the FCU and appears to be a new addition. This system can offer many additional services to UAVs, but can also simply be part of a commercial system that is not in use. There are four LEDs labeled; PGNSS, DGNSS, SGNSS and HDG.
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PGNSS . Unknown through search from open sources.
DGNSS . Differential GNSS. Functions as a supplementary system based on the improvement of primary information about GNSS constellations; by using a network of ground reference stations that allow broadcast differential information to the UAS to improve its position accuracy. This can be used to transmit known GPS coordinates to an unmanned aerial vehicle to help it maintain its flight path in GPS-prohibited airspace.
SGNSS . The S-GNSS upgrade provides improved accuracy, sensitivity, and multipath mitigation, and provides an entirely new measurement category for a single-antenna GNSS receiver – the receive angle. It is by distinguishing the direction of arrival that S-GNSS can identify, ignore and (if necessary) find the source of GNSS spoofing.
HDG. Heading Hold – holds the direction on which the UAV platform is located. This is possibly used if/when the UAV loses the GNSS signal and continues its flight at altitude until it receives or recovers the GNSS signal. This may indicate why UAV platforms are approaching targets but not 100% accurately hitting the desired target. When heading hold is enabled and switches from GNSS to inertial units to continue flight, the ambient wind will cause in-flight drift that the FCU cannot adjust to, causing the UAV to deviate slightly from the target but continue to fly and land close behind. FIT Comment: For example, if the UAV received a jamming/spoofing signal 5km from the target and switched to HDG, it would drift about 5% in distance depending on wind speed and direction, (5000m/100)x5=250m of potential drift from the original GPS target.
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