Iran plans to send a shipment of more than 200 combat drones to the Russian Federation in the coming days.
This was reported by the Main Directorate of Intelligence (MDI) of the Ministry of Defense.
"At the beginning of November, a batch of more than 200 combat drones Shahed-136, Mohajer-6 and Arash-2 is planned to be sent from Iran to the Russian Federation," the message reads.
Delivery will be made via the Caspian Sea to the port of Astrakhan. Drones will arrive in a disassembled state. In the future, on the territory of the Russian Federation, they will be collected, repainted and put on Russian markings, such as "Geran-2".
Arash-2 is a long-range kamikaze drone of Iranian development, presented publicly in September 2022. The drone has two solid-fuel accelerators, which ensure the start of the flight from the launch platform and a cruising speed of 100 kmph. The announced range of use is 2 000 km.
The drone can be equipped with optical and thermal imaging scanners to capture various types of targets. The drone can also detect radar radiation, which makes suppression of air defense systems one of its tasks.
- Russian troops are currently attacking Ukraine with Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones and using Mohajer-6 multi-purpose UAVs in the war. Defense forces of Ukraine have learned to shoot down most attacking drones.
- The Washington Post newspaper wrote on October 16 that Iran is ready to transfer the Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar surface-to-surface missiles to the Russian Federation. These are short-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of 300 and 700 kilometers.
- On October 18, Reuters, citing sources, wrote that Iran refused to sell more powerful Arash kamikaze drones to Russia, so that the U.S. would not get access to the technology.