Back in August 2022, the Washington Post

reported

that Iran had delivered a batch of Shahed-136 and Mohajer-6 drones to Russia.

And in September, the Iranian news agency Kayhan

wrote

about the sale of these drones to an "unnamed foreign country."

In early October 2022, military expert Oleg Zhdanov

warned

Ukrainians about Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones, which Russia has already started using on the territory of Ukraine.

They are popularly called "mopeds" because of the special sound they make in the air.

It is similar to the operation of a moped engine.

These drones fly very low, so the air defense system may not see them.

In ideal weather, the sound can be heard for 20 km, and the drone flies at a speed of 150 km per hour.

Therefore, if you warn the Armed Forces about "Moped" in time, there is time to shoot it down.

Iran has paid a lot of attention to unmanned aviation.

And all because for a long time severe sanctions did not allow the country to develop manned aviation or any complex weapons systems.

Therefore, there are many unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Iran and they are often used in military operations that Iran constantly conducts with its neighbors.

It is known for certain that Russia received drones from Iran.

After all, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have already destroyed them on our territory.

In particular,

the Shahed-136 kamikaze drones, which the Russian troops named "Geran M214" for camouflage, are also regularly

shot down .

Shahed-136, "Geranium" or "Shahid" is this

Shahed-136: characteristics / Photo: Defense express

This type of UAV like this kamikaze drone is also called "munition that barrages".

That is, it flies to the specified point, and then explodes there.

These drones are not designed for other tasks.

And that is why they are made cheap and simple.

Iran has a lot of Shahed-136 for this very reason.

This flying machine is characterized by an aerodynamic "flying wing" design, thanks to which the drone has low drag and a long flight range.

Drones of this type are made of hetinax - a paper-based composite.

And the screw that pushes the engine is generally wooden.

Such materials, of course, greatly reduce the cost of the construction itself, but at the same time, they also make it very difficult to detect the drone using radar.

Shahid-136 cannot work at high altitude.

And all because of the engine used in it.

This is a piston four-cylinder aircraft engine of the Iranian company Mado MD-550 (it is a copy

of the German engine

L550 from the company Limbach).

Because of this, the kamikaze drone flies quite slowly and noisily.

But at the same time, the UAV can stay in the air for up to 24 hours and can fly up to 1000 km.

However, more accurate data about this model is scarce.

In the combat part of the drone there is only 40-50 kg of explosives, the drone can carry 4-8 missiles or bombs.

For example, in the Kalibr combat cruise missile, the warhead consists of 200-450 kg (depending on the modification).

Main characteristics of Shahed-136

It is worth emphasizing right away - the declared characteristics may differ from the real ones, because currently there is very little information about these kamikaze drones.

All of it was taken from open sources:

Shahed-136 is a UAV with a warhead, which can be in standby mode near the target for a long time, and immediately attack it after the operator's command.

It can also perform tasks for which it has been programmed automatically.

The main purpose of this drone is to hit targets at a long distance.

It is guided by satellite coordinates and launched from the launch platform.

The launcher looks like a small container disguised as a truck or train car.

Up to five drones can be on such a platform at the same time.

The warhead is installed in the bow.

Drones are usually launched in pairs or flocks.

If one or more are shot down, the others start moving in on the target.

The standard version of the Shahed-136 hits only stationary objects.

Tactical and technical

characteristics of the

UAV:

  • flight range - up to 1000 km;

  • speed — 185 km/h;

  • weight — 200 kg;

  • length — 3.5 m;

  • wingspan — 2.5 m;

  • the main part can carry up to 50 kg of explosives.

On October 5, 2022,

information also appeared

that Ukrainian specialists had found a fairly advanced digital communication device on the downed Iranian kamikaze drone.

The marking was obliterated, but a number of signs made it clear that the processor of the American company Altera (acquired by Intel in 2015) is used here.

Most likely, the device was designed by specialists who studied in the USA.

What do the names "Shahid" and "Shahed" mean

The official name of these Iranian kamikaze drones is Shahed, not Shahid.

They were called martyrs because they explode at their destination.

And the word itself from Arabic means "martyr" - a person who dies for his faith.

The word "shahed" can be translated as "witness" or "observer".

However, in the Arabic language, these words have the same root, because here "martyrs" are not only people who die for their faith, but also witnesses in court.

Therefore, Iranian drones can be called both options.

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