DRONESIran to Supply Combat Drones to Russia for Use in Ukraine War
Iran has supplied drones to its proxies in the Middle East and employed them during reconnaissance, sabotage, and attack missions in the region. Now, Iranian-made drones could end up in the hands of Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.
Iran has supplied unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to its proxies in the Middle East and employed them during reconnaissance, sabotage, and attack missions in the region.
Now, Iranian-made drones could end up in the hands of Russia, which is facing Western sanctions and international isolation, for use in its war in Ukraine.
The White House said on July 11 that it had information that Iran was rushing “up to several hundred” drones, including “weapons-capable UAVs,” to Moscow’s aid, a claim that appears to have been rejected by Tehran. Moscow has refused to comment on the issue.
U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said Iran was preparing to train Russian forces to use the drones as soon as this month.
Experts said Iran’s strategic partnership with Russia, as well as Tehran’s growing drone capabilities, make the Islamic republic a logical supplier for Moscow.
“Russia is probably interested because the Iranians have developed UAVs that extensively use commercial off-the-shelf components, making them cheap, that have been acquired despite extensive sanctions,” said Jeremy Binnie, a Middle East defense specialist at the global intelligence company Janes.
“So, it has already developed clandestine supply chains that enables it to produce inexpensive long-range guided weapons, something the Russians could potentially take advantage of as they struggle to obtain foreign-made, high-tech components for their more sophisticated weapons.”
Binnie added that if Iran was preparing to send hundreds of drones to Russia, as claimed, it would likely be “less sophisticated models, not ones that enable controllers on the ground to engage dynamic targets with guided weapons.”
In recent years, Iran has become a prolific drone producer. Its fleet includes “long-endurance surveillance and attack platforms like the Shahed-129,” so-called “suicide” drones that are effectively slow cruise missiles, and stealth drones “for penetrating well-defended airspace,” said Binnie.
In May, Iran inaugurated a drone factory for its Ababil-2 strike and reconnaissance drone in Tajikistan, Tehran’s first production facility abroad.
Samuel Bendett, an adviser at the Arlington-based CNA think tank, said Tehran could provide Russia with combat drones and loitering munitions — also known as “kamikaze” or “suicide” drones — to hit Ukrainian targets with better precision.
“The real question here is what is it that Russia lacks right now in Ukraine when it comes to UAVs? And my educated guess would be enough loitering munitions and enough combat drones to make a dent and to make a significant breakthrough against Ukrainian forces,” Bendett told RFE/RL.