United States: Researchers discovered Chinese knockout of western parts in Iranian-made suicide drones that Russian forces slammed into Ukrainian cities.

In an ongoing terror campaign across the country, the Russian military has relied on Iran's explosive Shaheed-136 drone system to target critical infrastructure in Ukraine over the past two months.

According to a new report from the Institute for Science and International Security, these weapons appear to have been manufactured with Chinese components based on Western designs.

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Researchers in their analysis published Monday found that the Shaheed-136 drone uses an engine made by Beijing Micropilot Flight Control Systems, a copy of the engine made by the German company Limbach Flugmotoren.

For example, the Shaheed-131 drone, which is controlled by a remote operator and flown and flown by the Russian military in Ukraine, has an engine built in Iran, but it uses the reverse of another Beijing Micropilot Flight Control System engine. - Engineer copy. ,

And this Chinese engine is based on a design by the British.

“China is more important than ever in enabling Iran to manufacture and provide drones to the Russian military. The researchers conclude in their report that it appears Chinese businesses are supplying Iran with counterfeit products of Western origin. Which are used to make UAV combat drones.

According to Spencer Faragasso, a research fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security, it is unclear whether China acquired these Western designs through transactions or any other means.

In this situation it appears that China has imported the designs for these engines, produced them locally, and in some cases exported them to Iran, according to Faragasso. Other examples of Iranian kamikaze drone engines have been directly identified.

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However, it is not immediately clear how much China has contributed to Iran's ability to build drones. Additionally, it is unknown when the specific Chinese constituents arrived in Iran.

In addition to Chinese components and designs, the researchers found that Iran's Shaheed-136 and Mohajer-6, a separate drone that Tehran supplied to Moscow, contained components made in the US and Europe.

The Wall Street Journal revealed last week that Ukrainian investigators were able to investigate a downed drone and discovered components made in the West that help propel, steer and guide the weapons.

This, according to Faragasso, emphasizes the need for customs officials, governments and companies to exercise caution when disseminating commercial goods with military applications.

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The researchers wrote in their report that Western suppliers, who would be expected to cooperate with the authorities, are a good place to start when identifying Iranian procurement networks.

After that, the authorities must systematically uncover Iran's supply chain by locating trading firms, distributors, shipping firms, friendly agents of Iran and eventually those inside Iran who are in charge of organizing these purchases.

In recent weeks, as his army has experienced setbacks on the battlefield, Russian President Vladimir Putin has used Martyr-136 to attack and terrorize Ukrainian cities that are far from the front lines.

These tiny devices, which can fly around like regular drones and are loaded with explosives, are actually long-range infiltration weapons. This explains why people sometimes refer to them as suicide or kamikaze drones because they can move around a specific area before being directed at a specific target, into which they can fly and detonate.

Russia and Iran have denied the use of Shaheed-136 in Ukraine, despite evidence from Western intelligence agencies. US officials confirmed last month that Iranian military personnel had recently occupied Crimea to assist Putin's troops in operating drones, and Russian officials traveled to Iran to learn how to use the weapons. Had it.