Iran’s Kamikaze Drone – What It Can Do & How It Works Several Weapons Found: Police Arrest Man Near Washington Capitol

Where did the kamikaze drone come from?

The Kamikaze drone used in the context of the war in Ukraine is specifically the “Shahed 136” drone type. The unmanned weapon of war comes from Iran and is produced by the Iranian company Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company, as the “Augsburger Allgemeine” writes.

What can the drone do?

A Shahed 136 drone weighs about 200 kilograms, has a wingspan of 2.5 meters, a speed of up to 200 kilometers per hour and flies at an altitude of 60 to 4000 meters. The reach is important. As drone expert Samuel Bendett of the Center for Naval Analysis told Der Spiegel, this is 2,500 kilometers. “You can use it to hit targets in the tactical area, such as multiple Himar rocket launchers operating within 70 kilometers of the front.” However, this range is questioned by some military experts and sometimes estimated to be up to several hundred kilometers.

According to estimates by the Ukrainian secret service, Russia has ordered about 2,400 “Shahed 136” drones, exact figures are not available.

In addition to the “Shahed 136”, according to Ukrainian President Selenskyj, the smaller version “Shahed 131” is also used; Finds in Kiev confirm this information. It has a range of 900 kilometers, has a slightly smaller wingspan (2.2 meters) and is estimated to be a lot lighter (about 135 kilos).

How exactly does the drone work?

Basically, the drone “Shahed-136” is equipped relatively simply. According to “Spiegel”, it has neither an internal target architecture nor a camera or sensors. It works with GPS and simply flies to the entered data. The drone is therefore especially suitable for immovable targets. The drone circles over a target area, lurks in wait and then dives into the depths when an exact target is assigned, as the “Augsburger Allgemeine” writes. The drone will self-destruct on impact, so it can only be used once.

According to estimates, Russia currently has up to 1,000 Shahed 136 drones. Due to the lack of reliability and precision, the drones are deployed in swarms in the hope that some of the drones will reach their target. According to Defense Express editor-in-chief Oleg Katkov, five to six Shahed 136 drones are being shot down at a target.

Is the Kamikaze drone really that cheap?

Because no exact information is available, the price per drone is estimated. Military experts estimate a purchase price of $20,000. This makes the drones significantly cheaper than guided long-range missiles. Other combat drones cost about two million dollars.

It gets strange when you take a close look at the production of Iranian drones. Defense Express’s Oleg Katkov told The New Voice Of Ukraine that Iran is unable to access military GPS devices due to sanctions. A conventional GPS sensor is used as a replacement, which can also be purchased from the Chinese online retailer AliExpress. The same goes for the engine.

How is the drone fought?

Since the Shahed 136 drones are actually very cheap at an estimated $20,000, there is an imbalance in terms of defense costs. As Oleg Katkov of “Defense Express” explains, Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles are effective in the fight against the Russian drone strikes, but very unprofitable. Such a defense missile costs $300,000 or more.

According to “N-TV” so-called “sky wipers” are more efficient. This type of gun interrupts the drone’s contact with the sender, causes it to return automatically, falls to the ground in a controlled manner, or holds position until energy runs out.

Another defense option is to block the drone’s GPS signal. In the smaller version, the “Shahed 131”, according to “Spiegel”, a system was installed to protect against interference with the GPS signal.

In addition to defense, Ukraine is also concentrating on attacks with drones and counts on support from the US, among others. Their drones are “significantly superior to Iranian models in terms of precision,” as Der Spiegel writes.