They come in droves and attack out of nowhere. If you can hear their buzz, it’s already too late. The Russian military has been using airstrikes for weeks using Iran-made Shahed 136 kamikaze drones. According to Ukraine, more than 230 such death machines have been shot since mid-September. Iran has so far denied supporting Russia with weapons and drones.
Now Vladimir Putin’s (70) troops could soon have another kamikaze drone in their arsenal – again from Iran. This time of the type Meraj 521, as reported by “Ukrainska Pravda”. And that is exactly why Ukraine is concerned. “There is no doubt that the Russians will get new kamikaze drones. The only question is how many drones or ballistic missiles Iran has that it is ready to deliver to Moscow,” Ukraine’s Air Force’s Yuriy Ignat said during a broadcast on the “Fabryka Novyn” YouTube channel.
The new drone would work similarly to the US military’s Switchblade-type kamikaze drone. These are unmanned drones that can be shot down on a target with an explosive device.
Easy to transport thanks to folding wings
The Switchblades are mini-drones and initially launch without a target. They can then circle above the ground for a long time, waiting for a target to attack. They then self-destruct and are therefore popularly referred to as kamikaze drones.
According to information from Iran, the Meraj 521 has a range of five kilometers and can stay in the air for up to 15 minutes. A drone can carry a warhead that weighs between 500 grams and one kilogram. The drone has folding wings. This also makes it easy to transport the parts, for example in a backpack.
Putin’s forces target infrastructure
The new drones will not decide the war for the Russians, explains Ignat in the YouTube video. Still, he is concerned because a new shipment means Putin’s forces will continue to attack cities and critical infrastructure in Ukraine. Power plants, oil and gas storage facilities and transportation hubs are under attack from long-range fires.
And that has consequences: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44) said last week that about 30 percent of the power plants had been destroyed. But they are working hard to restore the infrastructure. The population suffers the most because they have to live without electricity. (yeah)