Russia starts using Iranian jet loitering munition against Ukraine
9 January, 2024 Shahed-238 jet loitering. munition, 2023. Photo credits: Iranian media An Iranian drone used by the Russian invaders was shot down in the Ukrainian sky.
Photos of the jet loitering munition debris were published on social media. A military expert in the field of radio technology and blogger Serhii Beskrestnov "Flash" also confirmed this information. According to the photos of the white wreckage, it is likely that the Ukrainian air defense system shot down a Shahed-238 jet loitering munition, which was recently officially presented in Iran.
The wreckage and engine of a downed presumably Shahed-238 jet loitering munition.
January 2024, Ukraine. Photo credits: t.me/war_homes
According to Serhii Flesh, the drone managed to fly over half of Ukraine before being shot down. According to him, the drone was flying at a speed of over 500 km per hour, which is almost three times faster than the flight speed of the Shahed-136.
Comparison of parts of the fuselage of the Shahed-238 UAV with the wreckage of a downed jet loitering munition in January 2024 in Ukraine
The fragment of the part of the drone body where the engine is located is marked "MJ0".
There is an assumption that the letter "J" here might stand for a jet engine.
A wreckage of a downed presumably Shahed-238 jet loitering munition. January 2024, Ukraine. Photo credits: t.me/war_homes
At the same time, Beskrestnov noted that these Iranian UAVs can fly all over the country.
There were doubts about this earlier, as it was not officially confirmed what the maximum range of these drones was. He noted that the new Shahed has a warhead similar to the one installed on the Shahed-136, which has long been used by the Russian invaders to strike Ukraine. The drone also uses a similar navigation system during flight.
It is worth noting that although the speed of the jet loitering munition is high, Ukrainian air defense managed to shoot it down.
Shahed-238
Shahed-238 jet loitering munition, 2023. Photo credits: Iranian media
Iran officially presented the Shahed-238 jet loitering munition in November 2023. The drone was demonstrated by the Iranian Ashura Aerospace University of Science & Technology at the development presentation.
Shahed-238 was presented in three versions with different guidance systems.
Iran's Shahed-238 loitering munition in three versions, November 2023
In addition to the classic version with an autonomous inertial navigation system and GPS (in the middle), versions with infrared/optical and, presumably, radar guidance systems were also presented.
Shahed-238 jet loitering munition, 2023. Photo credits: Iranian media
The US edition of The War Zone noted that the engine on the downed drone could be the TEM Tolue-10, which is an Iranian clone of the Czech PBS Aerospace TJ100 turbojet engine. In the past, a similar engine has been identified on several cruise missiles developed by Iran.
Visual comparison of the Iranian TEM Tolue-10 engine with the Czech PBS TJ100 turbojet engine
Previously, a Russian Major General claimed in an interview with a propaganda media outlet that Shahed-238 jet loitering munitions have a maximum flight speed of 800 kilometers per hour.
However, this data has not been officially confirmed.