Russia is localizing Shahed-236 production
6 February, 2024 Iran's Shahed-238 loitering munition with infrared homing system, November 2023 A group of hackers hacked into the mail servers of the Iranian company IRGC Sahara Thunder, which contained an array of documents on the localization of Shahed-236 drones and the intention to produce "107" drones in Russia. The data was published online.
On February 4, 2024, a group of PRANA Network hackers announced the seizure of a number of documents on cooperation with Russia from the servers of a shell company of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called Sahara Thunder. The documents, in particular, referred to the localization of the Iranian Shahed-236 family of drones at Russian facilities in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, Russia. Thus, from April 4 to April 8, 2023, a delegation of Alabuga JSC, including its specialists in the production of airframes, avionics, engines, and representatives of the IT sector, visited Iran.
The main goals of the trip were to transfer technology, obtain source code, and demonstrate the capabilities of the "236 with the seeker, 236 jet, 107 (reconnaissance/gift) boats," as well as to organize training for production personnel. It is worth noting that the documentation does not specify the real names of the drones. The products are coded, in particular, as "boats".
For example, the Shahed-136 drone is coded "Dolphin 632 motor boat". Accordingly, the papers refer to Shahed-236 with an optical sensor, Shahed-236 with a jet engine, and reconnaissance drone "107". In other documents, they are also coded as MC-236, MC-237, and 107B/C (reconnaissance/attack).
Tests
According to the report presented by the delegation at the end of the trip, the work of the above-mentioned drones was studied. The Shahed-236 (M?-236) strike drone with a target acquisition system and an internal combustion engine successfully took off at night and covered the distance to the target in accordance with the flight mission. During the flight, the operator selected one of four targets online (the targets were containers measuring 6m by 3m).
The homing head successfully captured the target as directed by the operator. The target was hit with an approximate accuracy of 3-5 meters. 
The Shahed-236 (M?-237) Strike Jet Drone with an Inertial Guidance System also took off successfully, performed the mission according to the flight assignment, and successfully landed by parachute. Representatives of the delegation noted that, given the high speed, the drone is essentially a cruise missile. According to them, the main advantage is its ability to quickly hit key targets.
The "107" reconnaissance drone also successfully took off in poor weather conditions (strong wind gusts and poor visibility), performed its mission in accordance with the flight plan, and landed safely on the landing gear. The flight range was 80 km.
Video and telemetry signals were steadily received over the entire distance. The drone's optical sensor successfully locked on and automatically tracked moving targets the size of a car from an altitude of 3000 meters, including 30X zoom mode. According to the commission representatives, the main advantages of the "107" drone are its flight duration, flight range, quality, and stabilization of video images, even in strong wind conditions.
Localization of production
Judging by the context, the localization of Shahed-236 production with an internal combustion engine is already underway at the Russian facilities in Alabuga.
In addition, according to the documents, as of April 2023, all the necessary conditions were created for the localization of the production of the above drones.
It is expected that localization will take place at the lowest cost and in a short time, as the production of new types of drones will be set up on the same lines as the Shahed-236 (fuselage, engine, avionics).
The estimated cost of drones (probably for the Russian Federation) is as follows:
- "236" with seeker - £900 thousand
- "236" jet - £1.4 million
- "107" reconnaissance/strike - £460 thousand
In addition, judging by other records, it is possible to develop and manufacture a Shahed-236 drone version with an internal combustion engine and a communication relay system, which would increase the range of other drones.