Persons involved in production of kamikaze drones in Russia have been identified
26 August, 2023 Shahed-136 kamikaze drone. Illustration photo A factory is being set up in Russia to produce thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones, which Russians call Geran.
Preparations for the production began at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan. Currently, components for the drones are supplied from Iran, and the company simply assembles the finished products. Researchers from the OSINT agency Molfar have identified individuals involved in the production of kamikaze drones in the territory of Russia.
The list includes 43 people. Some of the company's employees have ties to the Russian Defense Ministry and the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. There are also those who are still studying at the company's institute or directly engaged in the production.
Persons involved in the production of kamikaze drones in Russia.
Photo credits: Molfar
The Shahed UAV production facility was established with the help of Iran. Within 2-3 years, Russia wants to establish production of a significant part of the components and organize the technological process.
Russian version of the UAV
According to the project documentation, which was passed on to the Washington Post, the Russians plan to domestically build 6,000 advanced Iranian Shahed drones by 2025. The facility has reassembled drones provided by Iran but has itself manufactured only drone bodies, and probably for not more than 300 of the UAVs.
It regards the Shahed-136 loitering munition, the Russian version of which is called Geran-2. Researchers of the Conflict Armament Research investigation team have established that the drone is generally similar to the Iranian version. At the same time, the Russian version has advanced towards simplification and unification with other Russian-made UAVs.
A piece of the body of an Iranian (left) and Russian (right) drone.
Source: Conflict Armament Research
In particular, the Russian modification received structural changes to the fiberglass airframe and a different navigation system. It also lacks the internal honeycomb structure of the airframe, which is present in the Iranian-made drones.
The honeycomb structure of the Iranian drone and the airframe of the Russian one. Source: Conflict Armament Research
The Iranian Shahed uses a combination of four antennas attached to the base structure, which is connected to the satellite navigation unit outside the body but physically separated from it, while the fifth antenna is independent.
Starter of Iranian (left) and Russian (right) drones.
Source: Conflict Armament Research
At the same time, the Russian Geranium has four antennas that are part of the satellite navigation system, being located inside the airframe.
In addition, the flight control units and starter units differ.
However, the number of Russian-made components in the drone remains low.