Shahed-136 drones used by Russia in Ukraine are equipped with an engine based on German technology illegally acquired by Iran almost 20 years ago — CAR study

CNN reported this citing the research by a UK-based organization Conflict Armament Research (CAR).

In the period from November 2022 to March 2023, CAR managed to check the components of 20 Iranian-made drones and munitions in Ukraine, about half of which were Shahed-136.

The study showed that the motors of the Shahed-136 were reverse-engineered by an Iranian company Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar, which was sanctioned by the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union in December 2022.

CAR researchers found the company's markings on the spark plug caps in the drone's engines, as well as serial numbers sequences used by Mado.

Analyst Taimur Khan told CNN that Iran's UAV systems are constantly being improved and modernized, and they are "increasingly accurate in terms of targeting and guidance systems, as well as counter-jamming capabilities."

In 2006, Iran illegally acquired engines for drones from the German company Limbach Flugmotoren.