- Iran has become a global drone powerhouse, with its technology copied by countries around the world.
- Russia is increasing its reliance on Iranian drones in the Ukraine war.
- Iran can easily circumvent Western sanctions and buy electronic components from Asian suppliers.
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Iranian stealth drones and imitators have appeared on battlefields from Ukraine to Sudan, making them a prominent presence in the global drone war, raising concerns that they could increase military instability around the world. is increasing.
Over the past four decades, Iran has emerged as an expert in low-tech drone warfare, forced by decades of Western sanctions to innovate in weapons production by any means necessary.
Countries around the world are now increasingly drawing inspiration from Iranian drones. At least six countries have increased production of Iranian drones in the past two years, officials said. Bloomberg reporting This week, the total number of countries producing drones with Iranian support rose to at least a dozen.
The issue has become especially important as Russia increasingly relies on Iranian technology to build drones for the Ukraine war. Although Iran claims it does not sell drones to Russia, documents and widespread media coverage suggest otherwise.
Business Insider reported in January that Russia is likely already in possession of Iran’s new Shahid explosive drone, causing significant headaches for Ukraine’s air defenses.
Iran’s Shahed-136 drones, despite being composed almost entirely of American and European parts, have frequently appeared on Ukrainian battlefields, allowing Iran to circumvent Western sanctions and rely on Asian suppliers and Bloomberg reported that it highlights how easy it is to buy electronic components from front companies.
Meanwhile, Iran is pocketing foreign currency in exchange for much-needed drone technology and expertise.
The country powers its drone empire primarily using model planes propelled by lawnmower motors and guided by American-made parts, Bloomberg reports. But despite the seemingly ad hoc nature of the weapons, the world’s two most powerful militaries, the United States and Israel, both use stealth drones that can evade Western defenses by tracking U.S. drones. They are struggling to protect themselves from the virus, the newspaper reported.
In January, an Iranian suicide drone attacked a US military base in Jordan, killing three US soldiers. The Washington Post, citing a defense official, said the weapon was a small-attack Shahed 101.
According to Bloomberg, the drone was able to evade U.S. defenses by tracking a U.S. drone that also landed at the base. According to Bloomberg, Iran is believed to have learned this trick from Russia.
“Russia and Iran are learning from each other, and that’s as important as technology sharing itself,” Matthew McInnis, a Pentagon intelligence officer and former State Department representative to Iran, told the outlet.
But Iran’s influence extends beyond Russia. In recent months, the Iran-backed Houthis have carried out drone attacks on cargo ships and curtailed trade in the Red Sea.
Ethiopia is using Iranian drones to quell an internal rebellion, and Tajikistan, Algeria and Venezuela are also partnering with Iran, Bloomberg reports.