US EditionUS Races to Develop Weapons Based on Iran's Shahed Drones
The US and allies aim to counter Iran's Shahed drones by developing affordable replicas as Russia launches over 33,000 Shahed variants against Ukraine in 2025.
- On September 7, 2025, Russia carried out the most extensive aerial assault of its conflict with Ukraine, deploying 860 Shahed drones and missiles over the course of one night.
- This strike followed a 2023 $1.75 billion deal allowing Russia to produce Shahed drones locally with Iranian assistance and technology transfers.
- Russia's drone strategy includes routine strikes and mass salvos aimed at saturating defenses, pressuring cities, and grinding down Ukraine with low-cost drones.
- Iran’s production cost per drone is $35,000 to $40,000, compared to $41 million quoted by US manufacturers for similar models, and Russia paid over $104 million in gold bars to Iran.
- The spread of Shahed drone technology has prompted the US, China, and allies to develop similar armed UAVs, while Tehran is reportedly frustrated with limited returns from its Russian partnership.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Russia has found the most effective weapon to break all Ukrainian air defenses: Shahed type kamikaze drones designed by Iran. They have a minimum unit cost of between 10,000 and 50,000 euros.
Throughout the large-scale invasion that Russia has developed in Ukraine since February 24, 2022, Russian troops have resorted to Shahed drones to carry out their attacks on Ukrainian territory.In the beginning, the Russian army relied mainly on these models, which are manufactured by Shahed Aviation Industries, the aerospace firm of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which is allied to the Kremlin.However, during the course of the conflict, Russia has…
Chinese drone experts have been working with Russian state-owned arms maker on weapon development: report
Chinese drone experts have flown to Russia to conduct technical development work on military drones at a state-owned weapons manufacturer that is under Western sanctions, according to a report.
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