low-flying city attack glass
I don’t have the power to turn the tide
Civilian and military casualties likely to rise
The Russian military is using Iranian ‘self-destructive drones’ as a new attack method to target gaps in Ukraine’s air defense system. Ukraine believes that Russia used 28 Iranian Shahed drones, so-called ‘self-destruct drones’, in the attack.
Although the Iranian government has officially denied that it sold drones to Russia, a telegram channel related to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which developed the Shahhead drone, said, “There is no doubt that the drones used by the Russian military are Iranian-made.” article has been posted The Iranian cyber forces chief tweeted: “(Shahed drones) are the most talked about weapon in the world right now.”
Self-destruct drones, so-called ‘kamikaze drones’, can penetrate deep into the city center with low-flying flight and can also attack targets. It has a smaller blast radius compared to missiles, but is inexpensive. From the victim’s point of view, there is an evaluation that the fear of flying drones is greater than that of missiles because the flying drones are visually confirmed. However, it has a drawback that it is slow and has a high probability of being shot down.
The Shahhead drone was developed by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (HESA) last year, and its official name is ‘Shahead 136’.
The Shahhead 136 can fly from a distance of 2500 km at a maximum speed of 185 km per hour and descend 100 meters above the ground to strike a target. An aircraft with a length of 3.5 m, a wingspan of 2.5 m and a weight of 200 kg flew away with a loud engine sound, and is also called a “flying motorcycle” in Ukraine.
Experts predict that self-destruct drones will not turn the tide in Ukraine. However, the size of the self-destruct drones that Russia has secured is significant, and it is likely that they will penetrate the cracks in Ukraine’s air defense system and harass civilians and military for some time. According to AFP news agency, the Ukrainian Air Force shot down 37 drones in just one day on the 17th.
US military analyst Samuel Vendett told the Washington Post that self-destruct drones are “a military weapon and a psychological weapon.”
Ukrainian authorities believe that Russia and Iran have signed a contract for 2400 drones. Mikhail Podolyak, aide to the Ukrainian presidential office, said on Twitter that “Iran is providing weapons of mass destruction” and that “sanctions are not enough”.
The United States last month sanctioned an Iranian company that helped deliver Iranian drones to Russia, and it is reported that additional sanctions related to drone trade are being prepared. The U.S. plans to send 700 self-destructive drones, called “Switchblades,” to Ukraine.