According to the Washington Post, citing American officials, according to American officials, Russian cargo planes have transported dozens of Iranian-made combat drones for use in the war in Ukraine.
According to information gathered by the United States and other countries, the transport planes left Iran on August 19 carrying at least two types of drones, both of which are capable of carrying munitions to attack radars, artillery and other military targets.
This newspaper opined that although this move confirms the deep ties between Moscow and Tehran, it shows Russia’s suffering in supplying its tired army.
This newspaper quoted American security officials as saying that while these weapons could be a significant boost to Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine, Iranian drones experienced multiple failures in initial tests conducted by the Russians.
“There are some flaws in the system,” said a security official in a US ally whose government is monitoring the transfer on condition of anonymity or nationality. “The Russians are not happy,” he said.
Russia has between 1,500 and 2,000 military reconnaissance drones, a relatively small number that leaves Iranian aircraft to help fill the gap so that Moscow can strike targets deep in Ukraine with precision.
In contrast, Ukraine has been using Turkish-made drones to destroy Russian armor, trucks and artillery since the first weeks of the war.
The US government warned in July that Russia was preparing to acquire a large number of Iranian drones to attack the battlefield in Ukraine.
In mid-August, Russian planes went to one of Iran’s military facilities for the transportation of unmanned aerial vehicles. The first shipment included two models of Iranian drones, Shahid 129 and Shahid 191, in addition to the Mohajer 6 aircraft, all of which have been considered. One of the best military pilot drones in Iran, designed for attacks as well as surveillance.
This contract was negotiated between the military leaders of the two countries over several months, Iranian technical experts traveled to Russia to help launch these systems, and Russian army officers were trained in Iran.
Experts believe that Western governments will closely monitor the role of Iranian drones to see if these drones are capable of conducting offensive operations in an advanced air defense environment that is different from what they were used to.
While Iran has provided military drones to proxy armed groups such as the Houthi rebels in Yemen, such models are expected to be tested against the types of electronic jamming and anti-aircraft systems used in Ukraine, according to Amnesty International’s military and security expert. Michael Knights said he has demonstrated the ability to assemble a swarm of these drones against a target.
For Russia, experts say, the conflict in Ukraine has exposed its failure to develop a line of combat drones similar to those used by the United States over two decades.
Russia has only two countries it can turn to to “fill the capability gap” in combat drones: China and Iran.
U.S. military analyst Sam Bendt said China is deeply involved in the global supply chain and does not want to involve itself more in the procurement of combat drones because it could lead to U.S. sanctions.
According to experts, Russia hopes that these drones will be able to counter mobile artillery systems provided by the United States to Ukraine “HIMARS” or systems provided by “NATO howitzers”.
HIMARS enabled Ukraine to destroy Russia’s long-range munitions and logistics facilities, as the system can accurately fire multiple missiles at Russian military targets from about 50 miles away.
“One of Russia’s biggest problems right now is that its air force can’t intercept things behind Ukrainian lines, and they don’t have a lot of long-range drones that can hit targets behind them,” said Rob Lee, a Russian military expert. put and a senior member of Foreign Policy. Enemy lines. “So they can’t stop Ukraine from strengthening their positions and restocking, and many of their drones are shot down or lost in electronic warfare.”
Russia’s efforts to increase domestic production of such drones have been hampered by Western sanctions and export restrictions that have halted the flow of semiconductor chips necessary to produce such weapons, analysts said.
Dmitry Alperovich, head of a Washington think tank, reveals that Russia relies on the black market to import semiconductors, “but the needs are huge.”
Russia needs chips for everything from precision-guided missiles to planes and tanks, in addition to civilian items in its domestic industry, so there is high demand in Moscow for chips and, if it can, full-fledged drones. buy from this country. Iran will not do this.” He must use his precious supply of black market chips to build his own drones.
Analysts note that the transfer of Iranian drones is unlikely to affect the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers, which are on a separate track and have a different goal of quickly eliminating Iran’s ability to build a nuclear bomb.
Source: Lebanon Debate
