Shahed-136

Loitering munition / Kamikaze-Suicide drone - Iran

The Shahed-136 is an Iranian-made loitering ammunition also called suicide or kamikaze drone developed and manufactured by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA). The company was established in 1976, it belongs to the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) and is located at Shahin Shahr, Isfahan. The original factory, built by Textron, was to produce Bell 214s of different configurations in Iran with a deal that involved several hundred helicopters and technology transfers. The drone is designed to conduct ground attacks. The Shahed-136 is not only a suicide drone and according to pictures released by Iranian media, Iran has also created a new way to launch the drones in a kind of multiple-launch, or drone-swarming, format. Drone swarms are a new technology whereby multiple drones are used to strike targets. The drone was unveiled in 2021 and is now used by the Russian army in Ukraine. According to Newsweek, an American weekly online news magazine, as early as 2020 they were being used by Houthi groups in Yemen. According to information released by the Ukrainian government on October 23, 2022, Russia has ordered 2,400 Iranian-made Shahed-136 suicide drones from Iran.

Shahed-136 variants:

The Shahed-136 is used in three models in the Iranian armed forces: anti-personnel and armored vehicle, anti-fortification, and radar seeker.

Design

The Shahed-136 is based on a delta-wing shape design with stabilizing rudders at the tips. The engine is located at the rear of the fuselage. The design also incorporates a rear-facing pusher-prop arrangement. It has a length of 3.5 m with a wingspan of 2.5 m and a weight of around 200 kg.

Payload

The nose section of the Shahed-136 contains a high explosive fragmentation warhead estimated to weigh 30–50 kilograms of unknown composition as well as optics for precision attacks. It has a simple inertial navigation system with a consumer-grade GPS system to strike its target. The payload can also include photo equipment that can take still and real-time images or videos.

Flight Capabilities

The Shahed-136 is motorized with a MADO MD-550 piston engine developing 50 hp which is an Iranian copy of a German Limbach L550E. The engine is located at the rear of the fuselage and drives a two-bladed propeller in a "pusher" arrangement. The drone can fly at a maximum speed of 185 km and has an estimated range from 1,000 to 2,500 km. It can fly at an altitude from 60 to 4,000 m.

Combat Use

The Shahed 136 is available in three models in the Iranian armed forces including anti-personnel and armored vehicle, anti-fortification, and radar seeker versions. It can be launched in salvo mode from a truck and used as a swarm drone. With this method,  several drones are launched at the same time and fly in formation controlled from the same station which can be programmed using an algorithm to carry out various tasks including surveillance or attacks. It can be also used as a pre-programmed direct-attack munitions mode like a long-range cruise missile or as a long-duration loitering munition limited by a radio signal range of about 150 km in receiving new GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) target location instructions.