Following pictures and information published on the "General Staff of the Armed Forces" Facebook account on November 8, 2022, Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drones are used by the Russian armed forces to conduct reconnaissance and combat missions in Ukraine.
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A picture of the Iranian-made Mohajer-6 was published on the Facebook account of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. (Picture source Intelligence Service of Ukrainian Ministry of Defense)
A few days ago, Iran has admitted to supplying drones to Russia before the start of the war in Ukraine, so until now Iran has always denied this information. Citing information from the Ukrainian armed, several Iranian drones Shahed-136 have already been destroyed.
Citing information published by the British News television "SkyNews", Russia would have sent 140 million Euros in cash and several Western weapons to Tehran in August 2022 in exchange for the drones used in Ukraine for a few weeks. The transaction between Iran and Russia would have taken place on August 20, 2022. Two Russian cargo airplanes would have landed at Tehran airport, one carrying cash, the other several Western weapons.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has already published pictures showing Shahid-136 suicide drones parts that were shot down by the Ukrainian army anti-aircraft defense units.
Citing information published by the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces, an Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone was captured and according to indications marked on the components of the drone, it could have been manufactured in February of this year.
Citing a JINSA report, On August 9, 2022, U.S. officials revealed that Iran had started training Russians to use its UAVs and sent its first shipment with hundreds of Mohajer-6 and Shahed-129 and Shahed-191 UAVs to Russia at the end of August. Russia has since acquired Iran’s Shahed-136 UAV.
Iran may have one of the oldest drone programs, dating back to the 1980s and the Iran–Iraq War. Indeed, by some estimates, it has become one of the most active UAV programs globally. It has been suggested that Iran has invested in its UAV programs to address its shortcomings in air power, including strike and aerial reconnaissance capabilities. These air power shortfalls have likely been driven by a number of factors including defense program decisions, anemic domestic economic growth, and punitive economic sanctions imposed on Iran for its undeclared nuclear program and its support of terrorism, among other reasons.
The Mohajer-6 has a rectangular fuselage, an upwards-sloping nose, twin tailbooms, a top-mounted horizontal stabilizer, uncanted wingtips, straight wings mounted high and to the rear of the body, and air intakes on the top and bottom of the engine. It is controlled by two elevators on the horizontal stabilizer, rudders on the vertical stabilizers, and two flaps per wing.
The payload of the Mohajer-6 includes a camera for navigation and a gimbal on the chin for a laser range finder and multispectral IR and visible light electro-optical imagery. It can be fitted with hardpoints which can each carry one or two Qaem TV/IR-guided missiles or one Almas missile depending on the version.
In terms of technical features, the Mohajer-6 has a length of 7.5m, and a wingspan of 10 m. It can fly at a maximum speed of 200 km and can be controlled from a ground station with a range from 200 to 500 km. it can fly at a maximum altitude of 7,600 m and has an endurance of 12 hours.
A scale model of the Iranian-made Mohajer-6 was displayed at the ADEX defense exhibition in Azerbaijan, in September 2022. (Picture source Army Recognition)
