Over 100 foreign parts found inside Russia’s drones and missiles - Ukraine's intelligence
Photo: Components for Russian drones are manufactured in Iran, among other places (Getty Images)
Russia uses over 100 foreign components to manufacture missiles and drones, so Iran is far from the only country helping to arm Russia's war against Ukraine, according to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR).
Foreign components in Russian drones and missiles have been identified by experts from Ukrainian research institutions.
Among the samples published today where foreign components were found are two Russian-made Geran-2 strike drones of the Y series, a Korsar multi-purpose drone, and a Kh-69 cruise missile.
"To continue and intensify its terror against the population of Ukraine, Russia continues to modernize its main weapons, in particular the Geran-2 (Shahed-136) UAV. In some cases, the modernization is carried out with the participation of Iran," the intelligence report says.
The use of such drones with Iranian-made thermobaric warheads has been recorded.
In addition to Iranian warheads, Russia is also installing its own warheads with a cumulative impact core to penetrate protected shelters on the new Shahed drones.
"In both cases, contact target sensors are used to initiate the explosion. In some UAVs, the use of warheads with metal ball elements and the possibility of non-contact detonation by signals from an optical sensor (laser rangefinder, lidar) at a certain distance from the target was recorded," the HUR adds.
In the case of the above-mentioned drones, the SF20 laser rangefinder from the South African company LightWare was used.
The intelligence service recalls that in August, the use of a Geran-2 drone with a payload on external suspensions under the wings was also recorded.
RBC-Ukraine reported that the Russian Iskander missile that struck the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine contained over 30 foreign parts. Specifically, American, British, and Japanese-made parts were found in the missile.
Shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russians began purchasing Iranian Shahed drones on an industrial scale.
Subsequently, Russia began manufacturing them in order not to depend on unstable allies and to build up its arsenal of these weapons. It took Moscow some time to put the Iranian drone on the assembly line and, after testing it in shelling, to modernize it.
Read more in the article by RBC-Ukraine.
