Production of Shahed kamikaze drones could expand - Ukraine’s Air Force

There are indications suggesting Russia will expand the production of Iran's Shahed one-way attack UAVs.

That’s according to Yuriy Ihnat, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, who spoke on the air of the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

"There are signs it (the production – ed.) will be further increased. If we take the data that intelligence gives us, the data coming from certain experts, there is an increase. But without Iran, it is unlikely that they (Russia – ed.) will be able to produce on their own. Even if such production has established, including assembly lines for Shahed drones, the issue of spare parts remains in place so it is obvious that they will continue to use Iran to get technology they can’t produce themselves," said Ihnat.

According to the spokesman, last month, Russia launched a record number of kamikaze drones at Ukraine. Nearly 500 UAVs were launched against nearly a thousand throughout the entire previous heating season. Russians use 20 to 30 drones at a time, and sometimes even more, now primarily targeting Ukraine’s port infrastructure, agricultural facilities, military targets, warehouses, and airfields.

Yuriy Ihnat added that the Shaheds are a fairly high-precision weapon able to cover large distances. "That's why they will use them farther from the front line because they have other strike weapons there. Among them are the Lancets that are used closer to the front line, as well as guided aerial bombs that hit targets at a range of 20 to 30 km from the contact line. This is exactly why they will attack strategic targets," said the spokesman of the Air Force Command.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Iranian-made Shahed-type kamikaze drones, which Russia will use for strikes on Ukraine, are a difficult target for Ukraine’s air defenses as it is rather difficult to detect, while the enemy is also improving these models to better protect them from e-warfare systems.