Iran close to giving Russia new suicide UAV specifically to target air defenses – Sky News

Iran has possibly developed a new Shahed-107 attack drone specifically to destroy air defense radars and is likely close to supplying Russia with surface-to-surface missiles, reported Sky News with reference to an informed source in the British security services.

The Shahed-107 can probably perform both reconnaissance and target engagement, and it can be equipped with anti-aircraft detection means.

The drone belongs to the Shahed-101 family of unmanned aerial vehicles with a V-shaped tail. The drone, which is about 2.5 meters long and has a wingspan of 3 meters, can be launched from a transport platform and is believed to have a range of up to 1,500 km, the outlet's source said.

"A few units" of this design could be offered to Russia as part of the negotiated agreement on the supply of Iranian weapons. The Russians were shown test launches of the new UAV at an air base in central Iran, the source said.

Sky News also quoted an unnamed source in Ukraine as saying that reports of a new type of drone being developed in Iran are "likely true" and that Ukraine has "huge concerns about the possible supply of the mentioned types of drones to Russia".

A British source also said that Iran and Russia appear to be close to concluding a new arms deal, under which Russia expects to receive high-precision Iranian surface-to-surface missile systems.

In September 2023, Iran announced the creation of a military drone with a "record range".

On December 19, 2023, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against 10 entities and four individuals from Iran, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Indonesia, who are accused of facilitating the production of Iranian drones.

Russia, with the help of Iran, plans to produce 6,000 Shahed kamikaze drones by 2025.

The United States believes that Iran is considering providing Russia with ballistic missiles for use against Ukraine.