17 December 2022

Dissecting Iranian drones employed by Russia in Ukraine


Background

The Russian Federation’s use of Iranian-manufactured uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Ukraine represents a notable development in the evolution of the conflict. Conflict Armament Research (CAR) investigators physically documented a number of these UAVs in Ukraine in November 2022 and are conducting a detailed dissection of their design characteristics and key components, comparing them with CAR’s previous documentations of similar technology used in conflicts in the Middle East .

This comparative analysis demonstrates that these UAVs did, as is widely reported , originate in Iran, and that they include many recently manufactured components produced by companies mostly based in the United States. This raises important questions regarding the effectiveness of existing sanction regimes, most notably United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution 2231, which prohibits the transfer of certain goods and equipment to or from Iran.

CAR field investigators have been documenting advanced weapon systems—including UAVs—that the Russian Federation has been using in its war in Ukraine. This is CAR's third dispatch from the field since the invasion in February 2022. In May 2022 , CAR showed that these systems are highly reliant on components produced by companies based in Europe and the United States. This analysis was updated in CAR’s second dispatch in September 2022 , which highlighted the critical commonalities in the technology used across Russian systems.

Iranian UAVs used by Russian forces in Ukraine include many recently manufactured components produced by companies mostly based in the United States.

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