Why Iran’s drones are dangerous for Ukraine, and how they were shot down

What is the danger of the Iranian drones used by Russia in the war in Ukraine, how effective are they and how is the Ukrainian air defense learning to shoot them down.

The massive rocket attack on Kyiv, Lvov, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, Dnipro and other Ukrainian cities by Russian forces on October 10 was one of the largest air attacks Ukraine has suffered since the beginning of the war. More than 100 air strikes were conducted across the country.

In addition to missiles, Russian troops attacked Ukrainian cities with Iranian kamikazde drones: according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia launched a total of 86 Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles, 60 percent of which was shot by the Ukrainians.

Target – civil infrastructure of Ukraine

Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become the first type of foreign-made weapons that Russia has begun to actively use in the war in Ukraine. For the first time, Russia used Iranian UAVs in September in the battles in the Kharkiv region, where their targets were Ukrainian artillery positions and MLRS – the American edition of The Wall Street Journal wrote about it then . On October 11, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, at an emergency meeting of the leaders of the G7 countries, citing Ukrainian intelligence data, said that Russia had ordered 2,400 kamikaze drones from Iran .

Currently, Russian troops are attacking not so much military as civilian infrastructure with Iranian drones. On October 11, with the help of Shahed-136 drones, in particular, the Ladyzhynska TPP in the Vinnitsa region was attacked. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russia also delivered Iranian Shahed-136 drones to Belarus: Ukraine’s special services admitted that the drones could be used for possible strikes on western and northern regions of Ukraine.

What is the danger of Iranian drones?

Israeli military expert David Gendelman explained the massive purchase of drones from Iran by Russia’s desire to compensate for the lack of other munitions. “The Shahed-136 UAV is a cheaper replacement for expensive cruise missiles, which Russia clearly lacks. And, apparently, the decision to buy them is difficult to understand, because we see not only the Shahed-136 that roving missiles in service with the Russian army, but also Mukhajar-6 reconnaissance drones, and several other types of UAVs,” the expert said.

Shahed-136 drones are capable of covering a distance of up to two thousand kilometers. They do not carry such a powerful charge as cruise missiles – the warhead contains up to 40-50 kg of explosives. “Loited missiles can patrol a certain area for some time and can independently search for a target, or receive instructions from another aircraft – another drone, aircraft or satellite. And after that , strike right away,” says David Gendelman.

The danger of Iranian drones, among other things, is their small size – only about 200 kilograms – and the low flight altitude make drones less accessible targets for air defense systems : they are difficult to detect with radars, a retired Bundeswehr colonel and military expert at the DW Berlin Foundation “Science and Politics” (SWP) Wolfgang Richter (Wolfgang Richter) explained.

“Ukraine is armed with radar systems of the Soviet-designed air defense system, designed to intercept large missiles used by the Russian army,” he said. However, the Ukrainian air defense has adapted to shoot down Iranian drones as well, as it shoots down Kalibr missiles, Richter said. “So far, it can be assumed that almost a third of all drones launched by Russia on October 10 were shot down by Ukrainians.”

Not a universal “wonder weapon”

Military expert David Gendelman emphasized that, like any type of weapon, Iranian UAVs have some shortcomings that increase their vulnerability: “The low altitude of the flight, which allows them to remain invisible to radar, makes them visible to the naked eye. In addition, these drones have very powerful engines – because here in Ukraine they are already nicknamed “mopeds”, and with this noise they can be recognized even at night. So ‘t these drones cannot be called invulnerable weapons – they can be shot down, and the APU does it successfully.”

In addition, by now the Ukrainian military has collected enough up-to-date operational information about Iranian drones, which also increases the effectiveness of countering this type of weapon. “Today Ukraine has a large number of downed drones and fragments of explosives. And, of course, there is an opportunity to separate them and see how they are organized – up to the boards and radio nodes,” said Gendelman .

Despite the damage caused by the Shahed-136 drones in Ukraine, they were not able to turn the tide in favor of Russia, Israeli military expert Gendelman is sure. “To do this, they must be used in tens of thousands at a time,” he explained. “Even though, according to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia has bought more than 2 thousand UAVs, it uses dozens of them. Of course, this is one of the tactical methods, but it is not a universal miracle weapon that could affect the course of the war as a whole.”

In the near future, NATO intends to help Ukraine repel Russian and Iranian drone strikes. Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on October 13 that the organization will transfer funds to Kyiv to combat drones to protect civilians and critical infrastructure, including those UAV jamming station, rendering them ineffective.