Ukrainian military intelligence said on Tuesday that Iran plans to send more than 200 combat drones to Russia, including the Arash-2, touted by the Iranian military as one of the world’s longest-range attack drones.
Ukraine Defense Intelligence, which is part of the Defense Ministry, said that “a batch of more than 200 Shahed-136, Mohajer-6 and Arash-2 combat drones are planned to be sent from Iran to the Russian Federation in the early November”.
The intelligence agency said in a Telegram post that the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles “will be delivered by the Caspian Sea to the port of Astrakhan”.
The agency said the drones are being shipped dismantled and, once inside Russian territory, “will be collected, repainted and applied with Russian markings”.
The intelligence agency did not specify how it obtained the information about the shipments, and it was not possible for CNN to independently verify the details.
But, as report published by CNN on Tuesdayciting officials in a Western country that closely monitors Iran’s weapons program, Tehran was preparing a large shipment of drones and ballistic missiles to Russia.
Any Russian deployment of the Arash-2 drone in the war in Ukraine could put further strain on the country’s already-challenged air defenses.
Since 13 September, Ukraine’s air defense forces say they have shot down more than 300 attack drones – however, dozens have managed to hit their targets and destroy vital energy infrastructure.
About the drone: CNN’s Clarissa Ward said the Arash-2 deployment has the potential to be a “major game-changer” in the Ukrainian war as it “can carry five times more explosives than the Shahed”.
Unlike the Shahed-136’s noisy propeller, it has been claimed that the Arash-2 uses jet propulsion, not only making it much faster and harder to shoot down, but also giving it greater range. However, photos of what has been described as an Arash-2 by Iranian state media clearly show it has a propeller on the back.
In a speech on Iranian TV at a military event in Tehran in late September, Brigadier General Kioomars Heidari suggested that the Arash-2 had a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles), which would make it one of the longest attack drones in the world. reach of the world. However, Iranian military leaders have a history of exaggerating the capabilities of Iranian-built weapons systems.
Source: CNN Brasil
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