Shahed 131
| Shahed 131 | |
|---|---|
| File:Shahed 131 - Recovered fuselage front view.jpg A Shahed-131 recovered in Ukraine | |
| Type | Loitering munition |
| Place of origin |  Iran |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Iran Russia (as Geran-1) |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Shahed Aviation Industries |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 135 kg (298 lb) |
| Wingspan | 2.2 m (7.2 ft) |
| Warhead weight | 15 kilograms (33 lb) |
Operational range | 900 km (559 mi) |
Guidance system | GNSS, INS |
The Shahed 131, or Geran-1 in Russian service, is an Iranian-made drone which came to prominence in October 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] It is powered by a Wankel engine model Shahed-783/788.[2] Janes created an in-depth technical summary of the machine.[3] Its warhead weighs 15 kg and its launch range is 900 km.[7]
The Shahed-131 is powered by the Serat-1 Wankel engine, which is a copy of the Beijing Micropilot UAV Control System Ltd MDR-208 Wankel engine.[8][9] An engine of this type was used for the drone in the 2019 Aramco attack in Abqaiq,[9] which was referred to the UN Secretariat as part of the Resolution 2231 2020 investigations.
The Shahed-131 flight control unit was found to be able to connect with Iridium satellites, which in theory allows the flight path to be altered mid flight.[10][11] The flight controller has a backup inertial navigation system by MEMS gyroscope. Its primary instructions are derived from a commercial-grade GPS unit.[11]
Operational history
The drone was first seen in the Arabian Peninsula when it was used to attack Saudi targets by the Houthi rebels.[5]
It was used in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,[2] under a Russian name Geran-1.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b "A "Younger" Version Geran-1 (Shahed-131) Kamikaze Drone Spotted After Night Attack From Crimea | Defense Express". en.defence-ua.com. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "Russians began to use Shahed-131 kamikaze drones". mil.in.ua. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ a b Binnie, Jeremy (29 September 2022). "Ukraine conflict: Details of Iranian attack UAV released". Janes. IHS. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Russia's Iranian Shahed-131 Drones Have US-Made Components – UAS VISION".
- ^ a b "Iranian Missiles Threaten To Boost Russia's Deadly Air Campaign In Ukraine". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.
- ^ Kossov, Igor (October 24, 2022). "How Russia uses Iranian drones to try to overwhelm Ukraine's air defense". The Kyiv Independent.
- ^ a b Panasovskyi, Maksim. "The AFU captured a kamikaze drone Shahed-131 - a smaller version of Shahed-136, weighing 135 kg, warhead weighing 15 kg and a launch range of 900 km". gagadget.com.
- ^ "Takeaways from Iranian National Aerospace Exhibition 2014". www.uskowioniran.com. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ a b Mehdi H. [@mhmiranusa] (19 December 2019). "New pictures by @Reuters from US report to @UN Security Council on the UAV used for Aramco attack in Abqaiq. Shows its engine & vertical gyro compared to the ones from Iranian Shahed-123 UAV and a far picture of that delta wing UAV in an IRGC exhibition. https://t.co/kJrMtb7goz" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "An Advanced Radio Communication Device on American Processors Found in the Shahed-136". Defense Express. Kyiv. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Не тільки Shahed-136, з'явилось детальне дослідження ще одного іранського дрона камікадзе, який використовує РФ" [Not only Shahed-136, a detailed study of another Iranian kamikaze drone used by the Russian Federation has appeared]. Defense Express (in Ukrainian). Kyiv. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
