China supplies tech behind Russia's faster Shahed drones
China supplies Russia with components for kamikaze drones (Photo: DR)
China is supplying Russia with components and technology that are helping it upgrade Shahed drones, making them faster and more difficult to intercept, The Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 25.
The newspaper noted that new modifications of Shahed drones now resemble missiles more closely in their characteristics and can reach speeds of approximately 480 kilometers per hour (about 300 mph), nearly three times faster than older versions. According to Ukrainian officials who have examined downed drones, these newer models were made possible by Chinese companies that supplied the engines used in them.
Current and former U.S. officials, as well as analysts, stressed that China has long been one of the main suppliers of Shahed drone components, including engine parts, servo motors, and gyroscopes.
Ukrainian officials and analysts noted that over time, Shahed drones have come to rely on fewer Western components, while their navigation systems and strike capabilities have improved. According to Ukrainian government researcher Oleksandr Zaruba, newer drones increasingly contain antennas, modems, and SIM cards used to adjust their route via local networks, with a significant portion of these parts being of Chinese origin.
Ukrainian authorities have linked the Chinese company Telefly Telecommunications Equipment to the production of turbojet engines used in Shahed drones. The company was founded in 2010 in Shenzhen. Its primary business is computer and telecommunications equipment, but it also sells its own microturbine jet engines, which are used in drones.
After Ukraine reported finding Telefly engines in Russian drones, the section featuring turbojet engines disappeared from the English-language version of the company's website. However, the corresponding products remain available on the Chinese-language and other language versions of the site, as well as in catalogs of other Chinese sellers.
“For a long time the focus for making the Shahed was about getting Western parts. They focused on that a lot,” said Kerri Bitsoff, a former Treasury Department official. “Now I think that has shifted as China has become better at manufacturing parts and technology like this.”
On May 5, The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia and Iran are increasing their purchases of Chinese components for the production of attack drones, including Shaheds, despite U.S. and EU sanctions. According to the newspaper, China effectively does not obstruct these supplies, and its companies export engines, batteries, chips, gyroscopes, and other parts that can be used in weapons production to Russia and Iran.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
