Iranian drones pose no significant threat to Ukraine, UK intelligence says
Russia deployed Iranian Shahed-136 loitering munition UAVs since at least August, with limited success (Photo:REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy)
Russia deployed Iranian Shahed-136 loitering munition UAVs since at least August 2022, UK military intelligence said in its daily Twitter update on Oct. 11.
According to the message, the Russian army used Shahed-136 UAVs in the mass wave of air strikes on Ukraine on Oct. 10.
As per the Ukrainian General Staff, Russia launched 86 Iranian drones, 60% of which were destroyed mid-flight. Shahed-136s are slow and fly at low altitudes, making them easy to detect and neutralize with conventional air defenses.
At the same time, Russia has "achieved some success" by attacking with several UAVs simultaneously, according to the assessment.
"Despite a reported range of 2,500 km, the Shahed-136 only has a small explosive payload,” the report reads.
“It is unlikely to be satisfactorily fulfilling the deep strike function which Russia probably aspired to use it for.”
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