Import Substitution in Russian Style: US Components in Shahed Drones Replaced with Chinese and Indian Alternatives for EW Protection

Experts from the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine have uncovered a significant rise in the use of Chinese electronics in the electronic warfare systems of the Shahed/Geran kamikaze drones.

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported on this.

While analyzing a recently downed Russian kamikaze drone, specialists discovered that the new CRP antennas used in the latest batches of drones contained only two chips from American companies, highlighting the shift towards Chinese and other foreign components.

These chips are produced by the American companies Texas Instruments and Linear Technologies, indicating that the Russians are seeking alternatives due to sanctions and the difficulty of accessing such components.

It was also noted that the majority of other components, such as transceivers, generators, signal converters, and other microchips, are also produced by Chinese companies.

Experts from the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine pointed out that the main chip of the CRP antenna used in the new Shahed/Geran drones is manufactured by the Chinese company Beijing Microelectronics Technology Institute.

Meanwhile, Indian components were detected in Russian weapons for the first time, specifically a clock buffer from the company Aura Semiconductor.

It should be noted that currently, the Russian side is facing certain difficulties in acquiring sanctioned products, primarily due to an increase in checks on companies that order such products and may be involved in reselling them to Russia.

Purchasing products from China and India significantly simplifies their supply and allows for establishing a smooth production process to meet the needs of the Russian military.

In February 2024, specialists from the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine discovered a sticker on a protected 8-channel CRP antenna for satellite navigation with a circular arrangement of peripheral patch antennas. The sticker, which was labeled in both Chinese and English, read: “Agricultural equipment parts” and included a number indicating production in 2024.

It was noted that in the new 8-channel Shahed-136 antennas, the Russians replaced the critically important XILINX Kintex-7 chip (manufactured by the USA) with an integrated circuit from Beijing Microelectronics Technology (China). In addition to the 8-channel “Kometa M8” antennas, new 12-channel CRP antennas, the “Kometa,” have also started to be used in Russian strike UAVs.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Russians had integrated a Chinese 16-element CRPA antenna into the Shahed drones to counter Ukrainian electronic warfare systems.