Russia Uses Shahed Drones With Live Video Guidance at 150 km Range

A Shahed-type loitering munition equipped with a live video feed, direct radio control from Russian territory, and a machine vision module has been identified in Ukraine for the first time.

Military and radio technology expert Serhii Flesh reported the discovery and published photos of the downed drone.

Flesh noted that while the development of such a version of the Iranian drone had been reported for some time, this marks the first recorded use in combat.

He stated that the radio modem allows the Shahed-136 to be manually controlled from distances of up to 150 kilometers from Russian territory or the front line.

Flesh added that the drone could potentially be controlled from even longer distances if aerial relays are used over Ukrainian territory.

The “Polkovnik GSh” Telegram channel, after reviewing images of the wreckage and onboard electronics, identified the UAV as an Iranian-made Shahed-136 rather than the Russian Geran-2 version. The drone featured an upgraded 8-element CRPA (controlled reception pattern antenna) system produced in Iran.

“Machine vision based on the NVIDIA Jetson Orin module — similar to the one used in Russia’s new V2U drone — is used here for final target acquisition, functioning as a homing system,” the channel stated.

The new version’s use may suggest that Iran has resumed the delivery of complete UAVs to Russia, rather than just supplying components, for the first time since 2023.

Background

In September 2024, Russia showcased a Shahed-136 variant with a modified nose section housing an optical system.

The Iranian Shahed-236 drone has a similar design and features an optical targeting system that allows for autonomous or operator-guided strikes.

In early 2024, Militarnyi published a detailed investigation into leaked documents revealing Iranian-Russian drone technology transfers. The files suggested plans to localize the production of a new UAV, codenamed MC-236, in Russia.