The Russians localized the production of Shahed-136 loitering munitions, the local variant of which is designated “Geran-2”.

This was reported by the investigators of Conflict Armament Research.

The drone generally reproduces the Iranian version, in addition to the fact that the Russian version went towards simplification and unification with other Russian-made UAVs.

The Russian model also received structural changes to the fiberglass airframe and another navigation system.

Among the clear differences, there is a lack of internal duo-lateral airframe structure, which is observed in Iranian-made drones.

The Iranian Shahed uses a combination of four antennas attached to the base structure, which is connected to an off-body satellite navigation unit while being physically separated from it and with the fifth antenna being independent.

The Russian “Geran” has four antennas, which are components of the satellite navigation system and are located inside the airframe.

The Russian-made navigation unit has elements of the “Kometa” electronic warfare system, the same units are used in the Orlan, Forpost UAVs and guided kits for FAB-250, as well as AB-500 bombs.

READ MORE IN AN ARTICLE:  Kometa: challenge for Ukrainian EW

At the same time, the flight control units and starter units differ.

Nevertheless, the number of Russian-made components remains low. CAR investigators have documented more than a hundred components belonging to 22 brands from 7 countries around the world.

Among the main countries of origin of drone kamikaze components are China, Switzerland and the United States.

The components have a production date between 2020 and 2023. Twelve components were manufactured after the invasion began in February 2022. All three Russian components documented by SAR investigators were manufactured between January and March 2023.