Infrared lenses manufactured in Israel were found along with more than 200 other components from the US, Europe and other allied countries in Iranian drones used by Russia in the invasion of Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported today (Wednesday).
About three-quarters of the drones’ components were American-made, according to Ukrainian documents presented to the journal by the non-profit Independent Anti-Corruption Commission. Ukrainian researchers made the discovery while examining downed Iranian-made drones, including the Iranian Mohajer drone. -6, which broke in the middle of the flight and landed unharmed.
According to the report, out of over 200 technical components in the captured Mohajer-6, half of them were produced by companies in the USA and about a third were produced by companies in Japan. The servo motors in the UAV were made by the Japanese company Tonegawa-Seiko Co.
Japan’s Tonegawa-Seiko Co was accused by Japan’s trade ministry last year of exporting servo motors to China without permission after UN investigators found one in an Iranian drone. The company claimed that it did not know that military drones would be used.
The high-resolution telescopic infrared lens used by the Mohajer-6 appears to be identical to a model made by the Israeli company Ophir Optronics Solutions Ltd., according to photos of the device examined by the journal. MKS Instruments Inc., Ophir’s parent company, told the newspaper that it Does not sell parts to Iran and complies with the sanctions.
The report emphasized that many of the parts found in the drones are not under export control, they can be easily bought online and sent through other countries to Iran.
Ukrainian intelligence initially suspected that the infrared camera found in the Iranian missile was manufactured by Oregon-based Sierra-Olympic Technologies Inc, which uses Ophir lenses. Chris Johnston, the company’s founder, told the newspaper that while some of the device looked the same, there were other parts that were different. , indicating that it did not come from his company.In addition, he said the parts could have been obtained from Western aircraft shot down in Iraq and Afghanistan or brokers who violated US sanctions.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense responded to the report, stating that Israel is examining the findings and that a preliminary review found that the lens in question is not a controlled protective item or a dual-use item.