Iran is modifying and adapting the attack drones it supplies to Russia so that the warheads can inflict “maximum damage” on infrastructure targets inside Ukraine, the American “CNN” network reported today (Thursday).
As you may remember, Iran gave Russia hundreds of drones to use in its war against Ukraine, when many of them were used by Moscow to attack the electricity grids and energy facilities in the country, causing great damage to these infrastructures.
An unexploded warhead of an Iranian Shahad-131 UAV was found in the Odesa region of southern Ukraine in October 2022, and was examined by a British research group. The composition of the warhead helped to understand how Russia’s attack on Ukrainian infrastructure over the past few months proved so effective.
The group’s analysts believe that the warheads, which are just under two meters long, have been hastily modified by adding layers that are equipped with dozens of small metal fragments, arranged in a disorderly manner, seven hits spread over a large radius. In addition to the fragments, there are also 18 smaller “charges” around the perimeter of the warhead, and when they melt in an explosion, they can penetrate armor and create a sort of “360 degree” explosive effect.
The accumulation of these elements actually maximizes the ability of the warhead to cause damage to targets such as power plants, distribution networks, and significantly complicates the repair and rehabilitation efforts.