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Shahed 131

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Not to be confused with HESA Shahed 136.
Shahed 131
File:Shahed 131 - Recovered fuselage front view.jpg
A Shahed-131 recovered in Ukraine
TypeLoitering munition
Place of origin Iran
Service history
Used bySee Operators
Production history
DesignerShahed Aviation Industries
Specifications
Mass135 kg (298 lb)
Wingspan2.2 m (7.2 ft)
Warhead weight15 kilograms (33 lb)
Operational
range
900 km (559 mi)
Guidance
system
GNSS, INS

The Shahed 131, or Geran-1 in Russian service, is an Iranian-made drone which came to prominence in October 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] It is powered by a Wankel engine model Shahed-783/788.[2] Janes created an in-depth technical summary of the machine.[3]

Design

The Shahed-131 is powered by the Serat-1 Wankel engine, which is a copy of the Beijing Micropilot UAV Control System Ltd MDR-208 Wankel engine.[8][9] An engine of this type was used for the drone in the 2019 Aramco attack in Abqaiq,[9] which was referred to the UN Secretariat as part of the Resolution 2231 2020 investigations.

The Shahed-131 flight control unit was found to be able to connect with Iridium satellites, which in theory allows the flight path to be altered mid flight.[10][11] The flight controller has a backup inertial navigation system by MEMS gyroscope. Its primary instructions are derived from a commercial-grade GPS unit.[11]

Designs for the Kentron ARD-10 loitering drone were sold to Iran Aviation Industries Organization in 2004/5 and used by Shahed Aviation Industries to develop the Shahed 131 and Shahed 136 drones, according to Air Forces Monthly magazine.[12] However a Royal United Services Institute article states the origins of the Shahed 131 are obscure.[13]

Its warhead weighs 15 kg and its launch range is 900 km.[7][13]

Operational history

See also: Abqaiq–Khurais attack

It has been alleged the drone was first seen in the Arabian Peninsula when it was used to attack Saudi targets by the Houthi rebels.[5] However The Washington Post reported that other types of drone were used in that attack.[14]

See also: 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and Iran and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

It was used in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,[2] under a Russian name Geran-1.[1]

Operators

Non-state actors

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "A "Younger" Version Geran-1 (Shahed-131) Kamikaze Drone Spotted After Night Attack From Crimea | Defense Express". en.defence-ua.com. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Russians began to use Shahed-131 kamikaze drones". mil.in.ua. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b Binnie, Jeremy (29 September 2022). "Ukraine conflict: Details of Iranian attack UAV released". Janes. IHS. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Russia's Iranian Shahed-131 Drones Have US-Made Components". www.uasvision.com. Retrieved Jan 14, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Scollon, Michael. "Iranian Missiles Threaten To Boost Russia's Deadly Air Campaign In Ukraine". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.
  6. ^ Kossov, Igor (October 24, 2022). "How Russia uses Iranian drones to try to overwhelm Ukraine's air defense". The Kyiv Independent.
  7. ^ a b Panasovskyi, Maksim. "The AFU captured a kamikaze drone Shahed-131 - a smaller version of Shahed-136, weighing 135 kg, warhead weighing 15 kg and a launch range of 900 km". gagadget.com.
  8. ^ "Takeaways from Iranian National Aerospace Exhibition 2014". www.uskowioniran.com. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  9. ^ a b Mehdi H. [@mhmiranusa] (19 December 2019). "New pictures by @Reuters from US report to @UN Security Council on the UAV used for Aramco attack in Abqaiq. Shows its engine & vertical gyro compared to the ones from Iranian Shahed-123 UAV and a far picture of that delta wing UAV in an IRGC exhibition. https://t.co/kJrMtb7goz" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "An Advanced Radio Communication Device on American Processors Found in the Shahed-136". Defense Express. Kyiv. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Не тільки Shahed-136, з'явилось детальне дослідження ще одного іранського дрона камікадзе, який використовує РФ" [Not only Shahed-136, a detailed study of another Iranian kamikaze drone used by the Russian Federation has appeared]. Defense Express (in Ukrainian). Kyiv. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  12. ^ "South African heritage". Air Forces Monthly. Key Publishing Ltd. December 2022. p. 23.
  13. ^ a b Russia’s Iranian-Made UAVs: A Technical Profile. Royal United Services Institute. 13 January 2023.
  14. ^ Harris, Shane; Lamothe, Dan; Horton, Alex; DeYoung, Karen (20 October 2022). "U.S. has viewed wreckage of kamikaze drones Russia used in Ukraine". Washington Post. Retrieved 25 October 2022. The Houthis claimed to have used Samad-3 drones to attack a refinery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last spring, and launched Samad-1 drones at Saudi Aramco facilities in other parts of the country. Those drones are distinct from the weapons used by Russia in Ukraine.
  15. ^ "How Russia's Newest Drone Warhead Can Ruthlessly Destroy Energy Infrastructure in Ukraine". 24 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Yemeni Houthis Display Iranian Drones and Loitering Missiles - Defense Update". 27 September 2022.

External links

Media related to Shahed 131 at Wikimedia Commons

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