Shahed drones
Iranian UCAVs and loitering munitions used in Ukraine and Iran wars.
Shahed drones are unmanned combat aerial vehicles and loitering munitions created by Shahed Aviation Industries. They are produced in both Iran and Russia, with the Russian version based on Iranian designs. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces used both variants in the war against Ukraine, and Iranian forces used them during the 2026 Iran war.
The name "Shahed" means "witness" in Persian and Arabic. The drones are built using local companies and resources. Despite sanctions on Iran, some components reportedly come from companies based in the United States, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Japan, and Poland. Because these parts are commercially available, they are poorly regulated. A Ukrainian report to the G7 claimed the parts reach Iran through Turkey, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Costa Rica. It is alleged that each Iranian drone factory has two backup sites to avoid disruption from aerial attacks.
In December 2011, Iran seized an American Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel UAV, which was brought down by Iran's cyberwarfare unit. Shahed Aviation Industries reverse-engineered it and used that knowledge to develop the Shahed 171 Simorgh and Shahed 191 Saeqeh.
At the United Nations General Assembly in September 2023, the United States accused Iran of supplying drones to Russia during the Ukraine war and helping Russia build a drone plant. Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi denied this, saying, "We are against the war in Ukraine." Months earlier, Sky News obtained documents from September 2022 showing Russia had bought over US$1 million in artillery shells and rockets. In June 2023, a U.S. intelligence finding reported Iran was supplying materials for a Russian drone factory. In February 2024, leaked documents revealed Russia purchased drones and arranged Iranian help to build a manufacturing facility, totaling US$1.75 billion, paid in gold ingots.
According to the G7 report, Iran tried to distance itself from arming Russia but could not meet Russian demand or the intensity of use in Ukraine. So the Yelabuga drone factory was set up with Iranian help in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, Russia, over 1,300 km from the Ukraine border. It sits by the Kama River, allowing shipping from Iran via the Caspian Sea.
- Name meaning
- Witness in Persian and Arabic
- Iranian developer
- Shahed Aviation Industries
- Russian factory location
- Alabuga Special Economic Zone, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia
- Russian production target
- 6,000 UCAVs by summer 2025
- Russian production rate
- 310 drones per month (if operating 24 hours a day)
- Geran 2 unit cost april 2024
- US$80,000
- Shahed 131 warhead weight
- 15 kg
- Shahed 131 range
- 900 km
Lore & Background
The name 'Shahed' (شاهد) literally means 'witness' in both Persian and Arabic. The drones are developed by Shahed Aviation Industries using domestic companies and local resources. Despite international sanctions, components reportedly include commercial parts from companies headquartered in the United States, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Japan, and Poland, imported to Iran from Turkey, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Costa Rica. On 5 December 2011, Iran seized an American Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel UAV, which was reverse-engineered to develop the Shahed 171 Simorgh and Shahed 191 Saeqeh.
In Russian service, the Shahed 131 is called Geran-1 and the Shahed 136 is called Geran-2. The Yelabuga drone factory was established with Iranian assistance in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, operated by the company Albatross, which employs students as young as 15 from Alabuga Polytechnic College. Russia aims to build 6,000 UCAVs by summer 2025 at a rate of 310 per month, with the cost of one Geran-2 rising to US$80,000 by April 2024. In July 2025, reports including a documentary by Russian defense ministry channel Zvezda indicated Russia was using children and teenagers to assemble Shahed drones.
Reader's Guide
Shahed drones are notable for their role in the Russo-Ukrainian war, where Russian forces have used them in multiple attacks on Ukrainian cities. On 17 October 2022, an attack on Kyiv killed four civilians, including a pregnant woman. Another attack on 28 May 2023 killed one person, and a strike on 20 June 2023 used 35 Shahed drones, 32 of which Ukraine claimed to have shot down. On 22 November 2024, a residential area in Sumy was attacked, killing two and injuring 12. On 17 May 2025, multiple attacks across Ukraine killed at least 13 civilians and injured 32. The drones have also been used by Iranian forces during the 2026 Iran war. The article notes that Iran has tried to 'disassociate itself from providing Russia with weapons' and 'cannot cope with Russian demand.' In 2025, investigations found young women across Africa were coerced into traveling to the Alabuga factory under false promises of hospitality work or scholarships, instead being used to assemble Shahed drones. South Africa opened an investigation in November 2025, and The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 1,000 women across Africa had been lured there.
Did You Know?
- The Shahed 131 (Geran-1) has a 15 kg warhead and a range of 900 km.
- The Shahed 121 flew over USS Harry S. Truman in 2016, regarded by the US Navy as a security breach.
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