WASHINGTON – The White House’s revelation last week that Russia was seeking hundreds of armed and unarmed surveillance drones from Iran for use in the war in Ukraine reflects a need Moscow has just filled the space for. The critical battlefield drum has just found a long-term supplier for a key combat technology, independent U.S. military, intelligence and intelligence analysts say.
Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, gave some details of the intelligence assessment he revealed to reporters last Monday, including whether the shipments have begun or not. not yet. But other US officials said Iran is preparing to supply about 300 drones and will begin training the Russian military on how to use them as early as this month.
Russia has used most of the precision-guided weapons as well as a variety of drones it uses to help its long-range artillery hit targets during the months-long bombardment of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the first batches of truck-mounted U.S. rocket launchers destroyed more than two dozen ammunition depots, air defense sites and Russian command posts, according to two officials. America, making Moscow more resistant to new, advanced Western weapons. emergency.
Enter Iran, a leading drone developer for decades.
Iran has provided drone technology to Hezbollah in Lebanon; let the Houthi rebels in Yemen attack Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; and to Iraqi Shiite militias who have carried out attacks against Iraqi and American troops.
Samuel Bendett, an expert on Russian drones and other weapons at CNA, a research and analysis organization based in Arlington, said: “Russia is moving towards an ally that has flown in environments. complex with large numbers. drones, they don’t have all the types that they need.”
Russia’s deal with Iran highlights the growing importance of drones for modern warfare, not only in insurgency or counter-terrorism operations but also in traditional conflicts. dictionary. In a contested battlefield like Ukraine, where dueling artillery is the deciding factor if an attack fails or succeeds, drones play a vital role.
A Russian delegation has visited an airport in central Iran at least twice in the past five weeks – June 8 and July 5 – to check for possible armed drones, Mr. Sullivan said in a statement released by the White House. previously reported by CNN. The Russians reviewed the Shahed-191 and Shahed-129 drones, according to satellite images provided by the White House along with a statement to The New York Times.
Ukraine had its own fleet of drones before the war started and also used hundreds of aircraft supplied by the United States and other NATO countries, like Turkeyto destroy hundreds of Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers, military officials said.
But analysts say Russian countermeasures and electronic warfare equipment, including jammers, have stifled the early success of US and Turkish drones.
One recent report of the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank, concluded that Ukraine needed more electronic warfare equipment of its own to counter advanced Russian systems. Ukraine’s surveillance drones, which help target Russian troops, only last about a week before Russian defenses force them to crash or shoot them down, reports said.
Ukraine and their supporters in Congress have begged the United States and its allies to provide more and more large drones that can carry more weapons and stay aloft longer, like Gray Eagle Airplane. American officials have now shelved those proposals, fearing that the Gray Eagles would become an easy target for Russia’s air defenses and could also be seen by President Vladimir Putin as an escalation.
Better understanding of the Russo-Ukrainian War
Russia has a formidable arsenal of drones when it comes to war, but Iran’s supply of hundreds of armed and unarmed drones will help the Kremlin replenish a fleet that has already been damaged. suffered heavy losses in the campaign that lasted nearly 5 months.
Russia lost dozens of spy drones to Ukraine’s air defenses and carried out mistakenly jamming attacks in the early stages of the conflict. Surveillance drones are essential to the abrasive battle that war is over. The Russian defense industry has struggled to build mass-capable armed drones and other drones that can fly high over targets, analysts say. spent for hours on end, analysts said.
Since invading Ukraine in February, the Russian military has been honing its use of drones in what has largely become an artillery war. Small drones have come in handy as they quickly target Ukrainian forces and transmit coordinates back to Russia’s longer-range weapons, including artillery and mortars.
“They’re definitely improving their skills,” a Ukrainian Army major named Kostyantyn, who declined to give his last name for security reasons, said this spring about the Russian military’s use of Unmanned aircraft.
Ukrainian soldiers in the Donbas, the territory in the east of the country that has become the focus of Russia’s military campaign, said their artillery was almost immediately targeted by the counterattack. Russia, which they attribute in part to the use of drones.
Russian drones — primarily the Orlan-10, a small fixed-wing aircraft that, along with small, commercially available quadcopters — have dramatically changed the way Ukrainian forces move over the air. battlefield. They park their cars under a tree or other cover and have to hide their firecrackers to avoid detection by overhead surveillance.
But even with proper disguise, pro-Russian media channels regularly post videos of Ukrainian equipment being targeted and destroyed as a drone loser.
But in recent weeks, Bendett and military analysts say, Russia’s advantage in drone wars has diminished. Analysts say about 50 Orlan-10s were downed by Ukrainian fire or jamming or by random Russian.
As a result, demand remains high for commercially available consumer models and modified amateur drones that are resistant to interference. Analysts say both sides are using crowdfunding campaigns to replace lost devices.
Russia and Iran have issued silent responses since Mr. Sullivan’s disclosure.
Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, on Wednesday declined to say whether Moscow has any plans to buy Iranian drones. He said Mr Putin was not planning to discuss the issue during his scheduled trip to Tehran this week.
Western and even Russian analysts say that the Kremlin has seen the value of drones in various conflicts around the world over the years, including in Syria. However, Russia is still not ready for the demands of tension in Ukraine.
Yuri Borisov, who until last week held the position of deputy prime minister of Russia, said in an interview told a Russian news organization last month that the Russian military should have deployed drones in more aggressive combat zones.
Borisov told RBC: “I think we are seriously engaged in the introduction of driverless vehicles – this is the goal.
A senior Pentagon military official said during a Pentagon briefing on Friday, the United States had seen no indication that Iran had transferred any drones to Russia. But US officials and analysts say Moscow’s apparent deal with Iran is a major role reversal for one of the biggest arms suppliers on the planet.
“Russia is used to selling military equipment to countries like Iran, not the other way around,” said PW Singer, a strategist at New America in Washington who has written extensively about drones.
Iran has made careful comments about its military cooperation with Russia that some Iranian media consider confirmation of a drone deal.
On Tuesday, Nasser Kanani, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, told reporters that “military cooperation between Iran and the Russian Federation on new technology predates the war of Ukraine and has not changed significantly. in recent times”.
It remains unclear exactly what type of drone Russia might be looking for from Iran, although satellite images released by the White House provide solid clues.
In recent years, Iran and its proxies have carried out a number of attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria using armed drones that US officials say were designed and domestic production. On October 20, Iran launched five so-called suicide drones at the US base at Al Tanf in southern Syria, although only two exploded on impact as intended.
The Pentagon hasn’t invested much in suicide drones, which may be small enough to fit in a backpack, but they bought a short-range version called the Switchblade.
Mr. Biden allows transfer of 100 Switchblade drones from the Pentagon stockpile to Ukraine in March, and 120 drones named Phoenix Ghost which officials said is similar to Switchblade in April. In the May, The Pentagon announced that it has delivered 700 Switchblade drones to Ukraine since the start of the Biden administration.
Farnaz Fassihi reporting contributions from New York, and Natalia Yermak from Lviv, Ukraine.
