Shahed 136

Background
As far as is known, media discussion of Shahed 136 drones began in January 2021 with reports in Israeli media of Iran supplying them to "the Houthis". They were subsequently pointed to by western sources as being used in the July 2021 attack on the Mercer Street, Israeli owner tanker.

Technical details



 * Military Knowledge: Shahed-136 Loitering Munition - ISWNews, January 12, 2022
 * Shahed-136 suicide drone specifications:
 * Length: 3.5 m Wingspan: 2.5 m Range: 1800 – 2500 km Weight: ~ 200 kg Speed: + 185 km/h Engine: MD 550 or 3W motors


 * Russia’s Iranian Shahed-131 Drones Have US-Made Components - UAS Vision, September 28, 2022

Engine
The Shahed 136 uses a MD550 engine while the smaller Shahed 131 uses a MDR208 Wankel engine.


 * Limbach_L550E - Wikipedia
 * Aircraft engines from 15 kW to 40 kW. Small and efficient - Limbach
 * Takeaways from Iranian National Aerospace Exhibition 2014 - uskowi on iran, November 25, 2014
 * MD550 - Beijing MicroPilot UAV Flight Control Systems
 * The Shahed 131 uses the MDR208 Wankel engine also displayed here.

Iranian multi-laucher
The footage is from Great Phophet 17 exercises (ISWNews) December, 2021
 * Video Twitter @UkrainianNews24 - also @mjbrodka -This video is from Iran’s NOBLE PROPHET 17 exercise in early ‘22. It shows a combined ballistic missile and one way attack UAV strike using a #shahed136 multi launcher. These Iranian drones are used by the Houthis and now operated by Russia in Ukraine.
 * 'Great Prophet 17,' Iran Showers Ballistic Missiles On Mockup Of Israel's Dimona Reactor In 5-day Drill - Meera Surash, International Business Times, September 29, 2021
 * The report quoted Iran’s Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, who claimed the drill included the simultaneous launch of 16 ballistic missiles as well as 10 Shahed-136 loitering munitions or "suicide drones."

US and pro-Ukrainian claims

 * White House: Iran set to deliver armed drones to Russia - AP, July 11, 2022
 * White House: Russian officials visited Iran to see drones - AAMER MADHANI and JON GAMBRELL, - AP, July 16, 2021
 * White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that the administration has “information that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with several hundred UAVs.” UAVs are unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones. “We assess an official Russian delegation recently received a showcase of Iranian attack-capable UAVs. We are releasing these images captured in June showing Iranian UAVs that the Russian government delegation saw that day,” Sullivan added. “This suggests ongoing Russian interest in acquiring Iranian attack-capable UAVs.”


 * First on CNN: Russians have begun training on Iranian drones, US believes - Natasha Bertrand, CNN, August 9, 2021
 * Iranian Shahed-136 Kamikaze Drones Already Used By russia (First Photos And Specs) - Defense Express, September 13, 2022
 * Shahed-136 is an Iranian kamikaze drone, which russia tried to disguise under the name M412 Geran-2 in Ukraine


 * Iranian attack drones have reached the battlefield, Ukraine’s military says(Mirrored) - New York Times, September 18, 2022
 * In its first use in Ukraine, the Iranian drone blew up a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer used by the Ukrainian military, Col. Rodion Kulagin, commander of artillery operations in the Kharkiv counteroffensive, said in an interview.

Pro-Russian claims

 * Russian troops used the Geran-2 kamikaze drone against the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, similar to Iranian drones Shahed-136 - Soldat.Pro, September 13, 2022
 * Unmanned Mystery. Loitering ammunition "Geran-2" - TopWar, September 15, 2022

Criticism/rebuttals of claims

 * About Iranian "UAVs" - Andrei Martyanov, August 10, 2022
 * Moscow responds to claims it received Iranian drones - RT News, August 30, 2022
 * No, Iran Will Not Deliver Armed Drones To Russia - Moon of Alabama, July 11, 2022
 * The Washington Post notes the weird timing of Sullivan's claims thereby hinting that it was made for purely political purposes which have nothing to do with Russia


 * See also twitter thread by @yarbatman

Official Iranian statements

 * Iranian top diplomat denies selling drones to Russia - First Channel News, July 13, 2022
 * Iran responds to Ukraine diplomatic demotion over Russia drones - Al Jazeera, September 24, 2022
 * American officials have claimed since July that Tehran was preparing to sell “hundreds” of the aircraft to Moscow, and later said Iran also trained Russian pilots on how to use the drones. Iran’s foreign ministry previously rejected the claims, saying the country will not assist either side of the war,...


 * Iran opposes war, sends no arms to any side of Ukraine war: FM Amir-Abdollahian - PressTV, October 9, 2022

Ukrainian responses

 * Ukraine to Officially Submit Request for Air Defense Supplies From Israel - Reuters, Liza Rozovsky and Jonathan Lis, Haaretz, October 18, 2022

UkrOboronProm

 * UkrOboronProm, Telegram, October 17, 2022
 * ''The range is 1000 km, the weight of the warhead is 75 kg. We are finalizing the development.

Israeli factor

 * Iran plans to send missiles, drones to Russia for Ukraine war, officials say - Joby Warrick, Ellen Nakashima and Shane Harris, Washington Post October 16, 2022
 * Tehran dispatched officials to Russia on Sept. 18 to finalize terms for additional weapons shipments, including two types of Iranian surface-to-surface missiles, according to officials from a U.S.-allied country that closely monitors Iran’s weapons activity.
 * An intelligence assessment shared in recent days with Ukrainian and U.S. officials contends that Iran’s armaments industry is preparing a first shipment...The officials spoke on the condition that their names and nationalities not be revealed because of the extreme sensitivities surrounding intelligence-collection efforts...U.S. intelligence agencies declined to comment on the reports of pending Iranian shipments to Russia.


 * Israel said providing Kyiv with intel on Iranian suicide drones - Times of Israel, October 13, 2022
 * Russia's Iranian drones complicate Israel's balancing act - DevDiscourse, October 19, 2022
 * "I think Israel can help even more," said Amos Yadlin, a former chief of Israeli military intelligence. He described Israel's "knowledge on how to handle aerial attacks, its "intelligence about Iranian weapons and "ability to jam them as potentially crucial to Ukraine.''

Israeli anti-drone systems

 * Ukraine Gets Israeli Counter Unmanned Air System, But There’s a Catch - Defense Express, September 14, 2022


 * Israel reportedly permitting anti-UAV system transfer to Ukraine - Bruce Crumley, DroneDJ, September 19, 2022
 * Ukraine: Israel provided ‘a little intel’ on Iran’s support for Russia - Jewish News Sindicate, September 25, 2022
 * Smashing Drones, US Army To Acquire Israeli SMASH 2000L Anti-UAV System That Indian Army Is Also Evaluating - Eurasian Times, October 10, 2022
 * Ukraine to Officially Submit Request for Air Defense Supplies From Israel - Reuters, Liza Rozovsky and Jonathan Lis, Haaretz, October 18, 2022