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Iranian Drones in Ukraine Contain Western Brand Components
By David Albright, Sarah Burkhard, and Spencer Faragasso
October 31, 2022
Background
• The Institute for Science and International Security has analyzed open-source information
compiling reported or visible Western parts and components used in Iranian unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, operated by Russian forces in Ukraine.
Key Findings
• This report focuses on the Iranian kamikaze-type Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 drones, and
Iran’s more general-purpose Mohajer-6 combat drone.
• Iran has reportedly supplied hundreds of these three drones to Russian forces in Ukraine,
and media reports further indicate that Iran has agreed to supply at least a thousand, if not
thousands, of additional drone systems and eventually export short-range ballistic missiles.
• Open-source information analyzed by the Institute indicates that downed and captured
Iranian drones contain parts and accessories designed or produced by Western companies.
• Countries of origin for the sourced commodities and designs appear to include Austria,
Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• Many of the commodities used in the Iranian drones are off-the-shelf parts that are used in
civil aircraft, including civilian drones.
• It is unclear how Iran obtained the Western sourced commodities.
• China plays a larger role than previously assessed in enabling Iran to manufacture and
supply drones to Russian forces. It appears that Chinese companies are supplying Iran with
copies of Western commodities to produce UAV combat drones.
• A priority is understanding how foreign parts are ending up in Iranian drones. Governments
and industry should expeditiously work together to dismantle Iran's procurement networks
for its drones.
• Iran’s supply of these drones to Russia is a violation of the UN missile embargo under UN
Security Council resolution 2231, worsened in impact by Russia’s use of these drones to kill
Ukrainian civilians and damage Ukraine’s vital civilian energy infrastructure. Because UN
Security Council resolution 2231 establishes the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA), a revival of the JCPOA, while Iran is complicit in widescale killing and destruction in
Ukraine in violation of this resolution, would be a disservice to the people of Ukraine and
the international community and would undermine the credibility of a revived JCPOA. A
