Shahed

Shahed drones are spreading terror in the Gulf. Ukraine has offered the solution, and the price to pay has a name

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In the last four years, a flying device barely twelve feet long has gone from being a little-known Iranian military experiment to becoming a one of the protagonists of several simultaneous conflicts. Its design is so simple that it can be assembled in a few hours and its cost is thousands of times lower than the systems that try to take it down. That combination has changed the way many militaries understand air defense. The buzz that changed war. Since 2022, the sound of a small motorcycle-like engine was the alarm signal which preceded many explosions in Ukrainian cities. That metallic and persistent noise belongs al Shahed-136a cheap, relatively simple Iranian kamikaze drone designed to attack pre-programmed targets at long range. With about 3.5 meters in length and the capacity to transport an explosive charge of about 50 kilos, these devices have become one of the symbols of modern warfare because they combine two factors that are difficult to counteract: their low cost and the possibility of mass producing them. The jump between conflicts. After four years of war in Europe, these drones have reappeared in force in another scenario. Iran has launched hundreds of devices against Gulf countriesreaching military bases, airports, refineries and urban areas in Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait or Qatar. The attacks seek less physical destruction than psychological and economic pressureforcing the attacked countries to activate expensive defense systems to intercept weapons that can cost only about $50,000. Although many of the aircraft are shot down, even a small percentage that manages to penetrate the defenses is enough to cause damage to critical infrastructure or generate fear among the population. A strategy perfected by Ukraine. The pattern of these attacks is clearly reminiscent of the tactics Russia has employed since 2022 against cities and infrastructure Ukrainian energy companies. Moscow turned the Shahed into the center of a strategy of attrition and terror based on launching large drone waves together with missiles to saturate air defenses and increase the probability that some projectiles reach their target. The mass production has been key in that strategy: Russia not only imported thousands of Iranian drones, but also raised an own factory to manufacture them on a large scale, which allowed hundreds of devices to be launched in a single night against power plants, ports or residential neighborhoods. The anti-drone laboratory created in kyiv. This constant pressure forced Ukraine to become one of the countries more experienced of the world in the fight against these types of threats. After facing tens of thousands of Shahed, kyiv has developed a defense system in layers that combines radarselectronic warfare equipment, anti-aircraft missiles, mobile units and even interceptor drones capable of shooting down attackers in mid-flight. The result is an improvised network but extremely effective which has allowed most of the attacks to be neutralized despite the massive scale of the waves launched by Russia. Terror reaches the Gulf. That knowledge has now acquired a new strategic value. The Gulf countries, which were not used to facing constant drone attacks, have discovered how difficult it is to protect entire cities against weapons that fly low, are difficult to detect and can appear from multiple directions. Even advanced systems designed to intercept ballistic missiles can be overwhelmed by swarms of cheap drones. The recent attacks They have hit airports, refineries, ports and military bases, demonstrating that even critical infrastructures of highly protected economies can be exposed to this new form of air warfare. Zelensky’s offer. In this context, Ukraine has launched an unexpected proposal: share your experience to help Gulf countries neutralize the Shahed. President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered to send his best anti-drone defense specialists along with a group of experienced operators to reinforce regional defenses, but, of course, with one clear condition, a name. kyiv wants Middle Eastern governments to jointly use all his influence on Moscow to pressure Vladimir Putin and achieve at least a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine. If you like, it is an offer that mixes military cooperation and diplomatic calculation: one where Ukraine presents itself as the country that knows the enemy best, and there is not much doubt about that, asking in return help to stop the war which made him precisely that expert. Image | Kyiv City State Administration,X, National Police of Ukraine In Xataka | The US has launched its most ambitious weapon against Iran in the last decade: a missile that does not need fighters or warships In Xataka | It is not that Iran is resisting US attacks, it is that it has room to take the conflict to an explosive scenario.

Shahed drones were a piece of cake for Ukraine’s helicopters. Russia has just transformed them into its biggest nightmare

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In it huge catalog of innovations improvised measures brought by the war in ukrainefew are as revealing as the decision that Russia has taken to address one of the main vulnerabilities of its drones. In essence, they have turned the Shahed-136 (symbol of its saturation strategy through cheap and disposable platforms) in a rudimentary anti-aircraft fighter. The mutation. What was born as a suicide drone with autonomy to travel hundreds of kilometers following pre-programmed routes has been transformed, in some variants, into a system piloted in real timeequipped with cameras, modems and now with the R-60 missilea veteran infrared-guided missile from the 1970s that, despite its compact size, retains the lethality of a weapon capable of cutting a helicopter in two with its load of continuous rods. The broadcast images by Ukrainian organizations and electronic warfare experts confirm the presence of the R-60 mounted on the Shahed’s noseand the interception of one of them by a Ukrainian Sting drone illustrates that Russia is experimenting with the idea of ​​​​transforming a disposable projectile in a reactive vectorcapable of confronting the devices that, until now, acted as unpunished hunters of these platforms. The new tactical ecosystem. The success of the Ukrainian helicopters in intercepting Shaheds (with devices sporting dozens of shoot-down marks and crews accredited with hundreds of downed drones) had turned these aircraft in key pieces of low-level air defense. The combination of moderate speed, predictable trajectory and total lack of situational awareness made the drone a almost static whitevulnerable to cannon blasts or volleys used at close range. But the introduction of the R-60 upsets that balance: although the platform remains clumsy, slow and limited in maneuver, the simple fact that some drones can carry missiles will force Ukrainian pilots to rethink their proximity to the target. Each interception stops being a procedure and becomes in an unknown about what version of the enemy they will encounter. Extra ball. Even if the actual kill capability of the armed Shahed is small (and the operational window for targeting with a short-range missile is narrow) the statistical nature of swarm warfare change the calculation: In thousands of launches, just getting into a good position will be enough to cause the loss of a valuable helicopter. Technical limitations. The R-60, known by NATO as Aphidwas designed for supersonic fighters, not slow drones intended as loitering munitions. Its integration into the Shahed poses obvious challenges: the operator must manually retarget the drone until it is pointed at the target, achieving an adequate angle to allow the infrared seeker to acquire the thermal signature and maintain alignment long enough to authorize the shot. He narrow field of vision of the missile, the Shahed’s low maneuverability and the possibility of helicopters using infrared flares reduce the chances of success. However, historical experience shows that even imperfect weaponry can achieve victories if the tactical environment favors it. Remains of an intercepted Shahed with the R-60 attached The precedent. If we go back we have the Predator armed american with Stingers in 2002 (failed but deterrent), which reveals that these configurations do not seek air superiority, but rather force the enemy to act with caution. Just as Ukrainian unmanned ships were armed with missiles To scare away the Russian helicopters that were harassing them, Russia adopts the same defensive-offensive logic: a single one of these armed drones, hidden among a swarm of externally identical devices, forces the adversary to increase distance, use more expensive means or modify its interception doctrine. Drones against drones. The Shahed armed with an R-60 is not, by itself, a transformative weapon. It is, however, as symptom of evolution continued unmanned combat. Russia has expanded the Shahed family into versions with real time controljet variants already produced in its own factories and possible improvements based on artificial intelligence for dynamic target identification. Ukraine, for its part, develops interceptors low-cost that allow us to shoot down Russian drones without risking manned aircraft or spending expensive missiles. Every innovation generates a countermeasure: if Ukraine popularizes cheap hunting drones, Russia studies equipping the Shaheds of tiny turrets or new sensors, and if these become reactive, Ukraine adapts its doctrines and strengthens its electronic warfare. The conflict has entered a phase where the value is not in the perfection of each platform, but in the ability to produceadapt and deploy thousands of them in an environment where the line between offensive and defensive becomes blurred. The most dangerous sky. It is the result of these advances. The introduction of Shahed-R-60 marks a turning point because it erodes one of the few stable advantages that Ukraine had maintained: the capacity of its helicopters to hunt drones with relative safety. Now each aircraft must consider the possibility, however remote, of facing a missile that was not foreseen in the original mission design. This not only complicates interceptions, but forces disperse risks and rethink routes, altitudes and speeds. The Ukrainian sky, already saturated with suicide drones, cruise missiles, loitering munitions and manned aircraft operating in densely contested airspace, add another variable to an operational equation in constant mutation. And it is likely that this is just the beginning: the integration of missiles is a first step towards drones that, in addition to attacking by saturation, can defend themselves or even escort other devices in combined waves. Image | Telegram, X In Xataka | There is tourism that flies en masse where tragedies have occurred. So the Low Costs are preparing to travel to Ukraine In Xataka | Ukraine’s problem with peace negotiations is simple: if it rejects them, Russia will get tougher in the next ones.

Shahed drones were already a real nightmare for Ukraine. Russia has just made them a little more lethal

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The scene took place a clear day of June. From a secret location, a six -meter “nurse” drone rose to the sky by order of the soldiers, crossed 200 kilometers within the enemy territory and released two suicide drones that hung from their wings. Designed to fly at low altitude and avoid radars, secondary drones autonomously searched for an objective and, once identified, they threw themselves to detonate on it without direct human intervention. This is today the Ukraine War. Systematic terror. We have gone counting to Long of the war in Ukraine. The Shahed drone has become the MORE MORTÍFERA of the contest thanks to additions and evolutions Like fiberbut from a while at this part that evolution is exceeding the known limits. He counted The New York Times In a long and overwhelming piece what is assuming for the Ukrainian people. He Shahed-136developed by Iran and manufactured under a license by Russia as Geran-2, has evolved from being a rudimentary two-stroke drone and cardboard fuselage reinforced to a sophisticated horror weapon. Russia lo has modified with rBlack ecubows For night flights, interference resistant navigation, multiple types of eyelets (included Thermobáricaincendiary and fragmentation with Tungsten balls) and navigation systems assisted by Sim Ukranian cards and kometa satellite antennas, resistant TO THE ELECTRONIC WAR. Cheap. The cost per unit, between 50,000 and 80,000 dollarsit makes it a much cheaper option than ballistic missiles such as Iskander-M (2 million) or The KH-101and even cheaper than the anti -aircraft missiles that are used to intercept them. Its low cost, mass production In industrial complexes In Tartaristan and Izhevsk, and his adaptability has made him one of the most effective weapons of modern war, ideal for hosting civil rear and exhausting defenses. Missiles with ia. They underlined In Forbes The most striking fact of the last evolutions of the Shahed: Reaction engines. Although they will go He had presented publicly a variant of this type (the Shahed-238), It was not until recently that its use in Ukraine was confirmed by means of remains analyzed in the field. It is estimated that these models can reach speeds of up to 480 km/hquadruplying the cruise speed of the previous versions. Its acute and fast roar replaces the buzz of the old engine, and its speed drastically reduces the reaction time of the defenses. However, its cost and complexity probably forces Russia to use a Mixed strategy of drones A piston and turbojetfurther complicating defensive systems. Visual navigation: more. In addition to more powerful engines, some Shahed units are now armored in compartment of the engine and with relocated fuel tanks inside the fuselage. This has reduced and much reduced the effectiveness of light weapons, forcing defensive operators to point surgical precision to vulnerable parts such as the wing or the engine itself. Plus: Shahed drones have already been seen with computerized vision systems with Artificial Intelligence Processorsaccording to images released on June 18 by the Ukrainian specialist Serhii Beskrestnov. These systems offer autonomous visual navigation, regardless of GPS, which would make them immune offers one of the most effective defensive tactics so far: satellite interference. The Shahed would thus enter into a new era of autonomy and lethality. Shahed intercepted Fear of night. Explain in your reports the Times that everything changed from mid -2024, when the releases shot: 34 drones per week in 2022, more than 1,000 per week In 2025. On June 8 of this year, Russia launched 479 drones in one night. Many Shahed no longer aimed at military objectives: they impact markets, apartments, churches and other tactical value, in violation of Geneva conventions. According to UkraineRussia has implemented a deliberate night horror campaign to emotionally and physically exhaust the civilian population. 20% of drones manage to overcome Ukrainian defenses in certain weeks, a growing figure. Ukrainian counteroffensive. To counteract the threat, Ukraine has deployed specialized units Like Darknodea secret regiment within unmanned systems forces. These soldiers, mostly reconverted civilians, fight night battles using hunter drones To intercept Shaheds. Its technology, even in development, already allows identifying and destroying enemy drones in flight, even when they maneuver or change altitude. He Times explained cases like him Kyryloa young pilot recruited for his video game skills that has already demolished more than a dozen objectives. They use interceptor drones of $ 6,000 and throw them from open fields following patterns that remind of night agricultural rituals. In this regard, one of their greatest advantages is that they can guide the enemy drone away from inhabited areas before it explodes, avoiding collateral damage. Black Shahed Evolutionary career. In a race that does not stop, Russia has also adjusted its tactics: the Shaheds now They fly higherthey change altitude, they follow convoluted routes and are accompanied by lures such as The gerbera dronesbuilt in foam, which consume missiles and distract defenses. In addition, some Shahed units carry cameras to evaluate the damage or for remote assistance in flight. In other words, the war has entered into a dynamic of constant innovation: each improvement in defense is answered by a Russian tactical evolution. “It’s like a race between sword and armor”, He explained to the newspaper A Ukrainian soldier. Russian guide in drone handling with fiber The fiber and a guide. It We count A few weeks ago. Fiber drones are evolution MORE MORTÍFERA From the contest to the point that Russia has published A manual (image on top) for FPV operations with optical fiber. It includes procedures for wind conditions, such as avoiding the fiber on trees or electric lines that can move and break the cable, and reduce the altitude to 1 or 2 meters to minimize the curvature of the cable. Why the rules change. Regarding the fiber, he remembered The Financial Times that all the last Russian drones use an ultrafine cable to maintain continuous connection with their operator, which makes them immune to electromagnetic interference. Ukrainian defenses, based on GPS signal blocking, radio or cell phone, are useless to this … Read more

If the question is how far Russia’s help comes to North Korea, the answer has a war name in Ukraine: Shahed

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At the beginning of June more than what is behind that convergence between Moscow and Pyongyang was known. It was known by The protagonists themselves that North Korea had been sending armament for months and soldiers to Russia in his invasion to Ukraine. In return, Russia was giving him what Kim longed for: A functional army. Therefore, the question in the air seemed clear: how much “? The answer has name and origin … in Iran. The Moscow-pyongyang axis. Revealed it in an extensive interview The War Zone Medium General Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukrainian military intelligence. Apparently, Russia has begun to transfer critical technology to North Korea for the Drones production Long -range Kamikazes and high -precision ballistic missiles, transforming Pyongyang into a key node of Russian war machinery and altering military balance in Asia. Shahed. Among the ceded systems, the ability to manufacture the Shahed-136 drones (known in Russia as Geran), originally from Iranian design and responsible for much of the massive air attacks About Ukraine. Russia already manufactures about 2,000 drones Shahed a month and plan to raise that figure 5,000so the outsourcing towards North Korea responds to a need to maintain the offensive rhythm without saturating its own industry. Providing Pyongyang with this capacity also means giving the possibility of saturate the defenses South Korean antialeas or even re -export drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, feeding a cycle of arms collaboration that consolidates a new authoritarian axis in the global war setting. A Shahed 136 Iranian drone The KN-23 under Russian tutelage. The benefits for North Korea do not end in drones. Budanov details How Moscow has significantly improved North Korean ballistic capacity, especially the KN-23 missile (also known as Hwasong-11), that in its first lots sent to Russia It was useless for its low precision and structural failures. However, thanks to direct technical cooperation with Russian specialists, the missiles have been redesigned until reaching a level of lethal precision, with implications that greatly exceed the Ukrainian conflict. The technological transfer also extends to the system of Air-Aire missiles long range and, possibly more worrying, to submarine systems capable of launching nuclear ballistic missiles. KN-23 The nuclear unknown. Although Budanov does not reveal exact details in the interview, Yes, it makes clear that the development of the naval component of the North Korean nuclear deterrence It is being directly supported by Moscow, which clearly amplifies the destructive potential of Pyongyang and, what is doubtful, alters the strategic balance in the Asian northeast. Korean ammunition. Support is not just technician and we have gone counting. North Korea has provided Russia with an artillery arsenal that includes since Obuses D-74 122 mm to self -propelled cannons 170 mm Koksan and multiple launcher 240 mm mlrs. The latter, According to Budanovthey have proven precise and troops in the field Battle, which explains that Russia has already received 120 units and it is expected that the shipments continue. And much more. In addition, Korea has sent about 11,000 soldiers To the Russian Oblast of Kursk, evidencing that his commitment to Moscow goes far beyond logistics. He also recalled the agreement reached by the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Serguéi Shoigú, during his visit to Pyongyang, whereby the Entrance of “Labor migrants” North Koreans to replace the exit of Central Asian workers, considered vulnerable to Western infiltration. Budanov warns That many of these “workers” could end up signing military contracts, becoming de facto in Russian soldiers of North Korean nationality, thus expanding the North Korean presence in the front without officially declaring it. Military survival. If you want also, strengthening North Russia – Corea It responds not only to immediate operational needs, but to long -term strategic interests. Moscow obtains armament, soldiers and time. On the other sidewalk, Pyongyang receives technology, implicit diplomatic support and A unique opportunity to position themselves as military power beyond the Korean peninsula. Collaboration is based on a logic of mutual survival: While Russia seeks Nuclear weapons Operational and advanced drones, raising their threat capacity, for example, South Korea and other actors in the region. Challenge to global balance. The alliance, therefore, is not just a regional problem as we indicate A few weeks ago: marks a change in the dynamics of global power, where authoritarian actors share sensitive military technology to avoid sanctions, accelerate their ambitions and challenge established balances. The battlefield in Ukraine, in this context, becomes, again, the laboratory of a new war architecture that now It transcends its borders. Image | National Police of UkrainePresidential Executive Office of Russia, MEHR News Agency, VITALY V. KUZMIN In Xataka | North Korea has been sending armament for months to Russia. In return, Russia is giving him what longs for her: a functional army In Xataka | Russia has confirmed one of the great unknowns of war in Ukraine: North Korea accompanies them and not only with troops

Ukraine knocked a Russian Shahed drone and opened it. A hidden message has revealed Moscow’s advantage in electronic warfare

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In Ukraine, the capture of enemy artillery has become a box of surprises. In November last year, a Dron Parody revealed to what the United States this In the conflict (without being physically). A few weeks ago, the interception of a Russian cruise missile by Ukraine was shocking: they had it Made the “Allies”. The latest: the capture of a Shahed carried a surprising hidden note. The air war intensifies. Already We counted yesterday. The Russian air offensive on Ukraine has reached a new level of brutality, with a last attack that exceeds the limits previously considered exceptional. Russia launched an unprecedented mass attack that included 298 drones and 69 missiles On one night, a record figure that has put the Ukrainian anti -aircraft defenses in check. Faced with the foreseeable failure of high the fire conversations, Ukraine is forced to ration your interceptorswhich implies that more and more Russian projectiles will achieve their goal, hitting cities, industries and civilians with increasing intensity. North Korean missiles and Iranian drones. In addition, since the beginning of the year, Russia has transformed its aerial campaign, focusing its efforts into ballistic missiles (many from North Korea) and in a new generation of Shahed drones of Iranian origin. These drones, like We have been countingnow they are in their sixth version and use automatic learning to attack highly defended areas such as kyiv, which has resulted in recent impacts in shopping centers, residential areas and military training fields. Plus: The speed of ballistic missiles makes them virtually impossible to intercept without the scarce and expensive PAC-3 missiles of the patriot system, which Ukraine has in insufficient number. For its part, the manufacturing rate of Shahed drones in Russia has grown exponentially: if 300 a month before, now that same amount is generated in less than three days. Filtered documents suggest that Kremlin plans to increase production Up to 500 drones dailywhich could lead to swarms of 1,000 drones in a single operation. Projection of a shahed Telegram and drones. Economist He counted exclusively An unprecedented fact. A finding within a Shahed drone demolished in Ukraine has revealed a worrying evolution in Moscow’s technological strategy: a note, allegedly left by a supportive sympathizer engineer, said that Russia is controlling its attack drones through bots in bots in The telegram messaging application. The reason? This method allows to send flight data and live broadcasts directly to human operators, eliminating GPS dependence and making them much more resistant to Electronic interference Ukraine. The implementation of AI, added to the use of Ukrainian mobile networks and possibly connections via Starlink, marks a qualitative leap in the lethality and autonomy of Russian drones, especially those most recent models of Shahed who use automatic learning to reach precision protected targets. A threat that does not yield. The response of the West, as we explained this week, has been to eliminate the red line of the “Long -range weapons” For Ukraine to defend himself. Ukrainian crews continue to break down about 95% Of the drones launched against kyiv, but that remaining 5% is enough to inflict devastating damage. Russian tactics have evolved: drones fly to low height to avoid being detected and then They ascend sharply at altitudes that exceed the scope of short -range weapons. To counteract it, Ukraine He resorted to F-16helicopters and even interceptor drones, but the defense against ballistic missiles remains the weakest point. Only a few countries have systems capable of stopping them, and the United States, which produces the Patriots and its PAC-3 interceptors, it has own strategic priorities. Time is exhausted. As We summarized yesterdaydespite its urgent need for more patriot batteries (Zelensky estimates that at least ten additional would be necessary to cover the territory), the US administration has adopted a warm posture. Under the pressure of other conflicts and the influence of the hard wing of the Republican party, which is prioritized, Ukraine has ceased to be a strategic priority. PAC-3 production will increase to 650 units annuallybut that is still insufficient in front of 500 ballistic missiles that Russia would already have stored, according to kyiv. In addition, each Russian missile usually requires two interceptors to be shot down, which accentuates the disadvantage. New doctrine. Perhaps the latest Ukrainian movements are understood. Given the shortage of media and the growing aerial threat, kyiv contemplates a turn in its survival strategy: not to intercept, but to go to destroy complexes launch, Russian factories and deposits. This more aggressive position, defended by Analysts like Kostiantyn Kryvolappart of the conviction that without a deterrence activates the rhythm of the attacks will only increase. While Western Defense Systems They arrive with droppers And their abilities will take At least one year In expanding, Ukraine prepares to face an air war alone every time more asymmetric and lethal. In that scenario, each drone or demolished missile can offer clues to combat the disadvantage. Image | Kyiv City State Administration In Xataka | The war in Ukraine had a red line of 70 kilometers. West has just eliminated it after Russia’s last attack In Xataka | Russia has made its combat drones fly higher. Ukraine has found the solution in North Korea: balloons

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