Russian President Vladimir Putin uses Shahed 136 drones to terrorize Ukrainian cities, even though they were designed to be used against military targets. But what else is known about them?

General Mark Gertling, former commander of US forces in Europe from 2011 to 2012, explains in a series of posts on his page Twitter that these unmanned aerial vehicles, which the Russians call “Geran-2,” are drones that use cluster munitions and are just one of dozens of drone models developed in recent years by Iran’s arms industry, despite sanctions imposed by the United States.

The Iranians say they have a range of 2,500 kilometers, a technical claim that General Hertling says is questionable.

Shahed 136 drones weigh about 200 kilograms, and their explosive charge is estimated at 50-60 kilograms, which is less than that of the lightest bombers.

Advantages of the Shahed 136 UAV in service with the Russian Armed Forces

They are usually launched from a support that contains 5 devices and use a small engine in flight. Shahed 136 drones do not have a camera, but navigation is done using a GPS system.

“They are cheap and the components are easy to get. It costs about 20,000 dollars. They are mobile (can be placed on a truck, ships, etc.). They have an almost invisible radar signature, so they are very difficult to detect,” says the American general.

According to him, the Iranian drones received by the Russians were created specifically to evade modern and expensive air defense systems.

But they are noisy, have a low speed and are visible in the vicinity of the target.

“The Iranian model is cheap, low-tonnage, and difficult to shoot down for advanced air defense systems,” notes Mark Gertling.

A parallel between drones made in Iran and V-missiles created by Nazi Germany

It also states that the Shahed 136 drones were designed to attack critical military targets such as airbase runways, radar stations, enemy command centers, fuel and ammunition depots.

Discovered by Tehran in 2021, they were used in Yemen by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

While Iran’s arms industry developed them for use against specific military targets, Russia uses them as “weapons of terror,” Hertling said.

He also states that from this point of view, some people compare the drones used by the Russians to the Vau-1 and Vau-2 missiles used by Nazi Germany during World War II to terrorize British cities.

But the Vergeltungswaffen (“revenge”) missiles had a higher explosive charge, were more expensive and were not highly accurate weapons.

How can Iran’s Shahed 136 drone attacks be countered

The American officer also points out that some used Monday’s Russian drone attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities to argue that Ukraine needs advanced air defense systems.

While he doesn’t deny that Kyiv will need such systems, Hertling says they are more effective against missile attacks like the one the Russians launched against the Ukrainian capital and other major cities earlier last week.

The American general reminds that advanced anti-aircraft systems rely on warnings received from radar to protect small areas or specific targets, and that the targets of the Shahed 136 drones cannot be identified.

Hertling says the best equipment to counter these Iranian-made drones is electronic jamming, man-portable Stinger missile systems and even small arms like the ones Ukrainian police used Monday to try to shoot down such a drone.

“Drones are a valuable weapon for combating military targets. When they are used to terrorize the civilian population and against civilian infrastructure, they testify to the commission of war crimes and Putin’s repeated failures to subdue Ukraine,” General Mark Gertling concludes.

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