Analyzing Iranian-Russian UAV Touchpoints and Innovation
Brief
As the US-Iran conflict oscillates between combat and ceasefire, urgent questions persist about how Russian technology, knowledge, talent, infrastructure, and other capabilities and resources are supporting Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) activity—and vice versa.
Media investigations and open-source research have well-publicized the many touchpoints between the UAV sectors in Russia and in Iran. By August 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Iranian transport planes delivered Iranian-made combat drones to Russia, according to The Washington Post .
Russia has subsequently launched thousands of Iran-made Shahed attack drones against Ukrainian targets.