A modified Iranian-made Shahed-136 suicide drone reportedly featuring an onboard camera, a direct radio control system from Russia, and an artificial vision module has been discovered in Ukraine for the first time, according to military electronics expert Serhii Flesh, who released photos of the wreckage on June 19.While such a variant had long been rumoured, this is the first confirmed case of its use in combat.The advanced configuration includes aradio modem that allows Russian operators tomanually control the drone from upto150kilometers awayeither from within Russian territory orfrom the front lines.
According toFlesh, the drone could potentially beguided from even greater distances ifairborne signal relays are deployed inUkrainian airspace.Images ofthe drones remains were also analyzed bythe military-affiliated Telegram channel Polkovnyk HSH, whichconcludedthat the UAV was anoriginal Iranian Shahed-136, not the Russian-assembled Geran-2 variant that has been widely used inattacks against Ukrainian cities.The drone was reportedly equipped with anew Iranian-made 8-element CRPA antenna, designed toresist GPS jamming and improve targeting accuracy incontested electronic warfare environments.But the most notable upgrade was its machine vision module, which used anNVIDIA Jetson Orin AIprocessorthe same technology recently identified inRussias new V2U strike drones.Analysts say the AI-powered vision system acts like amissile seeker head, enabling precision terminal guidance onto targets even withoutGPS.Machine vision based onthe NVIDIA Jetson Orin modulelike inthe new Russian V2U strike droneis used for terminal targeting, essentially functioning asaself-guiding warhead,Polkovnyk HSH reported.Experts believe this drone could indicate aresumption ofcomplete Shahed UAV deliveries from Iran toRussia, marking the first such case since 2023.
Until now, Iran was believed tobesupplying only components, while Russia assembled the drones domestically.Last fall, Russian media showcased anew Shahed-like drone with amodified nose housing anoptical system, similar tothe Iranian Shahed-236, which features anelectro-optical targeting station allowing for autonomous target acquisition and manual operator control.Earlier, asenior Ukrainian defense officialissuedawarning over the increasing lethality ofRussias Shahed drone assaults, saying they now deliver more explosive force than cruise missiles.Source: UNITED24 MEDIA