The Iranian-made Kamikaze drones used by the Russian military in the war in Ukraine are now in the spotlight.
In recent days, the drones purchased by Russia from Iran have ravaged the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
Ukrainian military equipment appears unable to stem Iranian drone attacks.
Kamikaze is a term from Japanese. Literally the term kamikaze means a sudden wind that saved the Japanese in a war between Japan and China in the 18th century. The term kamikaze is also defined as Japanese air troops who in World War II were willing to die by crashing the airplane they were traveling on on the target.
a weapon system that has the ability to loiter, or “roam” and circle around the target area for a period of time to locate and identify the target before attacking. This weapon is usually used to attack targets that require a quick response once detected, because it can run away and disappear again quickly (time-sensitive targets). Loiter time can also be used to detect and track targets before they strike, so users can differentiate between combatants and non-combatants.
The Shahed-136 is a modern drone developed by Iran. This drone is capable of roaming and is designed to neutralize targets within a certain distance.
The Shahed-136 is also designed to bypass enemy air defenses and subdue targets on the ground. This drone was first announced to the public via a video in December 2021.
Iran is known to have produced 100 units of the Shahed-136. This drone is manufactured by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Company (HESA).
At 3.5 meters long and 2.5 meters wide, the Shahed-136 is an inexpensive and easy-to-use drone that can fly up to 180 km/h, with a claimed range of up to 2,500 km.
The drone hit its target with GPS coordinates entered before takeoff. Then fly independently, at a relatively low altitude and aim for a fixed target.
However, the advantage of these drones is the stealth mode, which allows them to evade radar surveillance.
These Iranian drones are capable of flying fast and staying low, making it difficult for anti-aircraft defenses to detect them early enough to destroy them.***
