Іnna Popovych, Anna Holishevska
- The K-type Shahed-136, which is entirely made in Russia, is equipped with the Kometa anti-electronic warfare module, produced by manufacturers that have been recently sanctioned by the West.
- Copies of Czech engines, microchips and receivers manufactured by US-based Analog Devices and Netherlands-made transmitters were found in the Shahed-238 jet-powered drone.
Even though Russia developed new technologies and launched the mass production of drones, foreign components are still critical for drone manufacturing. Trap Aggressor has examined the wreckage of several types of Russian-made Shaheds. The results are disappointing. Western electronics are still entering the Russian market in a variety of ways.
Kometa modules are developed and manufactured by VNIIR-Progress JSC. This company is part of the ABS business group owned by Serbian politician Nenad Popović, who was recently sanctioned by the US. The other Kometa’s foreign components include: a GPS receiver manufactured by the Irish company Taoglas; microchips made by US-based Analog Devices, Altera (Intel), and Linear Technology; Swiss U-blox antennas; and Chinese receivers manufactured by Morsun and Jinyushi.
Another Shahed modification with the marking “ы” that is assembled in Russia is equipped with a Canadian-made Tallysman antenna. A year and a half ago, the Tallysman President, Gyles Panther, responded to the Trap Aggressor investigation. He said that he was cooperating with law enforcement in an investigation into the supply of components to Iran. Despite the company’s statements, service members report that Tallysman components are found in Russian-made drones.
The latest drone modification is Shahed-238. We have received exclusive documents that show the parts of the newest attack drone the Russians use to kill Ukrainians. The foreign components include:
- The Tulou-10 engine is likely an Iranian copy of the TJ150 engine manufactured by the Czech company PBS Velká Bíteš.
- Microchips and receivers manufactured by US-based Analog Devices and Intel.
- Antenna manufactured by the Canadian company Tallysman.
- The researchers also found a transmitter made by the Netherlands company NXP Semiconductor.
- GPS receiver made by the Swiss company U-blox.
The most Western-made electronics are found in all types of Russian-made Shahed drones; drones manufactured in Iran have most foreign components made by US-based Texas Instruments.
Russia continues modernising the deadly weapons it has been using for years in its war against Ukraine, owing to foreign components that still enter the Russian market. Without them, neither the weapons production nor the technological growth of Russia’s military-industrial complex would be possible.
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This investigation was conducted as part of the project “Investigate Like OCCRP: Follow the Money and Solve War Crimes”, which is supported by a grant from the Open Society Foundation and organized by OCCRP and Slidstvo.info.