Iran Press/ Iran News: Shahed-136 UAV is a confidential project; hence, no detailed information about its technical and appearance characteristics has been released.
Specifications
The aircraft has a cropped delta-wing shape, with a central fuselage blending into the wings and stabilizing rudders at the tips.
The nose section contains a warhead estimated to weigh 30–50 kilograms (66–110 lb).
The engine sits in the rear of the fuselage and drives a two-bladed propeller in a "pusher" arrangement.
The munition is 3.5 meters (11 ft) long with a wingspan of 2.5 meters (8.2 ft), flies at over 185 kilometers per hour (115 mph), and weighs about 200 kilograms (440 lb).
The range has been estimated as between 1,800 and 2,500 kilometers (1,100 and 1,600 miles), usable in a pre-programmed direct-attack munition mode (somewhat like a long-range cruise missile) and also a long-duration loitering munition mode limited by a radio signal range of about 150 kilometers (93 miles) in receiving new GNSS target location instructions.
The munition is designed to attack ground targets from a distance, fired in multiples from a launch rack (in batches of five upwards) to overwhelm air defenses by consuming their resources during the attack.
Shahed-136 is used in three models in the Iranian armed forces: anti-personnel and armored vehicle, anti-fortification, and radar seeker.
Features
Because of the portability of the launch frame and drone assembly, the entire unit can be mounted on the back of any military or commercial truck.
The UAV is launched at a slight upward angle and is assisted in initial flight by rocket launch assistance (RATO). The rocket is jettisoned immediately after launch.
Its primary strategy is mass attacks, which leave no chance for defense systems and practically paralyze them. This drone can also be used individually against a specific target.
One of the proposed scenarios regarding its type of attack tactics is that one Shahed-136 assumes the role of commander, and the rest of the drones take command from it.
Shahed-136 is a full-fledged stealth and radar-evading drone. It is said that the radar absorption material used in its fuselage reduces the radar reflection. Delta-shaped wings also reduce the radar cross-section.
Although the Shahed-136's engine makes a lot of noise, the defense systems and rocket launchers are either not able to hunt it or can hardly handle it.
It is also said that Shahed-136 has an electronic warfare or jamming system.
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