In early November 2022, a CAR team had access to Shahed-131, Shahed-136 single-use UAVs, and a Mohajer-6 UAV used by Russia in Ukraine. Here's what we found 🧵 (1/7, report shortcut link: bit.ly/Iraniandrones, h/t @damspleet)
Through visual comparison with four UAV models documented in 2017-2022 in the Middle East, CAR confirms that the Shahed-131, Shahed-136 and Mohajer-6 UAVs used by Russia in Ukraine were made in #Iran (2/7) bit.ly/Iraniandrones
Investigators also documented a Qaem-5 precision-guided munition, with a May 2022 date mark, indicating Iran has carried out at least some supplies since the invasion in February 2022 (CAR has redacted unique marks while it conducts formal tracing, 3/7) bit.ly/Iraniandrones
The Shahed-131, Shahed-136, and Mohajer-6 UAVs were made almost exclusively of recently produced non-Iranian parts. Most of the components for which investigators could identify a date of manufacture were made in 2020-2021 (4/7) bit.ly/Iraniandrones
We found that 70 different manufacturers from 13 different countries produced the components. 82% of the components were made by US-based companies (5/7) bit.ly/Iraniandrones
Compared with other Iranian-linked systems used in the Middle East since 2017, CAR found that the Iranian single-use UAVs used by Russia in Ukraine demonstrate a significant jump in hardware. (6/7) bit.ly/Iraniandrones
The new report on Iranian UAVs used by Russia in Ukraine shows that Iran, like Russia, is highly dependent on foreign components to produce weapons. (7/7 @damspleetbit.ly/Iraniandrones
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CAR investigators have identified 18 North Korean Type 68 assault rifles among a series of weapons recovered following several high-profile ‘prison breaks’ by Islamic State cells. 🧵(1/7)
These rifles are rarely observed across CAR’s global data set of illicit weapons. Their presence in relatively high quantities within this prison break seizure data is highly unusual. (2/7)
To identify these rifles, investigators drew on CAR’s field guide, which has recently been updated to include observed variants of the Type 68, as well as a documented No. 7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher. (3/7)
CAR field investigators have documented the wreckage of 17 precision-guided munitions in north-east Syria. The munitions were manufactured in Türkiye and were likely fired from drones.🧵(1/6)
CAR found that key components were made in the EU, including electromagnetic brakes (used to help control the munition fins), despite several governments restricting export of sensitive equipment to Türkiye at the time. (2/6)
CAR traced some of these brakes with the manufacturer Kendrion NV, based in the Netherlands. Kendrion told CAR that it had agreed to supply up to 25,000 brakes to Turkish company FEMSAN in 2018 and were told on multiple occasions that they would be used in ambulances. (3/6)
In January 2023, a CAR field investigation team documented the warhead of an Iranian Shahed-131 single-use UAV. This is the first time that analysis of these warheads has been released in the public domain. bit.ly/multipurpose_w… 🧵 [1/8]
This multipurpose warhead for the Iranian Shahed-series UAV was specifically designed to ensure maximum damage to targets such as critical infrastructure #drone#UkraineRussiaWar [2/8]
CAR initially documented the UAV itself in November 2022, and showed the reliance of these Iranian systems on components produced by companies based in Europe and the US [3/8] bit.ly/Iraniandrones