Russia's new drone strategy: Using farming tech to evade jammers
The Russians are attempting to produce and enhance as many Shahed-136 drones as possible. However, the supply of components is insufficient, leading to the use of antennas intended for agricultural equipment, which has had some unexpected effects. Here, we explore the background of the new Shahed-136 drones.
The Russians deployed Shahed-136 drones during attacks on January 1, 2025, equipped with Chinese CRPA (Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas) modules designed for the agricultural sector, instead of the previously utilized Iranian or Russian "Kometa-M" modules.
According to Serhij "Flash" Bessetsintow, the shift to modules from AliExpress might stem from insufficient production capacity in Russia and Iran, coupled with the drive to cut costs.
The agricultural modules from China consist of eight antennas arranged in a circle rather than a line, proving effective against Ukrainian jammers. This design reduces the vulnerability of Shaheds using agricultural modules to Ukrainian electronic warfare systems.
Shahed-136 drones - Russia's cheap weapon of terror
The Shahed-136 is a simple "kamikaze" drone used by the Russians, featuring a delta-shaped wing with a wingspan of about 2.4 metres, along with two vertical stabilizers. The drone measures approximately 3.5 metres in length, using general-purpose components.
The Shahed-136 weighs around 200 kilograms, with the warhead making up 50 kilograms. The remaining weight includes a fuel tank that supports a Chinese boxer-type internal combustion engine with a power output of 50 horsepower, which is a replica of the German model LIMBACH L550 E. It is assumed that the fuel in the Shahed-136 allows it to travel up to 2,500 kilometres.
The drone's navigation system is basic, permitting only flight along a pre-planned route, limiting it mainly to attacks on stationary targets like residential areas due to its low accuracy. This type of operation is typically used in psychological warfare to intimidate city residents or to complement other attack methods, such as cruise missiles.
The Russians can launch hundreds of Shahed drones which, when properly synchronized with options like Ch-101 cruise missiles, challenge air defense systems. Amid the target clutter, some Ch-101 missiles may breach defenses more easily when accompanied by numerous decoys.
Additionally, the Russians employ modified Shaheds to map Ukrainian air defense activity. The collected data assists in identifying gaps in Ukrainian defenses, proving valuable when planning future attack routes.
