- Iran is altering its attack drones.
- To cause more damage to infrastructure targets.
- Such as transformers, distribution grids, power plants, and other targets.
Iran appears to be altering the attack drones it is giving to Russia so that the explosive payloads can cause the most damage to infrastructure targets within Ukraine.
The UK-based research group Conflict Armament Research and the Ukrainian military studied an unexploded warhead from an Iranian Shahed-131 drone that was discovered near the Southern Ukrainian city of Odesa in October 2022
The warheads, which are just under two feet long, were rapidly updated, according to the group’s scientists, with coatings of dozens of tiny metal shards that scatter widely upon impact.
Along with the pieces, the warhead has an additional 18 smaller “charges” that, when melted by the explosion, can breach armor and provide a sort of “360-degree” explosive impact.
The combination of those components effectively maximizes the warhead’s capacity to destroy huge, high-voltage transformers, distribution grids, power plants, and other types of targets. They also significantly complicate repair operations.
According to Spleeters, alternative warhead designs may be employed to target battlefield equipment like tanks or artillery pieces, such as frontal-shaped charges for more specialized targets.
But the CAR warhead has a radial shaped charge effect, which can produce a greater impact area.
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