As of Could 2025, Russia has reached a day by day manufacturing price of roughly 170 Shahed loitering munitions and decoy drones, with plans to extend output to 190 per day by the tip of the 12 months, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (DIU) has reported.
Supply: DIU, as reported by Mezha Media, a expertise and IT information platform inside Ukrainska Pravda's holding firm
Particulars: The modifications concern not solely the amount of those assault drones, but in addition their expertise. DIU famous that the configuration of the Shahed drone has modified considerably between 2022 and 2025, with a number of main modifications launched over the previous 12 months alone.
One such change entails a considerable improve to the warheads. Along with the usual high-explosive and high-explosive fragmentation sorts, Shaheds can now be fitted with mixed shaped-charge high-explosive fragmentation and shaped-charge high-explosive incendiary fragmentation warheads. These various sorts are chosen relying on the supposed goal to trigger most injury.
Secondly, the explosive payload has elevated from 50 to 90 kg. Thirdly, some drones at the moment are outfitted with Starlink terminals, permitting real-time distant management.
Moreover, overseas journalists just lately reported on the potential of connecting Shaheds to the Ukrainian cellular community. The Economist claimed that Russian drones may very well be managed by way of Telegram bots utilizing Ukrainian SIM playing cards. Nonetheless, Ukrainian navy radio expertise professional Serhii Flesh later refuted this declare.
The Shaheds have additionally developed by way of countering digital warfare. Russian forces have begun defending drone sign receivers with CRPA (managed reception sample antenna) programs, which may ignore pretend satellite tv for pc alerts.
For reference: Russia first acquired a whole bunch of Shahed drones from Iran in 2022. By summer season 2023, it started home manufacturing of those drones. The manufacturing facility is situated 1,200 km from the entrance line, within the Alabuga particular financial zone, within the metropolis of Yelabuga. There, a localised model of the Iranian drone – named Geran-2 – is being produced.
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