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https://theconversation.com/russias-drone-pipeline-how-iran-helps-moscow-produce-an-ever-evolving-unmanned-fleet-272016>
"With Russian ground troops bogged down in a grinding war of attrition, Moscow
is striving to press home its advantage in the skies – through an ever-evolving
army of drones, courtesy of Iran.
In early January, wreckage of a drone found in Ukraine hinted at a new
high-speed model of drone being deployed by Russia in the conflict. It prompted
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to air fears over failing to keep pace.
“We produce (drones) at about 1,000 a day. We really produce them, but it’s not
enough. It’s still not enough,” he told an audience of political business
leaders at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 22, 2026.
Ukrainian intelligence suggests that Moscow, too, will also soon be pumping out
1,000 drone units a day, in large part thanks to the support and technical
assistance of Iran. A central concern for Ukraine is Russia’s increasing
production of long-range attack drones that it has used in mass attacks to
strike targets in Ukraine.
Tehran’s role in supplying Russia with hundreds of long-range, kamikaze-style
drones is long known. But what has gone largely unnoticed outside Ukraine is
Iran’s central role in teaching Russia to produce these drones itself.
As an expert on weapons technology and former assistant director of the CIA for
weapons and counterproliferation, I believe use of Iranian technology has
helped Russia develop a fleet of sophisticated drones able to erode Ukrainian
air defenses and strain the country’s resolve. By doing so, Moscow is able to
preserve more expensive missiles for long-range precision strikes."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
