Expert analyzes capacities of new Shahed-136 production plant in Russia

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) published satellite images of the Russian Shahed-136 plant and analyzed them. But there is an important detail: these images are from September 2023. If you read this news without context, it turns out that the Russians have completed the construction of the plant, created separate segments of closed production, and can now produce 200 drones per month. But on the other hand, the Russians could produce these 200 drones per month a few months ago, and they did not reach higher capacities," Kyrychevskyi explained.

According to the military expert, the Russians are capable of producing 200 Shaheds per month, and they will have to cover the rest through external supplies.

"We had low expectations of the Russians' ability to produce UAVs. It turns out that the Russians are still capable of producing a maximum of 200 drones per month. The next steps in terms of technological readiness should be calculated in six months," Kyrychevskyi added.

What else is known about the Iranian drone factory in Russia

In November 2022, media reported that Russia had agreed with Iran to jointly produce drones for use in the war against Ukraine. And Russian leader Vladimir Putin ordered the creation of a system for training specialists in the development and production of drones.

In February 2023, Western media confirmed that Tehran and Moscow were holding secret talks on the construction of a plant for the production of “kamikaze” drones. Iran denied this information.

On August 16, British intelligence indicated that Russia had apparently begun using drones of its own production.

The Washington Post, citing internal documents between Iran and Russia, reported that the Shahed factory in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone plans to produce 6,000 “kamikaze” drones by 2025.

Reuters reported that Russia had made progress in the construction of a plant for the production of advanced Iranian “kamikaze” drones in Tatarstan.