He said this on Espreso TV.
"Photos of the allegedly downed Shahed-238, which is equipped with a jet engine, have already appeared online. However, the Air Force Command has not yet confirmed this information. From the looks of the photos, the details of the air intake in the form of a triangular recess, the location of some technological hatches, as well as the aerodynamic design and shape of the fuselage elements that are captured in the photos with the wreckage match. These details match the images of the Shahed-238 drone with a jet engine, which was made in Iran. And everything resembles that. But we need to wait for an official analysis and confirmation of this information," Katkov explained.
The military expert added that if we assume that Russia is already receiving Shahed-238s, we can only analyze them objectively on the basis of three high-quality photographs taken in Tehran at the end of 2023.
"The Shahed-238 has the same warhead and range as the Shahed-136, but a higher speed, which can be approximately 400-600 km per hour, which is 2-3 times higher than the maximum speed of the Shahed-136. This means that it will be more difficult for mobile groups to shoot them down. But the jet engine gives a better signature that can be captured by infrared homing heads used by man-portable air defense systems," Katkov emphasized.