Russia simplifies, cheapens production of Shahed drones: engine no longer has starter and flywheel

Production of the Shahed drones, referred to as Geran-2 in Russia, continues to diverge from the original Iranian Shahed-136 model, with modifications aimed at minimizing costs. Recent analyses of downed drones confirm these changes.

Defense Express reports that adjustments have been made to the engine, a relatively inexpensive MD550 model (a copy of the German Limbach L550E), which is a two-stroke engine producing 50 horsepower.

The engines, mostly manufactured in China, are customized for Russia, allowing lower per-unit costs, larger engine orders, and the production of more Shahed drones.

Many elements of the original Iranian Shahed-136 design have been simplified to streamline and speed up production. These changes are in addition to the modifications already made at Russia's Alabuga facilities, where they replaced materials for the body, electronic components, and warhead.

While the estimated cost of a Shahed-136 drone is generally cited between $40,000 and $50,000, its actual price in mass production has reached around $193,000. However, Russia is pushing for even lower costs through these design decisions.

Russia continues to scale up drone production, reaching a milestone of 6,000 Shahed-136s at the Alabuga plant in Tatarstan as of September 2024—a full year ahead of schedule. Western analysts estimate peak production could hit 600-800 units per month.

According to Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, monthly production as of early 2024 was around 330-350 Shahed-136 units, although this number relies on continuous component supplies, primarily from China.