Shahed 136

Shahed 136 overview

The Shahed-136 is an Iranian one-way attack aircraft associated with Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company and the wider HESA-linked UAV industry. Iranian military media publicly displayed the delta-wing type, and its low-cost expendable design has made it a prominent example of long-range one-way attack drones. Publicly quoted figures for warhead, range, navigation and cost vary by source and by variant, so they should not be treated as a single certified specification for every Shahed-designated aircraft.

Russia began using Shahed-136-type aircraft under the Geran-2 designation in its war against Ukraine in 2022. U.S. and allied government statements, sanctions notices and independent reporting have documented Iranian support and subsequent Russian production or assembly activity. Those sources establish the supply and production relationship at a broad level, but they do not prove that every Geran-2 has the same components, guidance software, payload or manufacturing origin as an Iranian-built Shahed-136.

The family has been associated in reporting with later design changes, including the Shahed-238 turbojet aircraft and variants advertised or observed with altered guidance arrangements. Ukrainian authorities and independent investigators have reported such variants, while the exact production status and performance of individual wrecks remain difficult to determine in wartime. Reports about use by other armed groups should likewise identify the reporting source and should not be generalized to every Shahed aircraft.

Through 2026, official sanctions and conflict reporting support the conclusion that the Shahed/Geran family remains an important Iranian-Russian one-way-attack ecosystem. They do not establish one universal model, a universal interception rate or a single production total. This profile therefore retains the canonical Shahed-136 name while separating documented family-level proliferation from disputed claims about particular derivatives.

Armament

40-50 kg HE warhead (integral); some variants carry thermobaric or shaped-charge warheads

Development and operational timeline

1. Sep 2019Saudi and U.S. officials attribute the Abqaiq-Khurais attack to Iran or Iran-aligned forces; the exact aircraft mix remains debated
2. Dec 2021Iranian military media publicly displays and describes a Shahed-136-type one-way attack aircraft
3. Sep 2022Russia begins widely reported use of Shahed-136-type aircraft under the Geran-2 designation in Ukraine
4. Jan 2023U.S. and allied officials publicly describe Iranian transfer of one-way attack drones to Russia
5. May 2023U.S. government sanctions notices and reporting identify Russian production or assembly activity associated with the Iran-linked drone supply chain
6. Oct 2023Reporting attributes Shahed-type attacks in the Middle East to Iran-aligned actors; individual airframe identifications vary
7. Feb 2024Ukrainian officials and independent reporting identify a turbojet Shahed-238 variant; performance figures remain source-specific
8. Jul 2024Ukrainian reporting describes modified guidance and fiber-optic-linked Shahed-family aircraft; the scope of service entry is not independently established
9. Nov 2024Ukrainian interception reporting records extensive Shahed-family attacks; interception percentages vary by methodology and source
10. Mar 2025Government sanctions and reputable conflict reporting continue to document the international supply and adaptation of Shahed-family systems
11. Sep 2025Reports describe upgraded Shahed-family use amid regional tensions; model identification and employment claims remain source-attributed
12. Mar 2026Conflict reporting continues to document Shahed/Geran-family attacks; no single public source establishes a universal variant or performance profile
13. Dec 2026Official sanctions and reporting continue to document the Iran–Russia Shahed/Geran network while variant-level performance and production totals remain disputed