A handout picture provided by the Iranian army on May 28, 2022 shows Arash-2 suicide drone in an underground base at an unknown location in Iran.
Iran is set to supply Russia with a shipment of Arash-2 suicide drones which can hit targets thousands of kilometers away, several Iranian news channels on Telegram reported on October 15.
Very little is known about the Arash-2, which have a range of around 2,000. The warhead of the Arash-2 is said to be heaver then those in Iran’s Shahed-131 and 136 suicide drones, which are currently in service with the Russian military as Geran-1 and 2.
The Shahed-131 has a range of 900 kilometers and a 15 kg warhead, while the Shahed-136 has a range of up to 2,500 kilometers and a 40 kg warhead.
Iranian sources said that the Russian military will use Arash-2 suicide drones in Ukraine where it is currently conducting a special operation. In the last few weeks, dozens of Russian Geran-1 and 2 drones were used to destroy targets of Kiev forces.
Just like the Shahed-131 and 136, the basic version of the Arash-2 is guided by a satellite-aided inertial navigation system. Very recently, Iran showcased new versions of the drone equipped with TV and infrared seekers. In theory, these new versions should be able to detect static and moving targets and engage them after launch.
According to a report released by The Washington Post on October 16, Russia is not only looking to acquire more drones from Iran, but also tactical ballistic missiles. The newspaper said that Iran is currently preparing a shipment of Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar precision-guided missiles for Russia.
The Fateh-110 missile has a range of 300 kilometers and a warhead weighting 650 kg, while the Zolfaghar has a range of 700 kilometers and is armed with a 450 kg warhead.
The low cost and high performance of Iranian missile and drones made them a perfect option for Russia to boost the fire power of is military. While most news sources are claiming that these weapons are being supplied from Iran, it is more reasonable to assume that they are being assembled in Russia under agreements with Iranian arms companies.
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