"15,000 Units Ordered from China" Marketing Strengthened
"Additional Imports Possible Ahead of Russian Spring Offensive"
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As Iranian drones, which the Russian military extensively used for airstrikes in the Ukraine war, are being imported one after another by countries in Asia and the Middle East, Iran's drone exports are reportedly becoming more active. The Iranian government is strengthening marketing, claiming that China, which controls more than 70% of the global drone market, has also placed large orders for Iranian drones. Meanwhile, Russia is expected to import additional large quantities of Iranian drones ahead of its 'Spring Offensive' on the Ukraine front.
An Iranian-made drone ready for launch for training purposes[Image source=Iranian state-run IRNA news agency]
On the 21st (local time), the US economic media Forbes cited a senior official from the Iranian intelligence department, reporting that "90 countries worldwide are lining up to buy Iranian drones," and "China has also placed a large order of up to 15,000 units, increasing the recognition of Iranian drones." In particular, Iranian drones are evaluated as cost-effective weapons, having been extensively used by Russia for urban airstrikes in the Ukraine war.
Although the Iranian government denies the possibility of exports to Russia, Western intelligence agencies, including the US government, all regard the drones used by Russia in airstrikes on Ukraine as Iranian-made. According to a report released by the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) on the 14th, the Russian military used Iranian-made Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 drones in airstrikes on Ukraine. The DIA emphasized, "The Iranian drones used in the Syrian civil war and other Middle Eastern conflicts and the drones found on the Ukraine front used by the Russian military are undoubtedly the same."
There are also prospects that the Russian military will purchase additional Iranian drones. According to Bloomberg News, Western intelligence agencies have identified that the Russian military is running low on Iranian drone stock and is stockpiling drones to carry out the planned Spring Offensive.
Earlier, Ukrainian authorities revealed in December that Russia had ordered 250 drones from Iran, and a significant number of these have already been used in airstrikes. Bloomberg News pointed out that as the war approaches its one-year mark, Russia's ballistic missile stock is running low, increasing its dependence on Iranian drones.
Concerns have also been raised that Iran may supply thousands of drones to the Russian military through a large-scale drone factory facility to be built in Russia in the future. The UK-based arms monitoring organization Conflict Armament Research (CAR) recently released a report stating, "Since last month, Russia has been jointly promoting the construction of a factory near Moscow to produce Shahed-136 drones with Iran," warning that "the Russian military is upgrading the warheads of Iranian drones and improving the drones' noise, speed, and range to develop more powerful kamikaze drones for airstrikes."
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