Shahed-136
Low-cost delta-wing loitering munition, exported en masse to Russia as Geran-2: symbol of cheap drone warfare in Ukraine.
Shahed-136
Low-cost delta-wing loitering munition, exported en masse to Russia as Geran-2: symbol of cheap drone warfare in Ukraine.
Community
Data trust
- Reliability
- Unverified
- Sources
- Sources pending review
Identity
- Designation
- Shahed-136
- Alias
- Geran-2 (designazione russa)
- Manufacturer
- HESA / Shahed Aviation Industries
- Country
- Iran
- Year
- 2021
- Category
- Loitering munition
- Class
- Tactical (< 600 kg)
- Status
- In service
Performance
- Range
- 2500 km
- Endurance
- Fino a 12 h
- Top speed
- 185 km/h
- Service ceiling
- 4,000 m
- Propulsion
- Pistone Mado MD-550 (≈ 50 hp), elica spintore
Physical characteristics
- MTOW
- 200 kg
- Payload
- 50 kg
- Weapons
- Testata HE/frammentazione 40-50 kg
- Unit cost
- 0.05 M USD
Onboard systems
- Sensors
- GPS/GLONASS + INS (nessun seeker terminale nelle varianti base)
- Datalink / control
- Pre-programmata GNSS, varianti con datalink
- Launch
- Lancio a rampa da camion (RATO booster)
- Recovery
- Impatto sul bersaglio
Combat use
- ▸War in Ukraine (2022-present)
- ▸Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and UAE
- ▸Strikes on Israel (April 2024)
Tags
Main operators
History
Publicly unveiled in 2021, it derives from the Shahed-131 family and uses a composite delta wing with rear-mounted propeller.
Since 2022 it has been Russia's main offensive tool against Ukrainian energy infrastructure: launched in swarms of 10-20 units to saturate air defences.
The Shahed-136 is the most famous Iranian kamikaze drone in the world and the symbol of drone warfare in Ukraine since 2022: designed by HESA with technology derived from reverse-engineered US RQ-170 drones and Chinese anti-ship missiles, it has an estimated unit cost of USD 20,000-50,000.
Transferred to Russia in summer 2022 with the Geran-2 designation (Russian for 'geranium'), it was used massively against Ukrainian energy infrastructure in autumn-winter 2022-2023, launching waves of 20-30 drones at a time to saturate air defences.
Geran-2 production was relocated to Russia at the Alabuga plant in Tatarstan, with capacity exceeding 6,000 units per year according to 2024 Western estimates: a factor that turned the Iranian drone into a standard weapon of the Ukraine war.