Russians are developing a cheap analog of the Shahed drone with a range of 350 km – ISW
On Thursday, January 18, Russia announced that it had begun developing a low-cost analog of the Iranian Shahed drone. It will be called the Yastrub and will have a range of 350 kilometers.
Analysts of the Institute for the Study of War write about this.
It is noted that the development of the new UAV was started by the Russian design bureau Stratim. They said that flight tests of the prototype are currently underway. It is planned to start flight tests of the finished drone in the first half of 2024.
The bureau claims that Russian troops will use the drone as a decoy to distract Ukrainian air defense. This means that they will use the tactics they have previously used in a series of attacks on Ukraine.
Analysts also note that on January 18, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited the State Machine-Building Design Bureau Raduga (GosMKB Raduga), a subsidiary of the Tactical Missile Arms Corporation (KTRV), in Moscow region.
KTRV Director General Boris Obnosov responded to Shoigu’s demand to increase the range of the unidentified weapon from 250 kilometers to over 300 kilometers, saying that they have already tested an unidentified weapon with a range of 310 kilometers.
According to him, the Raduga State Design Bureau has reduced the cost of producing this weapon and increased its warhead from 450 to 800 kilograms. Raduga CEO Sergey Bogatikov said the company has doubled its staff, purchased new testing equipment and tools, expanded its production facilities, and established 12-hour shifts.
