CNN: Iranian drones contain modified explosives to maximize damage to Ukrainian infrastructure
Manufacturers have designed these drones for maximum damage over a wide area
Iran appears to be modifying the attack drones it provides to Russia so that the warheads can cause maximum damage to infrastructure targets in Ukraine, according to an investigation reported by CNN.
Details. Iran has provided hundreds of drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine, many of which have carried out devastating strikes on Ukraine's power grid and energy facilities. The drone attacks have left civilian Ukrainians across the country without heating, electricity, and running water during the frigid winter months.
An unexploded warhead from an Iranian Shahed-131 drone found in Odesa region in October 2022 was analyzed by the British organization Conflict Armament Research together with the Ukrainian military.
The composition of the warhead helps explain why Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure have been so effective.
The researchers believe that the warheads, which are just under two feet long, were hastily modified with poorly fitted layers of dozens of small metal fragments that scatter over a wide radius on impact. In addition to the fragments, there are 18 smaller "charges" around the warhead that can penetrate armor and create a 360-degree blast effect when the blast wave hits.
The accumulation of these elements essentially maximizes the warhead's ability to destroy targets such as power plants, distribution networks, power lines, and large, powerful transformers. They also make repairs much more difficult.
"It's as if they looked at the finished warhead and said: "How can we make it even more destructive?" said Damien Splitters, one of the researchers who studied the warhead.
Splitters explained that warheads aimed at military equipment like tanks or artillery pieces are designed differently, with a front-loading warhead used for more concentrated targets. However, the warhead studied by CAR has a radial charge effect, which can lead to a larger area of damage.
As previously reported by CNN, Iranian-made drones shot down in Ukraine were found to contain a significant amount of U.S. and Western components, prompting the Biden administration to investigate how U.S. technology is being incorporated into weapons.
Background. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Russia and Iran have agreed to build a drone factory together.
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