Shahed Aviation Industries Shahed 136

The Shahed 136 is an Iranian loitering munition designed by Shahed Aviation Industries and manufactured by the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA). First documented in public footage in December 2021, the system is designed for long-range precision strikes against stationary ground targets. Russia produces a localized version of the aircraft at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone under the designation Geran-2. In late 2025, the United States deployed a reverse-engineered version, the Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS), manufactured by SpektreWorks.

The aircraft utilizes a cropped delta-wing airframe with a central blended fuselage and stabilizing rudders at the wingtips. It measures 3.5 meters in length with a wingspan of 2.5 meters and a total mass of approximately 200 kg. Propulsion is provided by a Mado MD-550 four-cylinder piston engine—a reverse-engineered German Limbach L550E—driving a two-bladed pusher propeller. The munition is launched from portable racks using rocket-assisted take-off (RATO), which is jettisoned after the engine engages. Guidance is achieved via an inertial navigation system (INS) corrected by civilian-grade GNSS (GPS and GLONASS). Russian-manufactured units incorporate the Kometa satellite navigation module and airframes constructed from fiberglass over carbon fiber.

Armament consists of a nose-mounted high-explosive warhead weighing between 30 kg and 50 kg. Specialized payloads include tungsten shrapnel for increased fragmentation and thermobaric explosives. A Russian variant utilizes a 90 kg warhead, which requires a reduction in fuel capacity and limits operational range to 650 km. Standard range estimates vary from 1,000 km to 2,500 km with a cruise speed of approximately 185 km/h.

Operational deployments began during the Russo-Ukrainian War, where the munition has been used extensively against power grids and military infrastructure. Ukraine has utilized MiG-29 fighters, Gepard SPAAGs, and mobile fire groups to intercept the drones, claiming an interception rate between 65% and 85%. The aircraft has also been used in strikes against Iraqi Kurdistan in 2022, commercial shipping in the Indian Ocean, and during Iranian strikes against Israel in April 2024. In December 2025, the U.S. Navy conducted the first shipborne launch of a LUCAS drone from the USS Santa Barbara.

Main Variants

• Geran-2: Russian-produced version featuring localized flight control units, carbon fiber construction, and hardened satellite navigation antennas.
• Shahed 131: A smaller iteration of the design distinguished by wingtip stabilizers that extend only upward.
• Shahed 238: A variant powered by a turbojet engine for increased speed and altitude, featuring a nose-mounted camera for terminal guidance.
• LUCAS: A United States-manufactured clone designed for autonomous one-way attack missions.
• MS Series: An upgraded variant equipped with an infrared camera and an Nvidia Jetson computer for autonomous target acquisition and electronic spectrum surveys.

🇮🇷 Iran • 🇮🇶 Iraq • 🇷🇺 Russia

Bombs payload:

• Guided Bomb Integrated 50kg Warhead