Iranian-Style Drones, Russian-Made: How Moscow Is Increasing Output

Ukrainian aviation expert Valery Romanenko said Russia has become increasingly self-sufficient in producing Iranian-style attack drones.

Romanenko, a leading researcher at the National Academy of Sciences, stated on March 14, that two factories—located in Yelabuga and Izhevsk in Russia—are now manufacturing the drones, allowing Russia to ramp up production.

“Currently, Yelabuga produces about 1,000 drones per month, and another 200–300 in Izhevsk. In Izhevsk, they are called ‘Harpy,’ but this is the same ‘Shahed’ in their Russian variant. Only the basic design remains from the Iranian drone there,” Romanenko explained.

Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Russia had intensified its use of Shahed and decoy drones in coordinated strikes on Ukraine. On the night of March 6-7, Russia launched its largest missile-and-drone attack since November 2024, using 67 missiles and 194 drones.

Earlier, it was reported that Ukraine is developing an advanced aerial system to counter Russia’s nightly Shahed drone attacks.