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Ukraine Reportedly Shoots Down Russia’s New AI‑Powered Shahed‑136 Drone. Here’s What We Know
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
A modified Iranian-made Shahed-136 suicide drone reportedly featuring an onboard camera, a direct radio control system from Russia, and an artificial vision module has been discovered in Ukraine for the first time, according to military electronics expert Serhii Flesh, who released photos of the wreckage on June 19.
While such a variant had long been rumored, this is the first confirmed case of its use in combat, Flesh said.
The advanced configuration includes a radio modem that allows Russian operators to manually control the drone from up to 150 kilometers away—either from within Russian territory or from the front lines. According to Flesh, the drone could potentially be guided from even greater distances if airborne signal relays are deployed in Ukrainian airspace.
Images of the drone’s remains were also analyzed by the military-affiliated Telegram channel “Polkovnyk HSH”, which concluded that the UAV was an original Iranian Shahed-136, not the Russian-assembled Geran-2 variant that has been widely used in attacks against Ukrainian cities.
The drone was reportedly equipped with a new Iranian-made 8-element CRPA antenna, designed to resist GPS jamming and improve targeting accuracy in contested electronic warfare environments.
But the most notable upgrade was its “machine vision” module, which used an NVIDIA Jetson Orin AI processor—the same technology recently identified in Russia’s new V2U strike drones.
Analysts say the AI-powered vision system acts like a missile seeker head, enabling precision terminal guidance onto targets even without GPS.
“Machine vision based on the NVIDIA Jetson Orin module—like in the new Russian V2U strike drone—is used for terminal targeting, essentially functioning as a self-guiding warhead,” Polkovnyk HSH reported.
Experts believe this drone could indicate a resumption of complete Shahed UAV deliveries from Iran to Russia, marking the first such case since 2023. Until now, Iran was believed to be supplying only components, while Russia assembled the drones domestically.
Last fall, Russian media showcased a new Shahed-like drone with a modified nose housing an optical system, similar to the Iranian Shahed-236, which features an electro-optical targeting station allowing for autonomous target acquisition and manual operator control.
Earlier, a senior Ukrainian defense official issued a warning over the increasing lethality of Russia’s Shahed drone assaults, saying they now deliver more explosive force than cruise missiles.
