Kathrine Frich
Ukrainian specialists are getting an unexpected look inside the technology used against them.
What they are finding, they say, reveals sharp differences in quality and durability.
The assessments come from engineers who are repairing captured and damaged drone components for reuse.
Repairing for the front
The Ukrainian ZAMPOTECH Foundation is running a project aimed at supporting the armed forces by restoring engines recovered from Russian Shahed and Geran drones.
According to the foundation, refurbishing a single operational engine takes about two weeks and typically requires usable parts taken from three or four damaged units. The repaired engines are then donated for Ukrainian military use.
Quality compared
ZAMPOTECH engineers say most Shahed and Geran drones are powered by MD550 four-cylinder piston engines, allowing the aircraft to reach speeds of around 185 km/h.
Based on their analysis, engines assembled in Iran are the most durable and reliable. Russian- and Chinese-made replacements, however, perform significantly worse.
“The Russian engine operates for a maximum of four to five hours, which is enough for one or two flights. Only the Chinese engine has worse performance, flying for about one and a half to two hours before it completely seizes up,” ZAMPOTECH said in a statement.
Simplified design
According to the Ukrainian engineers, the inferior performance suggests that Russian manufacturers simplified the original Iranian design to cut costs and speed up production.
ZAMPOTECH’s analysis found that several components had been removed from Russian-made versions of the engine, including the starter motor and the heavy flywheel, reducing durability and operational lifespan.
The foundation says these changes make the engines far less reliable under combat conditions.
From Shahed to Geran
Russia initially relied exclusively on Iranian-made Shahed drones, which it began stockpiling as early as 2021, according to a Bloomberg report cited in the article.
Over time, Moscow acquired production technologies and began manufacturing its own versions, known as Geran drones, at facilities in the Russian region of Tatarstan.
Although Iran sold Russia a license to produce the drones, journalist Łukasz Michalik notes that Tehran is not responsible for subsequent design changes introduced by Russian manufacturers.
Sources: ZAMPOTECH Foundation, Bloomberg, WP.
