Canadian firm "regrets" supplying parts for Iranian drones that Russia used to strike Ukraine

Canadian company Tallysman Wireless confirmed that its products were found in the Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones that Russia has been using in its special military operation in Ukraine. 

Iranian-made drones have built a lethal reputation in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. While these drones are not as technologically sophisticated as US, Israeli, Chinese, or even some Russian-made drones, Moscow has enjoyed considerable success with them in destroying Ukrainian infrastructure, The EuroAsian Times reports.

As reported by EurAsian Times earlier, the Shahed-136 kamikaze drones have become a significant challenge for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Russian military has successfully conducted swarm attacks using these UAVs against Ukrainian positions located as far as Kyiv, deep behind Ukrainian frontlines in the eastern part of the country.

Notably, the Russian military achieved an element of surprise in these swarm attacks, thereby minimizing the chances of retaliation by Ukrainian air defense.

These swarm attacks involve several drones (batches of five and above) launched at once from the same rack to overwhelm enemy air defenses. Russian forces reportedly used 12 drones for a single swarm attack.

The kamikaze drones provide Russia with an expendable and cost-effective alternative to its precious and expensive aircraft and cruise and ballistic missiles.

The Shahed-136s were also used in large numbers during Russia’s bombardment of several cities in Ukraine, including the capital city, Kyiv, on October 10, as a retribution for the bombing of the critical Kerch Bridge that connects the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia.

Ukraine’s military specifically observed the use of Shahed-136s during this bombardment involving over 83 Russian missiles. Reports from Ukraine suggest the drones seriously damaged Ukrainian armed forces and infrastructure.

While the Shahed-136 may not be as technologically sophisticated as Western-made, or even some Chinese or Russian-made drones, it reportedly comprises foreign-made parts except the engine.

On November 16, Ukraine-based NGO StateWatch and the Ukrainian civil society group Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO) published an investigation detailing the presence of foreign-made components in the Iranian-made Shahed drones.

Shahed-136 Contains Ceramic Antenna Made By The Canadian Company Tallysman Wireless

The investigation, led by Inna Popovych, a Ukraine investigative journalist, was conducted by a Statewatch project called Trap Aggressor. It identified over 30 EU- and US-based companies whose parts have been used in manufacturing Iranian kamikaze drones.

As per the investigation, the foreign-made components inside Shahed-136 included a “servo drive from the American Hitec USA Group, power elements from the Japanese Panasonic, and ceramic antenna from the Canadian Tallysman.”