How US tech showed up in Iran-made drones used by Russia Game of drones over Ukraine

In August 2022, the US and Israeli intelligence services reported that Iran supplied Russia with dozens of indigenous combat drones and loitering munitions to be used against Ukraine. Although Moscow and Tehran denied the allegations, the later video footage proved the fact of the use of Iranian kamikaze drones in Ukraine. Hence, numerous reports on drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine increased the interest of some countries in cheap and accessible Iranian drones.

Nevertheless, the technical advancement of internationally isolated Iran in drone technology pushed the Western and Israeli intelligence forces to launch a proper investigation into Tehran's national drone program. While the use of Iranian drones in Ukraine increased the international pressure on Tehran, recent reports revealed that most parts found in downed Iranian drones in Ukraine are manufactured in the US, Europe and Western allies. As a result, the intelligence reports question the success of US efforts to curtail the proliferation of Iranian drones.

The researchers were able to study an Iranian Mohajer-6 drone that was brought down by Kyiv intact after being hacked mid-flight. About half the drone’s component parts were made by firms based in the US, while a third came from companies in Japan, according to the report. The investigation also found Mohajer-6 components produced in China, including a real-time mini-camera made by a Hong Kong firm. Moreover, at least one major foreign-produced component of the Mohajer-6 has previously been identified as an Austrian manufacturer, BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, a subsidiary of the Canadian company Bombardier Recreational Products.

Indeed, such reports triggered debates in the West regarding Iran's destructive role in the Ukraine conflict and the usage of Western manufacturing technology in its combat drones. According to the Ukrainian intelligence service, the Iranian combat drone contains components from nearly three dozen different technology companies based in North America, the EU, Japan, and Taiwan. For example, drones' electronic components are manufactured by units of German-owned Infineon Technologies AG and Arizona-based Microchip Technology Inc.

Another examination found that 70 companies in 17 different countries made the hundreds of components found in the drones, but the vast majority came from America. As such, on December 21, the Biden administration established a task force as part of an "all hands on deck" investigation into how US-manufactured technology is winding up in Iranian-made drones.

Despite the long-term Western sanctions imposed on Iran for several decades, Tehran has been able to get its hands on commercially available high-end materials that heighten the drones’ targeting and navigation capabilities. Notwithstanding, Iran desperately denies allegations while threatening Ukraine about the "severe consequences of fake reports."

Although the Iranian authorities persistently deny the export of drone technology to Russia, some Iranian generals proudly speak about the “success” of indigenously made drones. On December 25, an Iranian top general said that Western claims its drones are being used by Russia against Ukraine, showing the 'effectiveness' of Tehran's kamikaze drones. Such statements of the Iranian military suggest that Tehran will unlikely keep a low profile in dispatching kamikaze drones to Russia and its proxy forces across the Middle East.

Amid such reports from the US, questions arose in the West on how Tehran acquired sophisticated defence products for combat drones. Given Iran's limited partnership network, it is likely that China facilitates the transfer of foreign technology to Iran using its wide range of companies across the globe. Therefore, the US's recent accusation of Iran sourcing parts for its drone programme from China should not come as a surprise.

Reportedly, Beijing turns a blind eye to the sales of defence products that have helped the Islamic Republic aid its proxies in the region. As mentioned before, Israel, an arch-enemy of Iran, has been pressuring the US to take more concrete steps to tackle Iran's drone program. Drones deployed by Iran's proxies in Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq have been viewed as one of the most pressing security challenges in the Middle East.

Although the White House launched an investigation regarding Iran's illegal acquisition of its sophisticated defence technology, it is unlikely that Tehran will take a step back. Drone export to Russia, its long-term partner, is essential for Iran to counterbalance Western influence and ensure strong leverage over the regional states. Therefore, Iranian drones will preserve their devastating role in the Ukraine war until Kyiv receives advanced weaponry countering drone attacks.