Images Of Debris Indicate Employment of 50 Kilogram Warhead With Russian Turbojet-Powered Shahed-136/Geran-2 Derivative
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Note: The following text was originally posted on my X/Twitter account.0
It is notable that debris from the—possibly a—turbojet-powered version/derivative of the ordinarily propeller-driven Shahed-136/Geran-2/Garpiya strike drone features a 50-kilogram class warhead. An unknown percentage of Russian Shahed-136/Geran-2/Garpiya strike drones used against Ukraine are equipped with a much larger and heavier 90-kilogram class warhead in what amounts to a reduced range/heavier payload configuration. The baseline Iranian Shahed-136's nominal maximum range of 2000 kilometers—while equipped with a 50-kilogram class warhead—is excessive for Russia's purposes in the specific military-geographical context of the Russia-Ukraine War. Stated differently, Ukraine is simply not large enough for Russia to require a strike drone with such a maximum range, and Russia has, unsurprisingly, substituted range for greater payload. Given what is publicly known about how Russia launches its Shahed-136/Geran-2/Garpiya strike drones and the fact that most of the apparent intended targets of Russia's strike munitions fall within no more than ~600 kilometers of the international border/frontlines—and notwithstanding uncertainties about the technical particulars that ultimately determine what is possible and practical—it will not be surprising to see a reduced range turbojet-powered Russian version/derivative of the Shahed-136/Geran-2/Garpiya strike drone that is equipped with a considerably larger and heavier warhead for use against more proximate targets.