Russia and Iran are expanding their military partnership by advancing plans to establish a factory in a town 600 miles east of Moscow that could manufacture at least 6,000 Iran-designed unmanned aerial vehicles to support the war effort in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
A high-level delegation from Iran visited the planned facility in Russia on Jan. 5 and discussed plans over the drone factory, which is part of a $1 billion deal between Tehran and Moscow, according to officials from a U.S.-aligned nation.
The officials said Ukraine’s air defenses could face new challenges as Iran and Russia plan to integrate a new engine into a Shahed-136 drone model that would enable the vehicle to fly faster at a greater distance.
According to the report, Moscow has already deployed Iran-built Shahed-136 drones to target the power grid and other civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
News on the planned joint drone facility in Russia emerged in December after the White House warned that Iran and Russia are deepening their military ties into a “full-fledged defense partnership.”
