Iran HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company)
Shahed-136
A low-cost, delta-wing loitering munition developed by Iran and mass-produced for one-way attack strikes against fixed targets. Russian-built copies, designated Geran-2, have been used extensively against Ukrainian infrastructure since late 2022, and figures on cost and production remain disputed public estimates.
In service since 2021 · 3 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01
185
km/h
2,500
km range
4,000
m ceiling
💲 ≈ $50,000 — Widely cited public estimate; disputed, ranges from roughly USD 20,000-50,000
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Sanctioned origin
Under multilateral sanctions; acquisition carries severe legal/financial exposure for most buyers.
Channel: State channel
Fielded & proven
Limited · 3 operators
In service since 2021. Status: active · ~10,000 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$125K – $175K
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~20 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Overview
The Shahed-136 is a delta-wing, one-way attack drone: a rear-mounted piston engine pushes it toward a pre-programmed target area at highway speeds, where it dives into the target with a warhead of roughly 40-50 kg. Nothing about the airframe is exotic — and that is precisely the point. At a commonly cited cost in the tens of thousands of dollars, it can be launched in salvos large enough to saturate air defenses that fire interceptors costing fifty times more per shot.
Russia fields the type in localised production as the Geran-2, and its mass employment against Ukrainian infrastructure since 2022 created a new category of threat: the cheap, slow, persistent cruise munition swarm. May 2026 marked record monthly launch volumes against Ukraine even as interception rates climbed — an industrial duel between drone factories and air-defense economics.
In the 2026 Iran war the Shahed family was fired in large numbers at Gulf states, Israel and US bases, and allied strikes made its production plants a priority target. Iranian figures for the system are state claims and independent verification is limited; specifications here follow the most commonly cited public estimates.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 185 km/h Stronger than 33% of UAVs
- Cruise speed
Sustained economical speed. Determines transit time to station.
- 160 km/h Stronger than 61% of UAVs
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 2,500 km Stronger than 78% of UAVs
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 4,000 m Stronger than 13% of UAVs
- Endurance
Time on station. Critical for UAVs and patrol platforms — higher means longer persistent coverage.
- 12 h Stronger than 48% of UAVs
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Warhead
Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.
- 40 kg Stronger than 78% of UAVs
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 3.5 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 2.5 m
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 200 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 0
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- MD-550 piston engine (reverse-engineered from a commercial model-aircraft engine)
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Piston, pusher propeller
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- Electro-optical seeker (some variants)
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- GPS/GLONASS satellite navigation
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $50,000 Stronger than 79% of UAVs
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 10,000 Top 8% of UAVs
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 3 Stronger than 47% of UAVs
Specifications compiled from public HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.
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What is the top speed of the HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136? +
The HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 has a maximum speed of 185 km/h.
What is the range of the HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136? +
The HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 has a maximum range of 2,500 km.
How much does the HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 weigh? +
The HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 has a combat weight of 200 kg.
How many crew does the HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 require? +
The HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 requires a crew of 0.
What engine does the HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 use? +
The HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 is powered by the MD-550 piston engine (reverse-engineered from a commercial model-aircraft engine).
What is the HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 used for? +
The HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 is a uav / drone typically used for deep strike.
How many countries operate the HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136? +
The HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 is operated by 3 countries.
How much does the HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 cost? +
The HESA (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company) Shahed-136 has an approximate unit cost of 50,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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